Pond: Wireless iPhone charging gets classy good looks
The Pond on Kickstarter gives iPhone users an elegant charging tray to wirelessly power up their devices.
Nobody has ever looked at an Apple charger plugged into a wall with an iPhone tethered on the other end and thought, "Wow, that's such an elegant and beautiful solution with outstanding aesthetics!" The Pond wireless charger on Kickstarter wants to juice iPhones without the eyesores of wall warts and cables.
There are actually a couple pieces to the puzzle here. The first is the Stream, promoted as "the first globally available Apple MFi-approved Qi wireless charging case." Once you kit out your phone in its new clothes, you can charge it by setting in on the Pond charging tray, no cables needed. The tray also includes an indented area to hold your keys and other small objects.
The Pond charger uses the Qi wireless charging standard and contains a high-capacity battery, so it doesn't need to be hooked into a wall outlet all the time. The Pond Duo version can wirelessly charge two devices. Pond Wireless Charging, the group behind the project, says the Pond tray's batteries can last for days or weeks between charges.
You don't have to have an iPhone to take advantage of the package. There's also a device called the Pebble on offer. The Pebble can be attached to any device that charges via micro-USB to enable wireless charging, though you still have to run a connection from the gadget to the Pebble.
The Stream case is available for the iPhone 5 and 5S for a $55 (roughly £32, AU$58) pledge price. Just the Pond charging station is going for $145 (about £85, AU$154), though discounted early-bird slots are still available. A $200 (roughly £116, AU$212) pledge gets you a combination pack of both the Pond and the Stream, so you will be all set to wirelessly charge your iPhone. Both devices are available with premium wood finishes, if you really want a hint of luxury in your iPhone life.
The freshly launched project is aiming for a $30,000 funding goal. So far, it's pulled in just over $3,000 in pledges with 28 days to go. It's an interesting idea that will appeal to Apple fans who want a nice-looking wireless charging system that's classier than the competition.
