Starbucks, in partnership with Duracell, is starting a nationwide rollout of a wireless charging system for smartphones. The system is powered by Duracell’s Powermat technology, which we reviewed last July (starting at $3.50). The program will place 100,000 of the Duracell chargers at specially-marked tables in each Starbucks location. Users would then be able to charge any phone using a compatible wireless charging system.
So far the program has only rolled out in a few stores, but it’s scheduled to reach more markets by next year. There’s not a timetable yet for when the rollout will be complete.
While the program is only available in a few stores right now, a page on the website for the initiative lists locations where the service is currently offered.
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That headline is accurate, from a certain point of view. But it’s probably MORE accurate to phrase it like so: “Starbucks teams up with Duracell to place iPhone-INcompatible wireless chargers in coffee shops.”
This just looks like thief heaven. A load of young girls and boys leaving phons around on tables?
Does Starbucks execs know something we don’t about the next IPhones?
So StarBucks are investing in iPhone 6, but Intel’s wireless tech is better, so when all the long range wireless charging devices arrive from other vendors, the Starbucks charging mats won’t work. A bit like Firewire, miniUSB etc, dead at birth, except for those with adaptors or an iPhone 6, assuming it uses the Powermat standard.
The same old lame argument. Apple products will be ‘dead at birth’ because of products that still won’t be available. Doesn’t make sense.
Piss off troll.
iPhone 6 won’t have a ‘powermat’ compatible charging system. Plugging a cable in is far more useful than having to leave your phone flat on a table. You can’t pick it up, you can’t tilt it, you can’t talk on it, it’s pretty much useless.
To me, all this looks like is a ploy to get people to not use their phones while in Starbucks.
In related news, Frappuccinos to go from $8 to $9.
FAIL. 90% of the phones in the world that have wireless charging built in use the open and free Qi standard. Powermat is a competing, proprietary,and incompatible technology, which is currently not built into any commercially available phone or tablet. (There are several with Qi built in though.)
These will go widely unused, and will mainly just piss off customers who won’t understand why the Powermat spots won’t charge their Qi enabled device. Qi is already way out in front and cheaper because it doesn’t demand royalties and patent fees. (Qi does have licencing fees and standards for using the logo, but not the technology.)
Intel may wipe both out if it can get it’s long-range charging system working without irradiating all the customers. But right now that tech isn’t quite ready for prime time, while Qi is taking a strong lead. Duracell is probably paying to put these in, and is trying to boost it’s format in doing so. I just don’t think it’s going to work though, because their cases are more expensive and far more bulky/ugly than those available that are Qi based in almost every case.