Nomad Base Station Apple Watch Edition review

REVIEW – Looking for an alternative to Apples now defunct Airpower wireless charging pad? I finally got my hands on Nomad’s Base Station Apple Watch Edition, and it just might be the perfect replacement.

What is it?

The Nomad Base Station Apple Watch Edition is a wireless charging pad for Apple iPhones and AirPods with an integrated Apple Watch charger.

Hardware specs

  • 3 Qi-certified coils at 7.5W wireless charging each
  • Integrated MFi-certified Apple Watch Charger
  • Padded leather wireless charging surface
  • LED charging indicators
  • Ambient light sensor dims LED’s at night

What’s in the box?

  • Wireless charging pad
  • A/C adaptor
  • International EU & UK adapters

Design and features

I reviewed Nomad’s Base Station Hub Edition back in November, and the Apple Watch Edition uses the same design. It retains the sleek lightweight aluminum chassis and the soft padded leather charging surface. 

There are 3 LED charging indicators on the front and an ambient light sensor on the back.

On the bottom of the device, there are two no-slip grip rubber feet.

The only obvious difference is the integrated magnetic Apple Watch charger. Its located on the back left of the charging pad. There’s even a small rubber pad that cradles the bottom of your Apple Watch when it’s on the charger.

Charging

Like the Hub Edition, the Apple Watch Edition has 3 Qi-certified charging coils, allowing multiple charging orientations for your phone.

Or you can simultaneously charge your phone and Apple AirPods with wireless charging case.

Charging with this device is simple, all you have to do is center your phone over a coil, and it begins to charge.

To charge your Apple Watch just place it onto the magnetic charger.

The built-in Apple Watch charger is compatible with Apple’s Nightstand Mode. This allows you to see the time, date, and your alarm. You can interact with Nightstand Mode by tapping your nightstand.

It’s great for me because I don’t use an alarm clock and my previous charger wasn’t compatible with Nightstand Mode. It’s now nice to roll over and tap my nightstand to see what time it is without having to pick up my phone.

No more clutter

The best thing about the Apple Watch Edition, it instantly decluttered my nightstand. I went from having separate chargers (and their cords) for my Apple Watch and iPhone XS Max to one single beautiful charging pad for both. Thank you, Nomad.

What I like

  • Premium design
  • Compatible with Nightstand Mode
  • Decluttered my nightstand
  • It’s made by Nomad

What needs to be improved

  • Nothing

Final Thoughts

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Nomad’s products and the Base Station Apple Watch Edition is no exception. If you charge your Apple Watch every night like I do It’s the perfect bedside companion.

The Apple AirPower charger is dead, long live the Nomad Base Station Apple Watch Edition!

Price: $139.95
Where to buy: Nomad and B&H Photo
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Nomad.

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Nomad Base Station Apple Watch Edition review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 18, 2019 at 10:34 am.

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ROBOQI Self Gripping Fast Wireless Car Charger review


REVIEW – Late last year, I tested and reviewed a car cell phone mount with wireless charging, and I was very happy with the functionality and the with the product overall. That device remained in my truck and was used daily, but about a month ago it just stopped charging and the clamping arms no longer open and close. I still very much like and need this type of device and accepted the opportunity to test and review the Roboqi Self Gripping Fast Wireless Car Charger. Will I be disappointed? Let’s see!!

What is it?

The Roboqi Self Gripping Fast Wireless Car Charger is a dashboard/windshield/vent mount for your cell phone that offers easy access to your phone and wireless charging while it is in the mount.

What’s in the box


1 x Roboqi Self Gripping Fast Wireless Car Charger
1 x QC 3.0 DC Power Adapter
1 x USB-C cable
1 x Dash Mount
1 x Vent Mount
1 x Instruction Manual

Design and features

Specifications:


Features:

One Hand Operation:
Take out and put in your phone in 1 second. Automatic wireless car charger with a unique sensor. No button needed.

Fast Wireless Charge:
iCarQi supports Qi fast wireless charging 7.5W compatible for iPhone XS/Max/XR/X/8 8plus & 10W compatible for Android Samsung Galaxy S9/S9+/S8/S8+/S7/Note 8 and 5W other Qi-enabled phone (QC 3.0 adapter included).

Three Mounting Ways:
Two kinds of car mount are provided, and they can be stalled in three different ways: windshield installation, driving-platform installation, air outlet installation. The universal rotary ball, with360 degree of freedom rotation. It can be used at any angle, which brings a flexible range of viewing angle.

5 Reliable methods of Protection:
The iCarQi wireless car charger can detect the voltage of your devices intelligently so as to apply different wireless charging speeds, up to 90% charging conversion. Also includes built-in Over-Temperature Protection, Over-Voltage Protection, Over-Current Protection, and Short-circuit protection keeps your smartphone safe comprehensively.

The charging base has the wireless charger in the center that touches the back of your cell when it is placed in the mount. The clamping arms on each side are controlled by the small protruding button/contact sensor in the lower center of the base.


On the back of the charging base, there is the receptacle for the dash or vent mount. There are also some air vents on the back.

On the bottom of the charger, there is a LED status light and a USB-C port.
The dash mount has two thumb screws that allow you to adjust the mount up/down and to extend the mount in/out.


At the bottom of the dash mount, there is the suction cup that is used to attach the mount to the windshield or dashboard.
A vent mount clip is also included for mounting the charging base to the air vent.

Performance

The dash mount is easily adjustable to extend some distance out from the dash and easily attaches to the dashboard via the built-in suction cup. I do not like to attach phone mounts to my windshield or my air vents. In my opinion, the mount is most stable when mounted on the dashboard. It is very steady despite the roughness of the roads and the potholes that I encounter every day when driving.

The pictures below show the phone in the dash mount. The top left-hand corner of the phone screen shows the charging icon that confirms that the phone is being charged.


The DC power adapter plugs in the vehicle DC port. In addition to the connected charging cable, it has a second USB jack that allows you to charge/power an additional device. The port is backlit by a blue LED. The status LED on the charging base lights red when there is no phone being charged in the base and green when your phone is connected to the wireless charger.



Below is a view of the USB-C power cable connected to the charging base. To remove the phone from the charging base, you simply start to pull it out from the bottom of the phone which disengages the contact sensor seen below and opens the clamping arms. When you place the phone into the charging base and it presses the contact sensor, the clamping arms close.

I am very dependent on my cell phone and my frequent use of it does not allow me to drain the battery to test the charging time from drained to full. However, I will say that whenever I place my phone in the charging base, it is very noticeable that it charges very quickly. For the record, I am using the iPhone 10X Max.

What I like

  • The secure way that the arms hold the phone and how they are activated via the contact sensor
  • The mounting options
  • The wireless charging feature

What can be improved

  • Nothing so far

Final thoughts

This is the second wireless dash mount phone charger that I am testing that is around $50. The previous one started out great but died in less than 3 months. That one had an IR sensor that controlled the clamping arms. This one uses a contact sensor that may prove to be more durable than the previous model. Only time will tell. Otherwise, it works well and does exactly what it is intended to do including providing a fast charge. For now, I will give it two thumbs up!!

Price: $49.99
Where to buy: The Micro Novelty website
Sample: The sample for this review was provided by Micro Novelty

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ROBOQI Self Gripping Fast Wireless Car Charger review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 18, 2019 at 9:15 am.

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Thank you, next. NexDock 2 – Notable crowdfunding campaigns

CROWDFUNDING NEWS – It’s been about 2 years since the first NexDock device was rolled out as a successful Indiegogo campaign and now the Nex Computer team is back with an updated version of the laptop that is powered by your Android smartphone or Raspberry Pi computer.

What is it?

The NexDock 2 is the latest update to the original NexDock laptop shell. The device looks like a laptop with a display, keyboard, and touchpad, but it’s really a “dumb” device until you connect your Samsung or Huawei smartphone or Raspberry Pi to it. Then it turns into a “smart” laptop using the attached device’s OS.

Why do I like it?

For decades, I’ve had a dream of owning one device to rule them all. A device that would be my camera, and my computer, either as a laptop or a desktop.

The NexDock 2 brings that dream one step closer to reality because I already use my phone as my only camera and now the NexDock 2 gives me a way to turn my phone into my only computer by providing a 13.3 inch IPS LCD, USB-C ports, SD card reader, full-sized keyboard, and a touchpad.

What to consider before pledging

At the moment, the only smartphones that will work with the NexDock 2 are Samsung’s newer Galaxy devices with the DeX feature (Galaxy S8/ S8+/ S8 Active, S9/ S9+, Note 8 / Note 9 and the new S10e/ S10/ S10+) and Huawei’s newer smartphones (Mate 10/ 10 Pro, Mate 20/ 20 Pro/ 20 X, P20/ P20 Pro, P30/ P30 Pro and Honor Note 10 / View 20) that have the EMUI easy projection feature that provides a desktop-like experience when attached to a monitor.

If you don’t have one of those phones, a Raspberry Pi, or a PC stick, then the NexDock 2 will be little more than a paperweight for you until Android Q is released, or if you just want to use it as a second screen for another device since it does have an HDMI connector.

Where can I find more info?

The NexDock 2 campaign ends on 4/20/19 they have already surpassed their funding goal of $50,000. You can pre-order a NexDock 2 starting at $209. After the NexDock 2 campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in September 2019. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

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Thank you, next. NexDock 2 – Notable crowdfunding campaigns originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 18, 2019 at 8:21 am.

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Facebook Working on AI Virtual Assistant to Be Competitor to Siri and Alexa

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Facebook is undeterred it seems after a prior failed attempt to launch a Siri competitor in 2015. It’s being reported that the social media company is working on an artificial intelligence virtual assistant once again and have been for the past year. They’re still looking to compete with Siri and Alexa. Facebook Virtual Assistant The development team for Facebook’s virtual assistant is led by Ira Snyder, the social network’s director of augmented and virtual reality. The team has also been working on their ideas for hardware. CNBC reported that the team is based out of Redmond,… Read more

Posted by / April 18, 2019 / Posted in News

How to Sync and Unsync My Contacts on Facebook Messenger

Facebook Messenger may not be everyone’s primary messaging service, but it can still be useful as a second option. Even as your second option, you still probably want to have your contacts on it to keep in touch. To always have access to your contacts regardless of which device you’re using, it’s a must that you sync them. This is an easy task, so the instructions are easy to follow. The following guide will show you everything you need to know to sync all your Messenger contacts. Related: Facebook Messenger Features You Might Not Know About How to Sync Your Facebook Messenger Contacts To sync… Read more