Can you imagine placing your cellphone on a Starbucks table and seeing it charge instantly?
Gainesville, Fla.-based WiPower (pronounced "y"-power) is manufacturing wireless-charging technology that could potentially facilitate just that.
WiPower's charging mat can power up to four devices at once, regardless of their position.
(Credit: JustinCumming.com)Ryan Tseng founded WiPower after he realized how burdening it is to travel with bundles of chargers.
His frustration resulted in WiPower's wireless power transmitter, a mouse pad-like device that connects to a wall with one cord. Devices with an integrated power receiver placed upon the mat start charging immediately.
The product uses inductive coupling, a technology electric toothbrushes have used for years now, mostly because it shields their components from water. Earlier this year, Palm introduced its Touchstone charger, which uses this technology.
WiPower's charging mat simultaneously powers multiple devices in any position with different power requirements. For example, a digital camera requires much more power than an iPod Shuffle, but both can be charged with a WiPower.
"WiPower realized that ... Read more
An enterprising BMW 3 Series owner has taken it upon himself to hard wire a Palm Pre Touchstone charger dock into his vehicle's center console. The Touchstone charging system is a pretty awesome bit of tech. Essentially, this charging base magnetically holds the smartphone in place while it wirelessly charges the battery using an inductive electromagnetic field.
The Pre's Touchstone looks right at home in this 3 Series' interior.
(Credit: iSmashPhone.com/bretov)The install itself seems pretty straightforward. The power adapter is hardwired into the the vehicle's 12-volt system, then the Touchstone is secured to the center tunnel with the wires hidden from view. Instead of fumbling with chargers and dongles, the owner just hops into the car, places the Pre on the magnetic stone, and drives off.
In a vehicle that supported Bluetooth hands-free and audio streaming, this would be a tremendous jump in convenience. Perhaps in the future, more phone manufacturers will support inductive charging and Bluetooth standards so that automakers will be able to implement solutions ... Read more
No more telling Mom you can't talk because your cell phone is "about to die"--it soon could be charging itself as you speak.
The Nokia Research Centre in Cambridge, England, is working on a prototype system that would eliminate the traditional cell phone charger.
"I can't talk, my phone is charging...oh, wait."
(Credit: Nokia)The system collects energy from ambient radio waves emitted by antennas, TV masts, Wi-Fi transmitters, and the like. This might all sound uber-scientific, but we've been using this technology for years. Have you ever exited a store, only to hear the beep, beep, beep of an accusing alarm system? Many retailers use radio frequency identification to prevent theft and track inventory. Like RFID tags, the Nokia phones would catch radio waves across a range of frequencies, harnessing them for power.
Nokia's goal is to get cell phones to harvest about 50 milliwatts of power. Currently the prototypes are able to harvest up to 5 milliwatts, but ... Read more
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