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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.
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.
Droid Charge to revive its battery via induction, completes Verizon's Qi-based trifecta
After many unexplained delays, Verizon's Droid Charge has coaxed many anxious consumers toward the edge of their seats, but we've now uncovered a tidbit that's sure to drive these folks up the wall -- an FCC document confirms this elusive Droid supports inductive charging. Just like the Thunderbolt and Revolution, the Charge uses Qi-based technology to accomplish this wizardry, which combines an optional back plate that pairs nicely with Big Red's forthcoming charging pad. As for the launch of the phone, we've stopped holding our breath. Many local Verizon resellers report the handset is in stock, however the carrier seems content in toying with the hearts of its devotees. Jump the break for a quick peek at the FCC label, which admittedly is rather bland... although it delivers the proof we all desire.
LG gets official with WCP-700 Wireless Charging Pad, fails to provide pricing
So, there's good news and bad. Naturally, we're going to start with the former. A month after we spotted this character sneaking around at Mobile World Congress, LG has finally taken the (official) wraps off of its incoming WCP-700 Wireless Charging Pad. It's a pretty familiar design -- a slim (6.29- x 3.54- x 0.39-inch) inductive charging pad with a battery of LEDs to let you know the current status of things. We're guessing this guy is designed to work initially with the Verizon-bound Revolution, but given that LG makes no mention of what phones / cases will eventually be compatible, it'll have to remain just that for now. As for the bad news? Well, aside from not knowing what exactly this unit is for (in terms of compatibility), we're also left in the dark when it comes to pricing and a ship date. But hey, at least we've got a trio of high resolution images to gawk at. Update: Fulton Innovation has just confirmed that LG is using its Qi-compliant eCoupled technology for the charging pad. %Gallery-119458%
LG Revolution gets Fulton inductive charging back, HTC and Samsung handsets joining the party soon
We've just swooped our way through the Fulton Innovation stand here at MWC and found, sat next to the familiar light-up cereal box, a peculiar version of the Verizon LTE network-riding LG Revolution. Thicker than its CES-announced counterpart (by only 1.5mm, if the Fulton reps are to be believed), this Revolution features a Qi wireless charging-compatible back, which happens to go very nicely with a Verizon-branded inductive charging station. You can scope those out in the gallery below. We're told the back cover that makes this possible will be available as an accessory in the next 30 to 60 days, but the excitement for us was in hearing that Samsung also has an unannounced handset that will feature a similar add-on, which will be landing in the same timespan. While at the stand, we were also shown the back cover of an HTC Thunderbolt -- we weren't told the Thunderbolt will be making like the Revolution and getting its own chunky wireless charging adapter, but don't be surprised if it does. %Gallery-116621%
Fulton Innovation blows our minds with eCoupled wireless Tesla, inductive cereal boxes (video)
Wondering what your future kitchen looks like? Take a gander at what Fulton Innovation is showing at CES this year. They're also giving a peek at the future of retail shopping, and even parking lots. It's all the magic of inductive charging, and now that the Qi standard has been finalized it seems like things are coming together. Really together, in everything from cereal boxes with blinkenlights to Tesla Roadsters that charge almost as quickly as with a wire but, quite obviously, without the wire. Would you like to know more? Click on through. %Gallery-113129%
Wireless power takes another baby step at CES 2010 with Qi standard
It's our third year visiting with Fulton Innovation and the eCoupled wireless power booth at CES, and once again there's significant progress to be seen -- this time in the form of actual shipping products like the Case-mate Hug and the Dell Latitude Z. Fulton's really pushing the industry standard angle with eCoupled -- it's a founding member of the Wireless Power Consortium, which is just a few months away from finalizing a standard based on eCoupled called Qi. Qi's going to be backed by some pretty big names: Motorola, Nokia, RIM, Energizer, Duracell, Samsung, and Philips are all members of the WPC, along with several others, and the goal is for all this stuff to seamlessly play together. Fulton had some pretty hot demos to show off of the standard in action, including a Toyota Avalon interior with functional spots for two phones, a GPS, a Bluetooth headset, and a netbook, a slick first-class airline seat with a charging table, and a hotel room with several power points -- including a slick motorized dock built into the desk for the Dell. Our favorite demo, however, was a wall sconce: an eCoupled point in the wall was used to power a light fixture, which was then swapped for a digital photo frame. Nifty stuff, indeed. Still, the big challenge for Fulton and the WPC is going to be actually shipping a bunch of these products this year -- standards are nice, but without gear in hand they're meaningless, and the rival PowerMat crew has been making a pretty big push of its own. We'll see what happens in the next few months -- and how much has changed at CES 2011. Check a couple videos after the break! %Gallery-82951%
Fulton Innovation shows off mid-range eCoupled wireless power
Fulton Innovation has made some fairly impressive demonstrations of its eCoupled wireless power technology (along with a few less than impressive ones), but most of those have left little space between the power source and the device being powered. As you can see above, however, that's now changed in pretty a big way, with Fulton taking to YouTube to show off a new mid-range inductive power system. While it's obviously not quite ready for home use, this slightly unnerving contraption does indeed appear to work as promised, with it able to power a 12 watt lamp at a distance of 35 inches, or light up an LED at various points in between. Head on past the break to check it out this bit of black magic for yourself. [Thanks, Brandon]
Fulton Innovation has a wireless power coming out party at CES
It was just a short year ago that we went to Fulton Innovation's tiny booth at CES and failed to get a working wireless power demo, but a lot's happened since then -- the company is at CES 2009 in force, with a much larger, swanker booth, partners like Energizer and Motorola demoing working products, and tons of working real-world examples of the tech in action. We were particularly taken with the modded Dish DVR that automatically turned itself on and off when the remote was placed on top of it to charge up -- oh, and the remote featured super-capacitors instead of batteries that charge fully in 10 seconds. There were also a ton of cell phones (including a modded iPhone, of course), new cooking demos featuring a blender, and a super cool Leggett & Pratt power tool charging workbench. Extremely impressive, all in all -- we're starting to think that 2009 could be the year that wireless power could really take off. Gallery below, video after the break!P.S.- We asked if Fulton had anything to do with the Palm Pre's sexy Touchstone wireless charger, but the guys in the booth didn't know. We'll let you know if we find anything out.%Gallery-41237%
Wireless Power Consortium to create universal wireless charging standard, insist that it's like magic
Although we've seen some interesting demos, wireless power systems have mostly been a novelty -- apart from a couple gaming accessories, the most notable thing a wireless company has done so far is declare bankruptcy. That's hopefully about to change, however: a new group called the Wireless Power Consortium plans to introduce a series of charging standards aimed at making sure all this magical tech plays nice with each other. The eight-company group includes Logitech, Philips, Sanyo (and now Panasonic, we'd suppose), TI, National Semiconductor, ConvenientPower, and Fulton Innovation -- which demoed that wireless hamburger for us, you'll recall. The group plans to first release a five-watt standard targeted at mobile phones, after which it'll take aim at laptops and other more power-hungry devices. Based on the flood of wireless-related PR we've been getting as CES gets closer, we're expecting some big things to happen in this space -- it sounds like Energizer is also going to get involved, which could be interesting. We'll see how it plays out -- hopefully this is the year we finally cut that power cord.Read - PC World articleRead - WIreless Power Consortium website
Herman Miller planning "desk of the future"
High-end furniture maker Herman Miller looks to be doing its best to cut down on the ever-increasing nuisance of gadget clutter, with Reuters reporting that the company has licensed Fulton Innovation's eCoupled technology to let you recharge various electronic devices simply plopping them down on your (presumably pricey) desk. The technology (shown here in decidedly Herman Miller-form) works by transferring power through a magnetic field that'll charge anything that comes in contact with it; we assume it also involves some sort of adapter for your respective devices. Of course, cordless charging isn't an entirely new concept, with HP recently showing off some of its own ideas for juiced-up furniture, and Splashpower talking up its charge-on-contact system for a few years now. We guess we'll just have to wait and see if this new power-happy desk becomes the same status symbol for the Web 2.0 crowd that Herman Miller's Aeron chair was back in Web 1.0 days -- assuming we haven't moved on to Web 3.0 by the time the desk actually comes out, that is.[Via textually.org]
eCoupled Intelligent Wireless Power debuting at CES next month
Looks like Fulton Innovation is getting ready to introduce a new system called "eCoupled" at CES next month that uses inductive coupling to wirelessly charge gadgets. We've been hearing about wireless charging solutions for gadgets for, well, years now (remember Splashpower?), so we wouldn't be surprised to see 2007 come and go with us charging all of our damn gadgets the old fashioned way, but Fulton has lined up some serious partners, including Visteon, Motorola, Mobility Electronics, and Herman Miller (they make office furniture). Their press release today is a little light on specifics, like when we'll actually be able to buy eCoupled-enabled gadgets, but presumably they're saving all that for CES.
