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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 launches eCoupled technology for bi-directional wireless charging (hands on)
Wireless charging is slowly creeping into more and more devices, and the convenience it brings is a welcome addition to our technological lives. But what if you don't have a charging pad nearby? With Fulton Innovation's eCoupled technology inside your device, you could use the charge in your tablet to charge your phone (or vice-versa). Essentially it enables the bi-directional movement of power between compatible devices. Any Qi enabled device can be charged by the eCoupled hosting device, and when two enabled devices are held back to back, then the one with the most power charges the other. In the demonstration given to us on the show floor, Fulton Innovation had a reference device (a Samsung tablet) containing the technology, and demonstrated it by simply resting a Qi enabled mobile on top, and instantly it charged -- just like placing it on a regular charging mat. Fulton were also keen to stress their intention to get the technology incorporated into the Qi standard, meaning that if this were the case, then bi-directional charging like this could eventually be common place. Beyond the more obvious application of charging devices, there are other applications that this idea opens up. One such example is the use of "printed electronics" that can be activated simply by resting your phone or other enabled device on top. As a demonstration, a printed picture of a DJ with some speakers become an interactive soundboard once the eCoupled device was rested on the relevant point. This could also mean lightweight printed keyboard, that wouldn't require any charging, springing to life once you place your device on them. Check the gallery to see the idea in action, and the press releases over the break for more info.%Gallery-175155% Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
iLuv outs three more Bluetooth speakers, NFC and Qi-certified wireless charging join the fray
Looking for wireless charging and Bluetooth connectivity in your next speaker dock? If so, iLuv's most recent CES announcement may be of interest. The MobiRock is the company's first Bluetooth unit to sport Qi-certified wireless charging pad for re-juicing sans wires while blasting the latest Big Boi album. That's not all. The unit also features NFC capabilities as well. iLuv also outed the MobiAria: a speaker that streams wirelessly via Bluetooth with NFC lending a hand for easy pairing. A USB charging port and a 3.5mm aux jack for connecting the old fashioned way are also along for the ride. Finally, the Syren is the third member for the trio that sports NFC wares. Touting a rechargeable battery, built-in mic and auxiliary port, the device offers 360-degree sound blasts for those afternoon excursions. The MobiAria will be available in May, while the MobiRock and Syran are slated for a June arrival despite pricing info for the entire lot remaining elusive. For a look at all three, hit the gallery below to take a gander in the order of original mention. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
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.
Toyota 2013 Avalon Limited packs Qi wireless charging
Few if any of us are fans of buying 12V adapters to keep our phones powered up in the car. Those who buy the just-arriving 2013 Toyota Avalon Limited, if they choose the Technology Package, won't have to. A lid in the upgraded center stack provides Qi wireless charging to keep that Lumia 920 or Nexus 4 topped up without cluttering the console. As always, convenience carries a steep price tag: a gas-only Avalon Limited with the package costs $42,195 before the usual added fees and taxes, while a hybrid bumps that to $43,945. We wouldn't go out of our way just to skip the wires, then, but the wireless power may tip the balance for smartphone fans in the market for an entry-luxury sedan.
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.
JBL Power Up speaker and wireless charger combo now shipping, whimsically priced around $250
The fruit of JBL's partnership with Espoo, the Power Up wireless speaker and induction charger, has just landed at AT&T and Verizon. Aside from receiving your beats over Bluetooth, the 2 x 10-watt speaker can also charge Qi-compatible devices like the Lumia 920 and the Nexus 4. It uses TI's latest power chip for an enlarged charging area, and packs NFC for quick pairing. Unlike TDK's more portable option, the Power Up retains its power cable, but it does come in cheaper than its rival at $250. (Or, for some reason, $300 if you buy it at AT&T.) [Thanks, Brandon]
TI details the wireless power chip in the Lumia 920, offers four times the charging area
If you're one of the first on your block to have picked up a Nokia Lumia 920, you might wonder why it's so forgiving with where you set it down on the wireless charging pad. TI is more than willing to share. The 920, 820, Fatboy charging pillow and JBL PowerUp speaker all use a new TI bq500410A controller whose support for new transmitters gives it a charging area four times larger than we're used to. The 2.76 by 0.79 inches of coverage might not sound like much, but it's much wider than the previous 0.71 square inches while preserving a 70 percent efficiency and a safety cutoff if something gets in between. As a companion, there's a bq51050B chip launching at the same time that represents the first Qi receiver with its own built-in battery charger, which TI claims can charge more quickly and in less space than its rivals. Anyone embracing Nokia's vision of Windows Phone 8 can get their hands on devices using the wireless power chips today; we're only left hoping that TI's official news means other phone makers can tag along.
TDK's Wireless Charging Cube pumps out the jams, juices your Qi devices and resists water (video)
Although TDK mentioned its Wireless Charging Cube at IFA with the rest of its latest portable audio wares, it wasn't until today that we got a look at the speaker. The six by six by six-inch (yes, you read that right) unit features the same retro, black and gold aesthetic as TDKs other Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR speakers, but it's notably housing a Qi-compatible inductive charging base at the top (just like JBL's Lumia-styled Power Up speakers). Along with being splash-resistant enough to stay safely within range of your sink, an internal rechargeable battery will net you roughly six to eight hours of untethered play time. We had a very brief ears-on with this $400 unit, so join us past the break for more details and our initial impressions.%Gallery-166207%
Nokia adds Qi wireless charging tech to new Lumia phones, we go hands-on
So the big buzz of the day's just passed, but now's the time to focus on the lesser details of Nokia's big Windows Phone 8 / Lumia presser: the accessories. Revealed during the presentation today, the Lumia 920 and 820 both incorporate Qi tech for wireless charging (albeit, optionally in the latter's case), a perk that will let users choose from the company's own stylish, soap-bar like dock, Fatboy pillow or an NFC-equipped charging stand. All three function exactly as advertised -- put the phone on top and it starts charging right away. The basic dock is the same sort of plastic that now graces the outside of the Lumia line. It's simple, slightly shiny and comes in a variety of hues. The Pillow is broad, flat and not exactly comfortable. The charging element sits right in the middle and is surrounded by beanbag-like cushions on all sides save for the top -- we wouldn't advise putting it under your head to go to sleep. The most interesting peripheral is definitely the charging stand. It's the least cumbersome of the charging options and it's got a neat trick up its sleeve. An NFC chip embedded in its base can be used to tell a Lumia to launch an app when you place it in the dock. So, you could easily put a 920 down, keep it charged and automatically open your music player or alarm clock. You can see the NFC trick in action in a video after the break. %Gallery-164405%
JBL intros Power Up speaker to charge your Nokia Lumia 920, pair over NFC
JBL just kicked out a pair of new accessories to go with that new Nokia Lumia 920. The Power Up speaker does more than just start Bluetooth music sharing over NFC -- it has a Qi wireless charging point so that you can just leave your shiny new Windows Phone on top for an extra jolt of energy without looking for that FatBoy pillow. We'll provide more details as they emerge following Nokia's special event.%Gallery-164395% Dana Wollman contributed to this report.
Nokia brings wireless charging to Virgin Atlantic lounges, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf
Nokia thinks you'll like the wireless phone charging on your Lumia 920 or 820 enough to want to take it on the road, and to that end it's striking a deal to bring the cable-free experience beyond the home. Both Virgin Atlantic's lounge at Heathrow Airport and countertops at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in the US will let you top up your Windows Phone without having to hunt for a power outlet. We're still waiting on details like the timing, but we're glad to know that we won't have to lug around our FatBoy Recharge Pillows just to keep living in Nokia's vision of the future.
Nokia Lumia wireless charging pad breaks cover
That was quick: we'd heard rumors through The Verge of wireless charging coming to the repeatedly leaked Lumia 920 alongside a pseudo-PureView camera, and the mysterious @evleaks has come through with what looks to be press photos showing the wireless charging pad in action. As long as they're more than just wild imaginings, they reveal a puck-like surface that could juice up both the Lumia 920 and the less ambitious 820. We don't know much more about the charger, although it's expected to use Qi and wouldn't limit the phones and pad to coupling solely with each other. We'll know the bigger picture on September 5th; in the meantime, check after the break for a bonus picture showing both Windows Phone 8 devices with an unnamed Bluetooth headset (likely a Luna variant) that might join the charger in Nokia's accessory line.
Samsung, Qualcomm start up Alliance for Wireless Power to take on Qi
Wireless power has until now been closely associated with the Wireless Power Consortium's Qi standard. There's now a second proposed common ground in the Alliance for Wireless Power, or A4WP. Samsung and Qualcomm, along with some help from Powermat, SK Telecom, Ever Win Industries, Gill Industries and Peiker Acustic, are making an alternative that allows for "spatial freedom" between your gadget and the charging source, although whether or not that's better than the 1.6-inch distance of the updated Qi spec is left to the imagination. The strategy doesn't just let your device avoid French kissing the charger: it lets you power up through a material besides a metal plate, and it reduces the cost by eliminating repeaters. A4WP should power everything from low-power headsets through to smartphones and tablets, although with partnership talk just getting started at CTIA Wireless 2012, we wouldn't hold off on buying wired-power gadgets in the near future.
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?
Oregon Scientific Time & Wireless Charging Stations hands-on
Buried within the pile of gadgets at Oregon Scientific's CES booth were these two Time & Wireless Charging Stations. On the left we have the entry-level clock that's already out in the market, whereas the bigger "plus" model on the right made its debut at the show, boasting the extra clock projection and weather forecast feature. Also shown along side were the customized iPhone 4 Qi sleeves that Oregon Scientific will be offering online, and they actually had pretty high quality finish, too, especially with the texture coating on top of them. Do take a closer look in our hands-on photos below.
TI's wireless charger for tablets does amazing things with electrons, sticky tape
Either TI has the hots for Arduino in a big way, or its latest wireless charging kit isn't quite ready for mass production. When it does arrive, however, it promises to do away with those cumbersome specialized sleeves and back covers that are currently needed for inductive charging. Instead, it'll deliver efficient in a package that's small enough to be installed as part of a device's internal circuitry. In addition to the Qi-standard 5W version we glimpsed a while back, the company is also working on a 10W variant for the iPad 2 and other tablets, which could wipe the smile off LaunchPort's face and perhaps make MicroUSB 3.0 superfluous before it even gets here.
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.
Oregon Scientific's Time and Wireless Charging Station+ does what it says
Oregon Scientific isn't usually known for making gadgets that get cozy with phones and whatnot, but this year we'll be seeing some changes. For starters, this Time and Wireless Charging Station+ will be the company's second Qi wireless charging station, and it shares many similarities with its smaller predecessor (which is conveniently dubbed Time & Weather Charging Station): you get a single charging pad along with a monochrome LCD for the time, indoor temperature and outdoor temperature (five channels; one sensor included). Of course, the plus sign in the name means there are some extra goodies, namely a radio-controlled clock, a barometer for weather forecast plus a projector for the time and temperature; but you'll need to pick up your own Qi phone sleeve -- Oregon Scientific sells one for the iPhone 4. Expect to see this clock on the market at some point for around $129.