Hi, this is Wayne again with a topic “5 Weird and Wonderful Wireless Chargers”.
[ Narrator ], It’s slow and sometimes finicky, but wireless charging can also be really convenient if you get the right kinds of chargers.. So today I wanted of show off some of the ones I’ve been using for the past few months.. Some are review samples. Some I purchased, and some are not even all that great. But all are weird and/or wonderful., ( upbeat music ).
Let’S start with the PowerPic from Twelve South, which caught my I at CES 2019. Because of how little it looks like a piece of technology. At a glance, it’s you’re typical analog photo frame, but beneath the glass and your precious printed picture sits a G power pad.. That means you can drop your phone into the frame and it’ll soak up wireless power at up to 10 watts., Even if you’re, using a case up to three millimeters thick..
I really like the angle, this props, my phone at.. Just like the Pixel Stand. I can keep it alongside my computer and see notifications as they come in. And, unlike most wireless pedestals, which just kind of stick out as empty trays when not in use.
This looks just like a picture frame because it is. It comes in black or white to match your decor and it’s got a status light hidden away in the back side. So you can tell if it’s working.
Price on this one. A penny shy of 70 bucks.. Next up a pad so nice I bought it twice., You might remember Lofree from its novelty throw-back mechanical keyboards.. Well. That company also makes the Groovy Mat.
See. I was tired of my glass desk at home, getting smudgy and my fabric desk at work getting dirty.. So I bought two of these to protect the desks and power. My devices at the same time.
Once again at up to 10 watt G charging plate hides in the neoprene pad beneath the leather top layer. Here. The target zone looks like a little helipad. And you just drop your phone right on to it.
When you’re sitting there working. You get a nice solid, green light for a good connection or a flashing one when the device isn’t aligned. Properly. And my only complaint is that it takes practice to get that proper alignment, at least on your first try. Price on this one is the same as the PowerPic about 70 bucks.. Those are well and good for the home, but this channel’s called MrMobile. So how about life on the road? Well in the weird category is the Tesmo Universe Book.. I did an Instagram TV episode on this, a while back., It’s a portable planner, the kind of thing I used to have to schedule my days during college., But there’s more to it than calendars and class schedules., There’s also a built-in 8,000 milliamp power battery and a G charging pad beneath the polyurethane leather cover., The idea being that when you’re out and about you do planning or journaling, then you close the book and drop your phone on the cover for a top-up between classes..
If you don’t have a phone that can charge wirelessly, there are a bunch of cables hidden away in the back. Paper format: A5 in the six-ring styles, so you can buy replacement, paper. G output, only five watts., So it’ll charge on the slow side and you’ve got To remember, to hit the power button to energize that coil. Price recently discounted.
Now, if what you want is a more conventional and frankly, more useful option for the road check out the Goal: Zero Sherpa 100AC.. This is a proper portable battery pack, which you may remember from my everyday carry video last fall., And there are three reasons I do carry it: every day., The over 25,000 milliamp power capacity, the 60 watt USB-C ports powerful enough to quickly charge my laptop. And yes, The G wireless charging pad that lets me recharge a phone at the same time.. It does that slowly..
This is another five-watt model and I do wished they’d manage to cram a little more capacity in here. Instead of spending space on the AC adapter, I never use., But I still love this battery pack.. The built-in trays on the sides for the included, USB and lightning cables is a very nice touch., As is the built-in LCD panel. That tells you how long you’ve got to go before it’s dead. Price recently discounted on this one as well to around 225, while supplies last.. And finally, we have the familiar case of a great concept.
Undone by flawed execution. Unravel is a portable wireless charger from the aptly named Ampere. And its design is amazing.. It’S got three wireless charging pads strung together like a Jacob’s Ladder, and that means you can use it to charge three devices at once or stack them up to charge a single device or go for the tent mode to make a stand.
Each of the three pads Can kick out 10 watts with two designed for phones and one built for the Apple Watch, just the Apple Watch by the way.. You won’t get other smart watches to take a charge off of this. Thing is powering all three of those pads requires at least a 60 watt charger, which, thankfully, is now included if you buy it from Amazon., But it’s still pretty pricey at 99 bucks. And, more Importantly, the initial run of product has a pretty high defect. Rate., I and a number of other users have had trouble charging the Apple Watch reliably and the same goes for Apple’s new AirPods. And when I say trouble I mean mainly, they just sit there and get hot and never quite reaching even close to a full charge.
Even after a few hours., Oh – and this won’t affect many folks, but just for the sake of completeness, the LG G8 doesn’t charge on this pad at all.. I have no idea why.. I spoke with Ampere about this, and the company says it’s taking these steps to address the problems. Expanding its manufacturing vendor from one to five developing a separate version of Unravel with an MFi certified Apple Watch, charging pad and swapping out any defective Unravels for newer ones. From an improved production batch shipping in June., Those customers will also get their choice of a free bonus accessory for the trouble..
Until I’m able to see how the new batches work, I can’t readily recommend the Unravel, but it’s nice to see a company being transparent about its process and working to resolve those issues. Folks, if you’re thinking a lot of these are on the pricey side, I can’t Argue. So hit up my earlier wireless charging, video for some better bargains if you’re doing G on a budget..
Also, I wan na know what wireless chargers you’re using and what devices you’re using them with. Drop a line down in the comments and be sure you subscribe to theMrMobile on YouTube. So you don’t miss that Unravel follow-up. When I get a revised unit and another video on big batteries coming to the channel very soon.
Until next time, thanks for watching and stay mobile, my friends .