Nomad Multi-Device Charger Aims to Be AirPower’s Heir

Originally published at: Nomad Multi-Device Charger Aims to Be AirPower’s Heir - TidBITS

Apple’s AirPower never shipped, but the notion of a multi-device wireless charger with flexible positioning lives on. Julio Ojeda-Zapata tried Nomad’s Base Station Pro, a charging pad for up to three arbitrarily placed devices. It mostly works as advertised, but its high cost and technical shortcomings mean it isn’t for everyone.

To solve the problem of Apple’s MagSafe charger coming along when you grab your phone, you can get a Material Dock from Studio Neat ($20) that holds the cable to a table for you:

I pre-ordered mine and got it in December and I’m very pleased with it. The MagSafe cable locks inside it and it has a grippy surface that lets it stick to a desk or table so you can just grab the phone and go and the MagSafe cable won’t come with it. (The MagSafe magnet is quite strong, so this is an impressive feat.) Occasionally I’ve found the puck gets loose from the table, but every couple of weeks I just push down on it to get it to stick again and it’s fine.

Really Apple should have just put the same sticky stuff on the bottom of the MagSafe cable to begin with, but this is a great solution: not expensive and it looks good. (No affiliation with the maker, just a fan.)

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You may find cheaper options on AliExpress. Just search for “Wireless Charger Dock Station for iPhone” and there’s plenty of choices. I bought one of those in the below link and liked it so much that I got two more for my wife. One for home one for her office. Works well on iPhone 11/12 ProMax, smaller versions too, watch, and AirPods.

I have one of the stands for my bedside table that charges my phone vertically, the watch across the top, and my AirPods Pro’s on the base. I could buy three or four of these for this pad, which I don’t have room for anyway. I hope they find a market.

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