I don’t know if this is the coolest thing ever, or just an early April Fool’s joke.
Go to the Powermat site, and watch the quick little demo they have of the iPhone being set on top of the mat and it just charging. Supposedly it will work with cameras, cell phones, laptops, bluetooth headsets, any enabled device.
Seems way too good to be true.
What do you think? Is it real? Is it a hoax? Is it proof that the government has been sitting on all the cool technology for years and just releasing what they feel like to keep people right on the edge, teetering between the massively stressful and the incredibly joyous aspects of life? Kind of like velcro was?
They supposedly explain the whole gizmo on their Technology page, cleverly throwing out references to Tesla (what does 80′s rock have to do with this? Oh wait, maybe it’s a power ballad thing?), magnetic induction (pulling babies out of pregnant mothers with magnets? Sounds painful) and something called “optimized standby consumption” which evidently means I can efficiently eat while I sit and wait for my next flight.
How long until the first person dies from falling asleep on their desk, with their head rested on top of this ultra-thin mat?
Or maybe we’ll be redefiningt the meaning of the “power nap.”
The new Palm wireless charging device is called Touchstone. Not sure if it uses similar technology.
That Powermat looks pretty cool. I could lose a few AC adapters at the house, on the road and at work.
martymankins´s last blog post..Snowy Sunday #08
I’m thinking if this is real, then cube furniture should have it built-in.
Hope you’re done having children…
Dave2´s last blog post..Earth
Dave2 – no kidding! I hope someone doesn’t put it in my chair as the new electrified version of the whoopie cushion.
I’ve seen this kicking around for at least a couple of years now. They roadblock (other than any FCC/safety issues) is device compatibility. I’d seen the dongles before, which just didn’t seem likely to take off, but custom cases for popular devices might just work — assuming they are *good* cases.
Of course, the thing that would make this really useful would be ubiquitous charging mats when you’re out and about. Otherwise, it’s just a way to reduce the number of cords when you have several devices, which is probably a fairly narrow market. A fairly techno-geek person myself, I don’t really end up plugging in any cables solely for charging anymore. My iPod charges in my car. My iPhone charges docked in my iHome clock/radio and/or while syncing.
The rest of my devices aren’t used daily, so aren’t really an issue. Even so, my Garmin Forerunner charges while docked to sync to the computer (though not from the sync cable). Same for my camcorder. I do have to explicitly remove and charge the batteries for my camera and external flash.
What we really “need” is wireless charging that doesn’t require such close proximity. I want my devices to simply charge whenever they are at home, at work, in my car, whatever. For that matter, they shouldn’t even use the battery anywhere there is a “power field” available.
Ren´s last blog post..Wii Fit
Ren — that’s the way Starship Enterprise worked, according to the Technical Field Manual. All components had built-in battery modules and auto-charged from ambient sources.
Ubiquity is the answer, the answer is everywhere, love is all you need, it is by whall alone I set this comment in motion.
It does look like you need additional accessories to charge things like your laptop. I could see that being useful as a nightstand type of thing, where you put everything down and anything that needs charging would be charged, but I’m wondering how many devices are actually compatible with it.
Avitable´s last blog post..Wonder Boner
Avi — device compatibility may well be the catch or the gotcha. That, and side effects that include vomiting, dizziness, nausea (on top of the vomiting), anal leakage (on top of the nausea), kidney stones (from all the vomiting) and death.
I could SO use that! Although I wouldn’t want to fall asleep on it…haha
Sarcastica´s last blog post..Being bored shitless makes for nice random posts
Sarcastica – maybe you could threaten people at the dr’s office with it so they stop making you wait so much.
I think it’s fake. But I’m suspicious, that’s just my nature. Other than that little quirk, I’m just about perfect.
Dragon_Baby´s last blog post..Warm Pear Salad with Walnuts and Parmesan Cheese
Dragon Baby – I thought you had the perfect amount of suspicion. Way to ruin it for me.
Damn it! It’s not available until Fall 2009!!
Am I the only one who rushed over to buy it??
Miss Britt´s last blog post..I need a girlfriend.
Miss Britt – you’re probably the only one who rushed over to buy it. The rest of us rushed over to get in line to sign up for the class action lawsuit.
If this is real (and if it works) I sooooo have to have one!!
Giggle Pixie´s last blog post..Welcome to My Life
Giggle Pixie — well now that I know you want it, I’ll do everything in my power to not get in your way. heh, power.
If you put a giant one in the center of the city, you won’t have the problem of iphone battery charges lasting only 5 hours. Not only that, you get the convenience of hot-dogs roasting without you having to even put them on the stove or microwave.
dmarks´s last blog post..Want cherry in that burger?
dmarks — I don’t have an iPhone. That way I don’t have the problem of iphone battery charges lasting only 5 hours.
I think my way is a cheaper way to avoid the problem.
Mmm, hmmm…..totally true. And did you know if you rest your forehead on the mat, it will recharge your brain, too? Better than power napping!
BlondeBlogger´s last blog post..Jackie, Debra and Stephanie Berger
BlondeBlogger – just thinking about it gives me a battery of headaches.