Face it, if youβre using an Apple Watch, youβre going to need to charge it on a regular basis. As in daily. And, like many other devices, most of us want to charge our watches where we want, not βhave toβ go to a certain location. To facilitate charging on the go, the folks at Eleclover have developed a folding travel Apple Watch stand, a sample of which they offered to the Gadgeteer for review. I won the tip-off and have been using it for a few weeks.
Note: Photos may be tapped or clicked for a larger image.
The stand comes in a flat envelope, swaddled in a velveteen drawstring bag. Folded up, it measures ~2.5β³ x 4.25β³ . It is a highly engineered, solid device with two swivel joints. The largest piece is, of course, the base. A thin support piece lifts the circular charging puck holder. The swivel joints are tight and stay right where you place them. There is a rubber gasket within the circle, and a groove out the right side at the 3 oβclock position for the cable. This would allow someone to leave their charger in the stand, and wind the cable around the folded pieces for travel.
The included bag is able to hold this package when wrapped thusly, which makes travel with your Apple Watch a breeze, rather than that question we usually have in hotels, βWhere did I plug in my phone/laptop/whatever.β Itβs very clearly that semi-shiny tower sticking up above your comb, keys, wallet, and pocket hanky.
The charger is very securely held, yet can be removed without difficulty by pushing through the rear of the holder where the designer placed a finger-sized hole just for this purpose. So, if you prefer not using the stand, there is no problem removing the puck to charge where ever youβd like to. You can, of course, just plop it on the table each night, and connect the magnetic puck charger to the back of it and let it roll. (Like an animal!) But many folks, myself included, want to view the screen while itβs charging, either as a desk clock, or in Nightstand Mode, which is a built-in function that can dimly display the time if you touch the device while itβs charging.
This is done by having the Apple Watch sit sideways, which is a little difficult for this stand, especially when using a band that doesnβt separate. While the nightstand viewing mode is fine if you leave your Apple Watch on the nightstand, if you, like me, want to just have it on your arm for that middle-of-the-night βWhat time is it?β moment, then itβs not a great loss. If, like some of my friends, you really like having the nightstand access, youβre not going to like this stand.
The other issue with having the wire exit from the puck holder at the 3 oβclock position is that the charger is blocked for a band that has either been fastened into a circle, or cannot separate, like the Milanese bands, leather loops, or the link bracelets. As long as you allow for some slack, the changing wire wonβt pull the Apple Watch off of the charging puck. (see photo above.)
Other than the issue with where the cable exits, the device is perfect. Itβs heavy enough to not slide off a table, the joints are tight enough to stay where theyβre placed but not be difficult to adjust, and it folds flat and tight for travel.
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Eleclover. Please visit their Amazon storeΒ for more info.
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23% OffProduct Information
Price: | $24.99 |
Manufacturer: | Eleclover |
Retailer: | Amazon |
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Great review! I think this AW app also helps charging a lot since it lets you monitor iPhone battery charge from the wrist: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/watchmybattery/id1024068907