Green Plug's twist port universal charger.
(Credit: Green Plug)Start-ups Green Plug and WiPower are working together on a universal wireless charger for portable devices, the companies said Thursday.
The partnership makes sense since GreenPlug has developed a protocol to allow power sources and portable devices to communicate, while WiPower has invented technology to transmit power wirelessly over short distances.
Green Plug's universal chargers allow portable electronic devices containing its embedded Greentalk chip to be charged from a universal port. Once a device is plugged in to a Green Plug charger port, the charger's Greentalk protocol reads the chip inside the device to determine the power supply needed to charge it. It then tunes its power output to charge the device accordingly.
WiPower has a developed technology that can transmit power over short distances wirelessly. You can place a device on a WiPower pad in any position, and it automatically begins recharging.
Powermat makes a wireless charging dock that works with cases made for specific devices.
(Credit: Powermat)Here's the caveat. For this to become a reality, manufacturers must opt to embed Greentalk chips into their products instead of offering individual power adapters for each model they make.
The idea is considered green because millions of chargers are thrown away each year when people buy new devices and discard the old chargers. Embracing the Greentalk chip could theoretically prevent millions of chargers from being manufactured in the first place.
The idea is not entirely unique, though. Powermat makes a pad for wirelessy charging any Powermat-enabled device. In order to work with it, the device must be placed inside a special case that houses a Powermat receiver programmed to work with the charger and a specific device's needs. Users can also buy a cube with eight different types of ports that can sit on the mat and be plugged in to compatible devices.
Here's one that many CNET readers can enjoy: snap a photo of that dusty rat's nest of wires under your desk. Best-case scenario, you win lunch in Beverly Hills and maybe influence green-tech policy.
Green Plug's mission is to create a universal hub to power consumer electronics.
(Credit: Green Plug)The contest is called "What's Under your Desk" and it's put on by Green Plug, a company that launched at Demo last year. Here's a video review from Michelle Thatcher at CNET and write-up from News.com's Erica Ogg on Webware.
The idea is to send in photos of those tangled messes caused by consumer electronics to make the point that something seriously wrong with our cable and plug system. There's also a link to sign a petition for the U.S. to set a green plug standard.
Green Plug's mission is to sign up electronics manufacturers to use its chip that would go into power supplies. With the chip, consumers would be able to plug any device into a hub to power multiple devices. Software, which the company intends to make available for free, will be able to read exactly how much power a device needs.
Sure, the contest is self-serving. But you have to admit that the Green Plug people are onto something.
A universal, or at the very least more energy-efficient, plug system could clean up your electronic lives at home and make traveling a heck of a lot lighter, since you wouldn't need a separate charger for every device you carry.
Environmentally, those power packs are inefficient and wasteful. Most of them draw energy from the wall socket even when they are done charging your laptop or cell phone. Notice how hot they feel when you touch them?
There are already some beauties on the Green Plug contest page; take a look. Winners will be announced on Earth Day, April 22.
Hat tip to Earth2Tech.
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