Spike Charger

Editor's note: This review concerns a prototype version of the Spike Charger. The eventual product available to consumers will see a different version that does not use the charging sticker described here.

Even in an increasingly wireless world, you still need those pesky wires to charge your cell phone. But as charging technology gets more high tech, even that requirement is changing just a bit. Earlier this year we reviewed the WildCharger, which delivers power to handsets without a wired connection. Now we look at a different take on the concept with the Spike Charger from Wizdex. As with the WildCharger, the Spike Charger doesn't do away with wires completely; you still use an electrical outlet, but you don't connect anything to your phone. The Spike Charger works with almost any model of cell phone but it's neither as elegant as the WildCharger nor is it quite as effective. As such, we'll wait for the second-generation model. At $40, the Spike Charger isn't excessively cheap, but it costs half as much as the WildCharger.

The Spike Charger consists of three parts: an AC adaptor, the charging base, and a charging "sticker" that you attach to your phone. The final component is the most important as it delivers the juice to your handset. The sticker is a paper-thin plastic rectangle about the size of two quarters put together. Attaching it to your phone involves a few steps but it takes just about a minute if you follow the directions carefully. First, attach the sticker's positive and negative connectors to the corresponding conduction points on the battery. Reversing the polarity isn't a huge worry; the battery won't explode or anything, but the charger won't work if you get it wrong. The connectors use an adhesive material, but they're easily removable and they won't damage the battery.

After attaching the connectors, you'll need to replace your battery and cover while wrapping the sticker around to the outside of your phone and affixing it to the rear face. Finally, connect the charging base to an electrical outlet before placing the phone on the base with the sticker facing down. If you've done everything correctly, your phone should start charging immediately. A green LED on the charging base will flash to show that charging is underway.