charging - SlashGear

ChargerLeash Pro charging cable shrieks when you forget it

Brittany A. Roston | Nov 3, 2014

Charging cables are cheap enough to lose, but that's beyond the point: they're priceless when lost somewhere a replacement isn't easily obtained, and that makes them a precious commodity at times. It is easy to forget your charging cable, however, and by the time you realize it is back in your hotel room or at the airport, turning around to recover it isn't feasible. You spring for an over-priced replacement from the convenience store or gas station, and after paying a massive markup, the perks of having a cord that shrieks when you forget it begin to look appealing.

TYLT’s two new wireless chargers power you up anywhere

Nate Swanner | Oct 28, 2014

For the Android and Windows phone faithful, wireless charging is fast becoming a must-have spec sheet checklist item. If that new phone doesn’t have it, we start to dismiss it as second rung many times. the problem with wireless chargers is that they’re often proprietary, and some chargers kind of work with others, but really don’t. TYLT, a leader in the realm of external battery packs and chargers, has stepped in to bring some foundation to wireless charging with two new products. There’s even a wireless charging cradle for your car!

Wifi smartphone charging adopted by mystery brand

Chris Burns | Sep 17, 2014

Well if that isn’t the most mysterious title for an article about a next-generation wireless charging technology, I don’t know what is. The folks at Energous have shared some information this week about their technology "WattUp", a technology that’ll allow you to charge your phone while you walk around your home. Someone adopted their technology, but they can’t say who.

CYSPO OmniStation charging station juices all your gadgets

Brittany A. Roston | Aug 25, 2014

As the number of gadgets you own grows, the hassle of charging them all grows with them. More convenient than toting around a surge protector is the OmniStation from CYSPO, a dual wired and wireless charging station that includes cables for just about every modern gadget you own.

Kickstarter campaign bringing magnetic charging to iPhone

Nate Swanner | Jul 18, 2014

If you’ve got an iPhone, there is a good chance you also have a MacBook. The MagSafe charger on Apple’s laptop offerings is easy to use, leading some to want an iPhone with the same functionality. A recently funded Kickstarter is attempting to bring it to us, and even slaps in a battery pack for good measure.

Soofa bench charges your phone as you bask in the sun

JC Torres | Jul 1, 2014

It a great and sunny day and you decide to head outdoors for some alone time with your tablet or phone. But alas, in just a few short hours your device's battery gives you its dying cry. Time to head home and plug in? That might no longer be necessary if Soofa's solar-powered benches become a public fixture just like, well, non solar-powered benches.

Starbucks rolling out wireless charging stations

Brittany A. Roston | Jun 12, 2014

Starbucks has introduced a new way for its customers to charge up their devices: wireless charging stations. The new offering is rolling out now, having kicked off with the company's San Francisco stores. If you're not in that area and want to take advantage of the feature, you might have to wait a while: the roll out is planned over the next three years.

Breakthrough brings us health implants size of rice grains

Nate Swanner | May 19, 2014

What if the credit card in your wallet could someday power your heart? Researchers at Stanford have created an electronic device smaller than a grain of rice, which can be charged remotely by a device roughly the size of a credit card. The goal is to use it as an implant for humans, with it having been tested as a pacemaker for a rabbit already.

Wearables future could include body heat-based charging

Brittany A. Roston | Apr 10, 2014

One aspect of wearable technology that has been a central concern is battery life -- finding the comfortable mixture of size and longevity, and deciding on the ideal way to charge a device. In the future, that issue could be laid to rest with the use of flexible patches that charge batteries using body heat.

Toshiba introduces fast wireless charging chip

JC Torres | Mar 31, 2014

Toshiba has just unveiled a new integrated circuit or IC that will hopefully help make wireless charging a more viable technology. Aside from being compatible with past and future devices and accessories, the TC7763WBG wireless power receiver IC enables such devices to charge as quickly as wired methods.

Microsoft confirms support for Qi standard by joining WPC

Chris Burns | Mar 11, 2014

The wireless charging wars continue. Today Microsoft has let it be known that they’re officially tossing their hat in with the Wireless Power Consortium for the standard wireless abilities quite a few Windows Phone devices already have. Given the idea that Nokia really will end up having their handset business owned by Microsoft in full in the near future, it makes a lot of sense that Microsoft would support the wireless standard they’d already have in place.

Nokia kinetic phone charging made real: dancing for power

Chris Burns | Mar 4, 2014

There’s a fellow by the name of Markku at Nokia’s Sensors and Energy department - the Principal Researcher of that department. He’s working on a project that’s going to allow users to dance to charge up their smartphone. While it’s relatively far off from a final product, the team has taken to the streets to show the concept off.