I have always been curious about those wireless charging pads for the smartphones -- the ones where you just lay the phone down on the pad and it charges.
Some of the newer phones have the technology built in already. Many phones don't, including mine. So when Dog and Bone offered to let me try one of these pads, I jumped at the chance. I wanted to figure out exactly how these things work. I tried out the Backbone Wireless Charging Case and Pad. They also sent the Backbone Battery, which slides into the case to provide added power when away from the pad. While they make products for the Samsung Galaxy line, the Backbone charging pad is only available for the iPhone 5 and later. I tried out the one for the iPhone 6/6s.
where it’s @
The Backbone Wireless Charging Case and Pad comes in models for the iPhone 5/5s or the iPhone 6/6s. The Backbone Battery requires the Wireless Charging Case. The case and pad retails for $109, and the battery retails for $59. More information is available at dogandbonecases.com.
There are two main parts to the Backbone Wireless -- the case for the phone and the charging pad. The case is black with pink, orange, blue or red accents. The tread pattern on the back keeps it from sliding around on the pad, and gives it a stylish look. The back panel includes a Lightning connector on the bottom that slides into the bottom of the phone and provides the connection to charge the phone. The panel receives the wireless signal from the charging pad and feeds it into the Lightning port connected to the phone, charging the phone. Exactly how the electricity is transferred wirelessly is a bit too complicated for my puny brain. I just know it works.
The pad is about the same size as the phone when in the Backbone case. It's relatively thin, so it's not hard to find a spot to set it up. The pad does need to be flat. It connects to a power source via a USB connection, so it can be plugged into a power adapter or even a computer (it will charge slightly slower from the computer, because the computer doesn't feed as much power to the USB cable as a power adapter would).
The front of the case is open, and it's a bit shallow at the edges for my liking, not providing a lot of protection if the phone is dropped on its face. However, I accidentally did drop the phone, and the case protected it just fine. There's just enough soft material covering the hard case to cushion the bounce. The case is open on the front, but Dog and Bone provides those sticky screen and back protectors. I admit, I hate those things. I can never keep the dust and bubbles out. Still, they did their job of protecting the front and back of the phone.
Unlike other battery cases I've seen, this one has a micro-USB port at the bottom so the phone can be charged with a wire if away from the charging pad, such as when in the car. That's a great feature, but the Backbone case has an even better one. The back panel can slide out, and the Backbone Battery can be inserted in its place.
Like the panel, the Backbone Battery has a Lightning connector that connects to the phone. The battery is charged through a micro-USB connection and can be charged while connected to the iPhone or on its own. A small, blue LED next to the charging point illuminates as it charges and goes out when full. However, there is no indicator to let you know how much juice is left in the battery.
I will tell you why I love these products. I actually have both types of phones (Android and Apple), but I tend to use the Apple phone more. While I like the phone, I hate the cords that come with it. One of these days, Apple is going to use a rubber insulation around their cords that doesn't break and fray like these do. They tend to fray right at the plug, because it bends every time I have to plug it into the bottom of the phone. As a matter of fact, I had to replace yet another cord last week.
With the Backbone, I don't have to worry about it. I'm not bending cords while plugging them into the phone, so I don't have to worry about fraying or buying new cords every few months. I just come in, put the phone on the pad and I'm good to go.
I love the pad and case system, but I do think the battery needs some refinements.
The battery is convenient, and it works well as far as sliding into the case and charging immediately. The problem is, it doesn't provide a full charge. In fact, it barely provided half a charge. In a pinch, half a charge is better than nothing. But a full charge would be a lot better. I'd also like to see an LED indicator that lets me know how much charge is left in the battery.
The battery didn't wow me, but the case and charger did. The case protected better than I expected, though I do wish it had a bit more lip over the screen. Though I hate those sticky screen protectors with a passion, this one did work well.
As for the charging pad, I'll be honest, I'm still not entirely certain how this thing works. All I know is it does work. What's more, the more I use it, the more I love it. It's so easy to come in and just plop my phone onto the pad, and I don't have to worry about yet another cord coming apart on me.
Curiosity can be a good thing.
Melissa L. Jones can be reached via email at mljones72@me.com.
SundayMonday Business on 11/23/2015