Product Review: Powermat Wireless Charger

When I first saw the Powermat Wireless Charger on one of the news stations promoting gifts for men, the technology looked too good to be true (and in some ways it is but I'll get to that) but I could see its advantages so I agreed to review this hot new gadget.

For the review, I received the Powermat Home and Office Mat, the Powermat Portable Mat, the enabling cases for the DSi and for an ITouch.

Both the Home and Office Mat and the Portable Mat charge up to 3 Powermat-enabled devices simultaneously (plus one USB power port). And, they work with all Powermat receivers. Included in the box for each is a universal Powercube with 8 tips that enable you to charge different devices. A magnetized case for holding the tips is also included.

Both mats retail for $99.99. The ITouch case retails for $39.99 and the DSi case retails for $29.99.

After opening the mat and testing it on my phone and several of my children's devices, I took it to my Intro to Digital Media class. One student charged her ITouch and another charged his phone while they took their final.

I found out a couple of things and I will break them down into advantages and disadvantages for you:

Advantages:

• By keeping all the devices charging together, we only use one outlet in the wall which fulfills the claim of this gadget cleaning up the electronic clutter on your countertop.
• We also know where to go to find our devices rather than searching the walls for wires leading to DSs my children randomly plug in everywhere.
• In a hotel room (of let's say, four mom bloggers on conference), having one place to plug in the portable mat could be quite convenient especially since you might not have a car for all your usual car chargers if you are travelling.
• The USB port is nice for the Apple devices if you use your smart phone to communicate and not a laptop when travelling. (One particular student of mine likes the portable option the best. I do think this one gets my vote for usefulness especially for those who travel or students who max out their dorm room outlets & space!)

Disadvantages:

• I found out quickly that I had received DSi cases but we have two DSs which take a different enabler. (Fortunately, I actually won a DSi and will be giving it to my daughter for Christmas. Then, we can use the case!)
• ***I also realized that without an enabling case, you are back to the old plug-in system which is okay but then you only have one powering cube.
• The enabling cases that allow you to quickly drop your device onto a mat without plugging in (thus the word "wireless" in the description) would have to replace any current casing you use which may not sit too well with device owners that love their variety of colors.
• I also found that while the ITouch case worked perfectly for my student who had a more recently released ITouch, it did not slide easily onto my first generation one. Amazing what a hair breadth of difference makes.
• And, this system is a bit pricey for a way to get more organized.

Recommendations:

I would use this device over common charging stations that I see on the market, like the ones with little pockets or shelves that could look cluttered with wires hanging out the back. This product is cleaner and more compact.

I would probably buy 2 more power cubes to maximize the space on the mat. The power cubes allow me to plug in devices without searching for cases to the things I really want to charge which may or may not be available. 

This mat is most useful if you have a lot of devices to charge and limited space. I like the portable mat the best for regular travellers and college students.