Case-Mate at CES 2010: it's (mostly) about power

Case-Mate is set up within the new iLounge Pavilion in the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, and among the displays chockfull of silicon skins there was some new gear we wouldn't mind bringing home. On hand were a ton of their Fuel models (you know, the cases that charge your device while they're on) for a boatload of phones -- including multiple BlackBerry models as well as for the iPhone. Also new were the very artsy iPhone cases featuring various designs on the back. Finally, Case-Mate was showing off its first foray into the increasingly crowded induction charging space with a matching iPhone jacket that was a bit bulky for our tastes. Case-Mate has always been one of our favorite case companies, and we're definitely excited to see where they're headed into the future.

Case-Mate at CES 2010

[radicalxedward Posted Jan 8th 2010 12:32PM]

i thought the whole point of these power mat things was to have them as part of normal stuff like a desk surface or drawer or counter top or something. all these things do is make it so you don't have a wire connected to your device, there is still a wire to plug in 1cm away from it.

[HotDog Posted Jan 8th 2010 12:33PM]

I've heard these "wireless" chargers are very slow. Is it worth the extra bulk?

[Anonymoose Posted Jan 8th 2010 1:15PM]

@HotDog

that's what my uncle said about my poor cousin ned. sure, he had some missing chromosomes, but he was still family. not sure if it was worth it, but they ended up keeping him. hope that helps.

[Freakintoddles Posted Jan 8th 2010 12:59PM]

These will be mainstream when two things happen:
1 The power mats are very thin or built into desks
2 The phones and devices have this technology built in already adding no extra bulk.

Most people aren't so lazy about plugging in a cable that they want to pay significant money to avoid it.

[Fat Wombat Posted Jan 8th 2010 1:26PM]

Yes it's very early days for this tech. What's the point if your ultra thin phone suddenly becomes bulky just so you can put it on something that has a cable so that you can say it's wireless? My super small charger and cable is a lot better than this.

[beq Posted Jan 8th 2010 1:33PM]

How does their iPhone case charger compare to mophie's juice pack air (battery size, physical dimensions/weight)?

[AJ Posted Jan 8th 2010 5:21PM]

@beq

I took a look at it on the show floor yesterday. I don't have the Mophie to compare side by side, but it seemed pretty close in specs as I recall. My product lit is at home.

The connections between the two pieces of the case seemed to be pretty solid, which I've read is a weakness of the juice pack air. I don't want a cheap plastic tab killing the use of an $80 case.

The rep told me the MSRP was $49.99 for the Fuel (light?). That's a fair bit cheaper than the mophie air. I didn't ask when it was shipping but checking it today it turns out that it isn't on their website as "coming soon" like the Hug charging system is. If I hit the show again tomorrow, I plan to swing by their booth again.

[beq Posted Jan 8th 2010 8:06PM]

@AJ Thanks much for the info. I wish I'm there too... so many questions about this new Case-Mate Fuel "Lite" iphone case charger:

- MicroUSB or MiniUSB connector (and it is on bottom or side)?
- does it have a non-slip, soft-touch rubberized paint finish?
- battery?

According to mophie website the air for iPhone has 1200 mAh in a case measuring 4.90 in x 2.59 in x 0.75 in (2.66 oz). Looks like mophie also has a new slimmer (but longer) air for iPod Touch with only 1000 mAh in a case measuring 5.24 in x 2.63 in x 0.57 in. The new slimmer air has a soft-touch finish whereas the original air has like a glossy plastic finish.

[TSIG Posted Jan 8th 2010 1:54PM]

Case-Mate is incredible. I'm a YouTube Partner that reviews iPhone cases, and Case-Mate is amongst my favorite brand. And that's after about 150 cases.

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 8th 2010 2:09PM]

This tech really isn't going much of anywhere, as a physical copper connection always works better than some wireless technology, for power or for data. That, and its expensive. You could buy a lot of extra chargers and car chargers for the price of one of these power mats, and have more functionality.

[Matt H Posted Jan 8th 2010 5:16PM]

These wireless charging systems need to couple with wireless usb systems so you can set your iphone on your night stand and it updates from your computer while charging.