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Charge your Apple Watch and iPhone for $35

This 2-in-1 wireless Qi pad normally sells for $99. Plus: Lots of Amazon gear on sale for near-Black-Friday prices!

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
3 min read

CNET's Cheapskate scours the web for great deals on PCs, phones , gadgets and much more. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page. Find more great buys on the CNET Deals page and follow the Cheapskate on Facebook and Twitter!


ipm-2-in-1-charging-pad

One pad to rule -- er, charge -- them all. Er, both. One pad to charge them both. There we go.

iPM

It's kind of a first-world problem, but are you using two separate wireless-charging pads for your Apple Watch and iPhone ? The horror!

Maybe you've been waiting on Apple's AirPower pad, which would let you charge both devices simultaneously (and -- with a yet-to-be-released wireless case -- your AirPods for good measure). But are you really going to pay a premium for that? Apple still hasn't confirmed a price, but rumors peg it anywhere between $99 and $199.

I think not.

Thankfully, there are much more affordable third-party alternatives. Like this one: For a limited time, Daily Steals has the iPM two-in-one Wireless Charging Pad for $35 shipped when you apply discount code RICK35 at checkout. That's a super-duper Cheapskate exclusive, because civilians pay $49.99 -- or $99.99 if they order direct from iPM.

First thing to note: Although the pad is Qi-compatible, and therefore able to charge just about any Qi-friendly phone, the watch side works only with the Apple Watch Series 2 and Series 3. That leaves me out, alas: I have a Series 1.

The phone side supports 7.5-watt charging for iPhones and 10-watt charging for Android phones -- in other words, "fast charging." 

Because this is a fairly new product, I haven't found any reviews. I should also point out that this doesn't appear to be a Qi-Certified product, as there's no mention of that certification on iPM's product page or in the Wireless Power Consortium's database. Does that matter? I'd recommend doing some investigating if you have concerns.

The pad is CE-, FCC- and RoHS-certified, according to the Daily Steals listing. Also, although all iPM products are normally backed by a 30-day warranty (which strikes me as a little odd), Daily Steals has confirmed that anyone who purchases this will be covered for a full year. (They've made a special arrangement with iPM, so be sure to keep your order confirmation should you ever need warranty coverage.)

Bottom line: If you have a compatible Apple Watch and phone, this is a convenient way to charge both simultaneously. It would make a great addition to your nightstand, I think.

Your thoughts?

Bonus deal: Is it Black Friday again already? Over at Amazon, it's close: Prime subscribers can get a Fire 7 tablet for $34.99, a Fire HD 8 for $54.99, a Kindle Paperwhite for $79.99, a Fire TV Stick for $29.99 and so on. (Many, if not most, Amazon Fire devices are on sale.)

Those are some amazing deals, to be sure, but fairly common -- and likely to be repeated as we approach the likes of Mother's Day , Father's Day and Prime Day.

My question for you: Do you want me to keep bringing these to your attention? Do you feel like Amazon deals are already on your radar? Or have you already got all the tablets and streamers you need?

john-scalzi-lock-in

On sale for $3!

Bonus deal No. 2: Speaking of Kindles, if you're a fan of sci-fi, you need to check out John Scalzi. His Old Man's War is among my favorite sci-fi books of all time.

For a limited time, Amazon is offering a solid sale on another of his books: Lock In: A Novel of the Near Future for $2.99. (Google Play Books has it for the same price; iTunes charges $8.99.) Definitely worth three bucks if you're into the genre.