Hasta La Gadget!

Oh, Powermat wireless chargers. We thought you were vaporware — and then, like an undreamed dream — you appeared to us in the flesh (and on video!) at CES. We didn’t really hear much about it after that, and we’ll be honest: we had nearly forgotten all about it! Well, it turns out these bad boys are now available. If you don’t recall the details, the Powermat is a one pad, one plug system designed to charge all your gadgets in one place — refreshing! Your phone or DS or whatever you want to charge will need a Powermat Receiver sleeve, enabling it to lock onto the mat and charge in the amount of time it takes to charge up traditionally. At $99.99 (plus around $40 per receiver), it’s not the cheapest charging method we can think of, but it’s sure to be a conversation piece at your next rager. Powermat’s lineup is now available at Best Buy and Target stores.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals

Powermat wireless chargers unleashed into the atmosphere, for real originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve seen plenty of solar chargers in our day — and we’re somewhat fond of them as a concept. Novothink’s just unveiled the first chargers for iPods and iPhones that’s officially licensed by Apple. These attractive little guys have integrated solar panels on the back with LEDs to let you know the state of your charge. If the sun fails you, there’s also a USB cable for standard, non eco-friendly charging. These chargers only work with the 2nd generation iPod touch — which will be available this month, while versions for the iPhone 3G and 3GS will be outed in November. They’ll run you $70. Hit the read link for more photos.

[Via Inhabitat]

Filed under: Cellphones, Misc. Gadgets

Novothink unveils first licensed solar chargers for iPhone, iPod originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More gadgets means more power cords to charge them. If you’ve got a different gadget plugged into every outlet in your house, you need a convenient central place to charge them all. Take a look at Bluelounge Design’s Refresh.

Refresh is a compact charging station with six built-in connectors (2 iPod/iPhone, 1 mini-USB, 1 micro-USB, and 2 USB) hidden beneath its rubberized tray. It’s big enough to hold three devices at once. If you need other connectors, the company sells them a la carte.

While there are other charging stations on the market, Refresh stands out by its design. It has a sharp modern look and comes in three colors: black, white, and pink.

The one thing that most charging stations have in common is that they’re on the expensive side. Refresh goes for $89.95, which strikes me as high. Pick one up at Bluelounge, though, if you appreciate its style and convenience.

At this point, you’ve probably assumed that there’s simply no way any company can produce yet another iPhone or iPod dock that’s significantly different from the legions of alternatives already out. And you’re wrong. So wrong. In an effort to milk that Made for iPod / iPhone partnership for all it’s worth, Kensington has just introduced its Charging Dock with Mini Battery Pack, which not only charges your dock connecting iPod or iPhone, but also energizes an external battery pack through the same USB cable. When you leave, you’ll depart with a charged device as well as a charged battery pack in case you need to use 3G services for more than eight minutes. Brilliant, no? It’s up for pre-order now for $69.99.

[Via iPodNN]

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Kensington’s iPhone / iPod charging dock throws a mini battery into the mix originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Aug 2009 07:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Are you a globetrotter with a penchant for vivid colors? Mili’s got your back with its compact and surprisingly practical Universal Charger. Capable of plugging into US, UK, EU or Australian-style sockets, this unit covers quite a bit of ground and can power a pair of devices at once via USB. Technically then, you’re unloading the chargers from your bag and refilling it with USB adapters, but a lot of UK road warriors would carry live rattlesnakes around if it meant freedom from those humongous plugs. There are nine color options — some of them are even socially acceptable — for the discerning customer with £20 ($33) in his pocket, and pre-orders are being taken now for August 14 delivery.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

MiLi Universal Charger for the psychedelic world traveller originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 01 Aug 2009 06:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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