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Wireless Charging Phone Sleeve for iPhone 6

T

tongrhj

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 4, 2014
12
0
Hi guys, I've developed a smart wireless charging phone sleeve called the Novelsys ampere for the iPhone 5, 5S, 5C, 6 and 6+. Please sign up for notifications when we launch on Kickstarter in January 2015.

Website: http://kickstarter.novelsys.co

I would like to get Macrumors' thoughts on our product + our app. We have the feature to track your phone and the sleeve's battery life. We also have the option to find either device when separated. Apart from notifications to recharge ampere, what other features would you like to see?

150761d1417022917t-wireless-charging-phone-sleeve-galaxy-s5-20141121_novelsys_03_with-iphone_mhap1o.jpg
 
Thanks for the support! Let me know if you have any feedback on the product
 
Much appreciated, iThingsGurl and Sal09. If you think of any app features you'd like to see, feel free to let me know
 
tongrhj said:
Much appreciated, iThingsGurl and Sal09. If you think of any app features you'd like to see, feel free to let me know
Click to expand...

I believe app features can be iterative, as long as the product is introduced to the market on time. Oh and may I please request colour options? Some girly colours please :)
 
I notice you don't show the back in your mock ups. I was wondering if there would be space to have a card slot on the exterior on the case anywhere. It'd be cool to be able to carry at least one card on the exterior. :cool:
 
iThingsGurl said:
I believe app features can be iterative, as long as the product is introduced to the market on time. Oh and may I please request colour options? Some girly colours please :)
Click to expand...

That's the most exciting thing- the sky's the limit with what ampere can do in the future (the hardware is pretty permissive, it's got a buzzer, bluetooth 4.0 module and pressy-like button so potentially ANYTHING is possible as long as we keep app development going- at the moment it's very charging focused, so everything the optional app does is to make charging a better experience).

Yeah, my gf is insisting on pink saffiano. I'm trying!
 
good concept! my mom will love it. she doesn't like cases, but it's really not a good idea to leave the phone in the purse unprotected with the keys and stuff. plus you can charge with this sleeve. it's a bonus!
 
You guys are awesome. Thanks for the feedback. Yeah, I really think batteries can be so much more. After all, if you're going to carry it around with your phone all the time- it better be indispensable!
 
I see they have put on the actual pics of Ampere on their website now.

ampere-float_h7hxhh.jpg ampere-flat-ports_m79qm8.jpg ampere-charging-anyway_agiris.jpg

A quick visual review here - my personal opinion of course. It does look bulkier than what was initially depicted. I do not think I will be able to carry it around in my denim pockets - front or back (I am a girl). Having said that, I really like the idea of charging my device without any wires with this 'charging pad'. I can rest it on my work desk, whilst I do my work and pick it up & go when I want to - without having to connect/disconnect the lightening cable to my iPhone itself. I must say it looks very promising.
I only hope the device comes out earlier. Tile was a Kickstarter and it took 1 year to reach the consumers.
 
Eh..the renderings looked better. It's pretty much an external battery wrapped in leather and felt.
 
tongrhj said:
You guys are awesome. Thanks for the feedback. Yeah, I really think batteries can be so much more. After all, if you're going to carry it around with your phone all the time- it better be indispensable!
Click to expand...

Good afternoon,

Looking on your site, I don't understand how it is wireless charges the phone.
It does look like an external battery as another poster has pointed out.
I am a long haul truck driver, and true wireless would be pretty great.

Thanks P
 
Foggydog said:
Good afternoon,

Looking on your site, I don't understand how it is wireless charges the phone.
It does look like an external battery as another poster has pointed out.
I am a long haul truck driver, and true wireless would be pretty great.

Thanks P
Click to expand...

There's no magic to it.. It's just a regular Qi receiver or coil to be exact (which already exists on the market) that you connect to non-Qi phones such as the iPhone and then the battery has the Qi component embedded so that it can charge the phone wirelessly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9ua-hSTtD4

Website does not mention if the receiver is MFI certified. Current Qi receivers for iPhone do show a "This accessory is not compatible" after a certain time. Unless it is mfi certified then there is no guarantee that it will work correctly over time.

You can see the receiver attached to the lightning port on their website (the full receiver can also be seen on the back of one of the Android phones in the video):

ampere-useandcharge-fussfree_bovlhj.jpg


Only LG/Google Nexus 5, Motorola/Google Nexus 6 & Nokia Lumia 920/930 don't need that receiver since it's embedded in the device already. The commercial just make it look like ALL the phones don't need that receiver.

Qi batteries and Qi receiver coils are already on the market. They just put the battery in a case.. Other stuff like bluetooth etc.. are gimmicks IMO.
 

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I love the idea, but it still looks a tad big. Is there anything in the works to make the battery smaller?

I can see it for women with purses, but i cant see a guy carrying it in a pocket.

Maybe make 2 versions, with different size batteries.

If it was just a few mm thicker than a normal sleeve, i would bite.

Just a personal opinion, i think its a great idea.
 
iThingsGurl said:
A quick visual review here - my personal opinion of course. It does look bulkier than what was initially depicted. I do not think I will be able to carry it around in my denim pockets - front or back
Click to expand...

Yeah, their technical specs, particularly the dimensions are unachievable given technology that exists today to manufacture this product.

Their own claims don't align with the photos they show. 0.3" yet it's 3x thicker than the iPhone itself. Doesn't jive.

There's a reason why charging packs are the size they are, because the technical limitation is in the battery cell configuration. If it were possible to cram a ton of battery into a device the size of an iPhone, Apple would have put a battery 3x larger inside the iPhone.

I applaud Kickstarter projects, and dreamers, but I dislike how Kickstarter allows people to collect on an idea that isn't even technically possible, and then those who contribute get a product that isn't what was presented.

If I do a kickstarter and present you a car that can get 400 mpg, and you contribute based on that claim, and then it turns out I can only deliver a car that gets 60 mpg, you wouldn't have contributed if I had been up front with what the reality of my product was.
 
Hey beautiful people, thanks for your comments. Please remember that this is a work in progress. We haven't even launched on Kickstarter yet, because we're still working on it and are looking for feedback at this stage. Even when we launch on Kickstarter, it's not a pre-order platform, it's a crowdfunding platform where you can be a part of the product development process to make an idea a reality. Our approach has always been to show people our development rather than just the final product, and the cost is that people suffer disappointments when we can't always achieve what we initially planned for.

Yes, the product is similar but not a replica of our renderings. We have received feedback that it's too boring or masculine, and that it looks heavier and thicker in our photos than it actually is (from people at our soft launch who tested the product firsthand). Thankfully, this is still something we can work on and explore as Kickstarter launch approaches! Please let me know what you'd like! Kinda trust the design chops of the people here ;)

Can it be better? Most definitely. We are the first ones to know that and we're hard at work at it.

I really don't think the connectivity with an app is a gimmick. You can see ampere's battery life exactly in hours and minutes. Your phone will notify you when ampere is fully charged. When ampere is missing, your phone can help you locate it. These all enhance the charging experience in tangible ways. It's just a more delightful charging experience once you've tried it. Please let me know how we can make it more useful to you (hence the opening question in my thread).
 
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shenan1982 said:
Yeah, their technical specs, particularly the dimensions are unachievable given technology that exists today to manufacture this product.

Their own claims don't align with the photos they show. 0.3" yet it's 3x thicker than the iPhone itself. Doesn't jive.
Click to expand...

And you're totally right about the measurements! Those were the measurements for the internals, without the fabric. Having taken the fabric into account, the new measurements are 0.54" x 5.23" x 2.96". I've updated the website to take those into account. Thanks for highlighting this problem.
 
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tongrhj said:
And you're totally right about the measurements! Those were the measurements for the internals, without the fabric. Having taken the fabric into account, the new measurements are 0.54" x 5.23" x 2.96". I've updated the website to take those into account. Thanks for highlighting this problem.
Click to expand...

0.54 thickness still doesn't jive with what's pictured... but hey, whatever ya gotta do to try and make it sell ehh
 
Hey shenan1982, it's good that you're applying a critical eye to things. We've been working hard for a year and are getting all our manufacturers lined up, I assure you the last thing we want to do is deceive you about anything; we're in this for the long haul. When we launch on Kickstarter, we'll have all the pictures and videos of the product you need to make an informed decision. If you're in any doubt, we could do a live Skype call and you can measure the sleeve for yourself! Thanks for keeping us on our toes ;)
 
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