Microsoft Surface owners might remember Juiced Systems as the seller of the super useful Surface Adapters, which squeeze a bunch of extra functionality out of the Surface tablets' single USB ports. Juiced sells a variety of unique USB hubs for mobile devices. All very good, but our Windows Phones can't use 'em.
Still, owners of certain Windows Phones like the Lumia 920 or those with the wireless charging cover can certainly benefit from the Juiced Wireless Charger Pad. The pad is tiny and ultrathin, providing a stylish and affordable way to pump power into phones that support Qi wireless charging. It draws that power from a micro-USB cable, providing a clear advantage over Nokia's Wireless Charging Plate.
Shapely
The Juiced Wireless Charging Pad is shaped like a square puck, or perhaps a rounded square. The top of the plate has a light gray color and bears a recessed Qi logo. The outer rim and base of the Pad come in a dark gray color. On the bottom of the Pad you'll find four rubber feet that match the curvature of the Pad's edges.
Besides the cool shape and two tone color scheme, the Juiced Wireless Charger Pad's big visual draw is its small size and thinness. The Pad measures 93 mm x 93 mm (3.6 square inches) across. It has a depth of 6 mm (0.23 inches). That's thinner than a Lumia 920, or pretty much any phone you can find. The Juiced pad will slip into a pocket with ease and shouldn't bulge much at all.
Plug it in
The bottom side of the Juiced Wireless Charger Pad has a micro USB port. That's how the device gets its power – the same type of cord everybody uses to charge their phones. We all have like a dozen of them sitting around already. It's great.
That's the key difference between the Juiced Pad and Nokia's Wireless Charging Plate. The Nokia Plate uses an awful proprietary cord that can't be replaced if lost or broken. I know this for a fact because Nokia refused to sell me a new cord when mine got destroyed. We literally have three Nokia Charging Plates sitting around in my home collecting dust due to a cord-eating cat. Thanks Nokia!
Naturally the Juiced Pad comes with a micro-USB cable. No actual wall adapter, but that's not surprising given the low price of the Pad. Good that it comes with a cable, but said cable is so short (like two feet) as to be nearly useless. You could plug it into a laptop or something to charge, but I expect most users will replace the cable with one of decent length.
Charging powers activate!
When the Juiced Pad detects a Qi-compatible device and starts sending it power, a magical thing happens. The sides of the pad light up with flickering blue lights. Useful as you can tell that the phone is being charged without having to turn on its screen. Pretty too.
The small size of the Pad made the initial charging of my Lumia 920 a little more difficult than with Nokia's Wireless Charging Plate. The Nokia Plate is phone-shaped, so when you place a phone on it you know it's going to line up with the sensor and start charging right away. Juiced's Pad being smaller, phones like the 920 have to be lined up correctly (as pictured above) in order to start charging. Move the phone around a bit and you'll figure out the optimal position.
Give your phone some juice
Due to AT&T's villainy, I can't charge my beautiful Lumia 1520 with the Juiced Systems Wireless Charger Pad. But a fair number of Windows Phones (including the international version of the 1520) do support wireless charging, a fun and convenient technology.
If you need an extra wireless charger or don't have one yet, the Juiced Pad is a great choice. It looks stylish and sells for $20 less than the Nokia Plate's retail price. The short micro-USB cable that comes in the box disappoints a bit, but as previously established, we all own piles of those cables anyway.
Juiced Systems ships internationally, or you can buy from Amazon and support our site.
- Wireless Charger Pad – $29.99 – Amazon Link – Juiced Link
