Funxim charging mat juices iPhone and Apple Watch simultaneously

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Look! Another new charging mat, this time on Kickstarter. This one is call Funxim, which sounds dirty in a way I can’t quite determine. Funxim lets you charge an iPhone and an Apple Watch at the same time, and is oval-shaped, which –as we shall see in a moment — seems to be quite important.

Pads

One interesting Apple phenomenon is when a previously-dormant accessory market takes off, thanks to Apple’s entry. Exhibit A today is charging mats, which were a large niche product before the iPhones 8 and X started to support them, but which are now going mainstream. We could also look at true-wireless headphones as another example or Apple kick-starting a market. On the other hand, sometimes nothing happens. Looks at Thunderbolt and USB-C as counter examples, although may that’s because they are Mac products.

Funxim

Funxim is a standard Qi charging pad, only it can juice both your iPhone and your Apple Watch simultaneously. It manages to only waste 20 percent of the power that enters it from the wall, operating at a promised 80% efficiency.

funxim
Take two charging mats into the office? Not me.
Photo: Funxim

The Funxim appears to be two pads in one, with a separate island for charging your Apple Watch. Not that this really matters, but it’s not what many people expect from a wireless pad — that you can just drop any compatible gadgets, anywhere on the pad, and they will draw power.

And that’s really all there is to say about this little magnetic charging pad. But in the interests of making this post long enough to hit the Cult of Mac SEO-checker’s 300-word minimum, I shall add in some of the quotes that Funxim’s makers chose to feature on the Kickstarter page. Bear in mind that these quotes were hand-picked, and are therefore the very best that folks had to say about the product:

Why on Earth do people think it's OK to put text in a JPG?
Why on Earth do people think it’s OK to put text in a JPG?
Photo: Funxim

‘Ovular’

“It sports a familiar white ovular [sic] form-factor manages to pack in two charging pads,” says 9to5Toys. A ringing endorsement indeed. (Also, an ovule is a section of a plant’s ovary. I think the author meant “oval.”)

“It has an elongated oval shape that allows you to place the iPhone and Apple Watch side by side for charging,” says Taxi.

As you can see, I’m not the only one who had trouble coming up with things to write about the Funxim, although so far I think I’m the only one to claim that its name sounds like a dirty word.

Funxim is currently way over its $10,000 goal, and still has a month to go. Estimated delivery is January 2018, and you have to pledge at leat $29 to be in with a chance of getting one.

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