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An Open Standard For Wireless Charging?

Charging portable devices without needing to carry a power adapter sounds handy, and it's slowly getting closer to widespread use. IPAQ2000 writes that AT&T, Google and Starbucks announced yesterday "that they have joined the Power Matters Alliance (PMA). Founded by Powermat Technologies and Procter & Gamble, the PMA's Honorary Chairman is Google's Vint Cerf – one of the fathers of the Internet — and its board now also includes AT&T, Duracell, Google and Starbucks. The U.S. Government's Energy Star and Federal Communications Commission – both PMA members — are board observers." (How does Starbucks come into it? They're "testing PMA-compatible Wireless Charging Spots in select Boston stores.")

3 of 82 comments (clear)

  1. Contactless charging! by aglider · · Score: 1, Funny

    Not wireless! You insensitive discharged clod!

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  2. Re:Apple? by pecosdave · · Score: 4, Funny

    It will set a standard that everyone will adopt so Apple will have to watch it closely to insure their devices don't accidentally work with it as well as the version Apple themselves are working on.

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  3. Re:....mmmmkay by vlm · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'll put it right next to the flying car and the fusion generator.

    Your wireless charging pad will be easier to find than that.. it'll be under the sleeping cat. If X% of the power gets turned into heat, and cats have a magic ability to find horizontal sources of heat and then sleep on them, simply locate the sleeping cat to find the wireless charger underneath the cat. As for the phone? Oh that's on the floor with a broken screen, fluffy knocked it off the charger.

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    "Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger