SanDisk's iXpand Wireless Charger is the unholy lovechild of a Qi mat and a flash drive If you spend more than £400 on a mobile phone, odds are high it will include wireless charging, which allows you to replenish your device's battery simply by placing it on a flat surface – no cables required. Predictably, the market is flush with charging pads, some costing as little as a tenner. But what happens if you spend a …
"The cloud does not exist, it's just someone else's computer"
There's nothing wrong with renting someone else's computer. Let them worry about the power bills and the maintenance, while you just use it like an appliance. If it fits the task you're trying to do then it's a valid option.
(Of course, if you're not paying for the product, then you are the product.)
Or to put it another way, it's just the needle swinging back towards the "mainframe" side, in the endless oscillation of the IT industry between "do everything on the mainframe" and "do everything on the client".
It's not someone else's computer. It's my computer. I just hope the cleaner* doesn't trip over the power cord.
* I don't actually have a cleaner so this is unlikely.
Obligatory XKCD xkcd.com/908/
I did EXACTLY that, to my new shiny 8Tb drive. Almost filled with data and ALMOST ready to be backed up to another new, shiny 8Tb drive
(in other circumstances it could well have survived, but writing data... no). There's a slim chance the head might got stuck on a platter, or something.
But backup, as a concept, ABSOLUTELY! ;)
1) The mat needs a cord and wall wart or PSU on the mains of some kind.
2) Transferring FROM the mat to other backups uses the WiFi. My LAN is 1000 Mbps.
So a USB cable and charge from the power brick OR a laptop while transferring to the laptop using USB storage mode. Less flaky and more secure than wifi. Though does not work with expensive iThings.
Technically a dock like security radios and DECT phones have makes more sense than a charging mat though a cable still works when you lift it from the table.
Also travelling the mat is a bulkier solution than USB cable + charger as the mat needs a PSU with more than 10W to deliver 10W. Does the mat and its PSU fit in your coat pocket? What if you leave the mat in hotel, office visted etc and it's gone? A USB charger is easily replaced.
Use a USB cable with no data wires for public charging points.
How does the mat connect to the mains for power, and how long is the cable?
Hint put a line of luminous paint (or Halloween nail varnish) along the socket edge that faces top of cable. Even blob that side of cable (usually has USB logo) with black or white nail varnish.
The mat need plugging in ... once, when help is to hand, and is positioned somewhere convenient where the cable length permits. The person I had in mind has trouble gripping and manipulating things, not seeing them. As USB-C cables fit either way round why are you suggesting putting blobs of nail varnish on one side of them?
In a word, it is inefficient.
We are already burning way too much coal to power all our gizmos, gizmos which we are buying more of every year. Why have a regular toaster when you can have a "smart" one ? Why have a regular anything when you can have it use compute cycles all day long just so that you can, once a day or less, command it from you bloody smartphone ?
So yeah, use even more energy, and recharge your gizmos with the most inefficient technology that some brilliant idiot thought up.
We're going to burn our way back to Stone Age.
To be fair, phones are way down the power consumption league, lower efficiency isn't great, but probably one of our lesser worries. (That said, wireless charging, while useful for a few, does seem more useful as a marketing gimmick than a practical feature. I especially like the adverts that suggest buddy charging as a major application.)
Back when I was using Samsungs, I noticed the wireless charging would not work (despite some initial flickers on the LEDs..) while the phone was in its case.
Since the case was prolonging the life of a substantial investment, and the charger was a novelty gimmick, the charger found a new home in the bottom of a drawer.
These days, I dont buy flagship phones, dont have to worry about wireless charging, but still make sure my phone has a case.
My first smartphone in 2002 could backup to my PC easily. Where I have plenty of redundant storage. And with USB 3 data transfers are pretty fast.
There is something very wrong when you have to pay more for simple, required functionalities.
.. running your own OwnCloud instance where you can insta-upload all your photos and videos once they are taken (you can also restrict it to just on wifi if you like). You can also back up your contacts - and any directory on your phone if you feel the need to..
It's called renting hosting. I spend money on that, but I also have a dozen web sites. Dropbox? I've heard of it.
I've no idea where it is really and it's not Google, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Oracle, IBM etc, all of whom want to do more than sell you CPU, internet pipe and storage. No doubt some hosting companies are dubious on privacy or reliability, but mine has had better up time than some well known Cloud and Social Media sites.
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