CES 2011: iCADE for iPad, Magic Mouse Inductive Charger

[Duardo]

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I've always loved my Mighty Mouse, however the little ball at the top would always get stick every few weeks. It's reallyannoying. Then the Magic Mouse cane out and it was great for a while until the batteries started dying. I hate changing batteries. I hope this charger really does the trick

Also, has anyone seen this Duracel pads? Apparently you can place anything rechargeable on there and it will charge it. Looked pretty cool.

 

[bmorris]

why not just make a whole mouse pad that is a charger?

 

[rhett7660]

why not just make a whole mouse pad that is a charger?

This is a great idea. I am surprised no one has marketed this yet. I have a mouse pad that is slick plastic and it is raised. You could easily fit the electronics below the pad and it wouldn't increase the size etc. It would charge etc while you are using it or you could designate a spot on the pad as the charger and when you are done you put the mouse in the "spot" for charging. It is hard to believe that nobody has come up with this idea yet.

 

[kiljoy616]

Nice but

Like to see it as part of a package would be nice.

 

[malachiman]

The VAT increase on 04/01/11 for starters Strange how 2.5% equates to 5-10% in some retailers eyes.... But then there are overheads to consider in the rise as well, not just the cost of the goods. Thanks Dave!

We had an increase of GST here in New Zealand of 2.5% as well. It works out to be a product increase of around 2.2% (well in NZ it does, your VAT was higher to start with). There is no increase in overheads because VAT & GST are end user taxs that business claim back.

 

[Digital Skunk]

Wireless Magic Mouse: $69
USB Magic Charger: €49

USB Mouse: $10 perhaps? But seriously, it makes a wireless mouse pointless.

Agreed. The point of the wireless mouse is to free up the wire clutter on your desk and/or to gain an extra USB port. The charger would be better used if it would be able to plug into the wall instead, but then it serves the same purpose as the Apple AA charger.

Apple battery works great. Don't have to recharge it for weeks. No need for inductive charger.

Right, and when you have four you just keep swapping every few months or so. I think this is the reason Apple hasn't been drawn to inductive charging yet.

Apple should buy that company that made the inductive charger. Ideally, I would like to see the base expanded so it could work as a mouse pad that inductively charges the mouse.

It wouldn't make much sense ONLY because Wacom's tablets are just .001% away from doing the same thing. Just that the pad itself is computing and registering the movements and commands.

Another poster made the best adaptation with the inductive desk. Or the poster that said something about wireless power that you plug into the wall, and the power comes to the mouse, keyboard, iPhone, etc. once you walk into the room.

This looks awesome. Someday everything could charge like this.

Someday yes, but by the time we get there it'll be yesterdays headache. So far the Palm Touchstone is the best use of inductive that I've seen. The case is the adaptor, no need for extra parts like Powermat, and you just drop and go.

 

[edoates]

You don't need to plug and unplug the mouse itself, nor will you ever run out of batteries. There's nothing more nauseating than having to go down to the store and pick up a fresh pack of batteries because the last pair you had at home just died.

There are lots of things more nauseating that driving to the store (unless you are my passenger ;-)

The MM uses rechargeable just fine, including Apples You get 4 batteries and the charge for about the price of the inductive unit. Since it takes about 15 seconds to change batteries in the MM and an Apple wireless keyboard, and the Apple (or Sharp equivalents) keep their charge for quite a while, I see no benefit to this particular inductive charger.

As another poster said, a larger inductive place on which to charge keyboards, mice, track pads, portables, iPhones, iPods, and iPads is the winner that is not yet available. I'll pass.

 

[JAT]

Yeah, I don't understand why everybody's going crazy over wireless keyboards and mice. Ok for a HTPC, but iMac? It's infront of you on your desk, you're sitting 50cm-1m from it anyway. I just don't get it...

Ditto. I'd like to see a wired version of the Trackpad, I'd use it at work.

I will actually gladly support this type of gaming with my pocket book. Hopefully if enough money and enough demand is there we will see more games released and not just from Atari either. Lets bring in some of the other favorites. Activision old school games come to mind!

MAME.

http://www.apple.com/battery-charger/

I wouldn't use that on my good batteries unless they paid me. In replacement batteries. I got a Sanyo version with my Eneloops, threw it away. If you are going to spend time with rechargeable batteries, get a good charger.

 

[bwillwall]

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I've always loved my Mighty Mouse, however the little ball at the top would always get stick every few weeks. It's reallyannoying. Then the Magic Mouse cane out and it was great for a while until the batteries started dying. I hate changing batteries. I hope this charger really does the trick

Also, has anyone seen this Duracel pads? Apparently you can place anything rechargeable on there and it will charge it. Looked pretty cool.

The duracel charging pad requires a special case or battery pack over anything you use it with just like every charging pad except its one of the crappy ones that require touching metal.

 

[bwillwall]

Yeah, I don't understand why everybody's going crazy over wireless keyboards and mice. Ok for a HTPC, but iMac? It's infront of you on your desk, you're sitting 50cm-1m from it anyway. I just don't get it...

Well its certainly more convenient than worrying about tangled up wires.

 

[BuzzMega]

Other overlooked induction chargers

How about an induction bar or plate to sit right in front of your keyboard? Sole function: charging up your watch.

How about an induction pad built into your auto center console? Function: charging all the phones, iPads, flashlights, gps units or other stuff in your pocket.

How about a continuous induction pad along the centerline of every highway, street or dirt road in the world. Function: oil freedom. No energy losses there.

 

[tigress666]

You're right, which is why you buy four rechargeable batteries. Then you'll never be in this situation.

Or, you could get this charger, put it nearby but out of the way, charge the mouse every night by just remembering to put the moues on it when you sleep, and not have to disrupt what you're doing to take batteries out and put new ones in and have the two resynch to each other.

Is it really that hard to see why this would be very convenient over having batteries you have to remove and replace (I don't care if you don't have to go get them, you still have to disrupt what you're doing as you have to take the batteries out)? I mean your solution really doesn't address the real hassle of batteries you remove and replace (that's been my solution to have batteries on hand but it's still annoying. Having to walk farther to get the batteries really isn't the most annoying part honestly).

As for it introducing another cord? Who cares?! It's a stationary item, just organize your cords once to get them out of the way and it shouldn't be that big of an issue. It's not like a mouse that you are moving around so you end up having this cord that moves around and knocks things over. I mean even on my keyboard I don't see a big deal about the keyboard having a cord cause it barely moves (it would be slightly nicer but I wouldn't pay extra or compromise on a keyboard shape I don't like just for the cordlessness part).

 

[JAT]

How about an induction bar or plate to sit right in front of your keyboard? Sole function: charging up your watch.

How about an induction pad built into your auto center console? Function: charging all the phones, iPads, flashlights, gps units or other stuff in your pocket.

How about a continuous induction pad along the centerline of every highway, street or dirt road in the world. Function: oil freedom. No energy losses there.

How about cancer at 25 years old? Maybe 8 years.

 

[bobob]

Or, you could get this charger, put it nearby but out of the way, charge the mouse every night by just remembering to put the moues on it when you sleep, and not have to disrupt what you're doing to take batteries out and put new ones in and have the two resynch to each other.

Is it really that hard to see why this would be very convenient over having batteries you have to remove and replace (I don't care if you don't have to go get them, you still have to disrupt what you're doing as you have to take the batteries out)? I mean your solution really doesn't address the real hassle of batteries you remove and replace (that's been my solution to have batteries on hand but it's still annoying. Having to walk farther to get the batteries really isn't the most annoying part honestly).

OMG - - our civilization is truly doomed.

 

[spencers]

Man, I still use disposable batteries with my Magic Mouse.. I think the inductive charger is a neat idea, however I may just go with Apple's battery charger as it comes with 6 batteries and only costs $29.

 

[Dr McKay]

My Mouse can go about 2 weeks without a charge, then I just unwind the tiny wire from the cylinder, charge it for an hour maybe, while Im still using it. And then its good for another 2 weeks.

The rest of the time it's tucked out of sight, I can live with having a small wire on my mouse for an hour every 2 weeks.

 

[Truffy]

I'd love Atari to port Defender over to the iCade kit.

The iCade is almost enough to justify the purchase of an iPad. Defender would seal it with a kiss!

 

[zbarsky]

Things to consider with iCade:

1. Quality of the joysticks and buttons - perhaps they can be replaced with higher quality parts?

2. Will the iCade be compatible with iMame4all? If it is, then then you can access a huge library of old arcade classics, but only via Cydia and therefore having to jailbreak the iPad.

iPad has the potential to be a great emulation device for old school gaming!

 

[rhett7660]

MAME.

.

this is true. But don't you have to be jb for this? Just asking. Off to google it.

 

[edoates]

Ditto. I'd like to see a wired version of the Trackpad, I'd use it at work.

MAME.

I wouldn't use that on my good batteries unless they paid me. In replacement batteries. I got a Sanyo version with my Eneloops, threw it away. If you are going to spend time with rechargeable batteries, get a good charger.

I use the Apple charger and it's batteries with excellent results. I use the batteries not only in my mouse/keyboard, but in my Line-6 Relay G30 - 8 hours on that wireless guitar transmitter! I've tried another (cheaper) brand that's supposed to do the same thing (not the Sanyo), and they don't last, and take forever to charge, and the charger is not intellegent like the Apple / Sanyo.

Eddie O

 

[MacAddict1978]

Apple should buy that company that made the inductive charger. Ideally, I would like to see the base expanded so it could work as a mouse pad that inductively charges the mouse.

Patent it fast! LOL If they can make an inductive surface that would let the mouse glide well, it would be almost a no brainer.

And the idea of a desktop of an inductive charger would be the thing that would get my buy in. As of now, most things you have to buy butt ugly cases for. The duracel iphone inductive case it a bag of hurt in the fat, ugly, and bloated department. I'll just plug stuff in for now.

 

[MacAddict1978]

Another poster made the best adaptation with the inductive desk. Or the poster that said something about wireless power that you plug into the wall, and the power comes to the mouse, keyboard, iPhone, etc. once you walk into the room.

I'm kind of lost on how you'd beam power across a room... I mean I think about the climax of Return Of The Jedi. "Father please.... my mouse charger... it's killing me." Not that a room full of force lightning wouldn't be great for unwanted house guests. "Oh my dear mother-in-law, that's your room. Can you take this inductive mouse in there with you?"

And really. No wonder Americans are the most obese people in the world. We can't get our lazy fat asses out of a chair to fetch a battery? My god... that walk to the next room is way too taxing.

 

[gorgeousninja]

Yeah, I don't understand why everybody's going crazy over wireless keyboards and mice. Ok for a HTPC, but iMac? It's infront of you on your desk, you're sitting 50cm-1m from it anyway. I just don't get it...

Well you wanna know something really amazing? 1. Get up from your desk. 2. pick up your wireless keyboard and mouse. 3. Go and sit on the other side of the room in your favorite comfy sofa 4. Carry on typing. 5. Amazing! No trailing cables, and no need to ever have to sit glued to the front of your screen again... Unless you live in some pokey little hovel having a wireless keyboard and mouse means freedom to roam. Next up we'll do the benefits of mobile phones over landlines.

 

[noahrobd]

iCade expensive for game controller

iCade is really cool. However, $99 seems expensive to me for a game controller. Seems like it should be $50.

 

[PVguy]

"Ideally, I would like to see the base expanded so it could work as a mouse pad that inductively charges the mouse."

I like the magic mouse because I dislike the cord dragging around and catching on everything. But if the mousepad had the cord, then it would not have to move. Make the mouse pad the powered part, and the mouse could be a simple unpowered puck, or even a finger! I'd better get to the patent office quick...

oops, drat.

On the other hand, my finger is too fat to make a decent pointer, so the idea still has some merit. Or I need a non-lethal version of a gom jabbar to get more precision out of the fingertip's position.