Items tagged with charging
As you read this, you're more than likely surrounded by wireless signals. However, wouldn't it be great if those waves of energy could be utilized for purposes other than just delivering data? Apple sure thinks so, as its latest patent application thoroughly highlights. The proposed patent is titled "Wireless Charging and Communications Systems With Dual-Frequency Patch Antennas", and refers to using wireless routers and other wireless hardware to keep devices - such as an iPhone or iPad - charged. Imagine never having to worry about the charge of your phone as long as you're inside yor home - it sounds almost too good to be true. The best thing about this proposed tech is that it's not...
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A platform is usually only as great as the infrastructure that supports it, even if that platform just so happens to be an automobile. While the Tesla idea is a sound one, it isn't apt to end up in the mainstream garage until there's a vast array of chargers. If you can't get a charge without going too far out of your way, your ride is as good as toast. That's why Tesla is doubling down on its "Supercharger" network, and recently, it expanded once again. Tesla Superchargers allow Model S owners to travel for free between cities along well-traveled highways in North America, Europe and Asia. As of today, there are 105 stations in North America, with "complete" west and east coast travel that'll...
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The promise of wireless charging isn't without its limitations. Two of the big ones are that it usually requires a pad of some sort, and it's limited to smaller devices. Not so with Rezence, the first standard to wirelessly charge higher power devices with spatial freedom. It's backed by the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP), which is comprised of companies like Dell, Fujitsu, Intel, Lenovo, Logitech, Panasonic, and many more. A4WP announced today the expansion of its Rezence-based wireless charging capabilities, making it the first to deliver a specification for multi-device wireless charging up to 50 watts. That also expands the type of products that can use Rezence technology to include bigger...
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For years now, "wireless charging" has close to taking off. There have been major efforts to make it a household item, even reaching back to the original Palm Pre and its Touchstone charger. Lately, a few Nokia Lumia devices have supported wireless charging via accessory backs, and some of the larger players have converged into alliances in order to send a stronger, unified message. But all in all, wireless charging still hasn't taken off in a major way. It's still far slower than a cable, and it usually requires too many costly accessories for the layperson to truly consider. Broadcom's hoping to change that with the introduction of a new multi-standard wireless charging SoC for smartphones....
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We've heard rumblings of this happening for some time, and it looks like the fire has finally been properly lit: the European Union is one step closer to passing a law that would mandate a single, universal charger for mobile device sin order to "reduce waste, costs, and hassle for users." It's a move that we certainly applaud, and we wish it would've happened years ago. The "common charger" for all phones would essentially stop fragmentation in one area of the physical make-up of phones. The law would also impact car-door openers and modems, and the rules are being developed as to keep pace with form factor innovation and not hinder creativity on that front. The draft law was approved by 550...
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In the world of technology, it's fairly tough to get the myriad companies that make our gadgets tick work together. They've all got plenty going on within their own camp, and they all feel that their take on a given technology or approach is the ideal one. Every so often, you'll find that companies are willing to work together, as has been the case with adopting the USB standard across pretty much every laptop and phone with few exceptions. We've seen plenty of areas where standardization could benefit consumers, and laptop charging is definitely one of them. To date, there has been no concerted effort to truly create a uniform standard for laptop chargers, but that's changing. The International...
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Wireless charging hasn't exactly taken the world by storm, by almost any measure you look at. That said, there's still hope for the technology, but it will likely require less expensive components, more powerful capabilities (wirelessly powering a TV or laptop, for example), and greater corporate support. The tech is getting precisely that with a new agreement between Duracell and Starbucks. The two have ironed out a deal that will see Powermat charging pads placed at a number of highly visited Starbucks locations in the Silicon Valley area -- an area that's teeming with consumers who actually would be likely to give wireless charging a go. This particular trial is following what's said to be...
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Wireless power isn't really a reality even in the consumer world, but already we're seeing wireless options crop up for the precious few who own electric vehicles. Bosch is amongst the first, announcing the first commercially available wireless electric vehicle charging system in U.S. The company has teamed with Evatran Group to offer the $3000 Plugless Level 2 EV Charging System, alongside financing options for all offered electric vehicle charging stations and their installation. Bosch will provide the complete installation solution for the Plugless L2 System. A Bosch-certified electrician will install the home infrastructure portion of the system, and Bosch Car Service centers will install...
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Remember when Palm thought that wireless phone charging was the future, and then the TouchStone charger never went anywhere? Turns out, wireless charging is apt to only go mainstream once it's truly wireless; having to lay your phone on a dedicated charging pad isn't exactly a major improvement over a standard USB charging cable. That said, Samsung's offering up a similar option for the small niche that may be interested, and given that it sold 10 million Galaxy S4 handsets in under a month, it stands to gain a lot of extra revenue if even a small fraction of those bite. The new GS4 charging kit utilizes the Qi wireless charging standard, and provides a new back plate for the phone as well as...
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When it comes to rapid advances in technology, we don't have a whole lot to gripe about as a society. We've got computers in our pockets, broadband-class speeds without wires, and more pixels on our displays than we can even count. But on the battery side, there's a lot of room for improvement. Texas Instruments realizes it, and this week introduced two power management chipsets with TI's patented new MaxLife fast-charge technology, which allows consumers to charge single-cell Li-Ion batteries faster and experience longer battery life. The bq27530 and bq27531 fuel gauge circuits, coupled with TI's bq2416x and bq2419x chargers, optimize battery performance using the highest possible charge rates...
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Is wireless charging the future? Turns out, every CES for the past few years has become home to a host of wireless charging products, but the stuff really hasn't ever taken off in the mainstream world. Naturally, the company's showing up with wireless in mind are hoping to change the perspective at this year's CES. Fulton Innovation has just introduced a new demo tablet that will actually double as a wireless charging pad, among other things. The company's showing off a two-way wireless power example, and using Qi, it'll demo a tablet being charged wirelessly, which in turn is used to charge a Qi enabled mobile phone. By simply placing the two devices back-to-back, the power transfers wirelessly...
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Automobiles are changing at a faster rate than ever before, particularly in the technology space. Historically, motorcars have evolved fairly slowly compared to the rapid pace of technological change, but now that technology is becoming an integral part of cars, the whole experience is hastening. Just look at Toyota's newest car -- the 2013 Avalon Limited will soon become the first car on Earth to offer Qi wireless charging right from the factory. A limited number of phones and cases support the Qi wireless charging standard, but it's applications like this that will surely spur growth. It's things like this nod of approval from Toyota that'll solve the dreaded chicken-and-egg problem. The Qi...
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Power savings? Yeah, we can get behind that. Texas Instruments has just announced a new breakthrough that it seems pretty darn proud of. It's a new suite of high-efficiency power management controllers that save standby power to help smartphone users consume less electricity with their 5-watt cube adapters, even when they are left plugged into the wall. According to TI, the new UCC28700 primary-side controllers "will enable smaller cubes, wireless power charging stations and other AC-powered equipment. TI also introduced the TPS2511, an intelligent USB charging port controller that complies with USB Battery Charging 1.2 specifications for charging adapters of popular smartphones or 5-V tablets."...
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You may not be super familiar with AViiQ, but they're a mobile accessory and design company that tends to crank out some pretty unique products. The latest is the Ready Clips, giving consumers a convenient way of charging or transferring data to and from any USB 2.0. port. AViiQ Ready Clips are said to "eliminate the headaches associated with tangled cables via a minimalistic pen-sized design, and are now available for Micro, Mini and Apple devices." Each one measures 5.5 inches long, ¼ inch thick and weighs less than 0.5 pounds for easy storage and transporting. They are also completely bendable and feature a conveniently designed clip that allows it to be secured in any pocket,...
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Wireless charging has been around for years in some way or another, but there's one thing that really keeps it from booming: incompatibility. Also, inefficiency. Although the odds are against it, Chrysler is pushing forward with an industry first: in-vehicle wireless charging. And here, we can totally see people adopting a technology where they may otherwise skip over it. The goal is to eliminate unsightly cabling from the car's interior and also make it safer and easier to charge your phone. The company will first make the technology available on the all-new 2013 Dodge Dart that arrives in dealerships in the second quarter of this year. For easy access, a seamlessly integrated power bin, measuring...
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What if your car could power your home? Wait, what? It's true -- Nissan is reportedly saying that their Leaf electric card can actually feed power from its battery pack back into a home, with plenty of juice to run appliances. The new project is called Leaf to Home, and it uses Li-ion batteries as emergency backup for homes. According to Nissan, this functionality would prove most useful if a home were hit by a natural disaster or power outage, and we certainly could see it going over quite well with prospective buyers. According to the company, plans are in motion to commercialize the tech by March of 2012. If you're wondering how it works, here's what we know so far. There's a quick-charge...
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While we still have a very long way to go before electric vehicles are "the norm," Google is already one step ahead of most. The company has just added a network of electric vehicle charging stations to Google maps, which will enable those with EVs to more easily find stations to recharge their cars. It's a vital addition to Maps, and it should be a best friend to those who are tired of driving in circles to find charging ports. Incidentally, this should also cut down on gasoline emissions on hybrid cars who use fuel to drive around in search of a charging station. To use the new feature, just search for “ev charging station” plus the appropriate area, for example, “ev charging...
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With the mobile world exploding, there's a huge market growing for charging solutions. Keeping your gadgets charged has always been a top priority for heavy users, but now it's becoming entirely more mainstream. PowerTrekk is a company that's looking to mix cutting-edge charging technology with the mobile space, and they have created a fuel-cell driven power source for mobile phones and other consumer electronics devices. Amazingly, it's just pocket-sized, and it can provide instant power anywhere, even in remote locations where it's hard to find a wall outlet to recharge. It uses fuel cell technology to convert hydrogen into electricity, and it has a rugged, waterproof shell to keep it functioning...
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Batteries, batteries. You can't live with 'em, and you certainly cannot live without 'em. They're a necessary evil in mobile computing, and while they always seem to die before you'd like them to, having portable, backup batteries around can help ease that sting. PhoneSuit has been offering portable power packs for awhile now, but the company's latest is definitely the most advanced, and definitely the most attractive for iPad owners. It's a small device, able to fit into one's pocket, and it has an 8200mAh battery pack within. When it's fully charged, it can power a smartphone for hours, and the USB output means that it's supported by nearly every major device today that supports USB charging....
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If there's one thing we can't live without as gadget junkies, it's power. Regardless of whether it's solar or not, power is essential to keeping us connected, and these days, more and more devices are able to be charged via USB. We have seen lots of novel chargers come out in the past few years, but Innergie's latest two are definitely some of the most stylish. Yes, stylish chargers -- they do exist! The new mCube Slim universal adapter and the mMini DC10 auto adapter capable of charging any two USB devices simultaneously. Both units are designed for easy travel and easy packing, and they can juice up your phone or iPod in a pinch when there are no AC adapters to be found at an airport. ...
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Wireless charging still has some ways to go before it's truly useful across a broad spectrum of devices. Right now, wireless charging is usually limited to a small pad for charging up phones, and even then you need an accessory case to make the phone compatible. Until wireless charging modules are actually built into phones (the Palm Touchstone was definitely a good effort), it's hard to see this technology truly going mainstream. But here's something that every gizmo owner has: a device that charges via USB. Whether it's a smartphone, a GPS system or a media player, USB is the de facto charging protocol used on personal gadgets this day and age. Now, Duracell is blending the convenience of wireless...
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Wireless charging. To some, it's a dream. To others, it's a reality. But no one would argue that it's as advanced as it should be. PowerMat has proven that with accessory cases and a plugged-in mat, one can "wirelessly" charge their cellphone. But it still requires physical contact, and the base station still has to be plugged into a wall. It's not hard to see the holes in the theory, and while it's a step in the right direction, this isn't the idea we had in mind when dreaming of wireless electricity a decade ago. Announced today over in Japan, Fujitsu has developed new technology for the design of "compact, high-efficiency wireless charging systems." These will reportedly rely on magnetic resonance-based...
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