Web Secret #76: Powermat

At the end of a long day of blogging and other geekery, it's time to charge my iPhone.

I head over to the kitchen, my family's version of NASA mission control. I am not alone.

Other 21st century paraphernalia is already plugged into the Matrix, including:

• a Blackberry Curve
  
• a Nintendo DS
  
• a Motorola Rival
  
• and two ancient LG phones of dubious provenance.
  

There are power cords and chargers everywhere.

I have a dream, a dream of a wireless world where I can just drop my iPhone onto a table, and it will charge itself...

Wake up babe! My dream is a reality. All I have to do is shell out some cash and buy a Powermat!!!

WTF is a Powermat?

Watch the 30 second video, "What the Bleep?", and you too will know the answer.

Still don't get it? Here are the Cliff notes:

Powermat allows you to charge just about any device without being directly plugged into a power socket. For example, if you have an iPhone, a Nintendo DS or a Blackberry device, all you have to do to charge them is… well nothing, you just put them on the table.

The Powermat is a sleek mat that sits quietly on a table waiting for something, or more accurately up to four somethings (if you include the built-in USB port), to charge. To use the mat, you simply take a device that is “wearing” a receiver and place it on the Powermat. That’s it! Sound and light indicate that a connection has been made and that the device is charging. A second sound indicates when the device is removed from the mat. Once on the mat the device will charge as fast or faster than the stock power adaptor.

The Powermat supplies universal, international power (100-240V).

The Powermat is green. Communication between the Powermat and receivers allows the mat to give exactly enough power for exactly the right time. When a device is fully charged, power is shut off to that device, so no energy is wasted.

The good news: it's cool, it's well built, it works!
The bad news: it's $100 for the base unit and then if you want to just throw your device on the mat, you also need a receiver which can cost from $29.99 to $39.99.

You and I both know the price will come down...

And the cool factor? Priceless.