- [Narrator] It's slow and sometimes finicky
but wireless charging can also be really convenient
if you get the right kinds of chargers.
So today, I wanted of show off some of the ones
I've been using for the past few months.
Some are review samples, some I purchased,
and some are not even all that great.
But all are weird and/or wonderful.
(upbeat music)
Let's start with the PowerPic from Twelve South
which caught my I at CES 2019
because of how little it looks like a piece of technology.
At a glance, it's you're typical analog photo frame,
but beneath the glass and your precious printed picture,
sits a G power pad.
That means you can drop your phone into the frame
and it'll soak up wireless power at up to 10 watts.
Even if you're using a case up to three millimeters thick.
I really like the angle this props my phone at.
Just like the Pixel Stand,
I can keep it alongside my computer
and see notifications as they come in.
And unlike most wireless pedestals
which just kind of stick out as empty trays when not in use,
this looks just like a picture frame because it is.
It comes in black or white to match your decor,
and it's got a status light hidden away in the back side,
so you can tell if it's working.
Price on this one, a penny shy of 70 bucks.
Next up, a pad so nice, I bought it twice.
You might remember Lofree
from its novelty throw-back mechanical keyboards.
Well, that company also makes the Groovy Mat.
See, I was tired of my glass desk at home getting smudgy,
and my fabric desk at work getting dirty.
So I bought two of these to protect the desks
and power my devices at the same time.
Once again, at up to 10 watt G charging plate
hides in the neoprene pad
beneath the leather top layer here.
The target zone looks like a little helipad.
And you just drop your phone right on to it
when you're sitting there working.
You get a nice solid green light for a good connection
or a flashing one when the device isn't aligned properly.
And my only complaint is that it takes practice
to get that proper alignment, at least on your first try.
Price on this one is the same as the PowerPic,
about 70 bucks.
Those are well and good for the home
but this channel's called MrMobile,
so how about life on the road?
Well, in the weird category, is the Tesmo Universe Book.
I did an Instagram TV episode on this a while back.
It's a portable planner,
the kind of thing I used to have
to schedule my days during college.
But there's more to it than calendars and class schedules.
There's also a built-in 8,000 milliamp power battery,
and a G charging pad beneath the polyurethane leather cover.
The idea being that when you're out and about,
you do planning or journaling,
then you close the book and drop your phone on the cover
for a top-up between classes.
If you don't have a phone that can charge wirelessly,
there are a bunch of cables hidden away in the back.
Paper format, A5 in the six-ring styles
so you can buy replacement paper.
G output, only five watts.
So it'll charge on the slow side
and you've got to remember to hit the power button
to energize that coil.
Price, recently discounted.
Now, if what you want is a more conventional and, frankly,
more useful option for the road,
check out the Goal Zero Sherpa 100AC.
This is a proper portable battery pack,
which you may remember
from my everyday carry video last fall.
And there are three reasons I do carry it every day.
The over 25,000 milliamp power capacity,
the 60 watt USB-C ports,
powerful enough to quickly charge my laptop.
And yes, the G wireless charging pad
that lets me recharge a phone at the same time.
It does that slowly.
This is another five-watt model,
and I do wished they'd manage to cram
a little more capacity in here
instead of spending space on the AC adapter I never use.
But I still love this battery pack.
The built-in trays on the sides for the included USB
and lightning cables is a very nice touch.
As is the built-in LCD panel that tells you how long
you've got to go before it's dead.
Price recently discounted on this one as well
to around 225 while supplies last.
And finally, we have the familiar case
of a great concept undone by flawed execution.
Unravel is a portable wireless charger
from the aptly named Ampere.
And its design is amazing.
It's got three wireless charging pads
strung together like a Jacob's Ladder,
and that means you can use it
to charge three devices at once,
or stack them up to charge a single device,
or go for the tent mode to make a stand.
Each of the three pads can kick out 10 watts,
with two designed for phones
and one built for the Apple Watch,
just the Apple Watch, by the way.
You won't get other smart watches
to take a charge off of this.
Thing is, powering all three of those pads
requires at least a 60 watt charger,
which thankfully is now included if you buy it from Amazon.
But it's still pretty pricey at 99 bucks.
And more importantly,
the initial run of product has a pretty high defect rate.
I, and a number of other users have had trouble charging
the Apple Watch reliably
and the same goes for Apple's new AirPods.
And when I say trouble, I mean,
mainly they just sit there and get hot,
and never quite reaching even close to a full charge
even after a few hours.
Oh, and this won't affect many folks
but just for the sake of completeness,
the LG G8 doesn't charge on this pad at all.
I have no idea why.
I spoke with Ampere about this
and the company says it's taking these steps
to address the problems,
expanding its manufacturing vendor from one to five,
developing a separate version of Unravel
with an MFi certified Apple Watch charging pad,
and swapping out any defective Unravels for newer ones
from an improved production batch shipping in June.
Those customers will also get their choice
of a free bonus accessory for the trouble.
Until I'm able to see how the new batches work,
I can't readily recommend the Unravel
but it's nice to see a company
being transparent about its process
and working to resolve those issues.
Folks, if you're thinking a lot of these
are on the pricey side, I can't argue.
So hit up my earlier wireless charging video
for some better bargains if you're doing G on a budget.
Also, I wanna know what wireless chargers you're using
and what devices you're using them with.
Drop a line down in the comments
and be sure you subscribe to theMrMobile on YouTube
so you don't miss that Unravel follow-up
when I get a revised unit,
and another video on big batteries
coming to the channel very soon.
Until next time, thanks for watching
and stay mobile, my friends.