- Dec 23, 2010
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I recently bought a couple of Powermat wireless charging systems. I saw some that were for multiple devices, but they also have ones made for a single phone. You also need to have a special case. I was able to find single charger/case combos for iPhones really cheap online, so I bought one for my iPhone 4 and one for my wife's 3GS.
The cases are pretty good by themselves. The 3G/3GS case is a black two-piece slider, with a flat, rectangular thing stuck on the back. The iPhone 4 case is a slider with a hinged top. Instead of having something stuck to the back, the whole back is slightly thicker, but not noticeably so like a battery pack. Like battery pack cases, there is a dock connector inside the case, adding about 1/4 inch to the bottom. The entire front glass is uncovered, and there are the usual cutouts for all the holes and buttons.
One odd thing is that instead of having the usual 32-pin docking port there is a microUSB port, which can be used with the included USB cord for syncing or with a USB car charger. This also lets me use other people's chargers when I'm visiting them. In fact, Apple recently came out with a microUSB converter of their own, since it's supposed to be standard for all phones in the EU.
It may seem trivial to charge a device by putting it on a pad instead of plugging it in, especially since the pad itself has a cord, but often the phones didn't get plugged in when they needed to, which doesn't happen now that I just drop it on the charging pad. (Actually, the one for the iPhone 4 is more of a cradle, with raised corners.). My wife and I love our Powermats!
Of course, since I got a 4S I had to get another Powermat. The iPhone 4 case is advertised to fit both AT&T and Verizon, so I was pretty confident it would fit the 4S, which it does, if barely. I had to pay a bit more this time, but when you consider what you can pay for cases, cords and power supplies separately, it was a real deal, and about half off the list price at around $25 plus shipping. (I just checked and they've gone up again in price in just a week. Guess I'm not the only one shopping for iPhone accessories.)
The cases are pretty good by themselves. The 3G/3GS case is a black two-piece slider, with a flat, rectangular thing stuck on the back. The iPhone 4 case is a slider with a hinged top. Instead of having something stuck to the back, the whole back is slightly thicker, but not noticeably so like a battery pack. Like battery pack cases, there is a dock connector inside the case, adding about 1/4 inch to the bottom. The entire front glass is uncovered, and there are the usual cutouts for all the holes and buttons.
One odd thing is that instead of having the usual 32-pin docking port there is a microUSB port, which can be used with the included USB cord for syncing or with a USB car charger. This also lets me use other people's chargers when I'm visiting them. In fact, Apple recently came out with a microUSB converter of their own, since it's supposed to be standard for all phones in the EU.
It may seem trivial to charge a device by putting it on a pad instead of plugging it in, especially since the pad itself has a cord, but often the phones didn't get plugged in when they needed to, which doesn't happen now that I just drop it on the charging pad. (Actually, the one for the iPhone 4 is more of a cradle, with raised corners.). My wife and I love our Powermats!
Of course, since I got a 4S I had to get another Powermat. The iPhone 4 case is advertised to fit both AT&T and Verizon, so I was pretty confident it would fit the 4S, which it does, if barely. I had to pay a bit more this time, but when you consider what you can pay for cases, cords and power supplies separately, it was a real deal, and about half off the list price at around $25 plus shipping. (I just checked and they've gone up again in price in just a week. Guess I'm not the only one shopping for iPhone accessories.)
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