From Touchstone to flashpoint: the wireless charging standards war – The Verge

Dell joins alliance to bring wireless charging to laptops

2014-02-20T13:07:31-05:00

Dell Venue 8 Pro logo

Wireless charging for laptops is now in the works at one of the top competing standards. The Alliance for Wireless Power has just added Dell as one of its members, and it's announcing today a new wireless charging initiative to begin powering larger products, including laptops and some appliances. While wireless charging on laptops has never been out of the question, it appears that Dell is interested in actually making it happen down the road.

"We are excited to work with other industry leaders in the A4WP to deliver on the promise of easy, flexible wireless charging across an array of mobile devices including smartphones, tablets and lapt …

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Two alliances team up to win the wireless charging war

2014-02-11T07:45:01-05:00

rezence a4wp 1020 stock press

Why can't you just place your phone on a table and have it wirelessly charge? Until today, there were three competing standards that couldn't agree on how the proven technology should work. The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), the Power Matters Alliance (PMA), and the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) each attracted a number of powerful companies, but their chargers didn't play nice with one another. With too many "standards" on the table, consumers and businesses have understandably been hesistant to adopt any of them.

That may be about to change. Today, the A4WP and PMA have signed a preliminary agreement to each adopt the other's techno …

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There’s a new name in wireless charging: Rezence

2013-12-12T08:00:02-05:00

rezence a4wp 1020 stock press

It's anyone's guess who will win the war to wirelessly charge your gadgets, but one of the three competing standards bodies is just about ready to do battle. Today, the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) has announced that it will launch a certification program for devices at the end of this year, under the brand name "Rezence."

Rezence is a portmanteau of "resonant" and "essence," and its symbol is a lightning bolt inside a pair of brackets which define a particular space. A4WP members tell The Verge that the space could change depending on what the logo is trying to communicate. In a smartphone's notification bar, the space could also inc …

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Google launches new wireless charging pad for the Nexus 5 and Nexus 7

2013-10-31T14:14:18-04:00

Gallery Photo: Nexus 5 hands-on photos

Google has supported wireless charging on its Nexus devices for some time, and last year's Nexus 4 smartphone launched with a semi-circle "puck" that acted as a dock and charger for the device. This year, the company has gone back to the drawing board with its wireless charger, revamping its design and adding magnets for better stability when placing a device on it.

The new charger is glossy on top, unlike the sticky, dust-collecting rubber finish on last year's model, and is compatible with the new Nexus 5 and this year's Nexus 7. Presumably, it will charge any Qi-compatible device, including last year's Nexus 4, but only devices that have …

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Orée puts the stone in Touchstone with a wireless charger made from marble

2013-10-11T04:39:39-04:00

Orée, the French hardware startup that made its debut with a wooden wireless keyboard, is back in Tokyo to show off more products crafted from natural materials. The company is running another pop-up workshop from tomorrow, this time at the city's Institut Français.

A wooden take on the Magic Trackpad

The first new product is an obvious follow-up to the last - whereas the Orée Board clearly took design cues from Apple's own wireless keyboard, the Touch Slab is a wooden take on the Magic Trackpad. It's carved from a single piece of maple or walnut, and feels pretty great; you wouldn't know the wood housed a touch sensor just to look at it. Th …

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Qualcomm joins Power Matters Alliance, hopes to ‘harmonize’ competing wireless charging standards

2013-10-01T16:34:44-04:00

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Will we ever be able to simply place a phone on a table and have it automatically charge? It's hard to say, but Qualcomm wants to be a part of that future, no matter which standards body wins the wireless charging war. As of today, the company is part of no fewer than three different competing standards bodies, including the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) it helped found last year. Two weeks ago, it joined the rival Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), and today it has joined the rival Power Matters Alliance (PMA) as well.

The takeaway is pretty much the same as it was two weeks ago: there are still three competing standards bodies, and the …

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Wireless charging war gets more interesting, as Qualcomm joins Qi

2013-09-20T22:40:02-04:00

Gallery Photo: Qi wireless charging at Mobile World Congress 2012

Wireless charging standards are a bit of a mess. There are at least three standards bodies vying to be the correct way to wirelessly send power to your devices: the Power Matters Alliance (PMA) favored by AT&T and Starbucks, the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) backed by Verizon, and the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) formed by Qualcomm and Samsung. Each standards body has quite a few member companies as of today, and each has compelling arguments for why it should succeed. Unfortunately, they're also all pushing incompatible standards, so they can't all win in the end.

That's why people might have reason to be excited about today's news …

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Starbucks expands Powermat wireless charging pilot to Silicon Valley stores

2013-07-26T15:19:03-04:00

Powermat Starbucks stock

The Powermat experiment at Starbucks appears to be going well. After rolling out the wireless tabletop charging stations to a small sample of locations in Boston, Starbucks is expanding the "evaluation" to select Silicon Valley stores. "We have seen positive customer response to wireless charging through our tests in Boston, and are pleased to now extend this experience for our customers in the Silicon Valley area," said Adam Brotman, chief digital officer at Starbucks.

Pleased as Starbucks may be, the Powermat experience remains largely inconvenient for consumers. Virtually all of today's popular smartphones still require a case or, even w …

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Intel picks a favorite in the wireless charging race with A4WP membership

2013-06-19T22:25:52-04:00

via cdn2.sbnation.com

In the competition to establish the one true wireless power standard, the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) is adding a big name partner today: Intel. The A4WP was formed last year by Samsung, Qualcomm, and wireless charging company Powermat, but now boasts over 50 members, including Broadcom, Sandisk and LG. That's roughly the same as the Power Matters Alliance (PMA) and only a third the number of partners as the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), both of which back a different technology, inductive charging, under the names Qi and Power 2.0. Although the battle won't likely be won or lost by a single partner, Intel's decision is notable sin …

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PowerMat to acquire PowerKiss in wireless charging landgrab

2013-05-21T09:05:04-04:00

Powermat

Duracell-backed Powermat announced today that it plans to acquire Finnish wireless charging rival PowerKiss. The deal sees both companies combine under the Powermat brand, bringing together more than 2,500 wireless charging spots in airports, coffee shops, and retail stores across the US and Europe. The two companies previously allied under the Power Matters Alliance (PMA), attempting to prevail against the competing Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) - which supports the Qi standard used in Nokia, Samsung, and LG products.

It's a big boost for the PMA, which already boasts support from Starbucks, Google, and AT&T. In March, Powerkiss defected …

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