[Closed] wireless charging, why did no one tell me!

cables? nothing really. Needs some charging mats in coffee shops

I don't understand how this has not been included on all phones and devices...bye bye lots of adapter standards and miles of cables...?

bye bye lots of adapter standards and miles of cables.

The wireless pad still needs...the exact same cable.

You think there's only one wireless power standard? How naive.... 😉

I don't understand how this has not been included on all phones and devices...bye bye lots of adapter standards and miles of cables...?

It's less efficient, slower, and increases the cost of manufacture of the devices.

What rate do they charge at?

matt_outandabout - Member
I don't understand how this has not been included on all phones and devices...bye bye lots of adapter standards and miles of cables...?

Palm were going to take over the world with this 5 years ago 8)

The iPhone didn't have it so no one gave a shit

I just got a wireless Qi charger for my Nokia. It's great, though a little noisy for nighttime use. I think my favourite thing about it is that fact that the charging plate itself has an internal battery, so you can charge your phone totally cable less if you need to.

wireless charging, why did no one tell me!

Hmm.
Why didn't you RTFM?! 😉

 

The biggest issue I have is forgetting to take the plate with me, it does live on my desk though. As for data transfer I can't remember ever using a cable with this phone for that. It's all been wireless, no issues with that.

It's less efficient, slower, and increases the cost of manufacture of the devices.

+1

Is it [i]really[/i] that much effort to plug in a cable?
Look there is one right there going into your "wireless" charging mat. 🙄

Now if you were talking [i]proper[/i] wireless power, where giant Tesla towers make electricity freely available everywhere THEN I would see the point 😀

Is it really that much effort to plug in a cable?
Look there is one right there going into your "wireless" charging mat.

OK, naive me...
I had in my head one [s]big pad[/s] neat top of a hall unit with our four phones, iPad, two iPods, DS, 3DS and WiiU controller all sat neatly on it charging, instead of the double 4-gang extension cables and a melee of wires and chargers lurking in the drawer below...

How does it work?

Look a little more forward...

When that day comes I'll start looking for it as a feature. Till then it just seems a bit pointless and wasteful to me.

Presumably the charging mats need to be left on all the time too? (Though I guess they only ramp up to full power when they detect a device).

How does it work?

Magnets innit?

(But no one knows how [i]they[/i] work!)

Wireless internet - fine, wireless charging, fine. Show me plumbing-less sanitation, then I'll be impressed.

(France doesn't count)

Could I use an induction hob to super charge a phone quicker?

Yes*

*No

YES - try it with someone elses phone first.

Wireless internet - fine, wireless charging, fine. Show me plumbing-less sanitation, then I'll be impressed.

[url= http://www.toiletrevolution.com/incinerating-toilets/ ]Ta-dah[/url]

I was an early adopter of the powermat charging system.....

Waste of money that turned out to be. Got lots of cases for old phones and a great charging plate now but that's it.

@Sweepy - I won't be putting my delicate nether regions anywhere near something called a "Flame 8000" 😯

wanmankylung: It works in a similar way to a mains transformer, which the charging mat being one half of the transformer, and the other half being inside the phone case.

It's less efficient than plugging a cable in, but those micro USB ports are rather fragile, so I prefer wireless charging myself.

I won't be putting my delicate nether regions anywhere near something called a "Flame 8000"

But I can't quite shake the thought that you will need to pay close attention to the prevailing winds when positioning the Flame 8000. I'm sure having your idyllic log cabin filling up with the smell of flame grilled turd every time someone flushes would kill the vibe.

Oral B have been doing this for 20 years.

I've got a wireless holder/charger for the car which is great. Also got one at work and tend to dump my phone on it whenever I'm near my desk.

I think wireless charging technology is more a reflection that device battery life hasn't quite matched pace with advances in the power of smart phones/tablets etc!

Hmmm. Do you think a wireless charging mat could revive a very dead nexus 4?. I suspect it is very dead because the micro USB is damaged and therefore couldnt take any charge.

Whippersnapper, that was exactly my problem

You can replace the micro USB daughter board, they're about 15. Quid for the parts but its a bit fiddly

Whippersnapper, that was exactly my problem

You can replace the micro USB daughter board, they're about 15. Quid for the parts but its a bit fiddly

Hmmm. Do you think a wireless charging mat could revive a very dead nexus 4?. I suspect it is very dead because the micro USB is damaged and therefore couldnt take any charge.

See the very first line in the very first post...

so I shagged the usb port on my phone

Thanks kimbers, did you replace the USB as well? Or just go with the mat first off?

Thanks peterfile. The nexus 4 has different levels of deadness. I am not sure how dead kimbers' phone was.

just the qi charger, like this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00F5UAFDM/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=569136327&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00ANA8TA0&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=1YY3RNH0W65EVGZCAQXT

dont think ill bother with the usb port now

GrahamS - Member

Is it really that much effort to plug in a cable?
Look there is one right there going into your "wireless" charging mat.

GrahamS - Member

When that day comes I'll start looking for it as a feature. Till then it just seems a bit pointless and wasteful to me.

[tongue in cheek mode]

Presumably iPhones don't come with wireless charging?

Only when Apple 'invent' wireless charging, will it become a 'must have'.....

[/tongue in cheek mode] 😉

I'd love it if my phone supported wireless charging. Just chuck it down on a pad on my desk at work and ta daaaaaa, it charges. That would be great. Could be plugged into USB port on my monitor so it only comes on when the computer is on, i.e. when I'm at work.

Presumably iPhones don't come with wireless charging?

😀 Not built-in, though [url= http://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspence/2014/12/11/qi-wireless-charger-iphone-6/ ]there are third-party cases that support it[/url].

Just chuck it down on a pad on my desk at work and ta daaaaaa, it charges. That would be great.

But you would be literally right next to cable that could charge it much faster and more efficiently for just one second's worth of extra effort on your part?

The magnetic snap-on Sony charging cable does away with many of the disadvantages of the mini-USB socket. It's sealed/waterproof, can't fill up with fluff and is unlikely to break off.

But you would be literally right next to cable that could charge it much faster and more efficiently for just one second's worth of extra effort on your part?

especially if you use a 2.1A charger it'll charge from empty in about 2 hours.

GrahamS - Member

But you would be literally right next to cable that could charge it much faster and more efficiently for just one second's worth of extra effort on your part?

I reckon once you got used to just chucking it down on a pad, then having to plug it in would be a major pain (1st world pain obviously, in the same way that filling the car up once a week is a major pain).....
Plus, if you have to make a call or take it to the loo for a spot of Angry Birds you have to unplug it and re-plug it every time.

Not bothered about charging efficiency too much. Obviously if it's massively wasteful of energy, then it's no good.
But, I'm at work for 7.5hrs minimum. My phone doesn't need to charge as fast as possible.
In the same way my toothbrush doesn't need to be charged within 30mins because I can plug it in before I go to bed and won't be needing it for perhaps 6-8hrs.

And - your forgetting the main point of it - Wireless charging is some kind of futuristic magic (even though it's just magnets and coils and induction stuff)...... 🙂

peterfile, which one do you have in the car? I tried using one like [url= http://www.amazon.co.uk/standard-Wireless-Charger-Google-MCPOWER/dp/B00E7ONI1I/ref=pd_sim_ce_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=11DZFCYPP9R5FB3VHF2R ]this[/url], but it ran the battery flat in about a week! It's a bmw 5 series diesel so not a small battery either. I opened up the casing of the charger and it was pretty simple inside, I suspect it was on whenever the car was on regardless of if there was a phone on it.

In the house I have a [url= http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zens-ZESC02B-Wireless-Charger-Qi-standard/dp/B00C5X1JGE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1420543885&sr=8-3&keywords=ZENS ]ZENS[/url] charger which seems much more intelligent and also much faster but I don't want to risk running the car flat again!

Wireless charging is some kind of futuristic magic

[i]So many miracles, the magic miracles.[/i] 😉

The magnetic snap-on Sony charging cable does away with many of the disadvantages of the mini-USB socket. It's sealed/waterproof, can't fill up with fluff and is unlikely to break off.

Wish they'd developed it sooner. My otherwise perfect Xperia SP has a knackered usb connection. I'm dragging out sending off to the insurers for repair as my life will probably become unbearable without the possibility for immediate distraction.

Presumably iPhones don't come with wireless charging?

Only when Apple 'invent' wireless charging, will it become a 'must have'.....

I know this is in jest but it might actually be fairly on the money.

Right now wireless charging is a meaningless stat for all but the techies. Nobody really thinks placing a phone on a mat attached to a cable is really a huge leap from plugging the tiny cable into the phone its self.

But if it were supported by infastructure wireless charging could be great, never need to "charge" you phone again as it is being powered by an induction charger where ever you go.

Google just lob features into phones and hope people use them, Apple tend to build the infsatructure required for people to use them and make them idespensable.

It's early days but it looks like Apple Pay will succeed where Google Wallet failed for this reason, maybe Apple could do the same with wireless charging. (although I doubt it since there is nothing in it for them)

Wireless charging doesn't appeal to me, perhaps too cynical but I would assume the batteries wouldn't last as long and be more expensive. I charge the phone overnight and it works as my bedside alarm clock, no bother at all really. Another charger at work as backup / wire for the car - job done.

having used it for a few days im sold

my time is too precious to waste that extra 1 second plugging in a cable! its like dropper posts, i never thought i needed one till I got one

ive ordered one for work now too

just sayin like, but it seems all the negative ninnys are apple fanbois

The next step is the integrated charging, once somebody rolls that out then it will be mainstream. Though I assume the apple delay is due to them inventing wireless charging that is subtly but critically different and incompatible with everything else for no good reason.

peterfile, which one do you have in the car? I tried using one like this, but it ran the battery flat in about a week! It's a bmw 5 series diesel so not a small battery either. I opened up the casing of the charger and it was pretty simple inside, I suspect it was on whenever the car was on regardless of if there was a phone on it.

I've got [url= http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00NICHY88?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00 ]THIS[/url] one.

It's brilliant. Really sturdy and feels very well made. I've attached mine with the vent mounting attachment which is actually quite clever and well thought out (I can completely remove it in half a second yet it's really secure when in place).

The holder itself releases by pushing a button and then you just squeeze the arms together when you want to attach the phone.

Charges well and doesn't rattle around when the car is moving.

I can't believe I'm giving such a glowing review of a phone holder, but I'm really happy with it after faffing about with a few different holders.

[img] [/img]

but, i can see a wire...I'm confused.

but, i can see a wire...I'm confused.

You do realise that the wireless charging pad needs to get it's electricity from somewhere? It's not magic.

In my case, the cable is routed behind the unit and underneath the console, so out of the way and out of sight.

but, i can see a wire...I'm confused.

but, i can see a wire...I'm confused.

That's so you can easily unplug it to save it draining your car's battery. 😆

I have a dock that my phone slots into to charge, and it's much better than using a cable. Yes there's a cable plugged into the dock, but it's not somewhere down the beck of my bedside table which is where the loose cable would be.

We have a tablet that sits on the sidetable in the living room; a wireless charging pad would be great for that.

It's not magic.

**** that then, i'll wait for apple's magic version.

I use one at work as everytime I plug my phone in to the computer it asks if I want to access it as an external drive. Minor annoyance particularly as the cable was too short to allow me to answer the phone without unplugging it, but the wireless mat removes that.
It is also magic so that is what sold it to me

I was recently working on a project where the whole of the table in reception was to be made a wireless charging point so that laptops, phones etc could be charged while you are sat around waiting. What would brilliant would be a laptop that could be charged while sat in a cafe working. It probably exists somewhere but not in my tiny world yet!

I think this tech has the potential to make life much easier

It should be everywhere

Instead phone companies put all their efforts into brining out a new phone that is, wait for it ...... 1 inch bigger and maybe even has an os that uses a different font or background color on the drop downs

But if it were supported by infastructure wireless charging could be great

^Nail. Head.

A wireless charging pad might save me a tiny bit of inconvenience but it's hardly revolutionary since I still need to have the pad plugged in somewhere. However, if I could jump on the Tube and know that somehow my phone would charge without me having to do anything, then likewise at the cafe, then likewise at the library etc that would be something worth getting excited about. Apple make a tonne of money licensing the technology to all and sundry and Joe Punter doesn't worry about their phone dying ever again.

This is no doubt being worked on right now in an Apple secret laboratory 🙂

Interesting Engadget article about the future uses of wireless power that are just around the corner (in 2011):
http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/24/engadget-primed-how-wireless-and-inductive-charging-works/

It goes a bit beyond just phones, e.g. a kitchen counter wirelessly powering the kettle and toaster.

The protocol looks interesting. Power level is controlled by the transmitter:

[img] [/img]

Think I'll buy a few, configure them to deliver maximum power regardless of the requests, then hide them under a few tables. That should be fun 😈

I've got a ZENS one, it's a double one so I can charge Nexus 4 and 7 at the same time.

I tried using one like this, but it ran the battery flat in about a week! It's a bmw 5 series diesel so not a small battery either. I opened up the casing of the charger and it was pretty simple inside, I suspect it was on whenever the car was on regardless of if there was a phone on it.

pfft. energy harvesting is where the magic is at...

the cable was too short to allow me to answer the phone without unplugging it, but the wireless mat removes that.

I can think of two slightly simpler solutions to that dilemma 😀

So can I, but the phone had the ability and I had all of the £6 needed to buy the charging pad, so I thought "It is the start of the month, who cares if I end up eating Tesco Value Beans for a couple of weeks" and I went for it. I haven't regretted it for one moment

Oh how the other half live. 😀

GrahamS - Member

I can think of two slightly simpler solutions to that dilemma

Sometimes it's interesting to try and think about a problem with out the current solution - ie how would you do this if it was new today.

^Well said.

The root problem is that we have to charge our Smart Phones frequently. If we only had to charge them once a week would wireless charging be of any value? Probably not. By looking at solutions for the root problem we start to see innovation and that really needs the combination of a technical solution [b]and[/b] the accompanying infrastructure.

How about something like the Apple Mac charger? Seems ideal.
Still a cable but uses a magnet to secure so you don't have to DP your delicate device with an equally delicate charger. It's very quick and efficient.

How about something like the Apple Mac charger? Seems ideal.
Still a cable but uses a magnet to secure

[quote=mikewsmith ]So not wireless and still needs connecting to the right place? Can you build them into tables? What about my office desk? In my car - imagine having a charging pad built into your car glove box/centre console.
You can build them into cradles.

Get in car.
Place phone in cradle.
Done.

That also places the phone in a position to be used as a SatNav/DashCam etc, something it can't do if lying flat on a mat.

so one out of 3, and it requires everyone to put the plug in the same place,

That also places the phone in a position to be used as a SatNav/DashCam etc, something it can't do if lying flat on a mat.

Though, as I understand it, the power transfer capability would rule out extended use as a SatNav/DashCam.

perhaps today but not as a future solution, most technology moves on with development.

ie how would you do this if it was new today.

Conversely, what would you think if all we currently had was wireless charging and someone said:

[i]"Hey, we've invented this cable that you just stick in your phone to charge it. It completely recharges a phone four times faster than your old wireless chargers and saves tons of power. Plus it is compatible with external battery packs, power cases, solar chargers, hub chargers in fact any power source with a USB port on it without needing any additional hardware or big ugly mats lying about everywhere. And it even provides secure high-speed data transfer at the same time. Amazing eh?"[/i] 😉

Possibly but as data transfer can be covered wirelessly, external battery packs can be used to power charging pads and charging speeds and efficiency will probably get faster. Not saying it's a perfect solution but to dismiss it outright and even worse suggesting another random lead solution is a bit short sighted.

Oh I don't mean to dismiss it outright. It's just not for me YET.

Myself & MsD got new Lumia 930's just before Xmas. We already had a wireless charging plate but were happily surprised to find both phones came with wireless charging plates so we have them around the house.
I also received a free wireless pack consisting of Bluetooth loudspeaker & a portable charging plate, which is ace - charge it up & stick it in your pocket & wherever you go you can charge your phone on demand. Plus, it will recharge on a wireless plate AND charge your phone at the same time.
But of course, its not Apple..

a portable charging plate, which is ace - charge it up & stick it in your pocket & wherever you go you can charge your phone on demand. Plus, it will recharge on a wireless plate AND charge your phone at the same time.
But of course, its not Apple..

This is what I'm using. It's really ace. Legit wireless charging on the go.

But of course, its not Apple..

I'm not sure why you're all so obsessed with Apple? Blimmin fanbois. 😉

It's just a bit of mocking Graham, we are all waiting for Apple to invent wireless charging then everyone will ask why it had never been done before, just like bigger phones.

like bigger phones.

Yeah those aren't for me either. I like the size of my old 4S 😕

Erm, things seemed to have moved on a bit in the last 24 hours 🙂

[url= http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30708945 ]Charge a phone in seconds...[/url]

I see they are using a wired dock for that. The fools. Think how much slower and less efficient it could be with a nice wireless charger 😉

Cool tech though - I remember them doing a similar demo last year. Looks like they've made good progress on getting the bulk down a bit.

Interesting implications for electric vehicles too if they can reduce their charging times to be comparable with the time it takes to fill a tank with petrol.