Nomad Pod Apple Watch Charger Review
Nomad Pod is a ‘must have’ for charging the Apple Watch.
By now, most people who have wanted an Apple Watch have an Apple Watch. Rather than accepting that I am a late adopter, I would like to think that I was waiting for the right accessory. One of the criticisms of the Apple Watch is the battery life and the requirement to charge the device nightly. I have worn a Casio G-shock AWG-101 for years and take this off nightly. So, charging nightly does not bother me. There are a variety of options to charge the Apple Watch, but few allow plugged and portable charging. Enter the Nomad Pod.
Who or what is Nomad? Let me just say, Nomad is a company to watch (pun alert!). I went from an unknowing reviewer to fan in just one device. I received a Nomad Pod about a week ago, just prior to my road trip from Western Kentucky to North Carolina to vacation with my parents. I often travel with multiple devices and need multiple cables/chargers for these devices. I am constantly looking for portable options/battery backup chargers as there are also times I travel where there is no power available. I am a fan of futuristic looking tech and tech that has good form and function. I have researched those “Must Have” accessories and saw the Nomad Pod listed. Even before I received this device for review, it was on my wish list in my Amazon Prime account. Now that I have this device, I can likely stop looking for portable charging solutions for my Apple Watch Sport 42mm Space Grey color.
The Nomad Pod reminds me of a Roomba, yet is small enough to fit into the palm of your hand. It measures in at 7.2 cm wide by 2.5cm tall and has a weight of 132 grams. Yes that is correct, it weighs as much as 132 paperclips. The specifications show the device to house an 1800 mAh LI battery, which should charge the Apple Watch 38mm/42mm 3 full times and possibly a fourth. It is small enough to take backpacking, it can slip into your pocket, and should be able to charge your Apple Watch device portably for a long weekend without plugging into an outlet.
The pod does not come with a charger. This is not an issue as the Apple Watches come with a charger. All you need to do is plug in the USB and wrap the cord around the internal plastic, set the top back on the base, and align the magnets. The website shows the Nomad Pod to work with both versions of the Apple Watch charger. I want to give a nod to Nomad’s webpage (hellonomad.com) as it is well built, has a neat selection of products and has a very good FAQ section about each of their devices. Their manual and webpage state that the device uses pass through charging and will charge your Apple Watch device first and then in roughly 2.5–3 hours charge fully the nomad pod. It has an included spacer to use with the metal charging cable as it is thinner than the plastic one that comes included with the sport. I cannot test/prove this as I have the Apple Watch Sport. The plastic charger wraps nicely inside of the aluminum casing. I also note on the website that the Milanese loop and link bracelet straps may cause some charging difficulty. However, they add a few solutions (I cannot confirm this as I currently have neither). First, you can remove one of the lugs or second charge without the top of the pod. Further research of blog sites shows you can self pad your table and band and just wrap it around the pod. I have yet to try this.
The Nomad Pod has a USB Type A output 5V/1A output and a micro USB input, which seems to be standard for many of the devices I have tested. The device is made of anodized aluminum with a plastic interior. I have tested the charge and it seems to pass through well. I have not done a charge per minute test yet. I did place the pad under the charger to give it an additional amount of lift, as I am paranoid of scratches on my devices and I do not want to lose the pad. This device seems to be the perfect blend of form and function. If I had to say a negative, it would be the USB to USB micro key design may be too short for some users/uses. Who does not have a USB to micro charger these days? Also, this is perfect size to charge from a laptop with USB capabilities. For me, the Nomad Pod is perfect for a compact all in one watch charging device.
During composition of this review I visited Nomad’s website (hellonomad.com)and browsed their offerings. I want to make you aware of another gem that I discovered. They now also make a Nomad Pod Pro, which has a built in lightning charging cable and 6000 mAh hour battery with the same sleek form and function and only roughly 50 more grams. I already have a portable 20,000 mAh battery to charge my iPhone and iPad Air 2 and will keep my Nomad Pod to charge my watch. I love this product, and I believe that this is a great device, one of the “MUST HAVE ITEMS.” I will give this 5+/5 stars. BUY FROM AMAZON
For more information, visit hellonomad.com/pod Find NOMAD on Facebook and Twitter.
Originally published at www.macsources.com on December 4, 2015.
