Powermat wireless charging pad (good, or bad?)

[timtim2008]

Powermat wireless charging pad (good, or bad?)
Powermat USA | Wireless charging mats and receivers for your iPhone, iPod, BlackBerry and other devices and Duracell | myGrid Cell Phone Starter Kit


Is it just me, or doesn't Inductive recharging waste energy/power? ( Inductive charging - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia )


So why would someone pay $100 for the pad, and have an higher power bill? because they are too lazy to plug in the charger..

 

[Norm]

So why would someone pay $100 for the pad, and have an higher power bill? because they are too lazy to plug in the charger..

I think the difference to your power bill would be insignificant. I like the idea but I wouldn't use it in it's present incarnation, when they start building appliances already set up without any external adapter it will be convenient.
Your Braun toothbrush has charged this way for years.
Norm

 

[gtwace]

The concept is to build a universal charger, but until they convince manufacturers to built a powercube receiver into all their batteries (phone battery, CR123, AA, AAA, etc) instead of having to use an adaptor, this thing is pretty useless.

 

[jblackwood]

Palm's Pre has induction technology built in! All you have to do is buy their touchstone charger. My brother even installed one in his car to use as a combination phone holder/charger. The magnet is strong enough to hold it without any other adhesive being necessary.

I kind of resent the fact that if you don't own an iPhone or Blackberry, the company actually expects you to buy one of those ridiculous powercubes. why bother with their system at all? I realize that it takes money to R&D different phones and their connectors, but if Gomadic and many other can do it, why can't this company, especially since they have such an innovative product with which to couple it?

Also, I use ZAGG's invisible shield so that I don't have to add bulk to my devices. Until they start doing things like Palm has with their Pre, I'm out.

 

[z17813]

I love the concept and think it will be awesome at some point in the future. That said the only people I know who have tried it have been severely underwhelmed, one day though, you'll see (I hope).