Quick look: Powermat receiver door for charging HTC EVO wirelessly
The HTC EVO 4G was on the receiving end of a great wireless charging mod back in June (tutorial here) for the DIY crowd, and now Powermat is bringing the feature to the rest of us. The company recently released a $39.99 receiver door and $59.99 complete system (door + small charging mat) for the EVO, and they're available now directly from Powermat as well as various retailers like Best Buy and Amazon.
I picked up the receiver door over the weekend because my local Best Buy didn't have the full kit in stock and I already have the bigger charging mat ($69.99 at Amazon
).
The door features a similar finish to the EVO's stock battery cover, though it's less smooth and more grippy to prevent sliding around on the charging mat.
It's also thicker than the original cover because of the induction plate and the quality of the plastic. Snapping the door onto the EVO takes more effort than the OEM door requires, and the added bulk means that compatibility with some existing cases could be an issue. Also affected by the receiver door are the kickstand, which becomes more recessed, and the camera lens, which no longer protudes.
Unfortunately, while one protruding part is eliminated, another one takes its place.
Anyone wanting to use the Powermat system will need to deal with the microUSB plug sticking out at the bottom. It's attached to the door by a thin piece of plastic so it won't get lost when you need to access the port. It needs to be plugged in for the mat to charge the phone, so although it's tempting to rip it off, I wouldn't recommend it.
I have the larger Home & Office Mat, which can charge 3 devices at the same time, so that's what you're looking at in the photo above. Although the surface area is quite big, only certain areas will "connect," which means you can't just drop the EVO wherever you want on it. Magnets in the mat keep the phone in place and are actually strong enough to let you hold it upside down.
When properly postioned (there's a noticeable magnetic pull), the LED on the mat will light up, you'll hear a sound, and the EVO will start charging.
Well, it's supposed to start charging. I've seen evidence that it works, but mine doesn't for some reason. The LED lights up and I hear the sound, but nothing happens after that (seems I'm not the only one either
).
Oh well. The Touchstone mod is a more attractive wireless charging solution to me, anyway. I really don't like the look of the Powermat's microUSB plug.
