charging

There is no such thing as a perfect smartphone. Even the Google Pixel, especially the new Pixel 2, forces even its fans to compromise on some things. While Google has, like it or not, embraced wireless audio by ditching the 3.5 mm headphone jack, it seems to still snub the other wireless trend: charging. One of Google's reasons is that wireless charging isn't fast enough and there is some truth to that. "USB C Crusader" Benson Leung reveals exactly how much power the Pixel 2 can take in.

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You can credit the iPhone 8 and iPhone X for the recent resurgence in interest in wireless charging, and IKEA isn't letting that opportunity pass it by. The company has offered select versions of its furniture with wireless charging functionality since 2015, but until now iPhone owners have required an adapter in order to take advantage. With the arrival of native support in the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, as well as the upcoming iPhone X, IKEA is relaunching its range.

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Like with almost anything, Apple’s adoption of an existing technology is a sure way to boost said technology (and rewrite history in the process). This year, it’s wireless charging, thanks to the iPhone X. But while wireless charging promises the convenience of having no wires, it doesn’t exactly deliver complete freedom. You still have to put your phone on top of a flat surface. That’s where the Pi comes in. Billing itself as the world’s first truly wireless and contactless charger, it doesn’t require users to place their devices on it. In fact, given it’s conical shape, you really can’t anyway.

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Qualcomm is boosting its charging technology, unveiling Quick Charge 4+ for getting juice back into your phone's battery even faster. The technology, which launches today on the nubia Z17 Android smartphone but is likely to be featured on a number of flagships in the coming months, promises faster recharging but also greater safety while that happens. Given high-profile issues surrounding exploding batteries in phones like the Galaxy Note 7, that's likely to get some attention among increasingly safety-conscious users.

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Some car makers are already announcing the death of diesel engines and their replacement by electric ones. As ideal as that might be from an economy and environment perspective, it's still an untenable future, mostly because of problems with the ubiquity and spread of charging stations. If all goes well with this new development, however, that may no longer be a problem at all. Renault, Qualcomm, and Vedecom have successfully demonstrated a Kangaroo Z.E. that was able to charge wirelessly up to 20 kw, even while traveling at speeds of or more than 100 kilometers per hour.

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Electric vehicles are only as great as the charging network available to those who buy them. We've seen different companies roll out charging stations at destinations all over the U.S., and now BMW is adding its name to the list (again) with plans to launch 100 electric vehicle charging stations at National Parks throughout the nation. The first of those 100 planned stations has gone live at the Thomas Edison National Historical Park, the former home of Edison.

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With smartphones these days that are slowly but surely turning away from removable batteries, the battery problem can only be solved in two ways: either with a bigger battery or faster charging times. Since bigger batteries usually mean bigger phones, most manufacturers and users might prefer the latter solution. But even the fastest charging tech takes more than an hour to go from drained to full charged. Unless they adopt Meizu's Super mCharge, which promises to fully charge a battery in the time you can finish a cup of coffee. Leisurely, of course.

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EVgo, the operator behind more than 900 electric vehicle fast charging stations throughout the U.S., has announced the launch of a high-power EV fast charger in Fremont, California. This has been done in conjunction with ABB, but it isn't available to the general public. Instead, EVgo says the charging station will be made available to automotive research vehicles to help with research and development.

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Electric cars, just like their diesel counterparts, need to have enough energy reserves to make it through a drive. Unlike their diesel counterparts, however, EV owners have a harder time finding available charging spots. While gas stations are a dime a dozen, charging stations, even Tesla's Superchargers, are still comparatively fewer. To add insult to injury, you can never know if there's actually a slot left for you until you're actually there. At least until now. Tesla owners have reported that, finally, the in-vehicle map now shows, in real-time, whether the Supercharging station you're looking at has any vacancy left.

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USB-C is the new darling of both mobile and computing industry because of how it can be (almost) everything for any need. And you won’t have to learn how to plug it in right to boot! But as with any new technology, there is some teething pains to be experienced with USB-C, especially considering how both device and accessory manufacturers seem to be in a hurry to push the standard forward. It gets even more complicated when you factor in fast charging technologies, which could spell disaster for your device if used incorrectly. This list will hopefully find the best, not to mention safest, one.

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As removable batteries become a thing of the past, consumers, and even manufacturers, are left with a few fixes to address battery anxiety, from larger batteries in fatter phones, to power banks, to fast charging technologies. That last one, however, might soon be a rather complicated matter on Android. In the updated Android Compatibility Definition Document, Google is discouraging the use of non-standard third-party quick charging technologies for USB Type-C devices, even suggesting that, in the future, those might be completely banned from the platform.

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Apple's attitude towards smartphone batteries is ambiguous at best, even comical at one point. While iPhones are arguably more battery efficient than their Android counterparts, they still leave much to be desired. And when users clamored for a better battery, Apple responded by putting out a highly criticized battery pack. It seems that with the iPhone 7, Apple will be going around the issue again but with a compromise. According to a leak, the iPhone 7 will, at least, get faster charging speeds.

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