Powermat: A Charging Review
Charging, it’s both magical and a pain in the rear. Yes the process of getting power from a wall socket into your latest gadget is pretty amazing, but it’s just SO inconvenient. 1 socket, 5 devices, 5 different cables and a spaghetti-like mess of unadulterated chaos. Sound familiar? I bet it does.
This is where the Powermat comes into play. This sleek and stylish little table provides a one-stop shop for all your charging needs. But, Oli, you may ask. How does it do that? Well you inquisitive reader you, allow me to explain.
The Powermat is a plastic slap with 3 charging points on top. These work using magnetic induction (apparently that’s a real thing!) to juice up your gadget. For this to work you’ll need a Powermat case for each device you want to charge, which are sold separately. Cases are available for various toys you may have, such as iPhones, Blackberrys and the Nintendo DS variants. But what about other hardware? they’ve thought of that too. Along the rim of the Powermat you’ll find a spare USB socket for connecting whatever you like. Nice and easy.
This is all very good, and so far this has sounded more like an ad than a review, so how does it perform? I spent a week with a unit that the Powermat people were good enough to send me. Along with the basic unit they also provided me with an iPhone 3G/3GS case to use. As this was pre-iPhone 4 (yes, it’s taken me this long to write the review!) I was able to live with the device and use it as intended.
With the case on, my iPhone charged correctly in the same time it took when connected directly to the wall, so there didn’t appear to be any performance hit from the inductive charging. The case did become slightly warm, but nothing to cause alarm. In all honesty, I’m not certain that the heat wasn’t coming from the fact the handset was inside a case – I’d never used one before.
The case, however, wasn’t as impressive. The reason I’d never used a case in the past was the fact I always keep my iPhone in my pocket. This means I’ve never wanted to add bulk to the handset. The problem with the Powermat case is that, while adding the extra size you get from most cases, it also has a large plate on the back.
Obviously this is a necessary evil in order to make the whole induction thing work, but for me, it was a real pain. Obviously if you keep your iPhone (or indeed other device with its own Powermat case) in a bag etc, then this is a moot point. As always, it’s down to individual taste and if the convenience of inductive charging is worth the extra girth added to your handset, you’re golden. So with all that said, let me sum this up for you:
The Good:
- Wireless charging cuts down on unsightly cables.
- USB charging – devices which don’t have their own Powermat case can also be charged.
The Bad:
- Price – at £69 for the Powermat and around £30 for each case, the costs start to add up.
- Case size – yes it’s a drawback of the technology, but it may not be an issue for everybody.
