Customer Reviews

Portable Mat with Powercube

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(23)

 

 

It looks as though some reviewers thought they could just plop any device straight on the pad and it would start charging. That's not the case with this charger. Before purchasing I read the instruction manual on the manufacturer's website thoroughly so I know what I was getting. Unless you purchase an integrated receiver made for your phone/device you still need plug the receiver that comes with the Powermat into your device and set the receiver on the mat with the phone attached (I call this semi-wireless charging). If you want to charge more than one device at a time you will need to purchase additional receivers/docks (sold seperately): Powermat Receiver Universal Powercube (White).
For truly wireless charging you should consider purchasing an integrated receiver/case or a dock. I purchased the Powermat Receiver Li-Ion Battery Door for BlackBerry Bold (Black). I just replaced the battery door on my Blackberry with the Powermat receiver and now I can just set the phone on the mat to charge without having to plug anything into my phone. Powermat also makes other integrated receivers/docks for other Blackberry models, iPhones and iPods as well (I'm considering purchasing the Powermat PMR-AID1 Receiver Dock for iPod and iPhone (White)).

Pros
--The Powermat works great for my Blackberry with the integrated receiver since I just place it on the mat and it starts charging wirelessly

Cons
--For our other devices: iPods, other family member's phones, etc. we still need to plug the receiver that came with the mat into the phones since not all phones have integrated receivers made for them. It's still better than the tangle of cords we were dealing with but it would be great if more integrated receivers for other cell phone models were available.

So, overall I give the product 4 stars

Yes, I can hear it now (from previous buyers) with comments of "I told you so" or "You were warned". I recently purchased the Powermat Portable Mat for about $90 and it DOES NOT charge wirelessly. Since I, too, felt victim to misleading advertising by Powermat (you will see such claims all over the box packaging with misleading tag lines of "wireless charging" or "wirelessly charge up to 3 devices" or "lose the cord" or "with revolutionary powermat wireless charging"). LET ME MAKE IT VERY CLEAR: YOU MUST BUY A RECEIVER FOR EVERY DEVICE THAT YOU WISH TO CHARGE "WIRELESSLY". That is as much as another $30/each for every unit. I own a (work related) blackberry, an IPhone, a Nintendo DS, a (personal) Tmobile phone. If I wanted to charge all these units wirelessly, I'll have to shell out an ADDITIONAL $120. In the end, the powermat system WITHOUT individual receivers is NO BETTER than bringing along powercords. My recommendation: SAVE YOUR MONEY and avoid this product UNLESS you are willing to shell out more dough for the add-ons. You have been warned.

Let's see... in order to avoid having to plug your electronics into a free charger that you already own, you instead need to plug your item into an expensive adapter (each one unique to each piece of equipment you own and not included in the purchase price) then place it on a mat that costs $100.

Who thought this up?

My gift is going back...this is truly a case of marketing over function.

I read all the negatives before I bought the Powerpad. Most of the comments were related to people not understanding what they had, needed or were reading.
The PowerPad works perfectly. Good packaging, versatile, works on my DroidX, MP3 and Apple Products plus more.

Remember this is only the charging pad and power cube, you will want to also buy the cover that fits your particular cell phone.

I received this item from my very well-meaning daughter who apparently didn't read any of the reviews. First off - this thing is NOT Wireless! What a joke! First, you have to plug the adapter into the wall and attach it to the Mat. Then for each and every device, you need to have a receiver - that you PLUG into the device - WITH A WIRE. have two Zunes, 2 Sansa Fuzes, an LG phone, an eBookwise Reader, etc. - NONE of these devices are supported by this dumb thing - so my option is to plug it into the USB connector USING THE CHARGING CORD THAT CAME WITH MY DEVICES. What the heck! I have 18 USB connections on my computer, so having a couple of devices plugged in while I am working is not a big deal. I charge my LG phone in using a hot socket in my car - no problem.... I also have an AC/USB converter that I can use for plug-in charging, not to mention the AC chargers that came with the devices. So instead of having my devices just plugged into already convenient sources - with ONE cable, I am supposed to lay out this thing and have cords, cables, receivers, etc. all strung out. Who the heck thought that this thing was a good idea or even needed???? I want to return this item, as after I tried it out once, I have absolutely NO need for it!!!!!!! USELESS ITEM! Save your money!

I received this device as a christmas present. But realized that I have to spend $60 to get my phones to charge wirelessly on the powermat.

The device is a good concept of charging several devices wirelessly. Unfortunately, it does not deliver out of the box and at a cost of $100 with the perception of wireless, it seems like marketing untruth. For each device that you want to charge wirelessly, you need to buy a custom receiver ($30 each) that slips on the device and then you can lie the device on the powermat to charge. Therefore, you pay $100 for the powermat, and $30 per device. This amounts to $190 (not including tax) to charge 3 devices wirelessly, which removes 2 cables of clutter for charging and now you have a long black mat sitting on your counter with a bunch of devices on it. This lacks the oomph gained for wireless charging in functionality, the expenditure, and the space taken up by this device.

Nice concept, but too expensive for the actual functionality of removing cable clutter. This device should have come with at least 2 coupons free to get the custom receivers for the $100 price tag. The dissapointing factor is that you need to really spend $200 to charge 3 devices wirelessly.

I got this as a gift. It works fine with my I-phone and I-touch. But why would anyone spend $100 so that they didn't have to plug something in. You still have to put it in a special charging case and line it up so it will charge. Its not less work and its not that more convenient. Keep your plugs and save your money.

I really love the convenience of the Powermat. I love not having to untangle different adapters and hunt all over the house for a free outlet to charge things in. I'd love it if they had a larger Powermat that would charge like six things at once for those of us addicted to gadgets. The Powermat was extremely simple to set up and connect. All I had to do was take the Powermat, plug it in, find the tip that matched what I wanted to charge and connect them. I love the little noise it makes because I know I've connected it properly. I literally had everything set up and connected in less than five minutes.

It is too bad that the manufacturer did not properly explain to the other reviewers of the product features and functionality. YES, you have to purchase special battery doors for your electronic devices to realize the value of the Powermat. However, speaking for myself, the additional cost has paid for itself several times over in the convenience of simply setting the phone down on the mat to charge in the office. I do not recommend this product for the cost-conscious bargain shopper. This is a product for lazy people like me that do not want to fumble with annoying charge cords every time I need to recharge a mobile device. Prior to this purchase, my phone was rarely charged. Now, because of the routine of setting the phone down on the mat, it is ALWAYS charged. I love this product!!!

I bought the powermat portable because I have multiple items that need/require charging each night such as iPhone, Razor phone, iPod etc. Thus far I have been satisfied with my purchase overall because I can use only ONE outlet while I charge 3 pieces of electronics during the night. This is very helpful for me because I have multiple items that ALSO require electricity (computer, lamp etc) I also find the "magnetic pull" on the pad helps to keep everything on the pad whenever I must answer a late night phone call (I usually end up knocking stuff off my table). I like the product for travel because I go back & forth to Europe every other month and it's very helpful to have a device because I can charge multiple electronics using only ONE outlet. Additionally the POWERMAT casing that must be put on my iPhone, increases the thickness of the phone which has resulted in my phone not getting lost in my bag or sliding so easily out of my pockets.

UPDATE 7/10/2010
What I *DO NOT* like about the product is that it is incomparable with my iPhone car charger or ANY charger for that matter. It will overheat your device, muffles sound & vibrations and is difficult to remove from device,.

The company wants you to use an additional item for this and that requires too much needless effort for the end user of this product. I find myself having to take the charging device off then putting it back on again...duh!? Because of this "feature" I may only end up using this device during travel and/or at night. I really wish the POWERMAT people would rethink this aspect of their product and offer a better solution.