Powermat: Efficiency Booster, or Useless Gizmo?

Gizmodo had a post today about Powermat, a wireless charger for up to three electronic devices. I heard the buzz on this product while it was in development and was interested to see what kind of press its debut has been getting.

Gizmodo's take? "Wireless charging is still in its infancy, but the idea is great: you have a lil' mat or platform onto which you can toss your gadgets and let them charge. No tangled wires and fumbling around."

Rachel Metz of the Associated Press likes the Powermat, too: "There's something thrilling about cutting (most of) the cords."

Sounds good, and I'm all about simplifying and streamlining and boosting efficiency. But I'm not drinking the Kool-Aid quite yet.

First of all, it's pricey: $100 for the mat and an additional $30 to $40 for the special case for each device you'll be charging. Do I really want to shell out $220 when I can just plug in for free?

Second, would I prefer to travel with a big mat (and its attendant cord, which of course needs to be plugged into an outlet) rather than bring my device chargers -- some of which are pretty low-profile USB connectors?

A big ad blitz for Powermat (estimated at $10 to $15 million) kicked off this week, so I'm sure you'll start seeing it everywhere. And it'll be retailing at Target and Best Buy in a month or so. In the meantime, check out this admittedly clever commercial for the product.