yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Nexus 4 Accessories] arnie580:
I'm in the UK and ordered 2, one for myself and one for a friend. To be honest, it does look nice and holds the phone well, but I don't think I can recommend it.

Both me and my friend have experienced overheating resulting in charging stopping on journeys < 1hr and when it is charging it's barely worth having it on charge. Given the cool weather we have had here it certainly shouldn't be overheating with the spacer in use. We have both unplugged it and reverted back to a standard USB cable.

If you do decide to go ahead and order anyway, I didn't have any import fees to pay and it arrived exactly a week after despatch.
[Nexus 4 Accessories] Solutions Etcetera:
I thought I'd offer up a bit of discovery over the last few weeks. After getting my orb, I mounted my WCP700 in my truck.

On my dresser, the WCP700 worked flawlessly. Always to 100%, pretty quickly, and high temps in the 90's (F). In the truck, it initially performed similarly (but that was at 4000ft in the northern sierras during February). Now that the mercury has broken 70° for the first time, my last two trips down the mountain and back have been met with mixed results. The phone is getting noticeably warmer, and charging stats show it getting to 105°+, and then backing off the charging current. I can't imagine what it is going to be like come Summer and it is 90°+.

So, I am having serious doubts about this being a good idea. I think the pogo pin style docks like on my Nexus 7 and old Nexus One are a much better idea.

Curious to see how the new Toyotas are going to address this... maybe an A/C vent in the little cubby hole the charger is in.
[Nexus 4 Accessories] StevenBX:
Thanks for the opinion. I think I may give it a miss, unless anyone else weighs in with a more positive review. Starting in the next month or so, I'll be doing a lot of driving for work and this looked like it might be a good option - think I'll stick with a USB cable though, given the poor reviews and high price!
[Nexus 4 Accessories] facetubespam:
Have you tried to have the Orb in your truck and see if the results are the same? Would be curious to know if it is device specific or Qi specific.
[Nexus 4 Accessories] Solutions Etcetera:
The orb has an advantage as it allows more airflow around the phone's back than the the WCP700 (which essentially covers the entire back of the phone). But while I have had no slipping issues with the orb, the kind of bumps and jolts from a truck suspension (especially on crappy mountain roads) were not conducive to having it remain stuck to the orb for long, so once I arrived at that conclusion I didn't mess with it further.

When charging via cable I use a RAM Xgrip, which also leaves much of the phone's back exposed for more airflow, and heat has not been an issue. It still gets warm when charging and using GPS, but not as much as with the wireless charger (which is now getting quite warm just streaming audio over bluetooth with the screen off).

Considering the measured performance over a period of months with the WCP700 indoors, it seems pretty clear that the issue is with the heat in the car. When parked in the sun for a while, the pad starts out quite warm, and with no A/C directed at it, it simply continues getting warmer once it starts to charge. I don't notice it when pulling out of the garage and going down the hill... only on my way back up after having parked in the warm sun for a while. It is really a shame 'cause I very much like how I mounted the pad. I used some adhesive rubber stripping, placed in a 'U' around the bottom third of the perimeter of the pad and it holds the phone very nicely, but makes it super easy to remove and replace it with one hand while driving.
[Nexus 4 Accessories] pieces of cake:
Paid for my Owl Pad for the Nexus 4 two days ago and have not had a single response from the seller regarding shipping. That's NO WAY to run a business, unless you're trying to run it into the ground.
[Nexus 4 Accessories] gotzaDroid:
I never got a shipping email either, the pass just showed up about a week later. You'll get it, but it won't charge well!
[Nexus 4 Accessories] pieces of cake:
What a disappointment.
[Nexus 4 Accessories] Micoolef:
At the beginning of this thread this CarPad seemed like the greatest thing ever. I didn't hesitate to buy one for myself. But then I read closer to the end and apparently a newer version was made that performs very poorly. Once I found out had bad this thing was I cancelled my order. However, I still want it! I love the the style of it.. Just sitting your phone in it without any added pressure or stress on the phone itself. I wish you could just get a dock version for a fraction of the price!

My question is, has anyone had any positive experience with the latest version of the CarPad? If I leave the screen off and just stream music would that allow it to have a positive, consistent charge?
[Nexus 4 Accessories] delrazor:
So I'm back after a long hiatus...

It pains me to see so many negative comments about the product that I helped test, but wider tests obviously would have helped with the results.

Personally I still get great results from my CarPad. As the temperature warms up outside, yes, there's concern for the heat factor. but my method of mounting (as you see in my video review) allows for me to just turn on the AC as normal, and point the vent toward the back of the CarPad, allowing it to stay cool during hot months... basically, if I want the AC on, it's probably a good idea for the CarPad too..

Every day, every commute, I put my phone on the CarPad, and have mobile data with Spotify running over Bluetooth to my head-unit. I keep the screen on medium to low brightness, and I'd say half the time it is turned off... I always maintain a positive charge doing this.. and most of the time gain 5-10% on short trips (within a half hour, etc..)

adding GPS to the mix certainly does add extra heat and also battery usage, but as I stated a few pages back, I've been able to go for 2 hour+ trips and the phone will stay at or raise about 1-2%.

This experience, plus the others I've listed in this comment are all based off of the final shipping version that OWL has sent out (the one that included the spacer). As soon as I got that one, I removed the older test units and began using the final production unit only.

I never use the spacer, and instead have a Diztronic Matte Black TPU case on my phone, which sort of makes a "middle-ground" for me I guess.

I wish I could say this is the case for everyone, but obviously it's not. I wonder if there's some variances in everyone's cigarette adapter ports? like each one handles the voltage/wattage differently? causing issues that are arising?

I really don't know what to say, other than I'm sorry to hear about the problems people are experiencing with the CarPad, and my personal experience in testing had never produced such meager results, otherwise it would have been reported and hopefully rectified..

On another note, my OwlPad (desktop charger) has been doing quite well for my bed-side table charging.. Normally it doesn't reach higher than 90% or so, but I was actually shocked this morning when I picked it up to see that it was sitting at 100% and had been for a couple of hours.. I'm not sure what caused this change, but I'll keep monitoring it to see if it's happening more often.
[Nexus 4 Accessories] cobyman7035:
How's charging on bumpy roads¿?

Google Voice via my r72 NeXus⁴ using XDA Premium
[Nexus 4 Accessories] delrazor:
Not sure how bumpy you are referring to, but the nexus 4 fits very firmly (not overly snug). I would think off-roading in a truck should be fine. If you have a case on it, even better.
[Nexus 4 Accessories] bmyton:
I'll raise my hand as having a positive experience with the latest CarPad.

I hadn't been following this thread since I got the original, and then the new version of the OwlPad for my HTC DNA but I thought I should drop in to give my feedback.

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2167942

I have been talking there about my experience with Moon at Owl Pad, and getting the thing to work with my new DNA. It looks like the distance from the bottom of the phone to the Qi pad in the DNA is longer than the Nexus 4 (and S3 Qi patch, and Note 2, and Nokia 920 apparently).

Moon was very quick to design a brand new PCB for the CarPad and send the prototype over to me for testing. The positioning was great for the DNA, but a little too high for the S3. I understand that the actual production PCB for the "Newest" CarPad was slightly lower than my prototype (a few mm) so that it would be close enough to charge the majority of phone Qi pad placements.

I can tell you from all of the testing I've performed that if the phone's Qi pad is not lined up well with the coil in the CarPad PCB, the charging may show that it's on, but it will not charge well. In some cases it will change the phone battery indicator to charging, and the CarPad indicator will briefly go red, but then the CarPad indicator switches back to green and the charging effectively stops.

I have been able to fix this by using a spacer to move the phone up or down in the CarPad.

If you are unhappy with your charging performance I would highly recommend trying a spacer on the bottom fingers of the CarPad to push the phone up a little at a time. Once you find the "sweet spot" the charging rate will go up significantly, the CarPad light will stay red while charging, and the phone temperature should not spike quite as high. Even as much as 5-10mm can make a big difference.

I don't know if this will help anyone here, but I just wanted to share.
[Nexus 4 Accessories] pieces of cake:
Just got my pad last week. I'm getting pretty positive results with my Nexus 4.
[Nexus 4 Accessories] lifeisfun:
Could you please provide more details? What was the temperature in the vehicle, GPS on ? How fast it was charging....

Thanks
[Nexus 4 Accessories] pieces of cake:
I don't know WTF the temperature is inside my car. I don't use GPS often because it's built into my car. Screen stays on full brightness. Bluetooth on, connected to my stereo. Just drove home from the bar. Fifteen minute drive and gained 4% charge.

---------- Post added at 01:04 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:03 AM ----------

FYI, I have to use the spacer, and I have a case on my phone.
[Nexus 4 Accessories] lifeisfun:
I presume GPS off and not so hot temperature makes you lucky, but most people like to use GPS while driving.
[Nexus 4 Accessories] delrazor:
Just wanted to leave this here.

Just got back from a 7 hour car trip. Outside temps around 80°F interior temp probably around 72°

No spacer used, just have the Diztronic Matte Black TPU case on. As per usual, GPS on, Bluetooth on, streaming spotify to my head unit, Navigation running and screen on at 50%.

The dips are when my data signal would get weak for the most part, and there are a couple of pit stops where I removed the phone for 5-10 minutes tops.

Fwiw, my temp never got above 36-ish.

I have mine mounted in front of an AC vent, so it does help a lot I'm sure.

Just updating mainly to show it still holds up just fine for long periods.
[Nexus 4 Accessories] Utini:
I guess there is no alternative yet anyway?
[Nexus 4 Accessories] Antebios:
It's not a great charger, but it makes it really really easy to mount and unmount the phone when getting in and out of your vehicle.

Sent from my Nexus 4
[Nexus 4 Accessories] HeyITried:
One more positive experience

I just wanted to add that I have been using the CarPad/G for a little while now (about a month) and have been quite pleased with it's performance. I did a quick review on my website (comparing it with the Panasonic QE-TM101 and the Owl Pad for home) but I'm not fishing for hits so no need to post a link. Of course, living in a winter climate currently may have affected my results, and keeping my expectations realistic doesn't hurt.

I found that the Carpad/G performs "almost" as well as the Panasonic (not quite) and that it makes a decent holder. And although I agree it would be a mighty expensive holder if it didn't charge well for you I have seen no performance issues to date.

I wasn't as pleased with the home chargers since the ridges on that device coupled with a bumper or case hold my Nexus 4 too far from the charging coil to get a good result (removing the bumper gives a good charge but defeats the point - the point being drop and go).

To be fair, I don't usually tax the phone while driving as I have a radio and a dedicated GPS in the vehicle so perhaps I don't need as much as some others might. But the charger has always delivered a decent charge for whatever time it's been in the holder.

On a side note, this is not a good holder for people intending to use it with a vent mount unless you find a very solid vent mount. I had to secure my mount behind the vent since the holding clips are snug enough that without some additional support the vent just moves too freely to put the phone in and out of the mount one handed.

But so far I'm quite pleased with the Carpad/G and a heartfelt thanks to the OP without whom I might never have found it.
[Nexus 4 Accessories] sailerboy:
Hello. Is there any way to get the Owl Carpad to be detected as a car dock?
[Nexus 4 Accessories] Ibsonic:
What is that thing where the owl car pad came with... Do I need to put my phone on it? Or is it for some space between the pad and my phone?

Verstuurd van mijn Nexus 4 met Tapatalk
[Nexus 4 Accessories] DowntownJeffBrown:
Use an NFC sticker :thumbup:

Sent by my Kitteh he chews on muffins on my Sexy Nexi 4 using Tapatalk
[Nexus 4 Accessories] HeyITried:
I assume that you're talking about the 8mm spacer (clear plastic piece). It can be used to raise you phone (in the holder) so that it does not stop charging when it normally would. This essentially moves the coil off center so that you can use the GPS etc and the charger will not correctly sense the heat and shut off.

If you use a case, you may find this sets your phone too far off center to properly charge (I cannot use it with the Google bumper on). My general advice would be - don't use it unless you find that your phone stops charging prematurely, then use it and see if it corrects the situation.
[Nexus 4 Accessories] Ant59:
What's the state of the CarPad at the moment? I've seen a lot of negative comments on here amongst the good ones. Is the product being improved? Should I wait to buy one or are they not changing it anytime soon?
[Nexus 4 Accessories] PMentior:
It depends on what you expect to use it for. For me it works great as my everyday car charger. My daily use is mostly streaming audio from Google music through Bluetooth to my car. For that it is quite good. It normally will charge 5-7% on my 15min commute.

But for navigation it isn't so good. It will significantly lower the discharge rate but it is still in the negative for me. For that I go old school and just plug in a USB cord fr power ( the USB port is uncovered so it makes a good holder still).

tl;dr = If you use a lot of navigation or other GPS use it may not be for you. If not my experience is it is pretty good.
[Nexus 4 Accessories] Ant59:
Thank you for the reply, this is very useful!

I like it for the holder and I can't find one that looks as good at what it does, so the charging pad is secondary for me. I would be using it for navigation a lot, but I'm guessing it still helps to keep the juice up a little and doesn't discharge as quickly as it would without? Would you say in your experience with it, that it's worth the £35?
[Nexus 4 Accessories] HeyITried:
I would say that it was worth what it cost but . . .

I am finding that on hot days (with the phone sitting in the sun) it quickly hits temperatures which cause the charging to shut off. Fortunately, I put mine in a vent mount and can blow the air conditioning directly onto the charger/phone and keep them cool enough for the charging to function. Without the vent mount (or more accurately, without having the charger in the direct flow of the AC) I'm not sure it would be very effective on hot sunny days. For me charging stops when the battery temperature gets around 40 degrees Celcius/Centigrade which can happen even without charging (just sitting in the sun with the back of the phone toward the windshield).

Whether or not it will be worth it for you, I think, likely depends on your mounting solution. If you can mount it in line with the Air conditioning, then you will likely find it more effective than if you cannot.
[Nexus 4 Accessories] delrazor:
I definitely found using the CarPad in front of a vent helps keep it charging during hot days.

The carpad heating up doesn't cause the problem though, it's the phone's heat that does. So if you enter the car and the CarPad is already hot, it's not a problem, as long as you have AC blow on it to cool it down so it doesn't transfer that heat to the phone.

For the record, I've always been against mounts in front of my vent, but my solution is dash mounted and hangs over it. I havent really found any issue with that.

Here's a vent mount clip that should work with the CarPad if anyone is interested.

Arkon GN047 Removable Swivel Air Vent Mount for Garmin nuvi GPS

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015A6YN6/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_ap_am_us?ie=UTF8
[Nexus 4 Accessories] deim:
Just got my CarPad, and testing it at my desk.

Something is wrong here. I am loosing cell signal completely - to zero, empty triangle in a notification.

If I keep phone in charger, but disconnect power from charger - 30 seconds later signal is back to normal - 3of4 bars. Connect power again - no signal at all! Signal is being lost when OWL is actively charging (red light)

I have an Qi Energizer desk charger, and it does not have such effect, phone on it does not loose signal, signal does not even change.

Some screenshots.

Connected to powered OWL, no network:

Power to OWL is disconnected, 30 seconds later network is back:

Connecting OWL powered again, in about 20 seconds cell network is gone:

Tried it later in the car - no such problem, cell connectivity is seemingly Ok.
[Nexus 4 Accessories] IrishDubGuy:
I went for one of these as part of a general upgrade for my car. I just went to check on the progress of my order and realised I only got one email, the PayPal receipt. Can someone who ordered and received one confirm if they get an email direct from owlcharger.com (or Moon) with an order number or any shipping details? I've emailed the contact email address at owlcharger.com to see what the story is.

Thanks,

c
[Nexus 4 Accessories] IrishDubGuy:
Nevermind, it arrived today, looks lovely :laugh:
[Nexus 4 Accessories] moe6:
My last car dock just broke on me so I've been looking through threads again. It saddens me that I can't join the idea of a wireless charging utopia in car because there's no way it'll work well in the tropical heat :(.

Maybe if I stuck it right in front of an AC vent...
[Nexus 4 Accessories] deim:
I got a longer Arkon arm from Amazon, direct replacement, perfect fit! With it Owl is sitting on top of the vent, in about 1". Can feel that Owl is ice-cold after 30 minutes of diriving.
[Nexus 4 Accessories] pedxing:
Maybe I should try that. I have given up this week and now have a very expensive non powered car dock because I'm using the USB port again. It's a nice dock though. :rolleyes:
[Nexus 4 Accessories] Utini:
any real alternatives yet?
[Nexus 4 Accessories] freddysam:
Is there any trick to inserting the nexus 4 into the carpad? I just got mine. When I plug in the power, the LED flashes green and red twice and then stays on green. When I insert the phone, nothing happens. Did I just get a bad unit?
[Nexus 4 Accessories] delrazor:
What is your battery percentage at? If it's about 90% or higher, the charger will not charge and it'll just remain green. Normally if its lower, it will charge up to about that amount and then stop.
[Nexus 4 Accessories] freddysam:
I'm at 77% and it does not charge on the Carpad. I have the orb charger. So I know wireless charging works fine on my phone. I think there is something wrong with my Carpad. When I plug it in my car, the radio starts to cut in and out. When I unplug it, the radio goes back to normal. Using the wall charger, it does not charge the Nexus 4 either. I was hoping it was a spacing/placement issue. This is a big disappointment.
[Nexus 4 Accessories] wollac11:
Maybe a decent alternative at last?

Hi guys, like most of you I have been very interested in the OwlPad but I am somewhat put off due to the issues. However I think I might have found an alternative. Some of you may of heard of the LG WCP-300 QI charger, if not have a read here: http://www.androidcentral.com/lg-wcp-300-wireless-charger-simple-small-effective

It is a small LG QI charger for use in the home that many have said works well with the N4. It is circular and very small so leaves more of the back of the phone uncovered which should help with heat. It also runs off any standard MicroUSB charger you would use with the phone.

Now I know what you may be thinking, this is a desktop charger. And you'd be right it is but an accessory is available that may just make it a great little car dock too, take a look: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Vehic...2774?pt=UK_Holders_Mounts&hash=item3f25631f86

It seems like it may potentially answer many of the issues with the OwlPad:

1. Quality should be great because the actual charger is made by LG who SHOULD know what they are doing - they made our phone in the first place!

2. Secondly, shipping is easy to monitor because you can get it through eBay.

3. As I said previously it leaves more of the back exposed which should help with heat

4. It has a standard MicroUSB input so we should be able to easily source a decent cigarette lighter power supply which should mean faster charging and more flexibility

5. The fit is fully adjustable so we shouldn't need any spacers etc

6. Not an issue with the OWL pad as such but with this you could easily take out the little charging "puck", bung it in a bag and use it at work or wherever should you wish

As a bonus (not that the OWL doesn't) but I think it looks great and once the LG charger is in it - it almost looks like an official LG accessory - the red and black are colours I would often associate with LG and should match nicely with the all black N4. Also can't help but think it looks quite a bit like the one in the official LG Nexus 4 ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=uZGDcthVyD0#t=38s

What do you think? I am thinking I'll take the plunge on the charger to use by the bedside first and then Edit: Just purchased a black LG WCP-300 QI from the same seller. I'll let you know when it arrives! if I like it will likely go ahead and try one of those car docks out! :D
[Nexus 4 Accessories] Solutions Etcetera:
Nice find. But I gotta tell ya, now that it is Summer, I am less than enthused about a wireless charger in the car. I mounted the WCP-700 in my truck and while I was ok with it up until recently, I am thinking of pulling it because the phone gets too warm when charging.

If you can mount it in a position where you can direct an air conditioning vent to it you may be good, but I can't so I think I am going back to my XGrip and my hard wired cable (at least until Fall gets here).
[Nexus 4 Accessories] deim:
I can confirm that. I got a longer (8.5") Arkon Gooseneck, and put an OwlPad on it, thus, was able to place whole holder right on top and in a front of the vent. My phone gets so cold, it is uncomfortable to take it when I am getting out of the car!
[Nexus 4 Accessories] moe6:
Thanks for this idea! I might just go ahead with this, there's some combo deals for it on ebay too. I really like the fact that it'll look super legit as it's all LG.
[Nexus 4 Accessories] wollac11:
No problem. I think it looks great - it's the closest thing to an official Nexus 4 qi car dock there is IMO. Noticed they sell them together in a bungle (charger and the car bit) too: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-LG-WC...WDVW&rd=1&ih=017&category=123417&cmd=ViewItem