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Hands-on: SliceCharge Pro, an AirPower-style multi-coil charger for $69

SliceCharge Pro review AirPower multi coil iPhone charger

Update: We’ve now received a number of reader complaints about this company, suggesting the company has not fulfilled crowdfunded orders ahead of public ones, and difficulties exchanging faulty products.

It’s now almost a year-and-a-half since Apple first teased AirPower, a multi-coil charger that lets you place your iPhone, Apple Watch or (as yet also fictitious) wireless AirPods case anywhere on the charging mat. We’re still no closer to knowing when it will actually be available.

Hard Cider Labs created a kind of poor man’s version last year, in the form of SliceCharge. That one didn’t have AirPower’s USP – overlapping coils that let you put your phone anywhere on the mat – but the new version does …


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Review: Nomad Base Station Apple Watch Edition – a legit AirPower alternative? [Video]

Nomad Base Station Apple Watch Edition

The second-generation AirPods and corresponding wireless charging case are still missing in action, but when they do finally launch, a certain Santa Barbara, CA-based company will be ready. Nomad, maker of mobile accessories for the iPhone, released its all-in-one Apple Watch + iPhone + AirPods charger a few months ago, obviously anticipating an update to Apple’s popular wireless earbuds.

The Nomad Base Station Apple Watch Edition is currently sold out, but a source close to the company informed me that it expects units to be back in stock soon. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough inside as we explore the ins and outs of Nomad’s three-coil wireless charger.


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Review: If you’re bored waiting for AirPower, here are two multi-device wireless chargers

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Update: We’ve now received a number of reader complaints about this company, suggesting the company has not fulfilled crowdfunded orders ahead of public ones, and difficulties exchanging faulty products.

More than a year after Apple first announced its AirPower wireless charger, there’s still absolutely no sign of it. We’re all still using third-party wireless chargers with our iPhones.

There’s been a mix of encouraging and discouraging news of late. One pessimistic report said that Apple has hit problems with both overheating and coil interference, and may even end up abandoning the project altogether. On the plus side, though, AirPower is referenced in the iPhone XS packaging, and iOS 12.1 code shows that development is continuing for now at least.

But if you are fed up of waiting, I tried out a couple of third-party wireless chargers capable of charging three devices at once: the SliceCharge, and the Zens Dual+Watch – alongside a case that allows you to wirelessly charge your existing AirPods …


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Zens aluminum wireless charger offers a potential cheaper alternative to AirPower

Zens AirPower alternative

The latest report suggests that Apple may finally be launching its long-delayed AirPower wireless charger next month.

What isn’t yet known is the cost, rumors so far pointing to somewhere in the $160-190 range. If that turns out to be rather more than you might want to pay, Zens has a new product that may make a suitable alternative …


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Review: Nomad’s Wireless Travel Stand is a sleek & versatile option for iPhone 8 & iPhone X

Since the iPhone 8 and iPhone X were introduced last year (and long before), wireless chargers have become a dime a dozen. With so many options available on the market, it takes a lot for one to stand out from the crowd.

Earlier this year, Nomad released its versatile, travel-oriented wireless charger for iPhone 8 and iPhone X, joining the company’s range of high-end accessories. Since it was released, we’ve been using it day in and day out. Read on for our thoughts on how it compares to the rest of the crowded wireless charger market…


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Review: Aukey’s stylish blue fabric adorned 10W Wireless Fast Charger & Graphite Wireless Charger

There are a ton of wireless chargers on the market, with many companies offering more choices as Apple’s iPhone lineup adopted the capability last fall. Aukey has a mix of options, but for this review we’ve tested out two of the company’s $30 offerings, the first has won two design awards and the other offers a unique and sleek aesthetic. Keep reading after the break for our full rundown.


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Opinion: Why I hate cables but don’t have wireless charging on my iPhone 7 hit list

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When I wrote last week’s opinion piece on five hardware lessons Apple could learn from Android manufacturers, a few of you wondered why I hadn’t added wireless charging to the list.

Those who know me might be especially surprised. I hate cables, and indeed went to the trouble of having a bespoke desk made so that cables could be rendered almost invisible. I’ve also been known to favor hi-tech approaches over low-tech ones just because I’m a gadget guy, so why wasn’t I calling on Apple to introduce wireless charging … ? 
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Review: Aircharge Qi wireless charging case for iPhone 6 (and 5/5s)

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As a founding member of the Wires Are Evil club, I’ve been waiting impatiently for wide-area wireless charging, where any device on a desk or within a certain area of a room is wirelessly charged. That still seems a way off yet.

A good halfway house would be inductive charging powerful enough to work through the thickness of a desk, so your charging pads sit out of sight on the underside of the desk and your devices charge as soon as you put them down on the right place on the desk. Sadly today’s wireless charging standards are too weedy to work through even the thinnest of desks.

If you want wireless charging today, then, you’re going to have to have a visible wire to a charging pad, and place your device on that. Apple has so far limited wireless charging to the Apple Watch, but if you want it for your iPhone, you can buy a wireless charging case that allows you to use any compatible wireless charging pad. We’ve reviewed a number of these over the years, and I thought it was about time to try one for the iPhone 6


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Future Macs could lose the cables as Intel demos next-generation wireless charging, docking & displays

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If you’re like me and love technology but hate the rats nest of cables it requires, we could be in for some good news. Intel has demonstrated a system that could be incorporated into future computers that allows wireless connectivity for power, displays, and connection to accessories like external drives.

Wireless charging is nothing new, of course, but existing systems are something of a mess. They rely on inductive charging, which is ultra-short range and only suited to low-power devices like smartphones, and there are several competing and incompatible systems in use.

The new system demo’d by Intel uses magnetic resonance charging, which can cope with the power demands of laptops, and works through up to two inches of wood – meaning that the charging plate can be hidden out of sight under a desk. The same charging plate can also charge multiple devices simultaneously, so a single installation under your desk could potentially power your Mac, iPad, iPhone and wireless headset.

For wireless connection to displays and accessories, Intel uses the Wireless Gigabit Alliance system WiGig, which allows speeds of up to 7Gbps over a distance of a few feet – good enough for a completely wireless desk, and rendering my home-brewed iDesk redundant.

The technology will be supported by Skylake, a chip that is currently two generations down the road, and likely to first appear in laptops in 2016. Apple has not yet signed-up, but Asus, Dell, Fujitsu, Lenovo, Logitech, Panasonic and Toshiba are all on board, so it is likely just a matter of time.

(Via CNET)

Review combo: RAVPower Qi-Enabled Wireless Charger and xRobot Power Bank

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For the last few weeks, I’ve been testing out both the RAVPower Wireless Charger and the xRobot Power Bank, two unique takes on the conventional way to charge your devices. While both products come from the same family, their functionality couldn’t be farther apart. Let’s take a look how both worked.


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Apple patents unlikely SmartCover wireless charging system

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However unlikely—the United States Patent and Trademark office today published an Apple patent application that details a system of inductively charging an iPad through the Smart Cover. The idea is that rather than plugging in the iPad, the Smart Cover would include an inductive power transmitter that would allow it to pair with an inductive power transceiver embedded into the iPad. The result is the Smart Cover would become a wireless charging station, connecting to an external power source, and allowing you to power your iPad in various positions. Apple also explained that it could use “ambient power gathering devices, such as solar cells, can be used to gather ambient power (such as sunlight) to be stored internally in the flap for later inductive transfer.”

A method for wireless powering a tablet device, comprising: determining if a protective cover is in a closed configuration with respect to the tablet device; enabling a wireless power receiver circuit in the tablet device when it is determined that the protective cover is in the closed configuration with respect to the tablet device; and wirelessly receiving power from a wireless power transmitter associated with the protective cover.

Apple described the advanced Smart Cover as including multiple power transmitters to allow the iPad to charge even when using the case, for example, as a stand to prop up the device. Alternatively, the cover could continue charging the device when in the closed position or when an iPad is placed on top:
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