hrmpf caused quite a stir in the rumor community back in February when it reported on Apple's inductive charging patent filing. Well, according to the Mossberg Solution at wsj.com, it looks like a company called WildCharge Inc. beat Apple to the punch on their popular portable devices.
They haven't done inductive charging (like Braun-Oral B does with their toothbrushes for instance) but they have made small adapters that have connection points to the flat surface - which should give similar results. (thx commenter)
We think it'd be a great convenience to charge our iPhones like this, but it would be really be off the hook (pun?) if Apple would work in a WiFi sync to go along with it (ahem - Macworld Expo), so we can free up a USB port.
So what do you all think? Ready to shell out an extra hundred bucks for the privelege not to charge your iPhone/iPod touch with the cradle? Or are we all waiting for iPhone2 with 3G and built-in inductive charging? And maybe you are worried about electrocuting your cat and/or wasting too much precious energy with the inefficiencies of this device? Do tell...
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nice! I would love to see
nice! I would love to see apple adopt this across their whole lineup...but they only refresh once a year :(
Herm...I don't know if this
Herm...I don't know if this is a mainstream sort of thing. At least for now this is a product in the FM radio category. Something you can buy as an add on but not that comes standard.
I see this going mainstream within a year tho....and yes, I will buy one
This is not inductive
This is not inductive charging device. It isn't even contactless charging !You just replace your device back cover with one with connectors on the back and when you put it on the "charging plane", that happends to be covered with metal trace, the contact points on the back of your new ugly back cover are in contact with the metal bars on the plate.See the image : http://www.wildcharge.com/images/products/3.jpg
You've got to be kidding.
You've got to be kidding. Has Mossberg lost it? How does this product make charging easier--you need a *specific* adapter for your phone (which you must attach to your phone), you need to have the charger plugged into the wall. What's the advantage? This is a moronic product.
I think the advantage is you
I think the advantage is you set your device down on a surface instead of having to plug it in.
and that different devices
and that different devices could use the charger...
This isn't even new. This
This isn't even new. This was on Engadget months ago! Back then they only supported the RAZR; It was a stupid idea then and it's a stupid idea now.
Added cost and no benefit... You still have to have physical contact. Not to mention this isn't even real inductive charging.
Inductive charging, take the word apart, means you are INDUCING current to provide the charge. Not fashioning a cute contact that is still directly transfering current.
As mentioned above, Oral-B is charging inductively. Notice the battery inside the toothbrush handle is encased in plastic. There is no metal directly transfering current to the toothbrush battery. Instead power is transferred through electromagnetic coupling.
Nothing to see here, move along and save your $.
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