I’m a big fan of wireless charging (otherwise known as Qi charging) and have been using it on and off since I began using it with a Samsung Galaxy S3 over 4 years ago. I love having a wireless charging dock on my desk at my day job and another one at home next to the bed. But now KNOMO’s DropGo lets me take one with me when I”m mobile.
The KNOMO DropGo is a self-contained inductive wireless charging system that has been designed to slide into a pocket or bag.
The DropGo is compatible with the Samsung S8, Samsung S7, Samsung S7 Edge, Samsung S6, Samsung S6 Edge and with the iPhone 7, iPhone 6S, iPhone 6 using the optional DropGo iPhone wireless charging case. Just slide the device into the DropGo to immediately start charging.
With a capacity of 4500mAh, the DropGo will provide up to 1.5 charges to your device. Once the DropGo’s internal battery has been depleted, you can top it off by plugging in a micro USB cable into the DropGo and your computer.
The DropGo wireless charging power bank is priced at $129 and the iPhone adapter case is $59.00 by itself, or you can buy it in a bundle with the DropGo charger for $145. Visit Knomo for more info.
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I have a TYLT VU wireless charger on my nightstand, but I’d trade the TYLT for the Curvilux Smart Nightstand in a heartbeat because it’s not an ordinary bedside table.
It might look like a grade school desk, but the Curvilux Smart Nightstand features a locking drawer that’s controlled with your smartphone, a wireless charging area on top for Qi compatible phones, and USB ports for devices that don’t have wireless charging built-in.
The Curvilux also has a built-in Bluetooth speaker and LEDs that slowly brighten to mimic a sunrise to help you wake up more naturally in the morning.
The table also senses when you get out of bed in the middle of the night and turns on a downward shining light to help you find your way back to bed in the dark.
The Smart Nightstand is available in black or white You can read more about and order the Curvilux Smart Nightstand for $299 by visiting curvilux.com
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When I got my Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ I embraced wireless charging. I had been especially looking forward to that feature when considering the purchase of my phone, so I started looking for wireless chargers right off the bat. I have reviewed several here on the Gadgeteer, and I now have a good idea of what I like and don’t like about wireless charging in general. So what makes the Seneo different? Is it better or worse than other wireless chargers I have? Let’s find out.
First things first, the specs from the manufacturer:
Fast charge modes are ONLY available for the Galaxy devices – S6 Edge+, S7, S7 Edge, Note 5. All other Qi-enabled devices will charge at regular speed. Some devices may require an additional wireless charging power brick (Not Included).
Charging time from zero to full (Phone case is strongly suggested to be REMOVED while charging):
Phones can be charged either vertically or horizontally
Curved bottom in the cradle helps to accommodate phones with a curved bottom
Built-in over-voltage, under voltage, and short-circuit protection
In the box: 1 x SENEO fast wireless charger stand 1 x USB Power Cable (not including the AC adapter) 1 x User Manual
Warranty: 45 days money back & 18-month warranty.
What I liked
I love wireless charging in general. The convenience is awesome… just lay it down and it charges. The Seneo does provide my phone with fast-charging, and just like the manufacturer suggests, removing the phone cover does improve the wireless charging experience slightly. But honestly, it didn’t improve my charging enough to cause me to want to go through the effort to remove the cover. So I don’t.
The main thing that I love about the Seneo is that it solves my biggest hassle with all wireless charging devices. When your device is laid flat on a wireless charging device, you can’t really use it. At work, I find myself constantly having to pick up my phone to answer text messages, make phone calls, etc. So I have all but abandoned wireless charging at work during the day. Until now. That’s where the Seneo fits in my life. Now I can wireless charge my phone as it sits up and I can use it while it charges. Big win.
The one indicator light is across the bottom of the front of the charger, and it glows blue when not being used and glows green while charging your phone. I tried it at home first and the light wasn’t too bad during the night.
What I didn’t like
Not much. I don’t like the general trend in gadgets these days of not including a power brick, and there is no power brick with the Seneo, obviously to save cost. That means I have to use a power brick that can handle fast charging. I tried using an old power brick from an older device and not only would it not charge fast wireless, the Seneo wouldn’t charge at all. So I would have been willing to pay $10 more for this charger to include a power brick.
Final thoughts
At $22.95 this charger is a bargain. And as I mentioned, I would have been willing to pay more if it included a power brick. Having the ability to charge my phone in the upright position at work has enabled to embrace wireless charging at work again. I highly recommend this product.
The sample for this review was provided by Seneo. Please visit Amazon to order.
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It doesn’t seem that long ago when I had a 4-foot long power strip that I used to charge various gadgets and gizmos. The power strip was that long because I needed that a lot of outlets and I needed them to be far enough apart so that AC adapters could be inserted without touching each other. That was so long ago that it seems like a dream… or more like a nightmare! Today we have compact USB charging hubs like the Xtorm Vigor USB Power Hub which can charge seven devices at once without needing a lot of space. Let’s take a look.
What is it?
The Xtorm Vigor USB Power Hub is a USB charging station that has four 5V 2.4A USB 2.0 ports, one USB QC 3.0 3.6V-12V port, one USB-C 5V 3A port and a Qi wireless charging pad that is 5V 1A.
What’s in the box?
Xtorm Vigor USB Power Hub Power cord
Design and features
The Vigor Power Hub has six ports on the front of the charger. There is one USB QC 3.0 port on the left, 4 regular USB ports and then a USB-C port on the right side.
There are also two status LEDs that glow blue while the device is plugged in and ready to use. The LED on the left side turns pink when the Qi charging pad is being used.
The back of the hub has the main power port. The power cord that shipped with my sample had an EU style plug instead of US style. Luckily, I had a converter that I was able to use and I also found a spare US power cord with the right shaped connector that I was able to use too.
Using the hub
Using this power hub is simple. You connect the power cord, plug it into an outlet and then plug your USB devices into the hub. That’s all there is to it. The end.
Ok, not so fast… Let’s check the quality of the ports using my handy dandy QooPow qualMeter.
I started with the USB QC 3.0 port on the left. According to the qualMeter, the port earned the lowest fair rating.
I used this port with a USB 2.0 to USB-C cable to charge my Nexus 6P without any issues. It charged as quickly as the AC adapter that came with the phone.
I then tested one of the regular USB ports and it was also rated as fair.
I used these ports to charge a Samsung Tablet and a few other gadgets with no issues.
The right most USB port earned the best quality rating, but it also showed as only being 2A when the other three ports showed as 2.5A on the qualMeter.
I tested the Xtorm’s USB-C port with the USB-C cable that ships with the Nexus 6P. It earned the worst rating of all… literally. The label on the qualMeter says “worst”. It also did not show as being a 3A port. It showed as a 2A port.
As far a using the Xtorm Vigor Hub to charge my Qi-enabled devices, I tried it with an LG G3 and a Samsung Galaxy Note 2. Both of these devices are not normally Qi enabled, but I updated them with 3rd party Qi pads which have been working perfectly for years with other Qi charging docks. Charging the same devices using the Xtorm’s Qi charging surface didn’t yield good results with the LG G3. It got VERY hot to the touch after about 30 minutes laying on top of the Xtorm. It seemed to charge, but the heat freaked me out enough that I did not want to leave it unattended.
Charging the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 worked a lot better. It was slightly warm after 30 minutes, but nothing like the LG.
I’ve got one more complaint about the Xtorm Vigor Hub. While I was testing it, I had it next to me on the desk test in a relatively quiet room. I kept hearing a strange noise which I finally realized was coming from the Xtorm. The power hub makes one type of noise when it’s just sitting idle and another noise when a device is charging. It even makes the noise for about 15 seconds after you completely unplug the hub’s power cord. To let you know what it sounds like, I made a quick video.
The video was captured with my Nexus 6P. I just placed it on top of the Xtorm to record the idle sound and then I placed the LG G3 on top of the Xtorm’s Qi pad with the Nexus 6P on top to record the charging sound.
Final thoughts
I really like the physical size and the number of ports that are built into the Xtorm Vigor USB Power Hub, but the fact that it makes strange noises, overheated one of my phones while charging via Qi, and that it doesn’t earn very good ratings with the qualMeter, makes me wonder about the quality of this multi-port USB charging hub. There’s also the issue that it does not come with a US style power cord.
For those reasons, I can not recommend this product.
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Xtorm. Please visit their site for more info.
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The Jabees Q9 LED desk lamp is a multi-tasker that no only lights up your desk, but it can also charge your Qi-enabled device through it’s built in charging surface or USB port.
Consolidate your lamp and your charging dock or cables with one device from Jabees. The Q9 LED desk lamp features folding design, high-quality LEDs, a built-in Qi charging pad and a 5V/2A USB charging port.
The Q9 also features touch control that allows you to customize the color temperature of the 800 lux lamp from cold to warm tones.
If you have a device that is Qi enabled, you can set it on top of the lamp’s base to charge wirelessly for an easier cable-free charging setup.
Q9 LED Lamp is priced at $59.99 and is available from Jabees.
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