Review: AT&T's Power Drum Can Charge Your Apple Watch and Another Qi Device on the Go, but Phones Are a Bit of a Balancing Act

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Ever since the Apple Watch launched in 2015, we've seen countless products that save up some counter or desktop space by letting you charge your ‌Apple Watch‌ and iPhone in one spot. There are numerous versions of this type of accessory, and now AT&T has released its own with the Power Drum.

The Power Drum is a cylindrical charger with a small 3-inch footprint that houses a built-in ‌Apple Watch‌ charger and is topped with a Qi-compatible wireless charging surface (subtly designed with the AT&T logo). The Power Drum can be used as a desktop charger through the included micro-USB charging cable, or on-the-go thanks to a 3,000 mAh internal battery.


There are a few things that work for the Power Drum, but to start with its most glaring issue, the accessory is just too small to reliably use as a wireless charger for the ‌iPhone‌. With just a 2-inch base to place your ‌iPhone‌ on (the top portion is smaller than the foot of the Power Drum), placing my iPhone 11 Pro Max on the Power Drum every night for the past week or so always felt like a risk.

Going about this process is frustrating because I had to not only aim for the Qi hotspot on my ‌iPhone‌, but also ensure that the ‌iPhone‌ was properly balanced on the Power Drum at the same time. The right wireless charging position typically never aligned with the perfect balancing position, and it always left me uncertain about leaving my brand-new ‌iPhone 11 Pro Max‌ dangling above the stand for any length of time.


In terms of ‌iPhone‌ charging, I found the Power Drum to offer the typical wireless charging performance. It trickle charged my ‌iPhone 11 Pro Max‌ at a solid rate overnight, but on a few occassions I did notice charging stopped before my ‌iPhone‌ was topped off. As a mobile battery, the Power Drum just isn't sensible for the Pro Max. Its 3,000 mAh battery can offer a bit of charge to the 3,969 mAh battery on the Pro Max, but once you account for the efficiency loss of wireless charging, the Power Drum doesn't come close to fully charging the smartphone.

AT&T's accessory makes more sense as an ‌Apple Watch‌ charger in both desktop and mobile formats. I was able to charge my ‌Apple Watch‌ Series 5's ~300 mAh battery multiple times without needing to fuel up the Power Drum. This makes the accessory a solid ‌Apple Watch‌ charger for places where a cord is unable to reach, like a bathroom countertop, but it is something you'll have to remember to charge up every few days.


The Power Drum separates into two parts, including a rubberized base and the central drum-shaped battery. Under the base are inserts sized for each version of the ‌‌Apple Watch‌‌, helping to make sure your ‌Apple Watch‌ lines up with the charging puck on the front of the Power Drum.


The drum simply nests into the base, allowing you to place your ‌Apple Watch‌ around the drum and use Nightstand Mode, but I never found the two pieces were secured together enough. Easy disassembly will make packing it for travel less of a pain, but could also result in lost parts (particularly those ‌Apple Watch‌ case sizing inserts).


AT&T intends you to charge an ‌Apple Watch‌ and smartphone simultaneously, but I found the device to be more useful as an ‌Apple Watch‌ and AirPods charger. The Qi mat is just big enough for the AirPods Pro to fit, so it's less of a risk than placing your ‌iPhone‌ on the top of the mat.

This makes the Power Drum a convenient home hub for your Apple accessories if you have a nearby outlet to keep it constantly plugged in. Still, even with my ‌AirPods Pro‌ I had to occasionally shift the ‌AirPods‌ around to find the right charging spot on the Power Drum.

Bottom Line

There are aspects to the design of the Power Drum that work, but AT&T's overall execution of the device is lacking. Charging your ‌iPhone‌ on the accessory is simply not a good idea, so you'll really only want to look into it if you have an ‌Apple Watch‌ and another, smaller Qi-supported device like the ‌AirPods‌.


But at $99.99 ($59.99 on sale), there just aren't enough positive aspects of the Power Drum to recommend it. For those interested in learning more, you can find the Power Drum on AT&T's website.

Note: AT&T provided MacRumors with the Power Drum for the purpose of this review, and no other compensation was received. MacRumors is an affiliate partner with AT&T. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Tag: AT&T

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Apple TV+ Series 'The Morning Show' Nominated for Several SAG Awards

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Apple TV+ series "The Morning Show" has been nominated for three Screen Actors Guild Awards for outstanding male actor and outstanding female actor.

Steve Carell and Billy Crudup, who play Mitch Kessler and Corey Ellison, respectively, have been nominated for the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series award.


The two will be competing against Sterling K. Brown (Randall Pearson) from "This Is Us," Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister) from "Game of Thrones," and David Harbour (Jim Hopper) from "Stranger Things."


Jennifer Aniston, who plays Alex Levy, was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series. Reese Witherspoon, who plays Bradley Jackson in "The Morning Show" was not nominated.

Aniston will be competing against Helena Bonham Carter (Princess Margaret) and Olivia Coleman (Queen Elizabeth II) from "The Crown," Jodie Comer (Villanelle) from "Killing Eve," and Elisabeth Moss (June/Offred) from "The Handmaid's Tale."

Apple has also received several Golden Globe Award nominations for "The Morning Show," including a nomination for best drama series. Both Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston have been nominated for best actress in a drama series Golden Globe awards as well.

Apple is competing against HBO's "Big Little Lies" and "Succession," BBC America's "Killing Eve," and Netflix's "The Crown" for the best drama series Golden Globe award.

The SAG Awards are given by the Screen Actors Guild and they are considered one of the major award events in Hollywood. The Golden Globe Awards, also considered a major award event, are decided on by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

The SAG awards will take place on Sunday, January 19, 2020, while the Golden Globes will be held on Sunday, January 5, 2020.

Both the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards will be followed by the Academy Awards, given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Nominations for the Academy Awards, which will be held on February 9, have not yet been announced. SAG and Golden Globe nominations are often predictors of Academy Award nominations, though.

"The Morning Show" is the only one of Apple's TV shows to receive award nominations in 2020, and it is the series with the most notable cast. Prior to launch, "The Morning Show" received less than stellar reviews from critics, but it has fared better with audiences.

Tags: Apple TV Shows, Apple TV Plus

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Brydge Keyboards Now Available From Apple Store

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Apple is now offering the popular Brydge line of keyboards designed for the newest iPads in its online store.

As of today, Apple is selling the Brydge 10.2 Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard for the seventh-generation iPad and the Brydge 10.5 Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard for the third-generation ‌iPad‌ Air.


Available for $129.95, the Brydge keyboards are more affordable than Apple's own Smart Keyboards and offer a more traditional typing experience with 1.2mm of key travel.

Brydge keyboards, which come in gray, silver, and gold to match the colors of the available ‌iPad‌ models, are unique among third-party keyboards because of their tab system.

The ‌iPad‌ is designed to nestle into two silicone-lined tabs at the top of the keyboard, with no additional cover required for the rest of the ‌iPad‌, which keeps the design more minimal. The tabs are hinged, so the keyboard can be closed over the ‌iPad‌ in a clamshell design.

Brydge keyboards aren't able to take advantage of the Smart Connector on Apple's iPads and instead must use Bluetooth, but Brydge says they're able to last for up to 12 months on a single charge depending on usage. There are integrated iOS battery management tools to cut down on power drain.

The keys are backlit, there's a row of function keys specific to iOS, and the keyboards use Bluetooth 4.0 to connect to the ‌iPad‌. Each keyboard is made from a heavy, durable aluminum that's able to hold up to wear and tear, and it's simple to remove the ‌iPad‌ from the tabs that hold it in place.

The Brydge keyboards are available from the Apple online store and Apple retail stores in the United States and Canada starting today.

Related Roundup: Apple Stores

Tag: Apple retail

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Kuo: Next Year's 5G iPhones With Redesigned Metal Frame Won't Have Major Price Increase

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Apple is rumored to launch four 5G-enabled iPhones in fall 2020, and while 5G-related components could raise the production costs of the devices by $30 to $100 depending on the model, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes Apple will not significantly increase the price of 5G iPhones compared to this year's lineup.

iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max models start at $999 and $1,099 respectively in the United States, while the iPhone 11 starts at $699.


In a research note with TF International Securities, viewed by MacRumors, Kuo said Apple instead aims to offset the cost of 5G by reducing its supply chain expenses, potentially including dropping its upfront non-recurring engineering payment to suppliers of the redesigned metal chassis and frame for 5G iPhones.

Non-recurring engineering refers to the one-time cost to research, design, develop, and test a new product or component. Kuo believes Apple will shift more of this research and development in house.

While the non-recurring engineering payment has typically helped Apple's suppliers stay afloat when iPhone sales start to slow during the spring and summer each year, Kuo believes it will be less essential in 2020 and beyond since Apple is expected to start releasing iPhones on a biannual basis going forward -- lower-end iPhones in the spring and higher-end iPhones in the fall.

Kuo has previously claimed that 5G iPhones will sport a redesigned metal frame with an iPhone 4-like design, suggesting a return to flatter edges. In today's note, he said both the chassis and frame on 5G iPhones will cost Apple significantly more to manufacture, perhaps pointing towards an even more premium design.

Related Roundup: iPhone 12

Tags: Ming-Chi Kuo, TF International Securities

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Google’s RCS Chat now widely available and you can use it on your Chromebook too

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'Powerbeats4' With 'Hey Siri' Support Referenced in iOS 13.3 Code

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Apple appears to be working on new "Powerbeats4" wireless earphones to replace the existing Powerbeats3, based on strings in iOS 13.3 code uncovered by MacRumors contributor Steve Moser.

Powerbeats3
9to5Mac was first to discover the Powerbeats4 reference, noting that the earphones will likely support hands-free "Hey Siri." This means the Powerbeats4 will likely have an Apple-designed H1 chip or newer, which delivers a faster and more stable wireless connection to your devices.

With the H1 chip, the Powerbeats4 would likely support "Announce Messages with Siri." When enabled, Siri reads your incoming messages out loud when your earphones are connected to your iPhone or iPad running iOS 13.2 or iPadOS 13.2 or later, you're wearing them, and your device is locked. Siri plays a tone, then announces the sender's name and reads the message.

Apple already released totally wireless Powerbeats Pro with "Hey Siri" support earlier this year for a regular price of $249.95. Powerbeats4 would likely be a cheaper version of the earphones and will presumably stick with the cord between the left and right earphone like the Powerbeats3, which retail for $199.95.

It is unclear if and when Apple will release the Powerbeats4 or if that will be the final consumer-facing name of the earphones.

iOS 13.3 was released yesterday.

Related Roundups: iOS 13, iPadOS

Tag: Beats

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Funny things to ask Siri

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Bored? Need a good laugh? Here are some Funny things to ask Siri. We have an extensive collection of funny questions to ask Siri and some of the best Siri Jokes. Read on for some cool things to Ask Siri at Christmas and details of some of the fun things Siri can do

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