Gadgetory

cables are so 20th century that's a quote we've been using to kick-start wireless charging videos for about three years now but on today's video you get a twofer I'm Michael Fisher with pocket now and we're taking a look at the view solo wireless charger and the view mate add-on for the galaxy note for both of them from tilt if you've been watching for a while you're familiar with tilt we took a look at the company's earlier view wireless charger back in 2012 a great product that I still use today we'll be taking a look at the view solo first if you want to skip ahead to the galaxy note 4 portion of the video there's a time code in the description below the new view comes packaged in very attractive retail garb which makes clear that it's not as bendy or as bold as its predecessor but it also calls out its prime distinction the alignment ledge that makes it easier to use than other lay flat charging pads in theory taking the view solo out of its box the back cover reminds us that a charging adapter may be necessary depending on our phone that's a detail that's also called out in the paperwork that comes bundled underneath the power cord is micro USB and flattened in that fettuccine linguini style I love so much and there's the alignment ledge we'll see more of in a second the view solo itself is a small lightweight transmitter with a soft rubbery landing pad done up in red here it also comes in green blue and even slate gray if you're the more subdued sort stripping the protective film off the thing I'm struck by how light the view solo is a good thing since it's built to be portable to prevent it from sliding around on a desk tilt has built in some microgel suction pads on the base that's nice but it implies a permanence that I don't like reminiscent of the old palm touch tones I move around a lot and I like my chargers especially my portable ones to be able to move with me tilt says you can reposition the padded will but I'm not rolling the dice on that today so we'll keep those covered for now plugging the cable into the pad I'm sad to discover there's no wall adapter in the box again though this is made to be a road companion so plugging it into your computer's USB port is fine also most smartphone wall works will work just make sure the output is rated for at least 5 volts and 1.8 amps wireless charging won't work as well without that added oomph once you're energized it's a simple matter of dropping a chi enabled phone on the pad and watching the electrons flow the alignment ledge slides when given enough of a push so you can adjust the sweet spot with a little elbow grease and the little charging indicator fires up when replenishment is underway but what if you don't have a chi enabled phone that's where our galaxy note 4 demo device comes in the note 4 doesn't have the hardware necessary for Qi charging so we're going to install it in the form of the view mate this is sold separately by tilt and it comes packaged with a few pieces of literature and a small envelope the made itself is small and thin because it has to be it needs to fit under the battery cover of the note 4 without causing a bulge more on this in a second like most tilt instructions these are straightforward and they basically amount to this pull off the back cover locate the charging ports above and beside the battery peel off the adhesive backing on both sections of the card and carefully stick it to the phone emphasis on carefully then replace the cover as you do you'll notice it's harder to close the cover on one side of the phone that's because it does cause a bulge it is a minor one you can only see it from certain angles but the baby bump is definitely there if you can't see it well the tabletop can feel it if you have a phone case with tight tolerances it definitely won't like this very much at all so does it work yeah sorta at first putting the note floor directly onto the plate doesn't elicit a response which is probably why tilt included a card with tips on positioning trying different orientations I quickly find that I'm lucky or with the green light if I place the note sideways on the pad which sort of ruins the whole alignment ledge thing and even when I had a green light at first I wasn't actually charging I had to go back in and reseat the pins pressing hard and making sure everything lined up perfectly and even then I got no charging love from the view solo at first only by tossing the note 4 on the old tilt view that I get a firm zap of juice and then finally it worked on the solo the view mate did throw our NFC reception for a loop it didn't completely disable it as the package warned it might but it did possibly affect its reception and speed as it took me several tries to get a reading on this digital tattoo and I had no luck at all getting a response from other NFC tags so at the end of the day would I recommend these devices well I have to say no to the view mate it's clever and it's pretty and at 24 99 it's pretty cheap but it makes the phone bulge the fit is finicky NFC is hit and miss and it makes you charged off center cosmetically it's a very pretty attempt at bringing Chi to a non sheet of ice but in all I think it's a better argument for integrated wireless charging than adding it on after the fact what about the view mate well the so-called alignment system though clever is less revolutionary upgrade than plastic tab also it doesn't have the heft or presence of earlier tilt products and it doesn't come with a wall wart and for twenty bucks more you can get a self-contained wireless charging plate with its own battery or a bluetooth-enabled charger with notification light from microsoft on the other hand though it's the right size for travel it seems to work well with native cheese smartphones and it's got much more pizazz than some other wireless chargers I've seen so yeah I like it just fine if you can't afford the big tilt view either in terms of its footprint or its price tag but you still want some edge with your electrons the view solo is a good solution for wireless charging when you're on the road for more coverage of wireless charging accessories check out our other videos both here in youtube and at pocketnow.com and don't be afraid to press that thumbs up button if you did enjoy this video until next time this has been michael fisher with pocket now captain two phones on twitter reminding you to keep your alignment tab in the upright and locked position thanks for watching everyone we'll see you next time