By Alice Hill
RealTechNews
I can’t take another charger. I had to buy a label maker just to keep them all straight. Then there is the daily dilemma – either haul them all everywhere you go, or buy one for home and one for office, and then change or add a device and you start accumulating chargers all over again. But what if you could have a simple charging pad that would allow you to place any MP3 player, camera, or phone on a simple surface and charge them all up while they sat there? That’s the promise of the SplashPad. (What is it with these truly bad names for great gadgetry?)
Multi SplashPad:
This flagship product lets users power multiple devices simultaneously simply by placing them on the pad surface. Mobile phones, PDAs, MP3 players and digital cameras can all be powered without the need to plug in to a charger, and in no extra time. Source: Slashphone
Our take: Love it, but don’t hold your breath. The manufacturers of all these gadgets will have to support this technology and re-work their charging connections, making the SplashPad all wet for now. Sigh
It has been about two years now since the first story about the splashpad.
While I think this product will eventually be released, rather than being entirely vapourware, this has been a story travelling for far too long. I think they at least have demo products working now, but look – the original mockups for a splashpad were mouse-mat thin. This thing looks like a bathroom accessory.
Apparently not all devices will need reworking to be splashpad compatible. All they require is an external induction coil, which could be sold as an unobtrusive add-on for some devices.
Though the if the “unobtrusive” nature of the add-on is similar to the development in size of the pad itself as to what was promised, then perhaps everything will need to be reworked.
koan
In my opinion, a really good,simple, and inexpensive solution would be letting devices charge from a powered USB hub. Save a *BUNCH* of wall warts, too.
In my opinion, a really good,simple, and inexpensive solution would be letting devices charge from a powered USB hub. Save a *BUNCH* of wall warts, too.
If these devices would ever make it to market, there could be all kinds of clever places to put them. In your car, on benches at the library (for those with laptops), in public transportation where people could rest their MP3 players on special charging areas…the sky is the limit. This could be used to incent people into shopping areas like WiFi is used today.