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The iPhone 15 series will work with the upcoming Qi2 wireless charging standard
Apple’s iPhone 15 line will be among the first smartphones to adopt the recently-announced Qi2 wireless charging standard. Chargers are forthcoming from companies like Belkin and Anker.
Future Android phones will feature MagSafe-like wireless fast charging
The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) has unveiled Qi2, the wireless charging successor to Qi that borrows some tricks from Apple's MagSafe charging.
Wireless charging nears unification as Powermat cedes to Qi
Consumers have been living with multiple wireless charging standards for six years, but those annoying times are nearly over. Powermat, which uses the Airfuel Inductive standard that is the only real contender to the dominant format Qi, has joined the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) and now backs Qi. "Qi has become the dominant wireless charging standard on the market and the recently launched Apple iPhone lineup is evidence of this success," Powermat said in a statement. "[We] will share technology innovation to further unlock wireless charging potential, and will expedite the growth of the wireless charging infrastructure."
Latest Qi spec promises fast wireless charging for your phone
Before long, you won't have to choose between charging your phone quickly and plunking it on a convenient wireless charger. The Wireless Power Consortium has rolled out a new version of the Qi standard that supports 15W fast wireless charging, much like the sort we saw late last year. The organization isn't making any performance claims at the moment, and it'll be a while before phone makers have compatible devices on store shelves. However, it's safe to say that this will save you some agonizing wait times -- you could return home from work, drop your phone on a pad and expect to have a meaningful amount of energy when you head out for the evening. [Image credit: Aaron Yoo, Flickr]
With Qi wireless charging, you'll soon be able to charge your device from a short distance
It's becoming more and more common to find mobile devices with wireless charging capability, either as a built-in feature or integrated into third-party cases. Progress has been somewhat hampered, however, by the fact that no universally adopted standard is available. Of the three major groups trying to corner the market, Qi -- a standard created by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) -- has arguably been the most successful at courting manufacturers and carriers (over 200 have signed up so far). The problem is, its abilities have been limited because it only uses a method called inductive charging; in other words, you can power up your smartphone as long as it's sitting on a charging pad. Wireless, sure, but it's still only marginally more convenient than simply plugging the handset in. Fortunately, Qi's adding some crucial functionality later this year that will allow you to charge your device from nearly two inches away.
Microsoft says super-cheap Windows devices are on the way
It used to be that if you only wanted to pay $199 for a brand-new laptop, you'd have to try your luck on Black Friday or pick up a Chromebook. Not so anymore. Microsoft COO Kevin Turner outed a $199 HP Windows laptop called the Stream at the company's Worldwide Partner Conference this morning, and it should see the light of day in time for the holiday season. Fine, it doesn't sound like the biggest deal ever. There are already a few solid Windows laptops floating around there for less than $100 more, after all, and at this point no one's sure what $199 will actually get you. That's a fair point, but c'mon: on some level this move is all about symbolism. Microsoft is telling the industry -- and the consumers that fuel that immaculate machine -- that it's not giving up low-end computing to Google without a fight.
Broadcom's new chip lets your phone use any wireless charging standard
Wonder why only a handful of mobile devices support wireless charging? It's partly because the standards are horribly fragmented: companies have to choose between technologies like PMA, Rezence and Qi, and it's not clear which of those will last. Broadcom might put the issue to bed with its new (and awkwardly titled) BCM59350 chip, though. The hardware lets gadgets charge using any existing wireless technology -- you won't have to hunt for specific charging pads. It can also handle up to 7.5W of power instead of the usual 5W, so your gear might charge faster than it would using old-fashioned wires.
Resonance charging is coming to Qi devices soon
Qi is one of the most popular wireless charging standards out there, but it's certainly not perfect -- and its limitations have been a burden that its competitors like the A4WP Rezence have taken advantage of. One of its most pressing issues is the fact that it only supports inductive charging, which means you need to stick your phone or tablet directly on the charging pad in a very specific fashion, lest you wake up in the morning to a dead device. The WPC has been working on righting that wrong, however, because it's come to Vegas with resonance charging prototypes. The new transmitter is able to charge any Qi device from up to 18 millimeters away and through obstructions; it's backwards compatible, so older phones and tablets are included. Reps weren't able to give us an estimated time of arrival, but the prototype was definitely convincing enough, which tells us it shouldn't be too far away. As we expected, the transmitter we saw tonight is less efficient than a standard inductive charger -- it's currently at around 65 percent -- but we were told that this wrinkle is a result of this early unit and will continue to improve as the tech develops.
Qualcomm joins Power Matters Alliance, will help develop hybrid wireless charging standard
Competition is really heating up in the wireless charging space. Last month, the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) shared news that Qualcomm joined its board, and now the competing Power Matters Alliance (PMA) is making a similar announcement. Qualcomm has also signed on with the PMA, and will be taking on a "senior leadership role" at the organization. The chipset manufacturer is reportedly aiding in the development of a new specification that will enable PMA devices (such as Powermat) to receive wireless power using both low-frequency induction and high-frequency resonance. If that tech is implemented, certain smartphones and other gadgets will be compatible with a wider range of wireless charging devices. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking on product announcements from other members, such as AT&T, which previously committed to lighting up several devices with PMA charging by 2014.
Qualcomm joins Wireless Power Consortium board, sparks hope for A4WP and Qi unification
Qualcomm, the founding member of Alliance for Wireless Power (or A4WP in short), made a surprise move today by joining the management board of the rival Wireless Power Consortium (or WPC), the group behind the already commercially available Qi standard. This is quite an interesting development considering how both alliances have been openly critical of each other, and yet now there's a chance of seeing just one standard getting the best of both worlds. That is, of course, dependent on Qualcomm's real intentions behind joining the WPC.
LG VS870 surfaces at the FCC and WPC, may be an Escape for Verizon
AT&T brought out the LG Escape late last summer as a low-cost Android option with a better-than-usual battery and solid performance. If recent testing is any indicator, a Verizon edition might be in the cards. An LG VS870 (the Escape is the P870) has appeared at the FCC wielding support for Verizon's CDMA and LTE networks. Lest we worry that it's just a simple network switch, there's clues that Verizon is planning a little more: the same phone has already appeared at the Wireless Power Consortium, hinting at Qi wireless charging. How else it might change from the 4.3-inch Escape, if it's indeed similar, isn't visible. There might only be a short wait before we find out, as the roughly equivalent Lucid is long enough in the tooth that a replacement would be very timely.
Fulton Innovation to demo tablet that doubles as wireless charging mat at CES
Fulton Innovation comes to CES each year armed with the latest tricks in the field of wireless charging, and this year is no exception. Starting things out with a bang, the purveyor of all things Qi will be on-hand to demonstrate its newest feat: the ability to charge your Qi-compatible phone... on the back of a tablet. Indeed, your 7- to 10-inch slate may someday be able to double as its own wireless charging mat, allowing you to feed battery from your tablet to your smartphone just by holding the two devices back-to-back. Additionally, Fulton promises to show off a multi-device charging platform capable of powering up two devices simultaneously. Even better, this surface can recognize and adapt to the needs of each particular product -- in other words, tablets and smartphones can charge together on the same pad, each device receiving the proper amount of juice. Check out the video and press release past the break to see a few ideas Fulton is bringing to the table this week, and fortunately we'll get to take a closer look at all of them soon.
TI joins the Alliance for Wireless Power, tells the WPC it can still be friends
It's not quite a "Dear John" letter, but we're sure the Wireless Power Consortium is heartbroken all the same. One of its key members, TI, has just signed up for the Alliance for Wireless Power to build cable-free charging on what's effectively a competing standard. The chip designer doesn't view the move as abandoning a long-time partner, though -- it remains part of the WPC and plans to produce Qi-based wireless power chipsets alongside future A4WP components. Without any related chips to announce, there's a long wait left before we know how well TI can juggle the two charging formats without appearing to play favorites. We'd recommend that the WPC not grow too attached in the meantime.
LG announces Optimus LTE2, coming to Korea mid-May with True HD IPS and 2GB RAM
Unlike today's other phone announcement, we can't say we were expecting to see LG come out with something of its own -- and it's a bit of a doozy, at that. Samsung's Korean rival decided not to let the Galaxy S III have the full spotlight for long, officially unleashing the Optimus LTE2. The mind-blowing portion of the spec sheet is its inclusion of 2GB RAM, a milestone we haven't yet seen in a smartphone. Additionally, the LTE2 will feature the company's "True HD IPS" display, WPC-backed wireless charging capabilities, Android 4.0 and a 2,150mAh battery that LG claims will increase the battery life by an astounding 40 percent. We haven't received word on which CPU will be used, though we're hopeful that a quad-core beast (or Krait, perhaps?) will complement the astounding amount of RAM. The LTE2 is due to land on at least three carriers in Korea sometime in mid-May, but we haven't heard any pricing or additional country availability at this time. We'll keep you posted as we learn more. In the meantime, check out LG's Flickr page down below for more images, and start thinking of ways to take advantage of the extra horsepower.
WPC updates Qi standard, increases inductive charging distance to 40mm
It seems that Power Matt just got a bit more, er, powerful. The Wireless Power Consortium announced today that it's improved the Qi inductive-charging standard to "include longer range magnetic resonance wireless charging." Effectively, this means charging stations that are up to spec will be able to transmit up to 5 watts of power from distances of 40mm (up from 5mm, previously) to Qi-enabled devices. The WPC says it's ideal for pushing power through the likes tables and counter tops, and that it currently has 12 types of compatible transmitters ready for action. All in all, it certainly seems like a solid step for finally getting rid of all that cable clutter at your workstation -- especially if it'll rid users of those less-than-pretty looking charging bases. Maybe a last-minute add-on to your Uppleva, IKEA?
Fulton Innovation powers phones in your handbag, shows off inductive charging support for tablets (video)
Fulton Innovation has a knack for coming out with the latest -- ahem -- innovations in the rapidly-expanding world of inductive charging, and this year the crew showed up at Pepcom Digital Experience to show off the company's progress in the world of wireless power. Today its offerings, most of which are still in the works and not ready for final production as of yet, include the ability to charge your handset through your handbag. In addition, it's the first company to find a way to utilize inductive charging through a metal surface; last but not least, Fulton was showing off the upcoming medium-power Qi standard, which is capable of powering up tablets. Check out the video and gallery below to see the new techniques in development for wireless charging.
Fulton Innovation ready to show off new wireless charging techniques at CES
Judging by the number of announcements the company makes this time of year, Fulton Innovation absolutely loves CES. And as to be expected, the inductive charging superstars are tackling CES 2012 head-on to show off the techniques it's been working on for the past year. At this year's show, Fulton will demonstrate the ability to wirelessly charge through a metal surface, show off a car with interior surfaces enabled with the Qi inductive charging standard and display the technology being used inside a handbag. We're pretty eager to see how it all works in real life, so we'll bring you coverage as the show progresses. Feel free to gaze upon the press release below in the meantime.
Wireless Power Consortium launches Qi certification lab, cuts power cords for approved devices
The power of Qi has grown and grown since the wireless charging standard was finalized. With cord cutting becoming more desirable -- and dare we say, de rigeur, for many mobile devices -- the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) has launched an independent lab to certify gadgets wanting on its induction charging bandwagon. TÜV Rheinland's providing the speedy certification services at its Taiwanese testing facility, so we should see the legion of Qi-powered devices continue to grow at an ever-increasing rate. Guess Power Matt made the right move joining the WPC superfriends. Qi's up, cords down, playa.
Microsoft unveils new Windows Phone 7 Mango handsets from Samsung, Acer, Fujitsu and ZTE
Generally Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference is a relatively low key affair, but today it caught a few in the tech world off guard by unveiling not one or two, but four new Windows Phone 7 handsets running Mango. Acer and ZTE both have models on tap, as does Fujitsu -- which slathered its mobile in pink and gave it a waterproof seal. The biggest news though was Samsung. Microsoft pulled out what is believed to be the SGH-i937, a version of the Galaxy S II that sports the Redmond mobile OS instead of Android. From the screen cap above it appears as if the phone is sporting a front-facing camera, something that has been missing from WP7 handset until now and is rumored to be supported in Mango. It's only a brief glimpse but you can catch it in the video after the break. [Thanks, Simon]
Microsoft's Steve Ballmer says '400 million Windows 7 licenses sold'
So much for not keeping pace, huh? We heard back in June of last year that Microsoft had blown through 150 million Windows 7 licenses, and just a few months later, it had surpassed 240 million. At this year's Worldwide Partner Conference, head honcho Steve Ballmer took great pleasure in announcing that said figure has now swollen to beyond 400 million in under two years. Not surprisingly, that makes Win7 the fastest-selling operating system in history, and Tami Reller -- corporate vice president and chief financial officer of Windows and Windows Live -- made clear that it's "the path to Windows 8." The outfit also announced that 100 million copies of Office 2010 have flown off the shelves since launch, and while no one really came out and said it, we're counting on seeing a Windows 8 build at the BUILD event this fall. Head on past the break for a whole heaping of (deserved) self-congratulations.
