The Wildcharge comes in the form of a slim black pad with silver conductive strips running along its surface and can either be picked up by itself or bundled with an optional adaptor depending on which device you’re primarily looking to use with it.

Skins are available for the Apple iPhone/touch and Blackberry Curve/Pearl and a range of additional adaptors are available for various other devices, along with a "PowerDisc" multi-adaptor solution that includes Mini- and Micro-USB along with attachments for most popular mobile phones.

You’ll need one of these skins/adaptors before you can use the Wildcharge, since there still needs to be a bridge between the power supplied by the pad and the power port on a handheld. In essence then, this is not so much a truly "wireless" charger as a way to bypass a simple cable.

With this in mind we can see the compartmentalised solutions on offer to Apple and BlackBerry owners as being far more appealing than connecting using a multi-adapter, and even though you can charge multiple devices at once using the pad we wonder how eager people will be to shell out for the necessary hardware in order to avoid plugging a phone in at the wall.

Setup and operation is very straightforward however, and a phone or other gadget is charged in the same way as it would be conventionally, and in about the same time. It really is as easy as placing a device down on the mat if you’re using a skin-solution, though the PowerDisc does involve fishing out the right adaptor and plugging this in manually.

The Wildcharge pad itself comes in at just under ?50, a multi-charger will set you back ?14.99 and dedicated "skins" start at ?22.99, though bundles are available for a significant saving. Still, it’ll be a simple assessment of cost versus benefit for most consumers and while gadget aficionados will no doubt laud the convenience of the WildCharge we’d question its appeal to the mass-market in its current guise.

Verdict:

The Wildcharge works well in an optimum environment and to an extent does what it says on the tin. There are conditions however, such as the fact that you have to employ a dedicated skin for Apple and BlackBerry devices or plugging a gadget in manually using a multi-charger, which kind of defeats the point. Those willing to shell out for what is ultimately a mild convenience should enjoy the benefits, but we can’t see it taking off quite yet.

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Tags: Gadgets Wildcharge Chargers Wireless Phones BlackBerry iPhone Phone chargers

Wildcharge wireless charger originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:34:40 +0000

Wireless charging is one of the buzzwords around gadgets at the moment, promising to do away with the hassle of having to connect a wire to charge your device, or even worse, remove the battery and place it in a separate charger.

With the Xbox 360 controllers not coming with built-in battery packs as standard, one of the first logical upgrades is to get some form of rechargeable battery, with plenty of options out there. Exspect bring wireless charging to the Xbox party meaning you don't have to remove the battery or plug in any cables.

In the pack you get a battery pack, which slots neatly into your controller battery bay. This battery is capable of wireless charging from the charging pad. It is simply a case of plugging the charging pad in to the mains and placing the battery on it.

So there is no confusion, the charging pad is edged with two LED strips. It glows red when there is nothing on it (or your battery is incorrectly placed), it flashes green whilst charging and turns solid green when the battery is fully charged. There are two charging zones on the pad, so you can charge two batteries at the same time.

We tried it out with a spare Xbox 360 controller - a pink one no less - and found that it did exactly what it said on the tin. Sit your controller on the rough patch of the pad and it is charging, ready for your next gaming session.

You only get one battery in the pack, with additional batteries available for ?9.99. You can use the same pad to charge Xbox or Wii batteries, so if you have both consoles, you'll only need to fork out for one mat and then all the batteries.

The construction is solid enough and in terms of looks there is little to criticise. The pad itself measures 13 x 15cm and has foam feet at each corner to stop it sliding around.

So it all works well enough, but you'll find that the battery is only rated at 900mAh, giving 8 hours of play before it needs charging again. Compare this to rechargeable batteries out there offering 25 hours of play and you've really got to want to go wireless for this to seem like a fair trade-off.

Charging takes about 4 hours, compared with 2 hours for higher capacity Quick Charge Kit from Microsoft, so isn't that fast either.

Verdict:
The Drop 'N' Charge does exactly what it claims, but in the pursuit of a flash solution, you might find yourself with only a third of the battery life of cheaper alternatives.

Tags: Gaming Charging Exspect Wireless Exspect Drop n Charge

Exspect Drop 'N' Charge for Xbox 360 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 09:00:00 +0100