CES 2011: iCADE for iPad, Magic Mouse Inductive Charger

[plasticphyte]

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...

Some people just don't like having chords cluttering up their desk, right in the middle of perfectly useful desk space. For instance, on both my home & work desks, I use the area between the keyboard & mouse to store documents/phone/paperwork/etc. Having a cable run through there just means it snags on what I keep there.
There's also the advantage of being able to use the KB/Mouse/whatever anywhere within 10ft-30ft of the computer. I often use the keyboard as my TV remote when watching TV.

Reality of wireless/wired is it is all a trade off - swapping batteries or using docks to charge vs having wires in the middle of perfectly useable desk space.

Personally I'd rather use a docking charger/inductive charger like this where I can hide the wire behind something & out of the way of my work area.

 

[gorjan]

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.

Well, now you don't have to tell me about "freedom to roam". I have a MBP and would never buy a desktop again. So if you need your freedom to roam, why didn't you buy a laptop? And obviously you have much, much better vision then me as I could never type from my comfy sofa if the screen's more than 2 m away from me. And you don't have to be sarcastic (benefits of mobile phones over landlines) as I understand the need for being mobile very well, but again, if you need mobile, why did you buy a desktop?

And I also don't understand what people do to get all those tangled wires. Before getting my first laptop, I also used desktops for many years with both wired and wireless mice and keyboard and never ever got tangled wires. To me, wireless keyboards and mice seem just like more things to charge, with the only plus being that it looks cooler.

Some people just don't like having chords cluttering up their desk, right in the middle of perfectly useful desk space. For instance, on both my home & work desks, I use the area between the keyboard & mouse to store documents/phone/paperwork/etc. Having a cable run through there just means it snags on what I keep there.
There's also the advantage of being able to use the KB/Mouse/whatever anywhere within 10ft-30ft of the computer. I often use the keyboard as my TV remote when watching TV.

I absolutly understand wireless mice and keyboards for HTPC use, as I wrote in my post. And I understand reduceing desk clutter, but for me it just doesn't outweigh changing batteries all the time.

 

[roland.g]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

I am left handed and my wife is right handed. Having a wireless mouse is much easier for switching sides.

 

[Digital Skunk]

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.

Not that true wireless power was a better option, just that it'd be something more practical than induction charging for a mouse. The small pad plugged into the USB port for charging a wireless mouse is pointless, and the large pad just as pointless when compared to what we have now, so where's the next step?

I don't know what being an American has to do with fetching batteries or whatever, but even that defeats the purpose of induction charging for a mouse. One can just go get the spare batteries out of the charger, or . . . . just use a wired mouse.

 

[appleguy123]

The iMac base should be a inductive charger!

What a great idea! Especially if it would charge and sync iPhones.

 

[tigress666]

OMG - - our civilization is truly doomed.

Really?

That's your come back?

Care to tell me why replacing the batteries is better than just sticking your mouse on a charger every night? Why it's less hassle to have to remove the batteries, interrupt the blue tooth connection and have to wait for it to reconnect vs. just remembering to simply place your mouse down in a spot at night (when you're not using your computer) and taking it and using it the next day.

Cause, honestly, I fail to see why one could not understand that the fact you don't have to remove the batteries is not an advantage. Sure, you get a cord. But it's on a platform you don't have to move around and you can place out of the way on your desk. If you have some organization, it's not that much of a hassle, at least for those that are using desktops or use their laptops mostly as a desktop.

I'll give you if you travel a lot and want a mouse for your laptop that you use a lot as a mobile computer, this may not be the best option for you (having to set it up every time you move the computer I can understand would make it more of a hassle than just changing batteries). But that does not mean it is not a good option for others (There are plenty of people here acting like no one would have a use for this new charger for the magic mouse. I can tell you I'd be severely tempted if they bring it out though being on a budget I may just keep with my already paid for batteries as it is not something I *need* and while it would make my life a little easier, I could better use the money to pay my bills).

 

[appleguy123]

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.

I've thought about it, but apparently it had been made before.

 

[MacAddict1978]

Not that true wireless power was a better option, just that it'd be something more practical than induction charging for a mouse. The small pad plugged into the USB port for charging a wireless mouse is pointless, and the large pad just as pointless when compared to what we have now, so where's the next step?

I don't know what being an American has to do with fetching batteries or whatever, but even that defeats the purpose of induction charging for a mouse. One can just go get the spare batteries out of the charger, or . . . . just use a wired mouse.

About the american comment... we're the laziest fattest country on earth. Throughout this thread people have whined like it's this exerting, taxing thing to have to get off their bum and get a battery. It was a lazy argument. Anyone that uses laziness as the reason to not walk 10 feet across a room as a reason why induction is better has some serious issues and probably larger pants. Not to mention your batteries will last longer if you wear them down and recharge them vs. keeping them charging all the time anyway.

 

[PsudoPowerPoint]

This particular implementation has few benefits but inductive charging will definitely become useful once an industry standard is agreed upon.

Your entire desk could become an inductive charger. You would then charge your laptop, your mouse, your phone by simply placing them on the desk.

I like how they incorporated the battery cover into the receiver. Very well done.

I'll pass on the inductive desk. Any conductive ring (like my wedding ring) will draw power from the inductors and heat up, depending on the location relative to the inductors, it may heat up a lot.

 

[garoto]

Don't you have a wire going to your battery charger?

I don't understand what the fuss is about. Doesn't the Bluetooth menu give the percentage of battery left on the Magic Mouse? It does for the keyboards and trackpad. Plus, they warn you onscreen when getting low. That's my signal to charge the batteries that night.

No, I don't have a wire going to my battery charger. I have Apple's Battery Charger, which I plug into the wall once every two months. Seems significantly simpler to me than the magic charger.

The magic charger is the perfect example of uselessness in my opinion. I can't picture myself connecting a magic charger to the wall, then grabbing my mouse and placing it on top of it too charge. I can't picture myself leaving the magic charger connected to the wall at all times either. I'd rather just swap my batteries.

 

[RMo]

...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.

You don't have to re-pair the Bluetooth peripheral with your computer when you replace the batteries. (Maybe if you leave them out for a really long time, I don't know.)

Is it really that hard to see why this would be very convenient over having batteries you have to remove and replace

I never said it wouldn't. However, personally I just don't think it's worth it at this price. Rechargeable batteries are going to cost less and be useful over a wider array of items in your house, and it only takes 30 seconds once a month or so. This is, however, a neat application of the inductive charging concept.

 

[Disc Golfer]

The magic charger is the perfect example of uselessness in my opinion.

People said the same thing about ipods in 2001. In ten years plugging in your iphone or changing batteries will seem antiquated.

 

[blackberrypilot]

I really like the magic mouse charger. Very cool and handy.

 

[tigress666]

You don't have to re-pair the Bluetooth peripheral with your computer when you replace the batteries. (Maybe if you leave them out for a really long time, I don't know.)

I dunno, maybe I'm using the wrong terminology, but on mine I have to wait and hope it re connects without me doing anything but sometimes it seems faster to use my wired mouse to tell it to connect with the mouse. It's kind of a pain. It just depends on how lucky I am in the bluetooth on my computer recognizing that once again there is something to pair to without me telling it to pair to it.

I never said it wouldn't. However, personally I just don't think it's worth it at this price. Rechargeable batteries are going to cost less and be useful over a wider array of items in your house, and it only takes 30 seconds once a month or so. This is, however, a neat application of the inductive charging concept.

I dunno, if I had a better paying job I'd say it was worth it (but I really am on a tight budget right now, retail and not many hours given out). But if I had a job that was paying the bills and giving me some extra spending money I'd probably go for it.

 

[hamlinspahn]

Magic Charger from Mobee

I pre ordered the charger when it was announced a month or so ago, and It works great, and looks good. The only draw back to it is well if you turn off the Mac there is no power for it to charge the mouse, so we once upon a time set the mac to shutdown and startup on a schedule now we just use sleep. I guess I could plug it into a wall wart with a usb port on it, and buy a usb cable that is longer than 18 inches to reach the wall wart. But really it should ship with this type of connection and not use one of those valuable ports on the Mac.


The only other thing about the charger is that your mouse will only show 60% battery no matter how long it charges, and if you do run it all the way down the wait for a recharge is amazingly long, so it is best to place it on the base when you aren't using your Mac, I don't know how that will affect the battery life but I imagine it will shorten it some.

 

[rdlink]

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.

What about having to get off the pot to run to the store because you're out of toilet paper? Must say that I have not run out of batteries for a long time, because I buy large packages, and keep an eye on my stock. Sort of like I do for toilet paper...

As far as Apple mouse/trackpad/keyboard is concerned, I use the Apple rechargeable batteries. Keep a pair in the charger, a pair in the trackpad, and a pair in the keyboard. When one runs down I swap that out with the ones in the charger, and that pair is then ready when the next pair goes down. Doesn't get much simpler than that.

 

[iamthedudeman]

Your magic mouse suddenly costs 119.98, with a wire. The beauty of magic mouse is that it is plain and simple, a wireless mouse and absolutely nothing else. I always have an additional pair of rechargeable batteries charged that I swap whenever the mouse's batteries run out. I'd rather swap once every two months, than having a wire, pay an additional 49.99, additional desk clutter, and having to place it there daily for it to be any useful. Junk in my opinion. I now have one less thing on my desk, and a pair of batteries ready to be swapped away from sight inside a drawer.

With a wire? Yes the charger has a wire, big deal. So does rechargeable batteries, which are cumbersome and takes up wall sockets and or space on your desk. And no the Magic Mouse is not just a mouse and nothing else, you need batteries. And yes swapping often over the life of the mouse is a pain in the a##. And your rechargeable batteries did cost you something didn't they? Having your mouse die right in the middle of doing something important is not fun. And no you don't have to place it there daily, one charge lasts six days, so just about once a week.

Yes you pay more up front. But it is worth it for the connivence alone. It does not cost much more than Apples batteries.
Swap every two months. You must not use your computer that often. I am lucky if mine last two weeks. I have the Apple batteries, the Sanyo eneloop's which are the same as the Apple batteries but cheaper. The Apple batteries are repackaged eneloop's.

These are the best batteries on the market today, last the longest. And still only two weeks of heavy use.

The Magic charger is the best accessory to come out of CES this year for the Mac.

It even makes the Mouse lighter. Lasts Six days on one charge. Since all you have to do is set it on the charger pad when not in use changing batteries is a thing of the past.

What's not to like.

 

[Digital Skunk]

About the american comment... we're the laziest fattest country on earth. Throughout this thread people have whined like it's this exerting, taxing thing to have to get off their bum and get a battery. It was a lazy argument. Anyone that uses laziness as the reason to not walk 10 feet across a room as a reason why induction is better has some serious issues and probably larger pants. Not to mention your batteries will last longer if you wear them down and recharge them vs. keeping them charging all the time anyway.

No sweat, I wasn't trying to hassle you about the American comment, especially with me being over 280 pounds.

I see the angst though, and you're right, it's not a hassle at all to just replace the batts. I use Energizer E2s in my wireless Apple devices and they last months and I use them constantly.

Reiteration:

The inductive charger thing is just pointless in it's current iteration.

The mouse pad as charger is also a bit pointless given that Wacom has done a similar job with it's tablets.

The desk is the next best thing or the inductive surface large enough to fit over your desk, but both will cost a fortune.

Right now, just get some green energy rechargeable batts.

 

[iamthedudeman]

You should try these:
http://www.eneloop.info/products/batteries/eneloop.html

They work very well for me (> 4 weeks without recharging) within my Microsoft Arc mouse.

If you are a heavy user, your batteries in any flavor are not going to last one month or two months. If not you might get away with a two month charge. I have the best batteries on the market and I get about two weeks out of them. So for me the Magic Charger is a dream come true. If you don't fall into that catagory you don't need such a device.

So for those people, don't buy the magic charger.

I don't get the negative reactions for this product. I really don't. People on here are happy to pay for overpriced Apple charger that costs $29.00 but will not spend 20 more to not change your batteries ever again and lose some weight of the mouse in the process. Which would make for a more comfortable mouse.

Yes the eneloops are the same as the Apple batteries, even the charger is made by Sanyo, as are Apple's batteries. The Apple batteries are eneloop's.

 

[iamthedudeman]

About the american comment... we're the laziest fattest country on earth. Throughout this thread people have whined like it's this exerting, taxing thing to have to get off their bum and get a battery. It was a lazy argument. Anyone that uses laziness as the reason to not walk 10 feet across a room as a reason why induction is better has some serious issues and probably larger pants. Not to mention your batteries will last longer if you wear them down and recharge them vs. keeping them charging all the time anyway.

Your whole comment is short sighted.

It is a pain in the a## to change the batteries and worry about how the power is doing on them, as mine lose about five to ten percent a day. Is it exercise to get up and walk across the room to get the batteries every two weeks? Am I missing something?

Last year I had the black latch break on the magic mouse. I have had my last Magic Mouse replaced because the battery door would not close from the constant changing of the batteries. The lock mechanism wore out.

That wouldn't have anything to do with wanting a Magic Charger, it must be the lack of excercise from not walking across the room.

 

[bobob]

Last year I had the black latch break on the magic mouse. I have had my last Magic Mouse replaced because the battery door would not close from the constant changing of the batteries. The lock mechanism wore out.

That wouldn't have anything to do with wanting a Magic Charger, it must be the lack of excercise from not walking across the room.

So you're suggesting that it's more of a $49 tax on the end user for bad design on Apple's part - - interesting theory.

 

[powaking]

So what is a good package deal if one were to buy Eneloop's? Looking to get some rechargables and I'm thinking this might be a good deal.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VLAEPQ/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=A4RNRF1MOJ1AT

 

[AzN]

Hope it comes out here in Asian region. Would love the magic charger for me magic mouser.

 

[AzN]

So what is a good package deal if one were to buy Eneloop's? Looking to get some rechargables and I'm thinking this might be a good deal.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VLAEPQ/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=A4RNRF1MOJ1AT

Contemplating on them also... but what about Apple battery chargers? Which is better?

 

[deadkennedy]

Initially I thought I'd purchase the next generation iPad as soon as it came out. Unless the next iPad really blows the competition out of the water, I don't think I'll be able to make that purchase right away. My fingers are crossed.

yap - feels like I have to change them weekly

This is sooooo bad for environment. What is Apple thinking, do they want to destroy the planet?