Smartphones and tablets — as amazing and futuristic as these portable devices are, charging them remains as archaic as ever. Here at Apartment Therapy, we're always looking for ways to reduce cable clutter. Imagine never plugging in a portable device again…
As far as technology has come, wireless power is really the holy grail. It's a dream that may take decades to fully realize, but that doesn't mean you can't have a taste of the future right now. Tired of cables everywhere? Check out these options for wireless inductive charging that will work with the devices you already have.
PowerKiss
PowerKiss (a company from Finland) offers up their solution to wireless charging with their system of ring shaped phone adapters and built-in public charging stations. Simply plug in the ring adapter and place the ring against the red ring of the charging station for convient wireless charging. Though only offering a handful of charging stations in airports throughout Europe, their sexy and playful branding (their slogan: "Find the Heart") might help it catch on. The ring adapters are currently available for iPhones and Micro USB ports, and of course since it's a Finnish company, they're proud to support Nokia Windows Phone 8 devices.
Energizer
Energizer, the battery company, also has their own inductive system which consists of a plastic sleeve for your iPhone or Blackberry and a charging pad. Placing your device in the sleeve chase, which plugs into the 30 pin connector on the iPhone, lets you simply place the device down on the pad for easy charging. (The device also uses the Qi wireless charging standard.)
ZENS and the Samsung Galaxy S3
If you own a Galaxy S3 by Samsung, ZENS offers a great solution with a replacement battery cover to make the inductive charging experience even more seamless.
Launchport and the Ap.3 Sleeve for the iPad
Not to be left out of the inductive charging push, the iPad also has a solution from Launchport. The Ap.3 sleeve (which fits the iPad and iPad 2) and angled base station offers a nice modern look, comparable to the Energizer system.
Innovation and integration
Overall the real challenge to reaching a wireless world, and for inductive charging to really take off, will be standardization, integration, and ubiquity. Phones (and other devices) need the technology built in and standardized, so every phone can charge everywhere. (Qi, a wireless charging standard like Bluetooth or wi-fi protocols, is a step in the right direction.) If a company like Apple made a smart move on this , imagine how quick we would have inductive desks, coffee tables or counter tops everywhere.
One day we may never look down at our phones to see our batteries near empty — in fact, we may never need to think about charging at all. For now, that's still a dream, but at least we can get a taste of the future with these early takes on inductive charging.
(Images: As linked, lead image from LaunchPort)
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That iPad "sleeve" looks stylish, but takes up so much more room than the cable...so no gain for me. I guess if you wanted a stand for your desk that also charges? But even then, the pad doesn't sit at a good angle for use.
Inductive charging is ridiculously inefficient. Don't think I want to pay an extra x% in electricity fees for the benefit of having a universal charger.
Just like you said, we need standardization across these devices to really get this technology off the ground. It will be so nice just to put my phone down to charge it instead of finding that little black wire and flipping it this way and that to find out which side is up just to plug it in... Great post!
The Palm phones had an inductive back for both charging, and moving files to and fro between your computer and phone. I thought that was pretty neato.