Nexus 4 charging orb is LIVE on Google play

[MT Rotor]

:beer:

 

[the_moodster]

Not for sale in the uk yet

 

[Deleted User]

I was quite excited at the thought but I recently I bought a charging stand from eBay for just a few quid and I don't see the wireless charger being any more convenient.

I just stick my N4 onto my stand and the sides of the stand guide it into place for me so it is easy enough to do even in the dark.

Since the orb itself isn't wireless I don't see any advantages at all.

Very cool, yes but not worth it IMO.

 

[chong67]

I am waiting for the cheap knock off ship from China. Is there such a thing yet?

 

[Sylon]

I was quite excited at the thought but I recently I bought a charging stand from eBay for just a few quid and I don't see the wireless charger being any more convenient.

I just stick my N4 onto my stand and the sides of the stand guide it into place for me so it is easy enough to do even in the dark.

Since the orb itself isn't wireless I don't see any advantages at all.

Very cool, yes but not worth it IMO.

You're not going to get true wireless charging out of any charger. It has to plug into a wall outlet somehow, unless it's solar powered. Where else would it pull its electricity from?

 

[JunBringer]

People have ridiculous expectations of technology. Like dude said if it's not solar you're not going to get electricity out of thin air at this point.

I ordered 2 this afternoon. I'm hoping I can mount one in the car somehow and I hope the magnet is strong enough to hold the Nexus pretty well. If not I'll just have one by my computer and one by my bed.

 

[SemeteryRocker]

I don't think they meant that they were expecting magic but I think his point was that he doesn't see the advantage of spending $60+tax and shipping to basically get another charger that doesn't do anything special.

I have to agree. Seems more like techy eye-candy than it is useful. It's adorable and all, but just a charger nonetheless. If it proves to be the better way to charge to extend the battery's life substantially or something, I'm plenty open-minded and would then buy into it.

 

[chong67]

This thing cost so much money.

I have cheap plug in charger everywhere in house, work, car and then I get a few more cause they are only a few dollars.

You still need to get it plug in.

 

[andrews317]

It's a luxurious gadget. Buy it if you have the money and love technology. As many say, it's just another charger, just that cooler.

 

[hstroph]

Interesting technical specifications on the Play Store page.

Tech Specs:
DC Input 5Vdc/1.8A
DC Output 5Vdc/1.0A

So it appears (but is not shown on the Play Store page) that an AC outlet plugin-type transformer is used to energize the orb with 1.8A, 44% of which is lost when delivered to the inductive side of the phone.

Brilliant.

 

[yfan]

It's a cool gadget, but I never really was big on wireless chargers. I am perfectly comfortable just plugging it in and letting it charge. But I do have a question - does anyone using one know if you have to take the phone out of a case first before putting it on this wireless charger?

 

[Sylon]

Interesting technical specifications on the Play Store page.

Tech Specs:
DC Input 5Vdc/1.8A
DC Output 5Vdc/1.0A

So it appears (but is not shown on the Play Store page) that an AC outlet plugin-type transformer is used to energize the orb with 1.8A, 44% of which is lost when delivered to the inductive side of the phone.

Brilliant.

I heard that the slower trickle charge is better on the battery. Whether or not thats true I don't know. I do know that it would be more convienent than having to unplug the USB out of the bottom. I know it's not a big deal to unplug a cable, I know its not for me. But sometimes tech people like fancy stuff.


On that note, I ordered one. Just cuz. Sure, I don't need it, but I also didn't need a new phone either, but I bought one, just cuz. I thought this thing was cool.

 

[charliecc]

I agree with most people here, the orb doesn't make it that much more convenient and at the price it's a joke.

However, I envisage having a charging mat, that sits on a kitchen worktop (or something similar), on which entering the house you just place your phone. The wife also places her phone there as do the kids, that's the kind of convenience you'd pay for.

I'm sure you can get hold of a multipoint mat somewhere, but I doubt anyone has enough wireless charging gadgets to make use of it yet.

 

[hstroph]

I heard that the slower trickle charge is better on the battery. Whether or not thats true I don't know. I do know that it would be more convienent than having to unplug the USB out of the bottom. ...

I guess my concern is that people will also find it "inconvenient" to unplug the AC outlet transformer and leave the orb continually "on", wasting 0.8A just to maintain a simple electromagnet when the phone isn't even being charged. That's about the same current it takes to light a 100W incandescent light bulb, but people won't be aware of it as there's nothing to catch ones attention like the light bulb being on.

There probably aren't nearly enough of us Nexus 4 owners to change the world, but any wasted energy is simply that ... wasted. It's not an admirable thing that's been done with this inductive charger in this modern day and age.

 

[MKeditor]

It's expensive and it doesn't provide any advantage. I did just order one because it's new, different and looks cool. It will also make the iPhone crowd in my office scratch their heads about yet another feature their phones don't have. I know it's immature and shallow. I admit it.

 

[SiempreTuna]

I always thought the reason inductive charging hadn't caught on in the past was that it was so much less efficient ..

For me, it's nice but way too expensive ..

 

[karmamule]

I always thought the reason inductive charging hadn't caught on in the past was that it was so much less efficient ..

For me, it's nice but way too expensive ..

I now have two phones that have wireless charging (lumia 920 and the n4), and in both cases I've been pleased with the speed of wireless charging. I'd say the lumia charger takes about 25% longer than plugging in to charge, and at home I have an energizer dual-phone mat that also charges reasonably quickly. Not as fast as plugging in, but maybe only 10% slower. (It seems a bit more efficient than the nokia charger)

I'm getting the n4 charger at work because I like the idea of having the phone elevated and tilted slightly to make the screen more readable and accessible while charging. I stream lots of music while at work and I hope the phone remains firmly on the charger enough so I can browse through Spotify without knocking it off the charger. If that's true (and it charges at about the same rate as my existing chargers) then I'll be happy with the purchase.

 

[NeXuS4]

The big problem is I can't use my phone while it's on the charging orb. Although I do like the idea of bypassing the USB port. Would be useful if you were streaming content to an HDTV with an HDMI cable.

 

[SuperDave70]

Any speculation on whether or not this will work with future versions of the Nexus? It's too expensive to order just for a phone I will most likely replace within a year. Having said that, I like the raised and angled surface much better than a charging mat. So I'm still on the fence on this one.

 

[zenicanin]

I ordered one. It will preserve the micro USB port from getting too used and loose. I wonder if it will charge with a case on though?

 

[jhsrennie]

I guess my concern is that people will also find it "inconvenient" to unplug the AC outlet transformer and leave the orb continually "on", wasting 0.8A just to maintain a simple electromagnet when the phone isn't even being charged. That's about the same current it takes to light a 100W incandescent light bulb, but people won't be aware of it as there's nothing to catch ones attention like the light bulb being on.

You aren't comparing like with like. 0.8A at 5V is 4W while a 100W light bulb is, erm, 100W. You'd need 25 Orb chargers to use the same power as one 100W light bulb.

 

[JunBringer]

You aren't comparing like with like. 0.8A at 5V is 4W while a 100W light bulb is, erm, 100W. You'd need 25 Orb chargers to use the same power as one 100W light bulb.

I hope you're right here lol

Any speculation on whether or not this will work with future versions of the Nexus?

I would think so. I doubt they would choose the Qi standard and then change it later, unless everyone else ends up going with the other standard and Qi goes the way of HD DVD.

 

[MartinS]

It's expensive and it doesn't provide any advantage. I did just order one because it's new, different and looks cool. It will also make the iPhone crowd in my office scratch their heads about yet another feature their phones don't have. I know it's immature and shallow. I admit it.

Nothing wrong with buying something you don't need because its cool!

 

[JunBringer]

Nothing wrong with buying something you don't need because its cool!

Backed.


I got my tracking number this morning, so hopefully it'll be here by Saturday so I don't have to wait til Monday. (I'm impatient) Just checked and it's in Kentucky now, so it should be here by Saturday since that's only two states away.

 

[Sylon]

Backed.


I got my tracking number this morning, so hopefully it'll be here by Saturday so I don't have to wait til Monday. (I'm impatient) Just checked and it's in Kentucky now, so it should be here by Saturday since that's only two states away.

I got my tracking number this morning as well, however it hasn't updated yet.

EDIT: I take that back, it's in KY now.