Cordless Charging with the Powermat Wireless Charging System

We’ve mentioned WildCharge – the company that allows you to use inductive charging with nearly any mobile phone or other power hungry gadget – before on Gear Diary, but tonight I realized we hadn’t given any coverage to Powermat, another company with a similar premise (but a better looking design).

What premise would that be? Why the one that says plugging your devices in to charge them is so passé; the idea that all you should have to do is lay your gadget on a mat to charge it, even if the trade-off is having to keep your phone in a special case so that you don’t have to fumble with cables. Using this system is definitely a convenience thing, but if you’ve ever fumbled in the dark to stick a charger jack into the bottom of your device only to have to turn on a light in frustration, or if you are tired of traveling with multiple cables, then you might appreciate this way of doing things.

Let’s peek at the company’s offerings, shall we?

You start by choosing from either a fixed or folding charging mat – each measuring roughly 12″ x 4.5″. Either mat can charge up to four devices (three via inductive charging and one via USB); the mats are each $99.

Then you have to add cases, docks or battery covers for your devices.

Keep in mind that wireless charging is the goal here, so you’ll have to add a case that will attach the technology to your iPhone or iPod. Since it is necessary to wrap your iPhone or touch in a slightly bulky case anyway, I wish that Powermat would go ahead and offer an extended battery case as well. Consider this my submission to their suggestion box. 😉

Because compatible BlackBerry models have removable battery doors, they don’t have to be wrapped in a full case to get the same inductive charging privileges. Pretty slick, huh?

Of course there are plenty of gadgets out there other than iPhones and BlackBerry’s, and for those Powermat offers a Universal Powercube Receiver which comes with a mini and microUSB connector, but you can purchase others if necessary.

This is certainly not the least expensive method for charging your gadgets, but it might just be the most convenient.

You can purchase Powermats directly from the manufacturer or from Target and BestBuy.