Powermat for the EVO...answer to the Palm Touchstone?

[scubapilot2000]

Just saw this today. The one thing I really missed when I went from my Palm Pre to my EVO was the touchstone wireless charger. I must admit that after a couple of months I was perfectly comfortable just plugging my EVO in to the charger.

Today I saw that powermat has come out with their solution for the EVO. I'm wondering for those of you that came from the Pre think it's worth it to drop $100 to have this feature again.
HTC EVO Wireless Charging Receiver Door (PMR-HTC7) | Powermat

 

[Trun]

Looks interesting, but I don't like that little thing at the bottom where it connected to the USB port. Would also make it a pain in the butt to plug it into a computer.

 

[dekcufi]

would be great if you didn't have to replace your back cover to put it in your dock or plug it into a pc

 

[IIJBII]

would be great if you didn't have to replace your back cover to put it in your dock or plug it into a pc

I agree - I've already purchased a case I'm happy with. I wouldn't want to change it, unless it offered better protection for the camera lens. My current case adds space which should help to protect the phone and the lens.

 

[kinster02]

I did some research and found someone who tried it and claims that it doesn't work.

Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Powermat Receiver Door for HTC EVO 4G

 

[JaxDomino]

Maybe another issue

I'm going to head to my BestBuy and check it out. I have a Powermat at home and work. I'll see if it works in the EVO car kit also. That's my main concern. I wonder if that reviewer on Amazon has a broken micro USB port. I have replace 3 EVO's at work already. I have thread up in the Sprint community about the problem facing most EVO's. That's why te Powermat is so interesting.

 

[J_Bone]

$100? Did I read that wrong? The $59.00 bundle looked like it included everything you need.

Of everything that I miss from my Pre, the Touchstone is far and away the biggest. We paid $70 for that charger. I don't see people balking at this one, assuming it works.

 

[Cubfan]

Good grief. How hard is it to plug in your phone? I seriously can't figure out how they sell things like this for so much.

 

[scubapilot2000]

That's what they said when the remote control came out..."can't you just walk to the TV and change the channel??"

Or the cruise control..."can't you just keep your foot on the gas??"

it's a gadget. I admit it. Though I have to say when I got my touchstone for the pre...wow, it was really cool to just place the phone down and POWER!!

It's neat...the question is is it as cool as the touchstone and is it $100 worth of cool....

 

[Cubfan]

Those are bad analogies. Both of the items you mention gave obvious advantages. With this, you have to take it to the power source anyway and only get to skip plugging it in. It's not like it recharges in the air or on any table. You people are nuts to pay so much for this.

 

[Shootin4aces]

agreed!!!

Those are bad analogies. Both of the items you mention gave obvious advantages. With this, you have to take it to the power source anyway and only get to skip plugging it in. It's not like it recharges in the air or on any table. You people are nuts to pay so much for this.

I am in 100% agreement with this!!!! why would anyone pay this kind of money for this service??? now, if you could make it so it would charge wirelessly anywhere in a room or a house or office, thats one thing!! But you still have to take it and put it in the same place as you would have to and plug it in!!!! You guys are all nuts...lol .... but i guess to each his own!!

 

[ToddPsyD]

I guess I'm nuts then I picked this up last night from Best Buy. 59$ for the back and the charging pad. I came from a Pre as well and really missed my Touchstone. This is as close as it gets! It works great. Not sure what happened to the guy who couldn't get it to work. The only downside is the little connector to the usb plug. It's not big, but I had gotten used to the form factor and it changes it oh so slightly. Not a deal breaker, but worth noting. I'm gonna use it for a few days and see how it goes.

 

[gadgetluva]

I got one of these too at Best Buy today.

Couple of observations:

-The thing that plugs into the microUSB slot can be pulled out without removing the back. Then you can just plug in a normal microUSB charger (such as in your car or when you don't have the powermat with you). However, it won't work with a docking station (and I just bought one from eBay...but oh well, in the name of technology, rigtht?)

-At first I was having a hard time trying to get it to charge. But then I followed the instructions about letting it "pull" itself into the right spot by "hovering" the evo above the mat and it does basically pull itself on. I think after another couple of days I'll be able to do this without even thinking about it, I'm getting pretty good at it already after a couple of hours.

-In case anyone is wondering, the backing fits almost perfectly around the back. It makes the Evo about 1mm thicker maybe, but you don't notice it. The replacement back is high quality, fits tighter than the stock backing, and sort of rises above the camera lens at the bottom - I'll try to post pics later if no one else does to explain the above.

Can't really comment on how fast or slow it charges the Evo, I just set it down and keep pulling it off to play with it. I'll try to update later when I get more hands on time.

 

[gadgetluva]

I am in 100% agreement with this!!!! why would anyone pay this kind of money for this service??? now, if you could make it so it would charge wirelessly anywhere in a room or a house or office, thats one thing!! But you still have to take it and put it in the same place as you would have to and plug it in!!!! You guys are all nuts...lol .... but i guess to each his own!!

1. It makes it far more convenient when you remove the device to talk on it/browse the web/etc. and then want it to continue to charge. I like having a full battery for my phone at all times personally.

2. $60 is just a bit more than buying a new battery (official battery or extended from Seidio). $60, although not chump change, doesn't "break the bank" for many folks.

3. I think it's neat and would like to see how convenient I find this to be. If I don't like it, I'll just return it.

 

[ToddPsyD]

Hey gadgetluva, how's it going after using the powermat for a few days? I'm still debating mine versus getting some type of dock to have the phone sit in and charge. You see any advantage to a dock?

 

[Robbie317]

Good grief. How hard is it to plug in your phone? I seriously can't figure out how they sell things like this for so much.

You don't think it's at least "NEAT" that you DON'T have to plug it up? I think it's neat but I also think it's way over priced... For less money I purchased a Seidio replacement battery and an Amzer charger to charge the spare battery with out the phone... I actually almost never physically plug my phone up at all... I just swap out for a newly charged battery..... To me personally the powermat thing is pretty cool just in the fact that it charges with out the need to plug in a cable. I have a similar setup for both my Logitech universal remote and for my Wii remotes just set them down and they charge... No replacing batteries or making sure the cable is turned the right way... Just set it down and go..

That said I won't buy one.... Not for $100+ (Because if I were to get one I would get the larger powermat and then get the charging back for the wife's blackberry and my daughters iPod Touch instead of just a single charging station for the EVO)

 

[gadgetluva]

Hey gadgetluva, how's it going after using the powermat for a few days? I'm still debating mine versus getting some type of dock to have the phone sit in and charge. You see any advantage to a dock?

Hey todd, you know after the first day I was thinking if I should return it...but after using it at work for a couple of days, I'm pretty happy with it. My work blocks a lot of internet, especially personal email (working for a bank in compliance doesn't give you lots of freedom), so my Evo is always on and connected to the internet with 4G on - obviously not the best for battery life. People will randomly gTalk/email/SMS me so it's great being able to pick up the phone to type and then return it to charge.

Yea, I can do this with a corded charger, but it's just not very elegant and the wire gets in the way. I also have a Seidio Jr. Dock for the Evo - I like it to just display a screen, but constantly docking it/undocking it can't be great for the microUSB port. But, the dock is great for a static display (if you want to cycle through a slideshow or display the time/weather/etc).

Let me know if you have any other questions - I did notice that the Evo back gets warm after a while of being on the Powermat, but nothing alarming about it. Thinking of getting a second 1X mat for my apartment (currently just plug it into the microUSB charger at home) for convenience. The only thing that really concerns me is that this solution will end up costing me over $100 - but I guess if I continue to use Powermat devices in the future, then it's not too bad of an investment.

 

[NDchem2014]

Hey gadgetluva,

I was wondering if you saw it causing any problems with your 3G or wifi signal.

I also heard that it doesn't start charging again after it's done charging the first time if the Evo isn't picked up and reseated. This worries me because I don't want to set my phone down to charge for the night and then wake up to a partially charged phone. Can you shed some light on this issue for me?

Thanks!