Mobee Delivers An Inductive Charger for the Magic Mouse

Nancy Gravley

2:00 PM ET, Apr. 5th, 2011

Articles by Author Nancy Gravley on Twitter Contact Author Bio

The Apple Magic Mouse is one of those “I hate it”, or “I love it” items. Those who adore it seem to like everything about it except the frequency with which they have to replace the batteries. It is a bother, and it gets expensive. Mobee has created an alternative charger.

It is an inductive charger base station called the Mobee Magic Charger, designed specifically for the Magic Mouse by Mobee Technology and made from recyclable materials. It matches the mouse in design and the company states that it’s the world’s first of its kind dedicated to the Magic Mouse.

The Mobee Magic Charger with a Magic Mouse in charging mode

The Mobee Magic Charger is attached to a USB port for charging, and the Magic Mouse rests on top of it. The mouse can lie in any direction as long as most of the bottom is touching the charger. When fully charged using the Mobee charger, the Magic Mouse can operate six days without recharging.

Using the product

To use the charger, you replace the two AA batteries that ordinarily operate the mouse with the Mobee Battery Pack. It is very important that you make sure the battery pack is firmly in place and clipped in. The mouse power does not need to be on for the charger to work. The cover plate that comes with the Magic Mouse is not needed with the Mobee Magic Charger.

Battery insert

Once that is done, you just place the base station on your desktop and plug it through any USB port. Place the Magic Mouse on top of the charger and it will start charging. The product information states that it takes six hours to go from no charge to a full charge, but the product arrived charged about 75 percent, so I was able to start using it immediately.

There is a LED light on the base that lets you know the charged status. Solid green is fully charged, blinking green means charging in process and red indicates no charge.

The MSRP for this product is US$49.90 with spare battery packs available at US$29.90. I found the charger on-line at prices ranging from US$39.00 to $50.00.

Do I recommend it?

I do. I recommend it for two specific reasons and one other superfluous reason. (1) The charger keeps the mouse charged continuously, and I don’t have to deal with batteries which are a pain to deal with and not good for the environment. (2) At some point it will pay for itself. The company stats say that will happen one year for home use and six months for office use.

As for that superfluous reason? It looks really cool next to my Mac.

Product: Mobee Battery Pack

Company: Mobee Technologies

List Price: US$49.90

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8 Observer Comments

mrmgraphics

said on April 5th, 2011 at 1:33 PM:

I’m squarely in the “love it” camp when it comes to the Magic Mouse, and this looks like a great addition. Any idea how long and/or how many charging cycles you’ll get from a single battery pack before needing to replace it?

Nancy Gravley said on April 5th, 2011 at 2:18 PM:

Any idea how long and/or how many charging cycles you’ll get from a single battery pack before needing to replace it?

I don’t know the answer to that question, but I’ve emailed my contact at Mobee and posed your question. When I get an answer I’ll post it here.

webjprgm

said on April 5th, 2011 at 2:24 PM (Edited: 10/21/2011 3:48 PM):

I note one downside is that you still have to use up a USB port and have a cord on your desk. I might want one for my work desk, though.

Also, how does this compare to just using normal rechargeable batteries? Less hassle, I suppose, but is it worth $50 compared to about $17 for rechargeable batteries + charger (like this one at amazon: Duracell Charger)?

Lee Dronick

said on April 5th, 2011 at 2:51 PM (Edited: 10/18/2011 6:20 PM):

I note one downside is that you still have to use up a USB port and have a cord on your desk. I might want one for my work desk, though

There probably isn’t a reason that the USB port has to be one on your Mac. It could be plugged into a hub that is not part of the Mac’s USB chain. I have such charging station set up on my credenza into which I plug BlueTooth devices, iPods, my Mophie Juice Pack and such.

Gary Bibby said on April 5th, 2011 at 5:17 PM:

any plans for similar device for the keyboard too? perhaps a combo device to stick them both on when not in use?

Nancy with Bifocals said on April 5th, 2011 at 5:35 PM:

Any idea how long and/or how many charging cycles you’ll get from a single battery pack before needing to replace it?

I don’t know the answer to that question, but I’ve emailed my contact at Mobee and posed your question. When I get an answer I’ll post it here.

Here is the answer I got from Mobee staff: The charger pack is good for 500 cycles, approx 2 years.

mrmgraphics

said on April 6th, 2011 at 7:17 AM:

Thanks, Nancy. That sounds like a winner to me. I definitely plan to get one of these.

Jim Bowers said on April 6th, 2011 at 1:28 PM:

I have one and really like it. Macworld did a review on it and I found their comments to be accurate. As mentioned by Sir Harry Flashman, any 5V USB charger will do instead of the USB port on a computer. (We seem to use those up with other attachments.) The only issue I had was the first few times the battery was charged in the Magic Mouse the Mouse seemed to lose connection (Bluetooth) with the computer. Simply turning the mouse off and then back on or removing the battery from the mouse and reseating it seemed to work fine. I’ve had no further trouble. I have noted that getting a full charge on the battery takes a while, but the battery works from the moment you put it in. So, the only consequence is that you should leave the Magic Mouse on the Mobee charger when not in use during the first month. I’ve left it off the charger for 4 - 5 days and recharged over night.

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