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WITTI BEDDI Charge alarm clock with night light and 3 USB ports review

WITTI Designs calls the BEDDI Charge “the most convenient USB Alarm Clock” – and they’re exactly right. This is a simple to use clock that doesn’t have any extra things to make it difficult to use.

What is it?

BEDDI Charge is a USB alarm clock that can charge 3 devices at once and a color changing mood light. Quite simply it’s a solution that I never even thought to look for.

What’s in the box?

  • BEDDI Charge Clock
  • Power adapter with cord
  • Quick Start Guide

Design and features

With a modern design and simple operation, the BEDDI Charge provides a dimmable clock, alarm, and a way to charge 3 USB devices, with a total of 3 amps. That alone makes it well worth the money! The alarm sound wakes you gradually by slowly increasing the alarm from a slow beeping to a more rapid and louder beeping before the designated alarm time.


The mood/night light has three modes. The first mode is warm white 100%, the second is warm white 30%, and the third is a color changing mode that gradually cycles through colors. This is quite handy when you need to get dressed without waking up anyone else.

The operation really could not be much simpler. Hold the alarm button and press the plus or minus buttons to set the alarm time. Use the plus and minus buttons alone to quickly set the time, not that you’ll be doing that much because it has a built-in battery to keep the time during a power outage. No more looking for which button is the alarm button or where it needs to be slid to in order to turn it on.

The snooze/dimmer button works just like any other clock and at it’s dimmest the clock is barely visible through the semi-mirrored front finish. The clock has four levels of brightness.

Switching between 12 hour and 24 hour time is as simple as pressing both the plus and minus buttons at the same time.

Once the time and alarm are set, it’s as simple as press one button for alarm on or off, one button for dimming the display, or one button for the light. No extra fussing around.

What I like

  • Backup Battery
  • 3 USB Ports
  • 16 million color mood/night light

What needs to be improved

  • A volume control for the alarm would be nice, sometimes you just want it to be loud so you don’t oversleep.

Final thoughts

This clock is exactly what I needed. The last thing I want to do before bed is to figure out how my clock works. Now I have another plug opening that I can plug something else into!

Price: $29.99
Where to buy: WITTI Design and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by WITTI Design.

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WITTI BEDDI Charge alarm clock with night light and 3 USB ports review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 12, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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Nomad Wireless Travel Stand review

More and more phones support wireless charging resulting in a plethora of wireless chargers available on the market. Most are circular in design and have a somewhat generic aesthetic. Nomad has taken a different approach with their wireless charger and it stands out as a result. Let’s take a look.

What is it?

A unique wireless charger for devices that use the Qi standard.

What’s in the box

  • Wireless Travel Stand
  • AC adapter with tethered cable
  • Kickstand instructions

Hardware specs

Materials

  • Horween leather top surface
  • Aluminium kickstand
  • Enhanced polycarbonate frame
  • Molded anti-skid TPE footing

Technical

  • Max output of 7.5W
  • 1.5 meter cable from wall power source
  • USA plug style: 110-240V
  • Wireless

Design and features

Nomad made the decision to wrap the surface of their charger in genuine leather (Horween to be specific). It’s a great touch and it gives the charger a wonderful look and feel. Leather does tend show scuffs and scrapes over time, but overall that adds character and improves the look in my opinion. Nomad points this out clearly in the product information on their website.

The charger is designed to be used flat like most Qi chargers as well as in an easel orientation by using the removable, aluminum kickstand that stores on the underside of the charger. Again, a nice touch.

As for power, Nomad has chosen to include a 7.5w wall adapter which provides a faster wireless charge than average Qi charging products. This is a welcome benefit as we’re all very good at draining our phones quickly. It plugs into the top of the cavity on the back and there’s a small LED to let you know power is connected and working.

Setup

There’s not much involved in setting it up. Just connect the power cord and lay the charger flat, or slide the kickstand into place and use it vertically. To charge your phone, just lay or rest it on the stand.

Performance

In short, the stand does what it’s supposed to do. It charges a phone quickly compared to average wireless chargers due to the 7.5w power supply that’s included. While charging, you’ll use the charging indication on the phone itself for status as there’s no LED on the front face or sides of the charger. Keep in mind that if you happen to have any power hungry apps open or running in the background they can potentially demand almost as much power as the charger is putting in.

From a size and weight perspective, it’s pretty light (137g/220g with charger) which helps the travel aspects. Not having a heavy ballast does mean it can move around a bit in the easel orientation as you’re placing your phone even with the anti-skid feet on the kickstand.

What I like

  • Wireless charging. It’s great to have your phone charging simply because you set it down in the right place.
  • The absence of an LED on the surface. My phone tells me it’s charging. I don’t need the charger to tell me as well.
  • Two charging orientations. This is a cool feature. I tend to favor the easel mode as it lets me interact with my phone more naturally if I’m seated, or have it at my bedside, but it’s awesome to have the option.
  • The attention to fit and finish of the leather. If you look closely at where the leather and polycarbonate materials meet, the leather is either wrapped or cut cleanly providing smooth finishes. The stand pass through is especially clean.

What needs to be improved

There are a few things that would benefit from some additional refinement although none of them detract from the core function of charging your device.

  • The fit of the kickstand into it’s stowed position in the charger. It tucks into the charger pretty well, but on this sample, it sits a touch proud resulting in a slight wobble end to end when placed on a table. I’d be concerned that over time the two small elastomer nubs that hold it in place would slack in their performance. A drop from table height knocks the kickstand out of its stowed position. This could mean losing it while packing up at a hotel if you didn’t realize it had bounced out.

  • Sliding the foot into its functional position is a little too easy. Both faces have a non-slip pad on an end. One to stabilize the charger against a table and one for your phone to rest on. The bend in the foot is non-symmetrical so it’s possible to put it in upside down. Additionally, there is not a physical stop for the foot position, so occasionally it slides backward where the ledge for the phone is too small.

  • While I appreciate the power of the included 7.5w wall adapter, it’s configuration baffles me a bit. Its dimensions are so close to snapping into the back of the charger that it feels like that was the original intent, but no. I also wish the adapter had folding prongs and a removable cable which would aid in packing for travel.

  • A USB-A or USB-C connector instead of the barrel jack on the charger would also have been nice. I understand a barrel jack takes up less physical room and how a common USB connector potentially creates a scenario of someone using a non-included power supply that might under or overpower the product creating frustration and missed expectations.
  • Lastly, in the flat position, I continually wanted to square my phone up with the shape of the charger. As you can see it’s almost exactly the same size as an iPhone X. In that aligned position, the embedded coil ends up in the wrong place for my phone so it doesn’t charge. Placement will vary depending on your phone so this should be a quick learning curve.

Final thoughts

Overall Nomad has a great product on their hands. The large list of improvement suggestions above are just that. None of them are showstoppers. I do take a bit of issue with it being called a travel product as it’s larger than a lot of Qi chargers and the wall adapter is bulky. I typically travel with compact or multi-purpose versions of products to lighten what I carry. Interestingly, the packaging just says Nomad Wireless Stand even though their website mentions travel specifically. The Wireless Travel Stand is a beautiful product that I’m more likely to use around my home than on my travels and I expect it will look even better with time.

Price: $59.95
Where to buy: Nomad
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Nomad.

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Nomad Wireless Travel Stand review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 10, 2018 at 12:00 pm.

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The Mophie USB-C Powerstation plus XL keeps your Smartphone charged when you are on the go!


The Mophie USB-C Powerstation Plus XL is Mophie’s most powerful USB-C power pack to date. It is a compact portable charger and power source that has a 12000mAH battery. It boasts the ability to provide up to 45 hours of power to your Smartphone or other devices. It also includes a 15W fast charging USB-A outlet that along with the built in Micro-USB/Lightning Cable allows you to charge 2 devices at the same time. It provides fast charging speeds of up to 18W USB-C PD (Power Delivery).

Another great feature of this Powerstation is that it can be connected to a wall outlet and still charge your Smartphone. The beauty of its design is that when it is connected to a wall outlet with a Smartphone in the chain, it will charge the Smartphone first and then charge itself. This priority mode ensures that your device will be quickly recharged, and is a great and convenient feature for when you are on the go.

If you would like to purchase this charger, you can go to Amazon and pick one up for $77.75

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The Mophie USB-C Powerstation plus XL keeps your Smartphone charged when you are on the go! originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 8, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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iClever BoostCube Fast Wireless Charger review

The iClever BoostCube Wireless Charger can charge a Qi enabled device simply by placing the device on top of it. The adapter supports 5W and 10W charging modes and the power supply is from a USB cable. Read on to see what I think!

What is it?

The iClever BoostCube Wireless Charging station is an adapter that charges Qi enabled devices using USB power. Qi devices are capable of being charged at a distance and the main benefit of this capability is the convenience of charging devices without connecting power cables. The technology relies on inductive coupling between two coils and it works because at least one coil is in the charging base, another is in the target device and there isn’t a large amount of metal between the coils. The speed at which the charging takes place depends upon the power available to the adapter, circuitry in the adapter, circuitry in the receiving device, and the condition of the battery in the receiving device.

What’s in the box?

iClever Wireless Charger
USB Charging Cable
User Manual
Warranty Card

Design and features

Specifications

Input: 9V/1.67A or 5V/2A
Output: 9V/1A or 5V/1A
Power: 10W/5W
Charging distance: 2~8mm
Product Dimensions 2.9 x 0.5 x 2.9 inches
Item Weight 3.68 ounces

Unboxing

The iClever charger comes in a fairly standard printed cardboard box. The side of the box lists the main features of the device, which includes over-voltage protection, over-temperature protection, short circuit protection and foreign object protection.

Plastic molded packaging protects the charging pad and the USB cable inside the box. The user manual and the warranty card come packaged below the plastic form. The instructions and the warranty card are in the English language only.

Design of the Wireless Charger

The top of the iClever charging pad has a leather coating. The leather has a black pigment and is embossed in the center with the iClever logo and name. The leather is a great feature because it makes each wireless charger unique, it provides a professional look and feels to the charger, it’s durable and easy to clean. Also, the natural grain of the leather provides a surface with the ideal texture to keep the device on top of it from moving. Other synthetic materials tend to be too slick or sticky.  The wireless charger is completely round and therefore can be set up with the cord leaving from any direction and not look askew on the surface it is resting on.

The material on the sides and base of the unit is black anodized aluminum. The material is perfect for good heat transfer and durability. The front of the base (the area in front of the iClever logo) has a LED indicator about 3/4″ wide. Four screws are hidden under silicone rubber feet to secure the top to the base. The bottom of the base indicates the model name and number, power information, compliance information and country of origin info.

Operation

The user must supply their own power supply for the included USB cable. It seems likely that most people have many more power supplies than they actually use, therefore this isn’t really an area that needs improvement. However, while the outside box does indicate many of the items features and benefits, it does not state that the unit comes without a power supply. Once the unit is plugged into the power supply the front LED illuminates for 3 seconds, indicating that device is ready to use.

Placing the phone on the wireless charger immediately starts the charging process. Once the battery reaches 100% on the phone the charging LED remains on and trickle charges the iPhone. Once the iPhone battery is full the LED turns off indicating that the wireless charging pad is no longer functioning.

The LED blinks on and off indicating that a foreign object is present between the wireless charger and phone. This function works when a quarter is between the charger and phone.

Performance

I plugged the USB into a 10W USB power adapter and monitored the charging operation with a USB safety tester that displays the voltage and amps and calculates the watts and accumulated amp hours. Even when a 10W power adapter supplies the power, the draw from the USB tester never exceeds 5.1W while charging an iPhone. This is in agreement with the operating instructions because the manufacturer indicates that QC compliant fast charging is not compatible with iPhone. In conclusion, the iPhone battery was charged from 10% to 43% in 70 minutes.

When the iPhone is not in a case, it will still charge with 5.56 mm of Post-it notes between the phone and the wireless charger.

What I like

  • Leather top
  • flexible power supply options

What needs to be improved

  • Box should indicate that the contents does not include a power supply.

Final thoughts

The iClever Wireless Charger is a good looking effective wireless charger.

Price: $21.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by iClever.

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iClever BoostCube Fast Wireless Charger review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 7, 2018 at 12:00 pm.

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Thinium ReCharge+ 2.0 backup battery review

What is it?

The Thinium ReCharge+ 2.0 is a slim Smartphone/Tablet charger that can be used to provide power and charge via several different types of connections, using its interchangeable adapters and built-in USB port. It can be re-charged directly via a wall outlet without the need for a cable or a wall wart.

What is in the box?


Package contents:
• 1 x Thinium ReCharge+ 2.0 Power pack
• 2 x Magnetic plates
• 1 x Kickstand
• 2 x Suction cups
• 1 x USB-C adapter
• 1 x Micro USB adapter
• 1 x Lightning adapter
• 1 x Booster

Design and features

The Thinium ReCharge 2.0+ is a smooth to the touch, all black, lightweight, versatile charger that can be used to charge or power devices via its USB port or directly charge and power any phone that uses either a USB-C, USB micro or Lightning port. It can also charge 2 devices simultaneously. It has a popup section that uses the various adapters and allows you to connect your phone directly to it. It also has a pop out AC plug that allows a phone that is connected to it to be charged while the Thinium is also being charged from a wall outlet.

There are suctions cups that are provided that can be mounted to the surface of the Thinium to secure the phone, and there are 2 magnetic plates with a strong adhesive backing that can be attached to the phone or the phone case, and magnetically clamped to the Thinium.

On the opposite side of the Thinium, there is a kickstand that can be used to support the phone horizontally, so that full screen viewing can be enjoyed while it is being charged. The Thinium can also be used in a similar manner to charge a tablet.

What I like

The Thinium is lightweight and the fit and finish are great. It offers multiple ways to charge devices, and multiple adapters to accommodate different types of ports. I like that the AC plug is built-in so that there is no need for a cable and a bulky wall wart.

What can be improved

While the Thinium offers versatility in several ways, when it was attached to my phone I found it to be very bulky and inconvenient to carry around as a daily charging device. Today’s technology offers QI wireless portable chargers that are thin and light, and also include the ability to charge multiple devices simultaneously. In addition, since wireless charging works with many cases that have built-in kickstands, that feature is readily available but in a more convenient package. When I attached the magnetic plate to the back of my case, it did not work for me because my phone case has a built-in kickstand that made the distance between the case and the Thinium too far. I decided to take it off and adhere it directly to the back of the phone to try it without my case. However, the adhesive was so strong that I needed to use a screwdriver to remove it. In my opinion, that would have damaged my phone if attached directly to it and if I later needed to remove it. Prior to removing the magnetic plate from my case, I placed my phone in its case on the QI wireless charger that I regularly use. About an hour later, I picked up my phone and I almost dropped it because the magnetic plate had become incredibly hot. To me, this means that if I decided to use the Thinium charger and the magnetic plate to keep it in place, I would only be able to use the Thinium to charge my phone from then on, because using any other wireless charger would result in this heating or overheating problem.

The other factor that needs improvement is the capacity of the battery and the time it takes to provide a charge. I plugged in my iPhone 8Plus at 58% of charge and it took 2 hours and 40 minutes to charge it to 100%. I then plugged in my iPad Pro 12.9″ which was at 64% to charge, and by the time it reached 71%, the Thinium’s battery was completely depleted. The next day I charged the Thinium to full charge and again I plugged it into my iPad Pro 12.9” via the lightning connector. It charged my iPad from 66% to 86% in 2 hours and 30 minutes, and the battery was once again completely drained. While I understand that it is primarily made to be used with phones, it does state that it has the ability to charge other devices via its USB port, and that it can charge multiple devices simultaneously. Based on the initial results of its charging capability, it seemed pointless to test it using my power hungry laptop. Manufacturers today offer slim, lightweight, high-powered wireless chargers with way more capacity. This lack of capacity just compounds the negatives of this device.

Final thoughts

While the Thinium offers some versatility and features in an innovative way, it lacks the portability, and the 3000mAH capacity is simply not enough for what people today demand and need from their devices. The added bulk negates the advantage that most of the other convenient features are intended to provide. While this device may work for some, it is likely to be passed over by most.

Price: $69.99
Where to buy: Thinium Website
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Thinium.

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Thinium ReCharge+ 2.0 backup battery review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 7, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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