Tag: Qi

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Chargers/Batteries

Plug’s beefy battery can power anything you need off the grid

Once a novel idea, our growing need for smartphone connectivity has spawned an endless supply of battery chargers. Many of these range from tiny keychain trinkets to more substantial slabs that offer two to three charges of smartphones boasting the biggest internal batteries.

To really stand out, though, you need to something big and different. ChargeTech knows this as the company has released a series of portable charging units including this charger charger that can keep a series of charging bricks topped off.Aafter hitting Indiegogo back in 2014 with what it claimed was the world’s smallest battery pack with an AC outlet, it’s with Plug, which houses a massive 48,000 mAh battery and two AC outlets as well as a USB-C port. How is capable of outputting  250 volts, which means it is robust enough to handle a desktop computer, a monitor, a television, a blender and many other electrical items one normally wouldn’t expect to use away from a wall.

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Cell Phone Accessories Chargers/Batteries

Ampere wirelessly charges smartphones, tablets in sleeve form

To most people, climate change isn’t the world’s most pressing issue, but the dying smartphone in their pocket or purse is. With smartphones batteries experiencing none of the fantastic leaps forward every other component of modern smartphones have had, people are stuck with incredibly advanced pieces of technology that can’t stay on for a full day.

Power banks and other products like Mophie cases have enjoyed popularity as mobile solutions to the problem, but the folks at Novelsys think it can be so much easier. Their Ampere charging sleeve fits most smartphones and phablets and wirelessly charges them using the Qi inductive power standard along with a 2700mAh battery. This product also features a USB outlet to charge other devices four times as fast. Its companion iOS/Android app allows users to control when charging happens, monitor battery life, and track their device using Bluetooth LE.

The Ampere’s main draw is the lack of external attachments, wires, or connections, making the process of charging a smartphone on the go super easy, unlike similar products like the MyQi. Pretty much anyone with a smartphone will be interested in the $79 product, although some untested models may not work. The $60,000 campaign is looking to ship Ampere in August 2015.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Chargers/Batteries

Air Dock 2.0 wirelessly charges your phone while driving

Charging a cellphone while driving can be a chore when wires are involved.  Not to mention how unsafe it can be fiddling around with cords and outlets. The Air Dock 2.0 is a wireless car charger and dock for smartphones and tablets that features Qi inductive charging technology, so there is no need for fumbling around while placing a device on the dock.

The face of the Air Dock is made of nanosuction foam, so mounting a phone or tablet is as simple as placing it on the dock. Suction cups secure a mobile device to the dock without leaving any residue. Phones or cases with non-glossy surfaces may slip on the nanosuction foam, so the Air Dock comes with a magnetic sticker that guarantees reliable attachment to those non-glossy surfaces. Backers who provide $79 for the device’s Indiegogo campaign will get an Air Dock 2.0 with the mount of the buyer’s choice from a selection of four. The dock’s makers are looking to raise $85,000  as part of what is their second Air Dock campaign.

Many consumers will likely find the device handy. The CD mount option, which repurposes a car’s CD player, slipping into the CD slot and then expanding to hold itself firmly in place, is an especially interesting concept. But the device is rather costly for a charging dock, which could turn off some consumers. Although the device is compatible with many smartphones, some will require additional hardware or a case to be compatible with the dock.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Chargers/Batteries

Ark opens doors to wireless charging on the go

ArkChargerOnly Apple knows for sure why it abstains from supporting wireless standards such as Qi. But if the company did come out with a portable charger, it’s a good bet it would look a lot like the Ark, the rounded square of which resembles the previous generation of its AirPort Extreme router. As with other chargers that support Qi, you lay the phone atop the surface and it simply begins charging. However, since Qi adds a bit of depth to the phone, you may need to add a different back cover or, in the case of the iPhone, a case as the Ark’s creators have. After that, you can fill up the Ark with electricity as if it were Noah’s animals, and set it down on any flat surface deemed worthy to serve as a smartphone refilling station. Set to sail in March 2014, the naked Ark starts at about $65 with a host of other  early bird and reward tiers offering bundles with adapters for the Galaxy S3, S4 and iPhone.