Tag Archives: charger

Wireless Charging

April 16, 2017Accessory, audio, automotive, charging, wirelessaccessory, automobile, Automotive, car, carging, charger, Phone, wirelesstomwiles

I‘ve always been a bit on the fence when it comes to wireless charging. The wireless charger itself still needs to be plugged in with a wire.

Back in October I ended up buying a Samsung wireless charger when I upgraded phones. I ended up using it a bit, but generally found that it was more desirable to physically plug my phone in at home in order to take advantage of the super fast wired Samsung charging. The wireless charging process was not as fast and therefore not as convenient when needing to give the phone a quick 10 or 15 minute juice-up.

So, the wireless charger mostly sat unused.

Recently I bought a new car, a 2017 Toyota Yaris iA. The new car has a space in front of the gear shift in the mid center stack perfect for a large phone that includes USB and a 12-volt power socket. I found myself wondering if I plugged the Samsung wireless charger into a 2.1 amp-12 volt power source, would the wireless charger work properly or not.

I experimented and found that the wireless charger works perfectly well with a 2.1 amp 12-volt power source. The next steps were easy. I used a quantity of the rubber grip mat stuff to make the forward slanted phone area flat, and plugged in the Samsung wireless charger. Since the 12-volt socket only has power when the car’s ignition is turned on, I can simply leave the 12-volt charger plugged in all the time just as if it were in my house connected to an AC power source without fear of it running down the car’s battery.

When I get in the car, I simply lay the phone on the Samsung wireless charger and as soon as the ignition comes on while I’m driving the phone is charging without me having to futz around with plugging wires in. Also, the phone connects to the car’s audio system via stereo Bluetooth, making for a 100% seamless experience.

My conclusion is that wireless charging is most useful in an automotive environment, provided that there’s a flat, convenient area for the wireless charger to rest and the power socket is tied to the car’s ignition.

iOttie Brings Inductive Smartphone Charger, Powerful Bike Light to CES

January 22, 2017cesbicycle, ces, CES 2017, charger, iOttieShawn Thorpe

Most CES posts here at Geek News Central cover only one item. But when Todd stopped by the iOttie booth, he discovered two different items that were worth covering. Fortunately, Andrew from iOttie was there to give detailed information on both products.

First up is iOttie’s new iTap Wireless inductive smartphone charger. iTap Wireless needs no clunky adapters or loose wires. Simply place your phone onto the iTap’s surface, and the phone begins charging. iTap Wireless is designed to be used on a car’s dashboard, where its built-in dash cam can double as a handy safety accessory.

Next up is the Halo Charge bike light. Halo Charge is more than just a light that helps bicyclists navigate thru the darkness. It provides up to 1.5 hours of light on a single charge, uses a capacitive touch system to display the battery status, has a powerful 1100 lumens capable light, and a built-in dial that makes it easy to adjust the light’s brightness level.

Both products are expected to be available Q2 of 2017. Pricing information is not yet available.

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Choetech 50W 6-Port Desktop USB Charger Review

November 7, 2016Information, review, USBcharger, Choetech, review, USBAndrew

It’s a real first world problem – finding enough USB charging points to keep your gadgets powered up, especially for families with multiple phones and tablets. Fortunately there’s a solution in Choetech’s 6-port USB-A desktop charger which combines two QC 3 ports and four smart ports that will deliver up to 2.4 A for charging thirsty smart phones and tablets. Let’s take a look.

This is the Q3-4U2Q model and the packaging follows the standard Choetech style of branded outer sleeve with plain cardboard inner box. Inside the carton, there’s the 6-port charger, desktop stand, USB-A to USB-C cable, power cable, instructions and help sheet. The instructions are largely superfluous other than to confirm the charging voltages and currents for the USB ports.

To be clear, the Q3-4U2Q is only a USB charger: it’s not a USB hub and won’t connect a mouse and keyboard to a PC. There are two Quick Charge 3.0 ports for devices that support the QC standard and will deliver the higher voltages required.The other four smart ports will charge up to 2.4 A at 5 V and the charger will deliver 50 W across all six ports. The tongue inside the QC ports is helpfully coloured blue and an LED lights up to show that the charger is powered on.

Physically, the charger is about the size of a fat pack of playing cards – it’s roughly 9 cm x 7 cm x 3 cm. The charger is covered in a soft rubber coating except for the back panel and a small area at the rear. There’s a figure 8 two pin power socket on the back. The Q3-4U2Q fits snugly into the desktop stand which does make it look much neater than if it was simply lying on the desk.

In use, the Choetech charger performed as expected – devices seemed to charge at their maximum rate, whether that was 1 A, 2 A or QC, and was able to provide power to all the connected tablets and smartphones regardless. For transparency, I wasn’t able to test this with a QC 3 device but it worked fine with a Galaxy S6 (QC 2). At one point I had a OnePlus 2, two Nexus 9s, a Motorola Xoom 2, a Chromecast and a USB battery pack all running off the charger. It got a little warm at full pelt, but certainly wouldn’t describe it as hot.

Overall, the Choetech Q3-4U2Q is a competent six port charger with QC 3 support. While I liked design and feel of the charger, there’s no single feature to mark it out from the many competitors. QuickCharge support is good for the latest phones, the stand is handy for a desktop charger and it seemed well enough made, so it’s definitely worth considering. If interested, the Choetech Q3-4U2Q is currently for sale on Amazon for GB£20.99.

Thanks to Choetech for supplying the Q3-4U2Q for review.

Choetech USB-C Power Adaptors

March 3, 2016smartphone, USBcharger, Choetech, smartphone, USB, USB-CAndrew

As USB-C becomes more prevalent, it’s unsurprising to see non-OEM vendors start to produce power adaptors for this new standard. On review here are two Choetech USB-C power adaptors designed for the UK power sockets. No, I don’t know how to pronounce Choetech and their marketing rep was non-committal too, so I will leave that as a linguistic exercise for the reader.

First up the Choetech 3A Rapid Wall Charger that has a single USB-C port. Available in black, the TC0001 provides 3A at 5V from a reasonably compact unit though it protrudes around 4.8 cm from the socket. In use, the adaptor appeared to recharge my phone at the expected rate. Here’s an unboxing video for the charger and a USB-C cable.

Next is the Choetech 39W USB-C Power Adaptor. Again designed for UK sockets, this has two USB-A sockets top and bottom, and a USB-C port in the middle. There’s a small blue LED at the very top too. The TC0013 is bigger than the TC0001, extending about 5.4 cm from the socket which is unsurprising given the larger power output. The USB-C will provide 3A and the two USB-C powers will charge at 2.4A each. At full pelt, the charger did get warm but not so hot as to cause concern. Both the TC0001 and the TC0013 are CE marked which gives some level of safety reassurance.

The Choetech USB-C Fast Charger is available from Amazon for £13.99 and the 3 port Power Adaptor is £15.99. Both are worth considering if you are looking for a USB-C charger but I think I would go for the 3 port charger for that extra flexibility.

Thanks to Choetech for the supply of the review units.

ChargeHub at 2016 CES

February 21, 2016Accessory, battery, USBbattery, ChargeHub, charger, USBtomwiles

Scott Ertz interviews Rock Smeja, vice president of operations for ChargeHub. They discuss the ChargeHub, which is a round 7 port USB charging hub. You can charge up to 7 USB devices simultaneously while being connected to one power source, either AC house current or and included automotive 12-volt adapter.

The ChargeHub is priced at $59.99 and is available at many different retailers such as Best Buy, Staples, Amazon, etc. The ChargeHub value pack, which includes USB cables and the 12-volt car adapter is priced at $89.99.

The ChargeHub is designed to communicate with many different types of devices and has high enough wattage that it can adapt to charging as fast as any particular device can accept a charge.

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Varta Wireless Charger at Gadget Show Live

April 28, 2015Gadget Show, Interview, smartphone, wirelesscharger, Gadget Show, Interview, qi, smartphone, VartaAndrew

One of the biggest brands in portable power, Varta’s range goes from watch cells to car batteries. As well as the all-too-familiar AAs, Varta has a pile of products for the power hungry smartphone and tablet user. With the increasing popularity of wireless charging, it’s not unsurprising that Varta is bringing a Qi charger to market. Unlike many of the puck-style charging pads, the new Varta wireless charger is rectangular making it easier to place the phone and keep it in the sweet spot. Expected to arrive later in the year, the charger will priced a little over £30.

I talk to Natalie from Varta at Gadget Show Live to learn more.

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WatchStand Charges and Displays Apple Watch

April 27, 2015Accessorycharger, Griffin Technology, WatchStandJenThorpe

Griffin Technology has created WatchStand. It is a new charging dock for Apple Watch that offers an elegant solution for displaying the Apple Watch. WatchStand is available now for $29.99.

WatchStand houses the Apple-provided magnetic charging cable in an angled cradle that keeps it ready to charge at all times. Feed the magnetic charging cable through the center of the post.

After that, you can charge your Apple Watch each day by laying it against the cradle. The magnetic connector gently snaps itself onto the back of the Apple Watch and begins charging.

WatchStand can accommodate both semi-flexible and fully flexible bands. It displays the Apple Watch vertically or horizontally for the perfect view. The weighted base of WatchStand has a home for a phone as well. The raised lip on the front of the dock holds the phone at an angle that makes it easy to view.

WatchStand weighs 18 ounces and is 7.87” x 5.5” x 3.15” in size. It has a non-slip base and no-scratch padding that holds WatchStand in place on a desk or tabletop. Excess cable length can be stored away inside WatchStand’s post.

The video below gives you a good look at the elegant WatchStand. The video says “coming soon” because it was produced before WatchStand became available. WatchStand is available now for $29.99.

https://youtu.be/CUg6BGgpS_4