• expired

iPhone Induction Charger for 3G/3GS - The Reject Shop - $10

230

I was in a Reject Shop today when i saw that they had an iPhone Induction Charger for the 3G and 3GS models for only $10. This was in a catalogue a couple of months ago for $60, so they must be clearing them out.

How it works is that you put a supplied case on your phone and just lay the phone on the supplied pad, and shazam the phone charges. The pad can charge two iPhones at one time (but i guess you'd have to buy two kits to get the two cases - then you could charge 4 phones at once, but then you'd need 4 kits, but then you can charge 8 phones - i could go on forever!)

I have seen these in a few of the Reject Shops, and they have national pricing, so you should be able to get these at most shops who still have them.

Related Stores

The Reject Shop
The Reject Shop

closed Comments

  • +1

    Amazing the amount of effort that some people will expend just so that they don't have to plug that little white wire into the bottom of the phone, eh?

    But it's a great deal anyway, if the product actually works.

    • +7

      I'm sure it will work fine…. its from the reject shop what could go wrong?

    • +2

      poor man's PowerMat

  • +4

    Enjoy your power bill.

    • +1

      That's why I didn't buy the similar stuff from ow last time!

      • +2

        yepp i saw that, $18, but i thought to myself..

        am i really that lazy?

    • why would this affect your power bill?

      • +3

        Usually induction charging is much less efficient - ie requires more power out of the 240v socket to get the same charge in your iphone battery. But i'm not sure of the relative percentages, I think I once saw it mentioned that induction charging was only 70% as efficient as wired charging but I can't back this figure up and it would also vary from manufacturer to manufacturer anyway.

        Also not sure that you would really notice the difference when compared to your air conditioner / reverse cycle heater etc but on the flip side every little bit counts.

        • I think the best efficiency is around 70% foo

    • Seriously, how much $ can you add to the bill for charging an iphone? But then again, saving a couple bucks is what ozb is about…

  • -6

    Why is this iPhone only?

    • +1

      Because the case only fit for ip3/3gs

  • +1

    It looks like it has the normal iPod flat plug on it, so in theory it would fit all iDevices if you could manipulate the case to be flat and just stick onto what ever you have got.

  • +2

    why would you bother ???

  • +1

    I remember when it first came out from the original guys: powermat.com
    Ridiculously expensive for very little convenience benefits. Reasonably priced now at 49.95 but i still wouldn't bother coz you need the extra case on your phone makes it bigger.

    • they have gone into battery/back cover replacements instead, therefore any other phones than Apple's can be charged without any custom case at all

    • +1

      I was just in Dick Smith today actually, and saw the Powermat for $129! And i had the same thought that i had when i first saw the powermat; why would you pay ~$130 (was it $200 when it first came out?) to have a bulky pack on your iphone, just so you don't have to have to plug in a cable??? Also, you've got this pad thing taking up more space, and with a cord running to it, and costing more electricty. Worst invention ever.

  • Do you reckon all these induction chargers are cross compatible? eg. can you use this casing for the phone and put in on the branded Powermat version?

  • +2

    I got the Uniden one, and it wasn't induction so I felt let down. The Uniden one came with leads and contact pads for other phones which made no sense as you would still plug the phone into the coin sized contact. As for the iPhone case, it works great and the pad looks nice. I find it really handy because I used to hate fishing around for the cable if it fell off my bedside table.

    The Uniden one is just a series of small ball bearing contacts which ensures that two points are always on two different power rails on the mat. From there it must polarity sense and forward the voltage to the connector. I dont find the case bulky, certainly nowhere as bad as an otter case or a case with backup battery.

    Dont think I would buy a no name product from the reject shop to charge a ~$800-1000 phone though.. A good deal for those interested in modding the technology or those wanting to risk it.

  • Now that Apple is moving towards iCloud they should build induction charging into the phone.

  • +5

    Warning: don't put it anywhere near you, it will change you wirelessly and you won't feel hungry all day.

  • change you wirelessly<>charge you wirelessly?? lol
    why don't they put induction coils on the inside battery cover into all new phones? simple, they don't want to cut out the whole "charge you an arm/leg for a stupid little car/mains/emergency charger market"-like $30 for a car adaptor that you can buy for like 6 bux on dealextreme/ebay etc

    • I don't think that's the reason. Everyone wants their phones to be lightweight and thin, putting the coils inside the battery cover probably increase the costs of production as well.

  • Couldn't find any of these at Northland, Vic

  • so in order to have the convienance of not plugging in your charger once a day… you carry around an external case for the whole day?…… pass

  • I think the question on everyone's lips is how bulky?

    I've already got a bumper style case and it doesn't look much bigger?

Login or Join to leave a comment