I don't know how many people saw the video at TED of wireless power, but I just saw this advertised on the tube this morning and this seems to be the first practical application of the technology on the open market.
Compatible with Apple, BlackBerries and Nintendo DS you get a Mat and "battery pack" for the devices of your choosing.
It looks interesting, but isn't quite wireless, you still need to plug the mat in afterall, but it would cut down on the number of cables you need and I can certainly see how it would be more efficient than using normal chargers (which pull power even if not charging your device if you leave them plugged in).
If I actually had an Iphone or DS I might be tempted to get this just for the gadget Kudos, as it is it's just interesting and something to keep my eye on.
Anyone else somewhat tempted by the coolness of this?
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Zac Naloen wrote:I don't know how many people saw the video at TED of wireless power, but I just saw this advertised on the tube this morning and this seems to be the first practical application of the technology on the open market.
Actually it isn't, some cordless electric toothbrushes have been using this technology for well over a decade. It's just a magnetic induction charger, the mat creates the magnetic field and the clip-on receiver converts it back to electricity.
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I stand corrected, I wasn't aware electric tooth brushes charged by using the same principle. I just assumed it conducted power through the base of the brush.
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I have a Palm Pre cell phone that has something like that for a charger. I'm quite found of it, had it for months now.
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You have to place it on the mat, so range is short. This seems more like a prototype than anything.
Their website makes it seem like they are planning on something that would be embedded in your walls.
Certainly the device at TED had a range of about a meter, but wasn't omnidirectional and that was just a prototype.
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I work in the automation industry and cord-less charging is becomming quite common. Especially in cells where the wiring get in the way and the power cost isn't crucial.
Spoonist wrote:I work in the automation industry and cord-less charging is becomming quite common. Especially in cells where the wiring get in the way and the power cost isn't crucial.
I've been reading about wireless charging devices for awhile now. It's kind of surprising they aren't more common than they are.
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Doesn't one of Dell's new laptops charge the battery like this too? I can't for the life of me remember where I read about it, but I'm sure I'm not imagining it.
Induction charging is not even remotely new, a number of plug in hybrids have been using it for years for much larger amounts of power, and certain naval gun systems as well as the OICW prototyped use induction to not only to charge up a fuse battery but also set its timer and operating mode. Its not common because a wire works fine, and the pointblank range it is effective at is hardly saving you any cabling. I place it firmly in the pointless gimmick category for handheld electronics unless the whole industry agrees on a standard so one charger can serve more then one product line, odds of that happening are about nil.
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Sea Skimmer wrote:Induction charging is not even remotely new, a number of plug in hybrids have been using it for years and certain naval gun systems as well as the OICW prototyped use induction to not only to charge up a fuse battery but also set its timer and operating mode. Its not common because a wire works fine, and the pointblank range it is effective at is hardly saving you any cabling. I place it firmly in the pointless gimmick category for handheld electronics unless the whole industry agrees on a standard so one charger can serve more then one product line, odds of that happening are about nil.
I could see it being worthwhile if you have a lot of handheld gadgets and you want to cut down on your cords. But for just one device it does seem like overkill.
"It's you Americans. There's something about nipples you hate. If this were Germany, we'd be romping around naked on the stage here."
General Zod wrote:
I could see it being worthwhile if you have a lot of handheld gadgets and you want to cut down on your cords. But for just one device it does seem like overkill.
Yeah well, like I said they’d need to adapt industry standards for that to work and since the phone and laptop industries make a fortune selling people priority charging devices they are very unlikely to give up that cash cow. As it is everything could just be USB and its work fine…but no.
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The EU has managed to force mobile phone manufacturers (and I think Apple was one of them) to standardise the power connection on their phones; a mini-USB socket, I think. That means this doohickey would work for plenty of mobile models.
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andrewgpaul wrote:The EU has managed to force mobile phone manufacturers (and I think Apple was one of them) to standardise the power connection on their phones; a mini-USB socket, I think. That means this doohickey would work for plenty of mobile models.
Which is why large goverment can be awesome.
@Topic:
Wireless charging will get interesting if it manages to cover a room, os that you don't have to search for that damn outlet that is burried behind some furniture.
Read: When it comes convenient for the customer.
Very short ranges are not that usefull for everyday life, but stuff like "well, your laptop will charge in that part of the room" certainly is.
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A short while ago Sony demoed a tech that could push 60W for about 1 meter, and enough of it to power a TV. Afaik Dell (off all companies) just showed off a Laptop that by default came with an induction receiver arrangement similar to the one in the OP. So they are getting more common, though there have been plenty attempts to marked products like these in the past, all unsuccessful.
Personally I think some sort of standard is necessary before induction charging will ever become remotely popular, after all, the convenience of the whole concept diminishes rapidly when you have to remember which of the 30 charging mats this gadget is compatible with before putting it down.
BTW, anyone knows what would happen if you tried to charge these things on an induction oven?
General Zod wrote:
I could see it being worthwhile if you have a lot of handheld gadgets and you want to cut down on your cords. But for just one device it does seem like overkill.
Yeah well, like I said they’d need to adapt industry standards for that to work and since the phone and laptop industries make a fortune selling people priority charging devices they are very unlikely to give up that cash cow. As it is everything could just be USB and its work fine…but no.
...yes? For small devices its already here.
Do you mean like this one: http://www.wirelesspowerconsortium.com/
Look at their press releases...or search the web, there are plenty of articles and discussions.
I mean it was big news not more than a month ago. Its proven technology, its cheap and the standard is already there. Come christmas you will have the first producs from several companies, then next year you will see it a lot more.
But that is for toys. I have seen a 5m by 25m production line running solely on wireless power, and that included 6 industrial robots.
