While my Dad may not be as in-tune with mobile technology as I am, he is every bit a gadget-aholic as anyone I have met.  He and I have spent a lot of time over the past years lamenting the growing tangle of cables we have both found on our desktops.  Most of you have probably found this same thing as our devices grow smaller and more portable.  There is a charger for my Zune, another for my iPod Touch, Palm Pre, Kindle, and the list goes on…with many of the cables incompatible with any other devices.  This means when I travel, I almost need a separate bag just for my cables. 

Over the summer, my Dad and I were talking about this power consumption conundrum, and he commented that what he really wanted was some kind of a power mat.  Just drop your device – any device – onto the mat and the battery will charge through induction.  It was a nice thought, but I questioned whether the technology was really available for something like that.  I questioned it, Powermat did not.  They just went right on in and built a mat which can power up to three devices at a time.  In fact, they built not just one power mat, but two of them: a desktop model and a portable model. 

Right out of the box, I was quite impressed by the space age design of the Powermat.  Whether it works or not, it looks really cool.  A lot like a small skateboard.  Most of the multiple device chargers I have used are enormous…big, thick, and heavy.  Not the Powermat, which takes the “mat” in its name seriously.  This is one skinny power adaptor, sure to leave plenty of space on your desk.

The top of the Powermat is made from a smooth plastic material.  Three magnetized circles on top are where your device will draw its charge.  Underneath, the bottom has a rubberized mat, which helps ensure it will not slide around on your desk.  The connections are hidden on the back, including the light and sound controls and AC adaptor jack. 

The portable version of the Powermat functions pretty much identically, though it does not quite have the same space age appearance.  Instead, the portable version consists of three square tiles, held together with plastic hinges.  To me, it looked a lot like one of those old Jacob’s Ladder toys. 

These hinges allow the tiles to fold on top of one another, forming into a compact cube for storage or transport. 

Once folded, the whole thing will fit neatly into the included hard shell case (which also holds the AC adaptor cable) for easy transport.

Both the portable and desktop variations of the Powermat are able to charge up to three devices at once, simply by connecting your device to those small magnetized circles on top.  So, we’ll just go ahead and toss the Zune HD on top of one of those circles, sit back, and wa…what’s that?  You say it is not charging yet?  No, it is not.  Of course, while that Powermat is filled with energy, just ready to be transferred, your device requires an appropriate receptacle in order to receive that energy and transfer it to your device’s battery.  This is where the illusion that is the Powermat starts to fade.

In order for the Powermat to be truly effective, it needs to work exactly as I described.  Just toss your device, any device, on the Powermat and watch it charge.  This would make the Powermat a universal version of Palm’s Touchstone charger.  In order to get there, however, the Powermat receptacle would have to be built into your devices, and that has not happened yet (hopefully, Poawermat will get there).  In the meantime, you will need a Powermat adaptor in order to connect your device to the Powermat.  In essence, this renders the Powermat less a space age, revolutionary accessory; and more just another multi-device charger, with a really cool space age design.

If you have an iPod, iPhone, Blackberry, or Nintendo DS then you are in luck.  You will have an awful lot of options to connect a Powermat adapter, including battery doors, cases, new backs, and cradles. 

These all worked well,and I really liked these options because they truly eliminated the wires entirely.  Like Palm’s Touchstone charger, these solutions allow you to place your device directly on top of the Powermat, without tying it down with cumbersome cables.

If you do not have an iPod, iPhone, Blackberry, or Nintendo DS, then you are going to need the Powercube Universal Receiver.   The Powercube Universal Receiver is a small plastic square which connects to the Powermat.  A retractable cable will connect to your device using one of the included adaptors.  Waitaminute…did you hear that?  Yeah, if you do not have one of the select few Apple, Blackberry, or Nintendo devices, then you are going to essentially need a cable in order to connect your device to the Powermat.  I have to admit that I was extremely disappointed to find that most of my devices required a wire in order to connect to this wireless charger.

That being said, let’s take a look at what the PowerCube allows you to do.  The default is a standard miniUSB connection.  On top of that, you can connect adaptors for:

• MicroUSB
• Apple
• Nintendo DSi
• Nintendo DS Lite
• LG
• Sony PSP
• Samsung

(not all adaptors are shown in the picture)

While I will admit that these adaptors will cover a wide variety of devices, Powermat still has a long way to go.  The King of the Hill in this universal power accessory model is Gomadic, which features a TipExchange library containing adaptors for thousands of devices.  Notably, my ZuneHD was not compatible, along with any of my Sandisk media players, a variety of wireless headsets and headphones and plenty of other phones, devices, media players, and accessories.  For my purposes though, the lack of an adaptor for the Zune HD was an incredible disappointment.

The other thing I noticed when I started charging my devices with the Powermat is that there is nowhere to put a device which is charging via the Powercube adaptor.  If you have a device with a cradle, back, or case adaptor, then it will be contained completely on the Powermat.  Devices which require the use of the Powercube, however, will hang over the edge.  This is a real problem if your Powermat is located on a desk or shelf with limited space.  It would have been nice if there had been some kind of fold-out or snap-on ledge, which could hold your devices while they are charging.

I have to say, I absolutely love the concept behind the Powermat.  This is exactly the device my Dad and I discussed over the summer…with one notable exception, you still need a wire to connect most devices.  For that reason, this felt a lot more like a proof of concept than a ready for prime time accessory.  While Powermat came very close with this one, and the wireless portion works great, they need to quickly and significantly expand their library of available battery doors, backs, and adaptor cases, so that every device (or at least many) can be charged by simply tossing it on the mat.  Until then, we’ll just call the Powermat a great idea, whose day has not quite come…though I will be waiting patiently to see where it goes from here.

What I Liked:

• Inductive charging comes to the masses
• Space age design
• Backs, cradles, and cases bring wireless charging to many devices

What Needs Improvement:

• Many devices still need a wire
• Only three devices at a time
• Limited selection of adaptors and tips

Where To Buy: Powermat, Target

Price:

• Powermat: $99.99
• Powermat Portable: $99.99
• Powercube, cradles, backs, cases, and adaptors: $29.99-$39.99 (note that a Powercube and full compliment of adaptors is included with the Powermat)

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Related posts:

1. Case-Mate Introduces the Hug Wireless Charging System
2. Wireless Power: Charging Devices – Without the Wires!
3. Wireless Charging – Less then a month to wireless salvation!
4. Palm PRE’s Unique Charging System
5. Review: Sleek Audio SA6 Wireless Headphones With Kleer Wireless Technology