wireless charging
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UK government opens trial for wirelessly charged taxis
Britain's push toward sustainable transport options has included wireless charging for electric buses and the introduction of electric taxis, which help improve air quality and use less petrol. Some of those electric taxis are now getting an easier way to charge, with the introduction of wireless charging technology in the city of Nottingham.
Georgina Torbet01.16.2020
PopSockets unveils a wireless charger that makes space for PopGrips
Thanks to a new device by PopSockets, you'll no longer have to remove your PopGrip to wirelessly charge your phone. At CES today, PopSockets unveiled its PopPower Home Charger, a wireless charging pad that looks something like a donut. PopGrips fit into the recess in the center, so they won't get in the way of charging.
Christine Fisher01.07.2020
Mophie’s latest wireless charging station can jumpstart your car
Mophie has been a leader in wireless charging for years. It even beat Apple to the punch. Now, the company is upping the ante. Not only does its new Powerstation Go offer USB-A and wireless charging, it can also jumpstart your car.
Christine Fisher01.06.2020
Chevy's 2021 Tahoe and Suburban add OTA updates and big screens
The new mid-engined Corvette Stingray will debut with GM's new "digital vehicle platform," which it shares in common with these super-sized SUVs and allow the vehicles to receive over-the-air updates that add new features in the future. As Autoblog points out, the 2021 Tahoe and Suburban enjoy a refreshed appeal with more interior space and improved ride, mostly thanks to some added length, adaptive suspension tech and a switch to independent rear suspension.
Richard Lawler12.11.2019
Apple may ditch the Lightning port on a 2021 iPhone
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is known for his frequently accurate Apple predictions based at least in part on supply channel connections... and if he's on the mark this time, he might raise some eyebrows. Kuo has claimed that the "highest-end" 2021 iPhone will ditch the Lightning port in favor of a "completely wireless experience." While there have been portless concept phones before, this might be one of the first production devices (certainly the first iPhone) to go without any cables.
Jon Fingas12.05.2019
Oppo's next phone can be fully charged in just 30 minutes
While a handful of recent flagship phones -- namely Samsung's Note 10+ (with the optional 45W adapter) and Vivo's NEX 3 5G -- can be fully charged in a little over an hour, Oppo's upcoming tech will soon render such "fast" charging speeds obsolete. We're talking about juicing up a 4,000mAh battery in just 30 minutes! That's the claim for Oppo's 65W SuperVOOC 2.0 feature, which will debut on the gaming-centric Reno Ace due October 10th, according to the company's Shenzhen event yesterday.
Richard Lai09.18.2019
Apple's latest AirPods and wireless charging case are $30 off on Amazon
Apple's AirPods with the wireless charging case are $30 off on Amazon. That puts them at $170, the lowest price we've seen all year and a deal that doesn't come around often. Apple's AirPods have consistently reviewed well, and by some accounts, they're the most popular true-wireless earbuds in the world. The wireless charging case is a newer addition and a welcomed convenience.
Christine Fisher09.17.2019
Apple might have disabled bilateral wireless charging on its new iPhones
Apple's new iPhones may include a hidden feature. Citing "reliable sources," frequent Apple leaker Sonny Dickson says all three new iPhone models include the necessary hardware for bilateral charging, a feature that would allow the phones to wirelessly charge other Qi-compatible devices such as the Apple Watch. Apple, however, has reportedly disabled the feature within the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max's software. Dickson doesn't say why the company did this, which adds another wrinkle to an already interesting saga.
Igor Bonifacic09.13.2019
OtterBox reveals a portable and stackable wireless charging system
OtterBox has a solution to limited battery life. Today, the company revealed OtterSpot, its Qi wireless charging power bank, and stackable batteries. The OtterSpot Charging Base looks a bit like a thin hockey puck. It's designed to be stackable, meaning you can pile up to three puck-like OtterBox Wireless Charging Batteries and a device on top of it and charge all of them simultaneously. Each battery can then power any Qi-enabled device and support wired charging via a USB-C port. The battery packs come with 5,000 mAh of capacity and up to 10-watt wireless charging speeds.
Christine Fisher08.22.2019
Tesla launches a pricey wireless charging pad for the Model 3
Tesla is expanding its range of phone accessories with an official in-car wireless phone charging pad for the Model 3. The charger is available today and is compatible with Qi-enabled phones including the iPhone 8 and above, the Samsung Galaxy S7 and above and the Google Pixel 3 and 3XL.
Georgina Torbet06.04.2019
Apple cancels AirPower after more than a year of delays
It's been well over a year since Apple first announced AirPower, a wireless charging mat that would power up an iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods (with a wireless case) all at the same time. At the time, Apple said the device would be available sometime in 2018. But after its announcement in September of 2017, information was scarce, and it seemed Apple couldn't solve the heating and power challenges necessary to finalize the product. Now, Apple's pulling the plug for good.
Nathan Ingraham03.29.2019
Oslo is working on wireless charging for its electric taxis
As Norway's capital city prepares to ensure all taxis are zero emission by 2023, Oslo is setting up a wireless charging system for cabs. It aims to have the first such fast-charging taxi system in the world, though it's not clear exactly when it will be up and running. Charging plates will be installed at taxi ranks, which will link to receivers installed in cabs. The system will charge taxis at up to 75 kW.
Kris Holt03.22.2019
The best Qi wireless charging power banks
By Nick Guy This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commission. Read the full Qi wireless charging power banks guide here. After testing nine competitors over 10 hours, we're confident that Energizer's QE10000CQ 10K Wireless Charging Power Bank is the best all-in-one option for anyone looking for the convenience of a Qi wireless charger at a desk and the portability of a power bank on the go. It also has the fastest ports, and you can charge two devices and the battery itself at the same time. The Energizer QE10000CQ offers better grip on its wireless charging surface than the competition, ensuring that your phone stays in place and keeps charging. It has roughly the same footprint as an iPhone XS but measures about twice as thick, and it's equipped with the best combination of charging options we could find: two USB-A ports (one of which supports Quick Charge 3.0 charging), a Micro-USB input, and a USB-C port for both input and output. (You can fast-charge supported devices through the USB-C port if you have the right cable.) It can fully charge most phones three times before needing to be recharged itself; that's as much battery capacity as we saw from any Qi power bank available during our testing period. myCharge's Unplugged 5K is a good option if you prefer a small, inexpensive charger and are willing to make a few sacrifices. It's more affordable than the Energizer but has half the battery capacity (most phones can get about one and a half to two full charges from this myCharge model). In our tests, the Unplugged 5K wirelessly charged just as quickly as the Energizer, getting a fully drained phone to about 30 percent after an hour. Through the two USB-A output ports, you can expect charging speeds at least twice as fast as with wireless charging, but the unit doesn't offer a USB-C port for even faster charging than that. The white plastic body flexes when you press against it, and this power bank has less grip for keeping your phone in place.
Wirecutter03.15.2019
We're one step closer to unified wireless charging standard for EVs
WiTricity, a company that specializes in contactless EV charging, has acquired Qualcomm's rival wireless charging tech. The two are keeping quiet about the financial details, though they did reveal that Qualcomm will become a minority WiTricity shareholder as a result of the transaction. Ultimately, it gives WiTricity access to more than 1,500 new wireless battery charging patents and patent applications, which could see its contactless charging system become the EV industry standard.
Saqib Shah02.11.2019
I want a wireless charging pocket in my next bag
Look, it's hard to get excited about a backpack. But, I have to admit, the Targus Mobile ViP+ Backpack is actually pretty damn cool. Most importantly, it's a solid feeling bag with plenty of padding where it's needed most and tons of storage space. But it's also got a few pretty unique features. The most obvious is the zip up pocket on the side that hides a Qi wireless charging dock. There's rails to keep your phone from moving about too much, and even ventilation to prevent overheating. The whole thing connects to an easily removable and rechargeable 5,000 mAh battery pack.
Terrence O'Brien01.06.2019
Chevy's 2016 cars can keep charging phones from overheating
Early summer on the East Coast hasn't been its usual level of brutal this year, but it's only a matter of time before smartphones start wigging out in the heat. Things only get trickier when you're charging up in your sweltering car, so Chevy cooked up an "active phone cooling" system to keep gadgets from overheating in their 2016 range of vehicles. Don't get too carried away, though: That's just a high-falutin' name for an air vent that points at a warm phone while it's wirelessly charging.
Chris Velazco07.03.2015
Scientists beam power to a fitness tracker via WiFi
Wireless electricity transmission sounds... dangerous, but the ability to do it could transform the internet of things. Researchers from the University of Washington have charged a JawBone UP24 fitness tracker with nothing but ordinary WiFi. They noticed that regular, ambient WiFi was strong enough to power a variety of tiny devices, but only in micro-bursts. So, they inserted "noise" into the signals to keep the power levels steady without disrupting data transmission. Using the technique, which they dubbed "PoWi-Fi" (we vote for just "Pow-Fi") they ran a low-power surveillance camera and temperature sensor from up to 6 meters (20 feet) away from the WiFi antenna.
Steve Dent06.05.2015
Nikola Labs' case uses stray radio waves to charge your iPhone
To hear Nikola Labs co-founder Dr. Rob Lee tell the tale, some 97 percent of the energy a smartphone expends to forge data and voice connections using radio frequencies is lost to the ether. Rather than let it all go to waste, this Ohio-based startup claims to have cooked up a way to harness that power and redirect it using a a humble-looking, $99 iPhone case. Unlike more involved solutions like the ultrasound power transmission system that uBeam has raised over $13 million to help build, there aren't any transmitters you need to stand in range of. The end result? A case that silently, slowly captures your iPhone's wasted power and uses it for recharging.
Chris Velazco05.04.2015
Rubix's wireless battery sticks to your phone with magnets
When you're spending most part of the day out and about, chances are at some point you'll have to whip out your portable battery to juice up your smartphone. This usually means stacking your phone on top of a cable-wrapped power bank, and then clumsily holding everything together with one hand. Doesn't sound very 2015, does it? It's annoying enough for a startup called Rubix to come up with a solution: slap a magnetized Qi wireless charging case (aka On Case) on your phone, and then let it snap onto a magnetized wireless charging battery (aka On Charger). Look ma, no cable!
Richard Lai04.27.2015
Daily Roundup: MWC 2015 so far, Google+ splits up and more!
Mobile World Congress kicks off in Barcelona today and there's already been a number of big announcements. Get the latest details about the new phones from Samsung, HTC and Lenovo. In other news, Google+ is splitting up and IKEA will sell wireless charging furniture. Head past the break to find out the top stories from MWC and more.
Dave Schumaker03.02.2015