Google Nexus Gets Wireless Charger

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Google Nexus Gets Wireless Charger

Posted by timothy on Thursday November 21, 2013 @05:48AM from the just-lay-still dept.

judgecorp writes "Wireless charging has had little success so far (except for toothbrushes) but Google is giving it a good try, with a Nexus Wireless Charger that works with LG's Nexus 4 and 5 as well as the latest version of Google's tablet, the second generation Nexus 7. The charger operates using the Qi standard, which seems to be ahead of rival Powermat."

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The distinction is minor by i+kan+reed · 2013-11-21 05:53 · Score: 4, Insightful

You magnetically drop your device into place onto a block on a power cord. Instead of plugging the power cord into your device. The actual distinction in convenience is a half a second of fiddling per day.
1. Re:The distinction is minor by FunkyELF · 2013-11-21 05:55 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  It wears out your port. I wish these phones came with tethered but removable inserts for charging.
  My brother for example works in a pizza restaurant... he gets flour stuck up his charger all the time and has to pick it out.
2. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 06:00 · Score: 0
  
  Except there's no broken connectors or wires to deal with after plugging/unplugging every day.
  Having an HP Touchpad + Touchstone (several actually), I *love* just dropping it on the stand when I go to bed at night.
  Also, it's not magnetic - just induction.
3. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 06:01 · Score: 1
  
  Actually if charging is wireless then there's no reason to have any ports at all on a modern smartphone, allowing it to be hermetically sealed and thus waterproof.
4. Re:The distinction is minor by jslarve · 2013-11-21 06:02 · Score: 1
  
  Luckily, I leave my Nexus 7 plugged in all the time. My one gripe about this device is that it's find to find the hole when plugging in the USB charger. (flour, or not). It does seem to have a propensity to wear.
5. Re:The distinction is minor by Russ1642 · 2013-11-21 06:04 · Score: 1
  
  Difficult to get speakers and microphone sealed up.
6. Re:The distinction is minor by hypergreatthing · 2013-11-21 06:05 · Score: 1
  
  With constantly plugging a cable in and out of a device you will eventually wear it down and break it (becomes loose, etc).
  You cannot wear out a wireless charger.
  That is the distinction.
7. Re:The distinction is minor by MondoGordo · 2013-11-21 06:07 · Score: 2
  
  assuming you only plug it in to charge once a day ...
  If, like me, you use your phone throughout the day, letting it sip juice while stopped at my desk for 10 or 15 minutes several times a day, the time savings adds up; not to mention the wear and tear on the port that isn't happening and when i leave the office it's usually got a decent charge left.
  In addition since going to cordless charging I've never once forgotten to unplug the cord and accidentally yanked it out of the port or the wall
8. Re:The distinction is minor by beefoot · 2013-11-21 06:08 · Score: 1
  
  bluetooth?
9. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 06:12 · Score: 0
  
  I'm sure there are techniques of turning surfaces into speakers, this should apply to sound pickup as well, so i think a total waterproof device with microphone and speakers could be possible.
10. Re:The distinction is minor by mspohr · 2013-11-21 06:13 · Score: 1
  
  I have QI wireless charging on my Nexus 7 and Nexus 4.
  This is incredibly convenient. Just set the device on the charger. You don't have to fiddle with the connector (there must be a rule that you will always pick up the connector in the wrong orientation). I find the fiddling with the connector is more like 15 seconds. I don't even have to think about wireless charging. Just set the device down.
  Works great.
  
  --
  I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
11. Re:The distinction is minor by HornWumpus · 2013-11-21 06:15 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Granted my old Defy isn't the loudest phone. It is water proof enough that I've gone swimming with it in my pocket.
  Water proof is apparently a very popular option in Japan. Social bathing etc.
  
  --
  John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
12. Re:The distinction is minor by Kryptonian+Jor-El · 2013-11-21 06:17 · Score: 1
  
  The nexus charger is magnetic
  
  --
  All your 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0 are belong to us
13. Re:The distinction is minor by DogDude · 2013-11-21 06:17 · Score: 0
  
  I think that people who get some kind of pleasure out of these things are creepy.
  
  That being said, I lost my last phone because the usb port died (got worn out), so I sprung for the wireless charging gadget for my current phone (HTC 8X Windows) so my USB port on my current phone doesn't wear out, as well.
  
  Now why a standard product announcement is on Slashdot is another question...
  
  --
  I don't respond to AC's.
14. Re:The distinction is minor by umafuckit · 2013-11-21 06:18 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  In most usage scenarios, pizza restaurants excepted, I doubt "worn out charging port" is going to be the reason you ultimately stop using the phone. I don't think I've ever had a device fail due to the charging port. For most people, wireless charging is a nice luxury rather than a genuinely useful feature.
  
  --
  soylentnews.org
15. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 06:19 · Score: 1
  
  As a sibling post pointed out, it wears out the port. In fact, my parent's Playbook has a damaged USB port and now requires some finesse to get it to charge properly. My HP Touchpad, on the other hand, still has a fully working port because I have a Touchstone (the wireless charging equivalent designed only for the TP). The only time I would ever plug a USB cable into my Touchpad is if I wanted to update Android (and even still, I could probably find other ways to do this over wireless anyway).
16. Re:The distinction is minor by Andy+Dodd · 2013-11-21 06:19 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  The most likely part of a connector to wear out are the springs - which is why in the MicroUSB standard, the springs are in the plug (e.g. the cable) and not the socket.
  
  --
  retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
17. Re:The distinction is minor by compro01 · 2013-11-21 06:21 · Score: 2
  
  Also, it's not magnetic - just induction.
  Actually, it is magnetic. Google's charger has a magnet in it and a bit of steel or something in the phone so the coils line up on their own rather than having to position it yourself.
  
  --
  upon the advice of my lawyer, i have no sig at this time
18. Re:The distinction is minor by goldaryn · 2013-11-21 06:22 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  You magnetically drop your device into place onto a block on a power cord.
  Wow, that's cool. I drop mine using boring old gravity.
19. Re:The distinction is minor by compro01 · 2013-11-21 06:23 · Score: 2
  
  Not really. Just use an appropriate membrane over the speaker/microphone. Lifeproof has been doing it for years with their cases.
  Granted, you lose a bit in volume, but that can be accounted for if you're designing the device from the start to be a sealed unit.
  
  --
  upon the advice of my lawyer, i have no sig at this time
20. Re:The distinction is minor by Ravaldy · 2013-11-21 06:23 · Score: 2
  
  May not look like much now but it's baby steps like this that makes these kinds of technologies eventually become much better. If they don't start somewhere there will be no R&D money to continue and improve.
  The long term objective would be to enter your house and the darn thing starts charging regardless of where you are.
21. Re:The distinction is minor by tchuladdiass · 2013-11-21 06:29 · Score: 2
  
  For that to happen, the charging would have to be via beamed RF energy instead of magnetic induction. What I'd rather see is a return to devices that only needed charging or battery replacements once per month or so. Like the old 2-way pagers I used to carry.
22. Re:The distinction is minor by petteyg359 · 2013-11-21 06:30 · Score: 1
  
  Sounds like you'd be better off if the companies would ditch the "thinner is better" idiocy and put some decently hefty batteries in the things. My LG G2x gets a week of standby time with the extended battery I bought, and I will never purchase a device without an easily replaceable battery (as in just under the back cover, so all I have to do is get a bigger battery and fatter cover). I don't give a damn about wireless charging if the charge won't last more than a day in the first place.
23. Re:The distinction is minor by Mr+D+from+63 · 2013-11-21 06:32 · Score: 1
  
  A replaceable port would solve this problem.
24. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 06:33 · Score: 1
  
  The Kindle Fire often fails for this reason:
  
  http://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/112103/Intermittent+USB+Power+Port+-+Common+Problem
  
  Both my kindle fire and my mother-in-law's kindle fire failed for this reason. Also, my three year old has difficulty getting the plug in and out, and tends to yank on the cord. With a pad, he would have no problem charging the device.
25. Re:The distinction is minor by timeOday · 2013-11-21 06:33 · Score: 1
  
  I would LOVE to have wireless charging on my Garmin GPS watch. The problem is the contacts get gummed up by sweaty grit, until it won't charge, reliably or at all. It's a persistent problem for many people with this type of device.
26. Re:The distinction is minor by mishu2065 · 2013-11-21 06:38 · Score: 1
  
  Difficult, but it can definitely be done (even if only on the flagship model right now): http://blogs.sonymobile.com/press_release/new-xperia-z-1-worlds-best-camera-in-a-waterproof-smartphone/
27. Re:The distinction is minor by hawguy · 2013-11-21 06:41 · Score: 1
  
  A replaceable port would solve this problem.
  Until the contacts of the replaceable port wear out.
  But then I guess a replaceable replaceable port would take care of that.
  Or just use a wireless charger.
28. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 06:43 · Score: 0
  
  Induction charging is much different. There's no chance of shock, for one.
29. Re:The distinction is minor by X0563511 · 2013-11-21 06:44 · Score: 1
  
  That's going to require either a few breakthroughs on ultra-low-current ICs, breakthroughs in energy storage (you know the batteries we already have can explode/violently-burn?) or devices with huge battery packs...
  
  --
  For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
30. Re:The distinction is minor by X0563511 · 2013-11-21 06:45 · Score: 1
  
  So you can get gunk in the port port instead?
  
  --
  For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
31. Re:The distinction is minor by X0563511 · 2013-11-21 06:46 · Score: 1
  
  Not really, but it's difficult to get them to be loud (or sensitive) at the same time.
  
  --
  For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
32. Re:The distinction is minor by Charliemopps · 2013-11-21 06:47 · Score: 1
  
  uh... no... The most important point is that there's no longer a cord strung across your floor leading to your $450 phone for you to trip over causing afore mentioned $450 phone sailing into your brick fireplace.
33. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 06:47 · Score: 0
  
  Not true; both mine and my wife's OG Droids had worn out charging ports after about 2 years of use. I had been keeping up with the latest ROMs so the performance wasn't actually the main reason for ditching them; it was the fact that there was no way to charge them.
34. Re:The distinction is minor by dfghjk · 2013-11-21 06:48 · Score: 1
  
  "The actual distinction in convenience is a half a second of fiddling per day."
  This is, of course, wrong. Typical for /. though, people with utterly no experience stating things as fact and getting modded Insightful.
35. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 06:49 · Score: 0
  
  thank you petteyg359 for reminding us that your personal preferences apply to everyone, everywhere in all situations.
36. Re:The distinction is minor by bill_mcgonigle · 2013-11-21 06:54 · Score: 1
  
  You magnetically drop your device into place onto a block on a power cord. Instead of plugging the power cord into your device. The actual distinction in convenience is a half a second of fiddling per day.
  I got my wife one of those HP Touchpads on the $99 close-out special and loaded Android on it. Fantastic device, really, too bad they sold it with WebOS (which is fine, but nobody* supports it).
  But their USB charger is fundamentally junk. I looked all over boards and everybody seems to have come to this conclusion. The wireless charger is, however, well made and so I got one, just to solve the charging problem.
  The interesting thing is, it's a stand, not just a charger, so now there's a 9" information display sitting up on the desk in the living room, not just a tablet laying flat and charging. By default it goes into clock mode, but I need to spend some time soon to figure out how to make that mode show me a weather widget as well, maybe a headline or bitcoin price ticker too.
  So, if done right, wireless charging can be more useful than simply saving a few seconds. My phone, on the other hand, is a regular MicroUSB, and the cable is always in the way or falling down off the desk, or whatever. I could rig up a cable management solution, but if I'm going to spend that time/effort/money, I might as well just get a wireless charging mat.
  Aside: anybody know about flashing the Sprint Nexus 5 onto Verizon pre-paid? Verizon is all that works where I need to go.
  * for large values of 'nobody'
  
  --
  My God, it's Full of Source!
  OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
37. Re:The distinction is minor by hawguy · 2013-11-21 06:56 · Score: 1
  
  In most usage scenarios, pizza restaurants excepted, I doubt "worn out charging port" is going to be the reason you ultimately stop using the phone. I don't think I've ever had a device fail due to the charging port. For most people, wireless charging is a nice luxury rather than a genuinely useful feature.
  I think that people that don't find wireless charging to be useful and convenient are people that don't use wireless chargers.
  It's nice to keep a wireless charger on my desk at work, I can drop my phone on it, then grab it when I go to a meeting without fear of forgetting to unplug it and dragging the power strip it's plugged into across my desk.
  Likewise, a charger on the bedroom dresser means that I can just put the phone on there when I go to bed to keep it charged - no need to fumble with cables in the dark to plug it in.
38. Re:The distinction is minor by Joce640k · 2013-11-21 06:57 · Score: 1
  
  With Micro-B USB connectors the moving parts (spring contacts) are in the cable. It's designed so the cable wears out, not the socket. Replace the cable after your 10,000 connections and you're good.for another 10,000.
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB#Durability
  If the USB connector breaks, it's because you're a ham-fisted clod, not because it's badly designed.
  
  --
  No sig today...
39. Re:The distinction is minor by somarilnos · 2013-11-21 07:00 · Score: 1
  
  Modern day, that's true. The problem was largely resolved with the adoption of MicroUSB for most charge cables. Micro was designed to put most of the stress of plugging and unplugging the device on the cheap, easily replaceable cable, instead of the phone's internals. Makes a big difference.
40. Re:The distinction is minor by Joce640k · 2013-11-21 07:00 · Score: 1
  
  Actually if charging is wireless then there's no reason to have any ports at all on a modern smartphone, allowing it to be hermetically sealed and thus waterproof.
  ...and only able to charge if you're at home or are carrying your special charger pad (plus wall-wart) around with you.
  USB cables work almost anywhere these days.
  
  --
  No sig today...
41. Re: The distinction is minor by AvitarX · 2013-11-21 07:00 · Score: 1
  
  I've lost 3 devices to worn out charging port (or broken at least).
  A T-Mobile g2, a nexus one, and a Nokia Bluetooth speaker.
  At least the speaker involved a tug on the cord breaking it off the circuit board.the phones were 12 to 18 months old, so those I think were wear.
  I naught 3 charging mats for my nexus 5, and it was a selling point.
  
  --
  Wow, sent an e-mail as suggested when clicking on "use classic" banner, and got a fast response that addressed my msg
42. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 07:03 · Score: 0
  
  You magnetically drop your device
  I'm trying to picture this, and I just can't do it. I mean, I've "carelessly" dropped many a device, but I'm embarassed to say that I've never "magnetically" dropped one. Care to explain how it's done? It does sound exciting.
43. Re:The distinction is minor by Wdomburg · 2013-11-21 07:11 · Score: 1
  
  Really, it's the sort of thing that you don't realize you want until you have it, then you are annoyed if you don't have it.
  Even under the best conditions, half a second is a bit of an exaggeration, and you're often not under the best of conditions. The cable slipped behind the desk, or you realize that you forgot to plug your phone in after you turned off the light or took off your glasses, or you're driving and don't want to be the asshole who causes an accident because you were fiddling with a cablet instead of keeping your eyes on the road, or your cable is getting dodgy and you keep forgetting to order a new one.
  And then there is the annoyance of having your phone go dead because you were too tired to bother flipping the light back on, or never did hit a red light long enough to plug your phone in, or you jostled your phone and it stopped charging.
  Is it a need? Certainly not. But it is damned handy.
44. Re:The distinction is minor by beckett · 2013-11-21 07:15 · Score: 1
  
  You magnetically drop your device into place onto a block on a power cord. Instead of plugging the power cord into your device. The actual distinction in convenience is a half a second of fiddling per day.
  this was why i was genuinely surprised to see cordless mice and keyboards being so commonplace, even though the distance and hassle is so minimal with such devices.
  
  cables are a necessary evil. i'd much rather have a clean desk.
45. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 07:19 · Score: 0
  
  Electromagnetic induction is the production of a potential difference (voltage) across a conductor when it is exposed to a varying magnetic field.
46. Re:The distinction is minor by TooMuchToDo · 2013-11-21 07:26 · Score: 1
  
  Out drinking one night, I dropped my Galaxy Nexus in a toilet. Fully submerged. Drunk me rinsed it off, powered it off, and then took it home. After sitting for 5 days in a container of rice, it powered back up without issue.
  I consider that damn near waterproof.
47. Re:The distinction is minor by Joce640k · 2013-11-21 07:32 · Score: 1
  
  I *love* just dropping it on the stand when I go to bed at night.
  Do you love not being able to charge it anywhere *but* on the special stand?
  
  --
  No sig today...
48. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 07:33 · Score: 0
  
  It is more like 8 seconds a day. I try to plug it in and can't see it well enough. You know how this works. It won't fit either way. Then I grab some reading glasses and can see which way it goes and then it magically fits. Fortunately, I have had wireless charging for a year now (original Nexus 4 owner). I now have a Nexus 7 2013 (gave the 2012 version to my son who also has an N4 and wireless charger), and a Nexus 5. This is sort of a non-story for those of us who have been using Qi chargers for a year or more. Now I just plop the phone or tablet on a charging device. No bloody fiddling with the wire and the port and the glasses.
49. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 07:36 · Score: 0
  
  ... he gets flour stuck up his charger all the time and has to pick it out.
  For some strange reason, I was aroused by this....
50. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 07:37 · Score: 0, Offtopic
  
  I really doubt that.
  In all my experience the most likely point of failure is the solder joints that hold the socket to the PCB.
  There's a reason apple went with the dock connector, and then lightning. Those interfaces are tested and rated at many more insertions than any microUSB socket will ever achieve.
  And no, it's not some conspiracy to get you to buy more cables. Grow up.
51. Re:The distinction is minor by Carnivore · 2013-11-21 07:42 · Score: 1
  
  Re: Sprint-to-Verizon flash:
  I suspect no, but I would be very interested to know if it's possible as well.
52. Re:The distinction is minor by Nerdfest · 2013-11-21 07:42 · Score: 0
  
  You're obviously not one of the many here on SlashDot that was raving about the magical, amazing reversible Lightning connector that Apple has on their latest devices.
53. Re: The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 07:55 · Score: 0
  
  This is wireless not plugless. There are no contacts.
54. Re:The distinction is minor by MikeBabcock · 2013-11-21 07:58 · Score: 1
  
  You forget waterproofing. With Bluetooth and Qi charging, there's no need for external ports on a phone anymore.
  
  --
  - Michael T. Babcock (Yes, I blog)
55. Re:The distinction is minor by MikeBabcock · 2013-11-21 07:59 · Score: 1
  
  My PSP's USB charging port wore out... that annoyed me greatly. Luckily it had a traditional plug-in option as well.
  
  --
  - Michael T. Babcock (Yes, I blog)
56. Re:The distinction is minor by i+kan+reed · 2013-11-21 08:00 · Score: 1
  
  Oh, sure, say I'm wrong, then don't tell me how. I positively love being misinformed and much prefer being modded up to learning things.
57. Re:The distinction is minor by MikeBabcock · 2013-11-21 08:00 · Score: 1
  
  Small devices like watches and bluetooth headsets and their ilk are precisely where I'd love to have wireless charging the most ... although also the hardest to line up properly.
  
  --
  - Michael T. Babcock (Yes, I blog)
58. Re:The distinction is minor by MikeBabcock · 2013-11-21 08:00 · Score: 1
  
  You've done that too? :)
  
  --
  - Michael T. Babcock (Yes, I blog)
59. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 08:18 · Score: 0
  
  Google already had released a charger of this style. No one liked it though because it made the phone rest at an angle and didn't really have a magnet to keep the phone in place. I switched to the standard LG one (which was cheaper too).
  So basically, this is not news at all. Except that they will still be charging way too much for several-year-old technology that they're touting as being new.
60. Re:The distinction is minor by denis-The-menace · 2013-11-21 08:19 · Score: 1
  
  They just want to help the world be a better place...
  NOW! Pay up for our patent!
  No conspiracy. Just gotta to be greedy or risk getting sued by shareholders.
  
  --
  Obama's legacy: (N)othing (S)ecure (A)nywhere and (T)error (S)imulation (A)dministration
61. Re:The distinction is minor by LetterJ · 2013-11-21 08:20 · Score: 1
  
  I drop my phone on the wireless charger at work and at home when I go to bed. And, amazingly enough, there's ALSO a micro-USB connector that lets me charge it in the car or via a battery pack or any of the ways one charges a phone that doesn't have wireless charging. Wireless charging is an "AND", not an "OR".
  
  --
  
  The Glass is Too Big: My Take on Things
62. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 08:23 · Score: 0
  
  Out drinking one night, I dropped my Galaxy Nexus in a toilet. Fully submerged. Drunk me rinsed it off, powered it off, and then took it home. After sitting for 5 days in a container of rice, it powered back up without issue.
  I consider that damn near waterproof.
  Did you make sure to eat the rice afterwards? Waste not want not...
63. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 08:33 · Score: 1
  
  (e.g. the cable)
  You mean, "i.e. the cable".
64. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 08:38 · Score: 0
  
  Tell me you didn't eat the rice.
65. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 08:41 · Score: 1
  
  Admit that it's a novelty and move on. Making up problems that it supposedly solves isn't making the case you think it is.
  The fact that you want wireless charging is justification enough for you to buy it. It isn't like people are being forced to wirelessly charge their phones.
66. Re:The distinction is minor by mythosaz · 2013-11-21 08:46 · Score: 1
  
  No, he means e.g.
  He's providing a concrete example, not a hypothetical result.
67. Re:The distinction is minor by mythosaz · 2013-11-21 08:53 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  After sitting for 5 days in a container of rice, it powered back up without issue.
  Leaving your phone in rice will attract Asians, who will fix your phone for you.
68. Re:The distinction is minor by mythosaz · 2013-11-21 08:58 · Score: 1
  
  You're going to anger the vocal minority who decry any phone without a Micro-SD slot as useless.
69. Re:The distinction is minor by Cammi · 2013-11-21 09:06 · Score: 1
  
  See Kindle Fire HD and Kindle Fire. They become useless after about 2 months due to the stupid "worn out charging port". aka, it gets loose with normal usage. So ... wireless charging is indeed a need, not a luxury.
70. Re:The distinction is minor by ganjadude · 2013-11-21 09:06 · Score: 1
  
  agreed on the fire, both mine and my sisters ports are so bad that its damn near imposssible to charge it unless i wrap the cord around the entire thing and lean it just right so there is pressure on the port. its the only device ive ever had this problem with
  
  --
  have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
71. Re:The distinction is minor by Tailhook · 2013-11-21 09:20 · Score: 1
  
  you're a ham-fisted clod
  Or a four year old rips the cord running around in an airport. Or it's dark and you accidentally the phone while plugged in. Or the cat does it for you despite your great care. Etc., etc...
  This is a useful and appropriate application of induction. Stop being a dick about it.
  
  --
  Maw! Fire up the karma burner!
72. Re:The distinction is minor by JDAustin · 2013-11-21 09:24 · Score: 1
  
  Not possible. While both Sprint and Verizon are CDMA devices, the run on different frequencies.
  BTW, the Palm chargers (the cylinder looking ones) are some of the best out there when it comes to the electricity. The have very little noise and ripple on the current.
73. Re:The distinction is minor by hypergreatthing · 2013-11-21 09:24 · Score: 1
  
  Untrue. From someone who's taken a look at a few dozen devices with the same issue, it's not the spring that's the problem. Each usb female socket is basically a sheet metal shell that's locked together by overlapping metal. There is no reinforcement of that shell. Every single time after a year of constantly plugging in the cable, the force of doing so bends the metal shell allowing the cable to have some wiggle room. That wiggle room allows all cables regardless of the springs to slip and not connect properly.
  Take a look at any older smartphone. Plug in the newest, shiniest usb cable. Any slightly bent female shells will cause you to have an intermittent connection for both power and data.
74. Re:The distinction is minor by redback · 2013-11-21 09:33 · Score: 1
  
  yeah, except they seem to break much easier than miniusb
75. Re:The distinction is minor by MondoGordo · 2013-11-21 09:49 · Score: 1
  
  except that it still has a microUSB port so ... not being able to charge it anywhere else is not an issue. ?
76. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 09:49 · Score: 0
  
  Interesting. Meanwhile I merely have to remember to plug my device in about once a week. No need to continuously charge (killing the battery!), just need to plug it in when the battery is almost flat.
77. Re:The distinction is minor by HornWumpus · 2013-11-21 09:49 · Score: 1
  
  I can answer the defy underwater.
  A newer phone with similar features is the Galaxy S4 Active.
  These phones are like toughbooks. You eventually stop waiting for it to break and just buy a new one. Just haven't gotten there yet.
  
  --
  John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
78. Re:The distinction is minor by Ozymandias_KoK · 2013-11-21 09:49 · Score: 1
  
  Water resistant, maybe. If it was waterproof you wouldn't have had to worry about trying to dry it out for almost a week.
79. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 09:50 · Score: 0
  
  However, the HP Touchstone is not magnetic, it's just stand you place the tablet on. You can place it on there either in landscape or portrait mode and it will begin charging.
80. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 09:51 · Score: 0
  
  I *love* just dropping it on the stand when I go to bed at night.
  I love other things about going to bed.
81. Re:The distinction is minor by MondoGordo · 2013-11-21 09:52 · Score: 1
  
  No i really don't want a brick in my pocket... i'll be better off when tiny batteries last weeks or ambient EM field chargers are built into phones or charge times are reduced to seconds or minutes instead of hours. Until then I'll manage with near field charging solutions. thanks,
82. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 09:58 · Score: 0
  
  Clearly you are unfamiliar with the HP Touchpad hardware - it has a micro usb port for charging via a cable as well (and comes with said cable by default). The wireless charging Touchstone device was an accessory that HP sold separately for the Touchpads.
  One distinction that few mentioned here is that charging wirelessly is slightly less efficient. The Touchstone charger uses the same power adapter that the micro usb cable uses (which is very convenient, btw) - but the charge rate is slightly lower with the Touchstone. It's not low enough to be detrimental, but if you're in a hurry to get your tablet charged as full as possible, the wired connection is still more efficient.
83. Re:The distinction is minor by MondoGordo · 2013-11-21 09:59 · Score: 1
  
  hasn't everyone ?
84. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 10:01 · Score: 0
  
  No minor.
  My Galaxy S2 died because the plug broke. I was plannig to use it for at leas 2 more years with CyanogenMod.
  Now I charge my nexus with the wireless charger. It is not going to break that way.
85. Re:The distinction is minor by xaxa · 2013-11-21 10:04 · Score: 2
  
  No, he means e.g.
  He's providing a concrete example, not a hypothetical result.
  e.g. is Latin exempli gratia, "for the sake of example".
  i.e. is Latin id est, "that is".
  He should have used i.e..
86. Re:The distinction is minor by MondoGordo · 2013-11-21 10:04 · Score: 1
  
  I think this is not possible .... From what i can glean from various sources is that it's a hardware limitation ... VZW doesn't yet use any of the bands supported by the N5 .. although there is a rumor that they will be expanding into spectrum usable by the N5 early in 2014. whether that means it will be supported then is a good question, but at least it's a possibility
87. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 10:08 · Score: 0
  
  Thanks for taking a statement directed to a single person and assuming it was directed at the whole world (and most specifically YOU, right where you are, in your specific situation). Tone the ego down a bit; not everything is about you.
88. Re:The distinction is minor by petteyg359 · 2013-11-21 10:11 · Score: 1
  
  If you're classifying anything greater than 5 ounces as a brick, then you're probably taking a huge risk by exerting whatever force is necessary to get your words onto my screen, whether that's typing or moving your jaw for a speech-to-text program.
89. Re:The distinction is minor by AmiMoJo · 2013-11-21 11:10 · Score: 1
  
  Here's a "genuine" use for you. I use my phone in my car for traffic, navigation and audio. I can use Bluetooth for sound but need to plug the charger in. With a wireless charger for my phone I could just popit iinto the dock and go
  
  --
  const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
  SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
90. Re:The distinction is minor by AmiMoJo · 2013-11-21 11:15 · Score: 1
  
  That's what wireless charging gives you. Once wireless chargers are everywhere, built into your car's dashboard and on every desk, you will be able to charge your phone at every opportunity with no additional inconvenience.
  
  --
  const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
  SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
91. Re:The distinction is minor by AmiMoJo · 2013-11-21 11:17 · Score: 1
  
  Phones are generally not allowed in baths (onsen), especially if they have cameras.
  
  --
  const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
  SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
92. Re:The distinction is minor by symbolset · 2013-11-21 11:24 · Score: 1
  
  I have 5 dead Android tablets. 4 are dead because of charging port abuse. Kids aren't particularly mindful of good care of delicate electronics. So wireless charging will definitely help prolong the life of the next set of tablets.
  
  --
  Help stamp out iliturcy.
93. Re:The distinction is minor by symbolset · 2013-11-21 11:34 · Score: 1
  
  Both are pocket sized and plug into the same USB power supply. Why do people try so hard to say "new is bad"?
  
  --
  Help stamp out iliturcy.
94. Re: The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 11:46 · Score: 0
  
  The Samsung galaxy s4 has this problem. The usb port is loose, you have to lean it on the side and plug it in at an angle just right for it to charge.
  I welcome this new technology!
95. Re:The distinction is minor by Skythe · 2013-11-21 11:51 · Score: 1
  
  Have had the charging port wear out twice on my Galaxy Nexus. Though I'd boil that down to bad hardware design and certainly wouldn't be reflected in my Nexus 5.
96. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 12:01 · Score: 0
  
  Can I buy that rice from you!!?
97. Re: The distinction is minor by shiruba1067 · 2013-11-21 12:19 · Score: 1
  
  You mean like my docomo Sony XPERIA z? The microphone is somehow waterproof. It doors have ports for headphone, usb, and sim card, but they are recessed and usually covered by flaps that blend into the body design. It's obvious that they are four emergency use. The built in speaker and microphone work just fine for phone calls and are somehow waterproof, but I use a Bluetooth headset for listening to music.
98. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 12:30 · Score: 0
  
  Minor, but honestly - it's freaking convenient on my nightstand because you can pick up and put down your phone in the dark and know it'll be charging. Fiddling with wires feels so archaic after using this for a week.
99. Re:The distinction is minor by interkin3tic · 2013-11-21 12:35 · Score: 1
  
  I'm guessing it's more due to their fear of being caught outside in the rain. Which borders on pathological.
100. Re:The distinction is minor by TheRecklessWanderer · 2013-11-21 12:39 · Score: 1
  
  I bought a Nexus 4 approx. 2 months ago, and one of the options was wireless charging. I jumped on it. Cost 60 bucks. It works well, the only issue is that I bought a 3rd party case for the phone, and the charger which is shaped like a ball with 2 slides taken out of it such that there are 2 surfaces with different angles, allows the phone to slide off the charger. It usually happens slowly, taking an hour or two. Taking the phone out of the case stops the problem. My solution is to put the phone on the charger at an angle, so that the phone doesn't like down. Not a google problem, but a problem all the same. Aside from that it charges well
  
  --
  Mean what you say...say what you mean.
101. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 12:53 · Score: 0
  
  Your translation is correct, your conclusion is wrong.
  Are there things that have microusb plugs that are not cables? Yes. Cradles for example.
  Therefore, "a cable" is merely one member of a larger set of "things with microusb plugs", i.e. a example.
102. Re:The distinction is minor by updatelee · 2013-11-21 13:04 · Score: 1
  
  Im replacing my galaxy note with the nexus 5 for this reason, I have to have it tilted slightly up or it wont charge. It wont even stay in if I lift the phone up, falls right out.
  UDL
103. Re:The distinction is minor by JamieIanMacgregor · 2013-11-21 13:43 · Score: 1
  
  This: it makes me cringe every time I see someone plugging in a cable with enough force to insert a nail into hardwood.
104. Re:The distinction is minor by uvajed_ekil · 2013-11-21 15:01 · Score: 1
  
  If my LG G2x was capable of wireless charging then the housing around the port might not be cracked today, and it might charge without me having to wedge it under something so the cord stays in just the right position. Of course I retired that phone in favor of an Optimus G anyway, but it was a pain for a while. I never thought wireless charging was more than a gimmick but now I'm having similar trouble with a tablet. It may not be a hug convenience or a big time saver, but it is a way to eliminate one potential source of wear and tear, so there is a distinction, however slight in the minds of some.
  
  I won't buy my next mobile device based on wireless charging capabilities or lack thereof, but I will certainly use it if the device I choose offers it (probably a Nexus 5 in a few months, coincidentally).
  
  --
  This is a hacked account, for which the owner can not be held responsible.
105. Re:The distinction is minor by uvajed_ekil · 2013-11-21 15:06 · Score: 1
  
  It isn't the reason I stopped using a particular LG phone (the reason was ultimately LG's refusal to update us to ICS or provide us with the necessary code to do it ourselves), but it sure was a major inconvenience until I retired it. And it wasn't so much worn out as made finicky by a small crack in the surrounding housing that wouldn't stay glued, a weak point of which I know I was not the only victim.
  
  --
  This is a hacked account, for which the owner can not be held responsible.
106. Re:The distinction is minor by Lothsahn · 2013-11-21 16:55 · Score: 1
  
  Had mine repaired here and it's been working great since.
  
  There's a design defect with the fire, IMO. I've not have nearly that problem with my other devices, and my phone is 5-6 years old.
  
  --
  -=Lothsahn=-
107. Re:The distinction is minor by Lothsahn · 2013-11-21 16:56 · Score: 1
  
  Had mine repaired here and it's been working great since.
  
  There's a design defect with the fire, IMO. I've not have nearly that problem with my other devices, and my phone is 5-6 years old.
  
  --
  -=Lothsahn=-
108. Re:The distinction is minor by Golden_Rider · 2013-11-21 16:59 · Score: 1
  
  Well, you have the power cable to the wireless charger :-)
  I use the wireless charger for my Galaxy S4, and while it is nice to just put the phone onto the charger, I still have to plug in the CHARGER every time (since I do not want to leave the charger powered and in standby forever). So wireless charging is kinda pointless except for the "cool" factor, unless you do not mind wasting electricity.
109. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 18:41 · Score: 0
  
  Verizon is a no-go on both Nexus 4 and Nexus 5. Even if you could convince the hardware to do it, they won't activate your IMEI.
  Heck, they were "supposed" to allow Nexus 7 (2013) onto their LTE network, but they're stalling approval and pushing their own tablet instead.
110. Re:The distinction is minor by pepty · 2013-11-21 19:11 · Score: 1
  
  The MagSafe patent will expire in 2025: your teenager will be free to yank on cables all they want.
111. Re:The distinction is minor by bemymonkey · 2013-11-21 19:26 · Score: 2
  
  Do you use your phone before going to sleep? Connecting it to a loose charger cable on the nightstand in the semi-dark while I'm half asleep from the eBook I was just reading on the phone is pretty much a nightmare. I can't wait to get a phone that supports Qi charging...
112. Re:The distinction is minor by Neil+Boekend · 2013-11-21 19:54 · Score: 1
  
  Not true. You can get waterproof microphones and speakers, else my Galaxy S4 Active would not exist.
  To be fair, I don't consider the phone to be waterproof as the waterproof seal depends on a cover over the USB port (which is crappy designed, is defeated by some sand and wears with the twice a day charging that the device needs). They could have used a gold plated waterproof USB port.
  That means that it's not a seal but a cop out. If there gets water in the phone, they can claim that the customer did not close the seal properly because the customer can't prove that that's not true. That's how Motorola does it and that will be how Samsung does it.
  
  --
  Well, I might have a way, but it only works on a semi spherical planet in a vacuum.
113. Re:The distinction is minor by Neil+Boekend · 2013-11-21 20:08 · Score: 1
  
  Nope. The micro SD slot can be nicely located with the SIM card beneath the replaceable battery under the back cover that has it's own seal. See the Galaxy S4 Active. As you are not likely to access these parts twice a day you can take care in cleaning it properly before closing it.
  An even better solution would be to make the battery slot separate from the phone. If the user fails to seal the battery slot properly the phone is protected by a secondary seal. The phone will shut down if water gets to the battery because that would short the battery, of course, but it will not be damaged. This would require short proof batteries and sealed battery/micro SD/SIM card slots. Short proof batteries are not a big deal, as batteries already have semi intelligent charge controllers. They could shut the output down beyond a set current draw (to be fair, I would be appalled if they didn't do that already, to prevent a software error blowing up the device in your hands).
  
  --
  Well, I might have a way, but it only works on a semi spherical planet in a vacuum.
114. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 20:47 · Score: 0
  
  ...yes.....water proof.....that is what I though about my old Defy.....
115. Re:The distinction is minor by worf_mo · 2013-11-22 00:16 · Score: 1
  
  Probably some swimming "residue" in the toilet clogged your phone's USB port, speaker and microphone instantaneously, actively hindering the water from getting into the device.
116. Re:The distinction is minor by knewter · 2013-11-22 01:09 · Score: 1
  
  My wife somehow does...something...to every one of her devices that results in the connection for the charger being exceedingly fiddly. I don't know if she just applies massive pressure to the USB input or what, but the end result is her complaining to me very frequently about how her electronics don't work like they ought to (and for some reason, mentioning that none of mine, which are the exact same model, exhibit this flaw that every one of her devices exhibits, doesn't make her think I've made a valid point and instead gets me in trouble).
  This will save me at least an hour of hearing about something I can't fix each week. I'll gladly pay for that :)
  
  --
  -knewter
117. Re:The distinction is minor by Jmc23 · 2013-11-22 02:42 · Score: 1
  
  You've obviously never owned an n900!
  
  --
  Don't complain about syntax, grammar, or spelling. There is no.hell like input on android.
118. Re:The distinction is minor by Jmc23 · 2013-11-22 02:44 · Score: 1
  
  um, you know that's a simple soldering fix eh?
  Fricken wasteful people.
  
  --
  Don't complain about syntax, grammar, or spelling. There is no.hell like input on android.
119. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-22 04:33 · Score: 0
  
  This is actually misleading as there was a prior wireless charger for the n4 which also works on the n5, and n7 if you prop it right.
  The design wasn't so hot if you were using a case on your n4/n5(and also the bit about propping for use with an n7) because the charge surface was at an angle on the original device rather than flat like it is on the new one. I ended up buying a battery charger version(6000mAh batt) which is even more wireless as one the charger's batt is charge it can charge devices from it's battery until its out of charge... lugutech, forget the name ATM but IIRC it was advertised for n4/iphone/etc. and it's about $25 more than the Google charger, but I like it for the battery charging. Also has USB ports so that it can connect to devices through their USB port w/a cable... it's just a kinda handy charger/backup...
120. Re:The distinction is minor by Shirley+Marquez · 2013-11-22 05:59 · Score: 1
  
  The USB port on the original Nexus 7 is indeed a weak point of the hardware. And the replacement part to fix it is absurdly expensive (over $50). That model doesn't have wireless charging but a dock that uses pins on the tablet body is available, though Google no longer sells them directly.
  I don't know whether it's a problem on the updated Nexus 7. They haven't been in the wild long enough to have sufficient history.
121. Re:The distinction is minor by symbolset · 2013-11-22 06:10 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah I know, and have soldered them before. The kids are so violent with the cables they have broken the sockets themselves not just the solder. I am still saving them for robotics projects and whatnot where the industrial design is not so tough. I could order the socket components but am unlikely to get the right one. These older tablets were pretty low end anyway, and the Nexus 7 is so cheap... The kids will be much happier with a modern tablet.
  
  --
  Help stamp out iliturcy.
122. Re:The distinction is minor by mcgrew · 2013-11-22 06:16 · Score: 1
  
  Well, with phones mine usually get stolen, lost, or broken and most folks don't keep phones but a year or two. But I'm having that issue with my 4 year old notebook; it's getting so plugging it in you have to fiddle with it to get the light to come on.
  I wish it would have come with a wireless charger.
  OTOH it's nice to be able to take a USB cord with me and charge my phone from the desktop's USB port while I listen to music on it. But wireless would reduce the pluggings and unpluggings.
  
  --
  Free Martian Whores!
123. Re:The distinction is minor by Jmc23 · 2013-11-22 06:28 · Score: 1
  
  Your kids sound like they need a good parenting lesson in responsibility than another tablet.
  No. Not all children are like yours, they're pretty much as responsible as you raise them, i.e., the example you give not the false words out of your mouth.
  
  --
  Don't complain about syntax, grammar, or spelling. There is no.hell like input on android.
124. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-22 06:40 · Score: 0
  
  You might be surprised. Port wearing out or getting dirty is a common problem on Galaxy S3. I have one and on my last firmware, it would flap in and out of car mode so rapidly at times it was unusable. I had to take the battery out at night to get any sleep for a while. I went to CleanROM 7 which seems to have eliminated the issue.
  Wireless charging is not really rocket science, it should become standard. I'm an IT consultant and I use my cell hours every day and am constantly unplugging and plugging it as I move around. For busy people it would be a huge help.
125. Re:The distinction is minor by symbolset · 2013-11-22 07:13 · Score: 1
  
  They are very young to be handling delicate electronics. I can teach them fear of harming delicate technology later. Or teach them the benefit of preferring robust technology instead.
  
  --
  Help stamp out iliturcy.
126. Re: The distinction is minor by daisybelle · 2013-11-22 10:04 · Score: 1
  
  This was what finally made my Palm Treo unusable. And wrenching the thin connection to my SGS2 about in my sleep destroyed that charger. I think wireless charging has a place in my world.
  
  --
  "You only get ONE LIFE." Richard Rahl, Faith of the Fallen - Terry Goodkind
127. Re: The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-22 11:12 · Score: 0
  
  I have a Galaxy s3, and the qi card, and the qi wireless charging mat, and I don't have your problem.
  What do you consult in exactly?
128. Re:The distinction is minor by mcgrew · 2013-11-22 11:58 · Score: 1
  
  Difficult to get speakers and microphone sealed up.
  Kyocera managed to do it with the Edge Hydro. Will withstand being a meter underwater for an hour, they claim. And it still has a USB port and headphone jack, I have no idea how they pulled THAT one off.
  
  --
  Free Martian Whores!
129. Re:The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-22 13:54 · Score: 0
  
  uh... no... The most important point is that there's no longer a cord strung across your floor leading to your $450 phone for you to trip over causing afore mentioned $450 phone sailing into your brick fireplace.
  Instead there is a cord strung across the floor leading to your wireless charger, atop which your phone rests. You trip over it and it causes your phone to go flying into your brick fireplace.
  Maybe it's not the charger, but how you're stringing your cords all over the place that's the problem.
130. Re:The distinction is minor by MikeBabcock · 2013-11-23 03:23 · Score: 1
  
  As someone else stated, MicroSD slots don't have to be external.
  
  --
  - Michael T. Babcock (Yes, I blog)
131. Re:The distinction is minor by rpstrong · 2013-11-23 11:46 · Score: 1
  
  Of course you meant to say "an example."
132. Re: The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-27 14:09 · Score: 0
  
  Fully agree with you. Dismissing the convenience if wireless charging without trying it first is like those old women how disregard sex because they never tried it.
  I lost an Galaxy Note because of a dead port and know of somebody who lost a Galaxy S2. My children's Nexus 7 2012 have a very finicky port too.
  However, the convenience of reading with the phone in the bed until you are 80% asleep, and being able to drop the phone in the side table (without having to fish a cable and insert it and damn small, non bilateral port in full darkness) for having the phone fully charged in the morning, ALWAYS, is priceless.
  I can understand if you can't understand. This is like trying to describe sex. You need to experience it.
  In the office is nice too, but not nearly as much. I have the original Nexus 4 orb that keep the phone inclined do that I can see the phone while I'm working. I can grab the phone easily with just one hand.
  In the car I still use a cable, but I'm looking for an option for saving the port from wearing. The Nokia car dock didn't work with my Nexus 5 because the coils are not signed. Look like the LG is the best option, but it is not for sale in the US yet.
133. Re: The distinction is minor by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-29 06:08 · Score: 0
  
  Can't wait for this!
Touchstone by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 05:54 · Score: 0

I have one of those... but it is designed only for the Touchpad.
Patents by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 05:55 · Score: 0

Wireless changing will become universal once the patents expire.
Ahead by choice by SuperKendall · 2013-11-21 05:56 · Score: 1

The charger operates using the Qi standard, which seems to be ahead of rival Powermat."
Wouldn't that be true by the simple fact of Google choosing them?
I had not seen anything indicating either standard having a leg up beforehand, but it would be nice to back up an assertion like that with a link to some evidence.

--
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
1. Re:Ahead by choice by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 09:25 · Score: 0
  
  And, FWIW, Nokia
Wireless power standards by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 05:56 · Score: 0

http://xkcd.com/927/
1. Re:Wireless power standards by Chameleon+Man · 2013-11-21 05:58 · Score: 1
  
  That is beyond true in the workplace involving "processes"
Giving it ANOTHER good try? by sitkill · 2013-11-21 05:56 · Score: 4, Informative

Google already sold a wireless charger for their Nexus 4 phones:
https://play.google.com/store/devices/details/Nexus_4_Wireless_Charger?id=nexus_4_wireless_charger&hl=en
I own one, works fine, and I think it also works with the new Nexus 5's as it's using the Qi standard already.
1. Re:Giving it ANOTHER good try? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 06:01 · Score: 0
  
  Indeed. Very odd that both Techweek and Slashdot missed out on that. That said, this new charger has apparently one major advantage: it's flat, not sloped.
  A question, sitkill: how well does the charger you have cope with phones still in typical silicone rubber cases?
2. Re:Giving it ANOTHER good try? by Won+Ton+Hammer · 2013-11-21 06:21 · Score: 1
  
  Sadly no longer for sale so this new one is your only official option now.
3. Re:Giving it ANOTHER good try? by compro01 · 2013-11-21 06:29 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  I'm not sitkill, but I use a Qi charger (unbranded Chinese-made charging pad) with my Galaxy S3 (with a Keedox Qi receiver) though my lifeproof case and it works nicely.
  It won't work through my otterbox armour case though. There's just too much distance between the back of the phone and the back of the case.
  I haven't tried it with any other cases.
  
  --
  upon the advice of my lawyer, i have no sig at this time
4. Re: Giving it ANOTHER good try? by popsensation · 2013-11-21 07:11 · Score: 1
  
  Thee last nexus wifi charger sucked because it was tilted and the phone would slide off. Maybe Google will (like apple) allow me to exchange the faulty device for a working one. Hahahajahahhh hahaha. Right
5. Re:Giving it ANOTHER good try? by ebob · 2013-11-21 07:47 · Score: 1
  
  Not sure why a new charger from Google is big news. In addition to the original Google 'Orb' charger, the Verizon WCP-300, which is made by LG (who make the Nexus 4 and 5) works great. I've had one of those for months and like it a lot.
  Wireless charging is very handy because I can just plop the phone down on it any time I'm at my desk. Without it I'd hesitate before using the normal charging cable, just to save fiddling with it and the wear and tear on the connector. And the phone stays more fully charged that way.
  
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6. Re:Giving it ANOTHER good try? by MikeBabcock · 2013-11-21 08:02 · Score: 1
  
  I've E-mailed Otterbox a couple times about including a Qi charging receiver in their cases with a little jack to plug into the standard micro-usb charging port on the phone in question. It would be incredibly handy.
  
  --
  - Michael T. Babcock (Yes, I blog)
7. Re:Giving it ANOTHER good try? by compro01 · 2013-11-21 09:24 · Score: 1
  
  According to others' reports, Qi works just fine through Otterbox's lesser cases (Defender/Commuter), or at least it does with the S3/S4, just the Armour's design with the phone "forward" in the case and the thick silicone and plastic backplate puts it out of range.
  
  --
  upon the advice of my lawyer, i have no sig at this time
8. Re:Giving it ANOTHER good try? by anon+mouse-cow-aard · 2013-11-21 12:18 · Score: 1
  
  yup. nexus 5 works fine on a nexus 4 qi port, except that on the nexus4 the coil works almost anywhere on the phone, but on the nexus 5 you have to be nearer the centre. I'm using both while waiting for the new charger for my 5.
9. Re:Giving it ANOTHER good try? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 12:32 · Score: 0
  
  I have that charger, and a cheap thermoplastic case on my Nexus 4 - it charges fine through the case, and is actually an improvement - it doesn't slide off anymore. Though honestly I rarely use the wireless charger; I got some conventional USB docks for a fraction of the price, and they're just as quick to plug in.
10. Re:Giving it ANOTHER good try? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 19:24 · Score: 0
  
  Also wireless charging was new thing about 2 years ago? At least Nokias(Or hmm.. microsofts) all models(ok, not the cheap ones?) have the feature now, and it works well. Yeah I know everyone here absolutely hates windows, but the lumias are actually really good phones. I prefer them to android, and if you can count on something I'd count on windows phone to at least eventually be as open as android is from a practiacal viewpoint ;-) And no, I'm not missing any apps, as I really don't use the phone for any weird stuff. Navigation is also a bit better than googles.
11. Re:Giving it ANOTHER good try? by balbus000 · 2013-11-22 07:38 · Score: 1
  
  I have one of these I bought for my Nexus 4. It worked horribly since the back of the Nexus 4 is glass, and would slide off the angled charger after a few minutes. I completely stopped using it after a couple of weeks of trying to get it to work well.
  However, I got a Nexus 5 recently, and since it doesn't have the glass back, I decided to test out the wireless charger again. It works much better, although I really wish Google would allow people to trade in their old wireless chargers for the new design.
$17 chargers elsewhere by FunkyELF · 2013-11-21 05:57 · Score: 3, Informative

I just ordered 5 wireless chargers for a grand total of $85 as stocking stuffers for my family members with Nexus 4's and Nexus 5's.
I think they came from China since they're just being delivered today. Reviews of them on newegg were good. We'll see.
I just can't see spending $50 on a charger unless its the size of a mousepad and can charge multiple thins.
1. Re:$17 chargers elsewhere by mspohr · 2013-11-21 06:16 · Score: 2
  
  I have the cheap Chinese QI chargers and they work great.
  They don't have the magnetic positioning so you do have to take a little more care in setting it down but they give a little beep when connected so it's easy.
  
  --
  I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
2. Re:$17 chargers elsewhere by PhrostyMcByte · 2013-11-21 08:07 · Score: 2
  
  AT&T stores have a deal going where you can get a Nokia Qi charger for $25, or three for $50. I picked up the three. One for my desk at work, one for my desk at home, and one for my nightstand.
  Not having to plug anything in is awesome. They're compatible with all the other Qi devices, including the new Nexus ones. Highly recommend.
3. Re:$17 chargers elsewhere by Anomalyst · 2013-11-22 05:50 · Score: 1
  
  > charge multiple thins mmmmmmmmmm electric gir scout cookles.
  
  --
  There is no right to feel safe thru security vaudeville at the expense of everyone's freedom, privacy and tax money.
4. Re:$17 chargers elsewhere by Anomalyst · 2013-11-22 05:52 · Score: 1
  
  look, I see a gir over there! Good thing I didnt make a snarky comment about the preview button being there for a reason
  
  --
  There is no right to feel safe thru security vaudeville at the expense of everyone's freedom, privacy and tax money.
What about Nexus 6? by PopeAlien · 2013-11-21 05:57 · Score: 0

Tyrell: Would you... like to be upgraded?
Batty: I had in mind something a little more radical.
Tyrell: What... what seems to be the problem?
Batty: Death.
Tyrell: Death; ah, well that's a little out of my jurisdiction. You...
Batty: I want more life!

--
air and light and time and space
Palm Pre by JDAustin · 2013-11-21 05:58 · Score: 1

I had a Palm Pre (and have a Touchpad running CM10) and thats the one thing I really miss on my Samsung devices. I'm surprised its taken so long for this to catch on with other devices.
1. Re:Palm Pre by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 06:16 · Score: 0
  
  I found a few of the Touchstone wireless charging kits on eBay and modified them to fit a Nokia N900 with a double battery for four days of charge, this requires an extended battery door. I and my wife love them so much that it is still my everyday phone. I cant see an upgrade path I really like, unless the Neo900 pans out.
2. Re:Palm Pre by compro01 · 2013-11-21 06:37 · Score: 1
  
  What Samsung device? You can toss a Qi receiver into a S3 or S4 (both have contacts for the receiver, but don't include it for whatever reason) for $20 or less.
  
  --
  upon the advice of my lawyer, i have no sig at this time
WoW! by Servaas · 2013-11-21 05:58 · Score: 0

Such convenience! Such charge! So wireless! This is TRULY stuff that matters!
Why is this an article? by Chameleon+Man · 2013-11-21 06:01 · Score: 1

There is nothing new about Google offering a wireless charger on their play store. This article is the equivalent of someone reporting that Amazon sells LED light bulbs.
1. Re:Why is this an article? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 06:58 · Score: 0
  
  There is nothing new about Google offering a wireless charger on their play store. This article is the equivalent of someone reporting that Amazon sells LED light bulbs.
  This is Google PR piece. I see this guy posts google related stuff all over the place. Hey Slashdot if you keep posting such low quality pieces I will be giving up
2. Re:Why is this an article? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 08:33 · Score: 0
  
  The preceding was a paid ad by the Google Corporation.
Bug in 4.2 and 4.3 makes wireless charging useless by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 06:02 · Score: 1

I have a nexus 4. There is a wakelock bug that makes wireless charging for a number of these devices completely useless. Basically, the phone won't go into deep sleep mode while it's on the charger, so it burns just as much power as it gets from the charger.
See here: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=52034
I could, I guess, reboot my phone every time I lifted it off the wireless charger, but that's stupid.
Finally by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 06:02 · Score: 0

I know so many people with nexus and a broken power port (including myself). This sounds great! Much better than swapping out batteries all day.
I've got a Qi charger by hamjudo · 2013-11-21 06:10 · Score: 1
It works even if my Nexus 5 is more than 5 mm above the charging pad. That is many orders of magnitude less than the range for most wireless communication technologies.
The useful features are
1. no connector to wear out,
2. alignment is simple.
3. The USB/thinport connector is available for other uses. (More of a theoretical benefit, as I don't use the USB port for anything, but I could if I wanted to. I've got the cable, I could even plug in an SD card reader.)
Re:Bug in 4.2 and 4.3 makes wireless charging usel by Servaas · 2013-11-21 06:11 · Score: 1

Kit Kat is suppose to fix that. Google has begun distributing it over the air.
Re:If we had not ignored telsa by HornWumpus · 2013-11-21 06:21 · Score: 1

Tesla, as brilliant as he was, was wrong about wireless power transmission (and a bunch of other things at the end of his life).
Maxwell's equations are settled science. You ether have unacceptable efficiencies, impractical antennas or zero range.

--
John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
Except for that previous Wireless Nexus Charger... by mathimus1863 · 2013-11-21 06:29 · Score: 2

Yeah, they had one before. I got it for my Nexus 4 six months ago. But there's a reason it got 1-2 stars: it's angled and doesn't hold the phone:

http://www.amazon.com/Google-Nexus-Wireless-Charger/dp/B00BGSPIP2

I almost threw it out but then discovered this 3D printed adapter that actually fixed all of its flaws. It now works great, and it charges the phone fast when plugged into the wall! But since most people don't have a 3D printer, it makes sense they'd want to sweep the memory of that one under the carpet.
OO-err Missus! by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 06:29 · Score: 0

... he gets flour stuck up his charger all the time and has to pick it out.
Said the Actress to the Bishop!
Other Qi chargers should work with the Nexus 5 by hawguy · 2013-11-21 06:37 · Score: 1

I bought a Nokia Qi charger cheap (~$20) a few months ago, but it didn't work well with my Nexus 4 - it charged it a few times, but mostly it would cycle between charge/no charge every few seconds. However, the Nokia charger works perfectly with my Nexus 5, I've been using it nightly for the past few weeks.
Re:Except for that previous Wireless Nexus Charger by jo_ham · 2013-11-21 06:43 · Score: 1

That is a hilariously poorly designed charging device. What were they thinking when they stamped that one "ready for sale"? The one thing it has to do is support the phone while it charges and it simply... doesn't.
The 3D printed accessory is a neat solution though.
wireless chargers degrade your battery with heat? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 06:44 · Score: 0

my Nexus 4 does get pretty warm using the wireless charger. reports indicated that the battery would degrade faster due to the high temperature, so i went back to wired. Any validity in that? Similar experiences?
What ever happened to pogo port charging? by hawguy · 2013-11-21 06:50 · Score: 4, Interesting

I don't really need wireless charging, I'd be happy to drop my phone into a dock with pogo port pins to allow easy charging without connecting a cable (and without wiggling the phone to get it to seat on a microUSB connector in the bottom of a dock). Seems like a cheaper and easier solution than wireless charging.
Why didn't more phones use that simple technology? I never did find a compatible dock for my CDMA Galaxy Nexus.
low frequency RF =~ induction by raymorris · 2013-11-21 06:54 · Score: 1

>charging would have to be via beamed RF energy instead of magnetic induction.
At low frequencies or short distances they are almost the same thing. "Near field" is within about a wavelength or two, which at 30 Mhz is about 10 meters. So there's not really a hard cut off between induction and RF, more of a large gray area where you can say "this range generally behaves more like an inductor". There's no reason an "inductive" charger can't be tuned for charging devices within six to ten feet - anywhere in the room.
1. Re:low frequency RF =~ induction by Holi · 2013-11-21 07:59 · Score: 1
  
  Other then the inverse square law no.
  
  --
  Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
I've had one for over a year by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 07:04 · Score: 0

Qi chargers have been on the market forever. I bought one when I got my Nexus 4 the day it came out. It works terribly, and takes forever to charge, and gets hot as fuck because inductive charging is so inefficient.
So much for being green.
It works fine on my Palm Pre and Touchpad. by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 07:07 · Score: 0

Not a new idea at all.
Re:If we had not ignored telsa by RobertLTux · 2013-11-21 07:09 · Score: 1

except where he actually DID some intra city trials for wireless power.
i do think he cheated when he was using THE PLANET as a ground plane

--
Any person using FTFY or editing my postings agrees to a US$50.00 charge
Power efficiency by __aaqvdr516 · 2013-11-21 07:13 · Score: 4, Informative

I've checked a few places and it seems as though you can expect a 70% power efficiency with this type of inductive charger. Some of the higher end models reach as much as 85%.
It strikes me as odd that in a time where we want as much energy efficiency as possible, we'd push towards something much less efficient with the potential to be so widespread.
Sources:
http://www.wirelesspowerconsortium.com/technology/total-energy-consumption.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductive_charging
1. Re:Power efficiency by hawguy · 2013-11-21 08:06 · Score: 2
  
  I've checked a few places and it seems as though you can expect a 70% power efficiency with this type of inductive charger. Some of the higher end models reach as much as 85%.
  It strikes me as odd that in a time where we want as much energy efficiency as possible, we'd push towards something much less efficient with the potential to be so widespread.
  Sources:
  http://www.wirelesspowerconsortium.com/technology/total-energy-consumption.html
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductive_charging
  A phone battery is so small that it's not really that much power -- throwing away 30% of a 3.7V 2300mAh battery's capacity is 2.5 watt-hours, or just under a killowatt-hour in a year's time if you charge your battery daily - less than 15 cents for most people.
  Seems like a small price to pay for the convenience. if it saves just 1 second/day in a year's time, it will have saved around 6 minutes/year, or $1 worth of labor for someone that earns $10/hour.
  If you want to make up for it, walk or bike instead of driving - gasoline contains around 35KWh of energy per gallon, so if you bike or walk for 1 mile instead of driving, you'll have saved an entire year's worth of wasted power from a wireless charger.
2. Re:Power efficiency by tconnell · 2013-11-21 09:14 · Score: 1
  
  This. The thought of losing 15-30 percent on small devices is one thing, but when they started talking about doing this in electric cars and other high power devices, it just made me cringe.
  
  --
  "Truth is much too complicated to allow anything but approximations." -J Von Neumann
3. Re:Power efficiency by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 10:38 · Score: 0
  
  Not to mention the savings on broken connectors and charging connectors.
4. Re:Power efficiency by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 13:32 · Score: 0
  
  If you want to make up for it, walk or bike instead of driving - gasoline contains around 35KWh of energy per gallon, so if you bike or walk for 1 mile instead of driving, you'll have saved an entire year's worth of wasted power from a wireless charger.
  But then I'll lose the time I saved by using a wireless charger.
5. Re:Power efficiency by uvajed_ekil · 2013-11-21 15:12 · Score: 1
  
  I'll give you a dollar to cover the efficiency you lose charging your phone over the course of a year, and you can keep the change.
  
  As this is a new-ish consumer technology I fully expect the 70% figure you mention to change significantly in the near future.
  
  --
  This is a hacked account, for which the owner can not be held responsible.
6. Re:Power efficiency by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 18:07 · Score: 0
  
  under a killowatt-hour in a year's time
  Multiplied by each phone would be what? Even if only 1 in 100 of the 6.8 billion mobile phones in use on the planet used this technology, we'd be throwing away 68 MWh per year.
  If you want to make up for it, walk or bike instead of driving - gasoline contains around 35KWh of energy per gallon, so if you bike or walk for 1 mile instead of driving, you'll have saved an entire year's worth of wasted power from a wireless charger.
  That doesn't make up for it any more than saving $20 on your groceries with coupons makes up for being robbed of $20.
7. Re:Power efficiency by The_Noid · 2013-11-21 21:44 · Score: 1
  
  If everybody on the planet consumes 1 hundredths of a percent more power... then we'll globally use 0.0001% more power.
  If something is insignificant on an individual level, then even if you scale it up to everybody it's still insignificant.
Re:The distinction is minor - IS HUGE by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 07:33 · Score: 0

I'm sure you were the guy saying this about the TV remote, why do I need this? I just get up and change the channel!!...
Lol....
Once you go wireless charging you don't go back!!....
I have a dual changing pad for my nexus and Samsung S3 right next to the couch, put down it's charging, pick it up do whatever want(walk around, it's wireless phone) then drop it back on the pad. Try that with plugging and plugging it in 20 times in a day and you'll see the convenience...
Re:What ever happened to pogo port charging? by rotaryexpress · 2013-11-21 07:46 · Score: 1

CDMA Galaxy Nexus...
All you had to do was get the GSM GNex car dock and so a VERY slight modification with a utility knife and then it works perfectly. Took me about 10 minutes...7 of those where watching a howto on Youtube.
Re:If we had not ignored telsa by nurb432 · 2013-11-21 07:51 · Score: 0

He was wrong about the why, but not the how. All he lacked was continued funding to prove his concept on a large scale. ( on small scale, it worked fine ).
Sure, it wasn't as efficient as other methods, but it worked. Often times you trade efficiency for convenience in daily life.

--
---- Booth was a patriot ----
Wireless Charging by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 08:01 · Score: 0

I had a touchstone for my palm pre. It worked. BUT I never use it. It's just an extra thing to carry around with your phone if you go somewhere. And this one added utility to the phone; propped it up and displayed things. These new ones are just the same problem. Unless someone like Amazon put them all over the place, I don't see how it's more convenient than carrying cables.
Why can't someone kickstart Tesla's power tower? Then we'd be in a useful wireless charging world. Otherwise, not so much.
1. Re:Wireless Charging by hawguy · 2013-11-21 08:29 · Score: 1
  
  I had a touchstone for my palm pre. It worked. BUT I never use it. It's just an extra thing to carry around with your phone if you go somewhere. And this one added utility to the phone; propped it up and displayed things. These new ones are just the same problem. Unless someone like Amazon put them all over the place, I don't see how it's more convenient than carrying cables.
  Why wouldn't you just leave the charger at your home or office where you do most of your charging?
  I carry a separate USB charger in my backpack for use on the go, I never bring my home charger with me. Is it common to have only a single charger that you use at home and carry around with you when you go out?
2. Re:Wireless Charging by foobar+bazbot · 2013-11-21 10:09 · Score: 1
  
  I had a touchstone for my palm pre. It worked. BUT I never use it. It's just an extra thing to carry around with your phone if you go somewhere. And this one added utility to the phone; propped it up and displayed things. These new ones are just the same problem. Unless someone like Amazon put them all over the place, I don't see how it's more convenient than carrying cables.
  Why wouldn't you just leave the charger at your home or office where you do most of your charging?
  I carry a separate USB charger in my backpack for use on the go, I never bring my home charger with me. Is it common to have only a single charger that you use at home and carry around with you when you go out?
  Among chronic cheapskates, it is -- the phone only came with one charger, and a second one is ten whole dollars! Otherwise, I don't think so.
  I certainly didn't tote a touchstone with me everywhere after I hacked a Pre inductive charging kit into my N900 -- I had a touchstone on the nightstand at home, another one on my desk at work, and packed the original micro-USB charger whenever I felt the need to carry one around. (I used an extended battery, so I really didn't need to charge it often.) At least until the micro-USB port broke and the inductive-charging was the only option working (at which point I was very glad to have it).
Is this really necessary? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 08:03 · Score: 0

Are people having that much trouble plugging their devices in?
Re:What ever happened to pogo port charging? by chihowa · 2013-11-21 08:31 · Score: 2

The pogo pin docks seemed like a great idea, but they were inexplicably expensive. They sold for $90, or more than a quarter of the cost of the entire phone. I ended up buying some pogo pins from mouser and making my own dock for $5 (it's only that much because you have to do some signalling through the third pin with a uC to get it to charge at a higher rate).

--
If you want a vision of the future, imagine a youtube comments section scrolling - forever.
I've been charging my nexes 7 wirelessly for by jerryjnormandin · 2013-11-21 08:32 · Score: 1

several months now. The LG wireless charger pad works fine with the Nexus 7.
Great Convenience by JakFrost · 2013-11-21 08:56 · Score: 1

I've been using the Qi charger pad below and it works great. It solved the problem of plugging the Google Nexus 7 Gen2 into a cable then having to remember to turn the plug upside down for the Kindle Paperwhite since the MicroUSB socket is installed backwards on it.
Also my son can take the tablet off the charger and put it back on without having to fiddle with plugging the cable in since he's too young to do that yet. Kids friendly!
DigiYes Ultra-thin Black QI Wireless Charger Compatible with LG Google Nexus 4 / Optimus Vu II / Nokia Lumia 920 - Amazon Prime - $28.38
if it were radiative, and omnidirectional by raymorris · 2013-11-21 08:57 · Score: 1

Inverse square would apply if it were radiative (far field) and omnidirectional.
Inductively coupled coils that are also harmonically tuned get the best of both inductive and radiative fields.
Re:If we had not ignored telsa by HornWumpus · 2013-11-21 09:08 · Score: 3, Interesting

That wasn't one of the times. 1 or 2% efficiency for power transmission is unacceptable. Pneumatic power was better then that. Whale oil lamps were better then that.
He could never have proven it. Period. It did not work in a practical sense. It can never work.
You can beam power, if you build big fucking antennas at both ends.
If you could build a magic transmitter that didn't radiate into the sky, you'd still lose intensity with the square of distance. Field intensities strong enough to power a house could also start fires on things like aluminum window frames.

--
John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
Re:What ever happened to pogo port charging? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 09:12 · Score: 0

That's user friendly. I take a knife to all my electronics and gadgets.
Charge your tablet in SECONDS by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 09:16 · Score: 0

Just place your tablet on this induction stovetop, and set to HIGH*...
* remember to turn stove off in ten seconds.
WIFI Analogy anyone? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 09:16 · Score: 1

I suppose most of the people bitching about wireless charging are also connecting their devices by means of Ethernet cables ...
Skepticism by jgotts · 2013-11-21 09:53 · Score: 1

There is some skepticism of wireless charging, so I will address all of it with some facts and personal experience.
In my opinion, the micro USB port was not designed with smartphones in mind.
With heavy use (such as shooting and uploading video) I can completely drain my Samsung Galaxy S III from 100% to 0% in about 90 minutes. Unless less strenuous use such as gameplay I can easily drain my phone in 3 or 4 hours. With the lightest of use and having a number of useful apps installed on my phone doing things in the background the battery never lasts more than 12 hours. With the first scenario, I have no way to charge my phone and it is out of commission in an hour or two (this is frustrating enough that I might buy a second battery) but to make the second and third scenarios feasible I leave my phone plugged into a charging port continuously. Scenario 4, less common but common enough, is that I can't use Waze the GPS app without being plugged into my car's cigarette lighter unless the trip is under an hour. But if I use the GPS during my trip without being plugged in, I arrive with a completely drained phone. That is not acceptable.
So instead of the charging port being used once every couple of days with the phone more or less stationary (like the designers of micro USB probably intended), most people including myself have the phone plugged in via the charging port continuously, always putting a strain on the connector.
What that means for me is that my phone was dead after 9 months of heavy use. The connector became bent internally. No micro USB cable would fit anymore, and I was in Detroit with only an approximate idea of how to get home with a dead phone. After a while of trying to work the cables I had on hand in, the motherboard cracked.
If you visit your smartphone insurance site, you'll see a failed charging port as one of the reasons why you're submitting a claim, right under lost and stolen. Essentially micro USB is too fragile for this type of application, and Apple and your insurance company know this.
Luckily I didn't have to go through my insurance and I got a new phone under warranty. The first thing I did was buy a Qi module to place inside the phone. Qi charging isn't feasible in the car. It's most feasible at work, so roughly 1/3 of the time I'm wirelessly charging. I expect the port on this new phone to last roughly 1/3 longer, or around 1 year.
Clearly, Samsung needs to figure out how to make the micro USB charging port more robust but Qi will help you until that happens.
1. Re:Skepticism by hawguy · 2013-11-21 10:43 · Score: 1
  
  In my opinion, the micro USB port was not designed with smartphones in mind.
  The Micro-USB connector was designed for 10,000 connect cycles. Perhaps weak support of the connector inside the phone is to blame for so many failed phone USB ports because the connector itself should stand up to years of use. For comparison, Mini-USB is rated for 5,000 cycles, and the standard USB connector is rated for 1500 cycles.
Re:If we had not ignored telsa by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 09:56 · Score: 0

Crawl back under your rock, you damned Edison lover.
Tesla was right. Period. End of discussion. So F-off and die.
No, it's Maxwell... Maxwell's equations. (And the coffee.)
Tesla/Edison discussions were about ancient technology... the whole AC/DC thing is completely different now because electrical engineering has come a long way. The more fantastical things that are attributed to Tesla... yea, stop smoking crack. He saw some things, he extrapolated. He extrapolated way out of reality. UFOs aren't real, either.
Re:Except for that previous Wireless Nexus Charger by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 10:17 · Score: 0

I dunno about you guys, but mine works fine. It has to be wiped occasionaly with a damp lint free cloth to reduce the dust and phone gunk that makes it not hold the phone.
I like as I keep the weather and a clock up... thereby at least saving me the desk clock space.
yay ... by nblender · 2013-11-21 10:54 · Score: 1

So my phone can finally have what my toothbrush has had for 10 years?
Google Nexus Gets [New] Wireless Charger by Woadan · 2013-11-21 11:09 · Score: 1

I paid for the original qi nexus charger, about $70 or so. As others have pointed out, it kinda sucked due to not being flat.

I bought another qi charger when I ordered my Nexus 5. his is at Amazon for $30, and may be less expensive at other places:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C40OG22/ref=oh_details_o08_s01_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It works with the Nexus 4, Nexus 5, and Nexus 7 FHD/2013. I believe it would also work with the nexus 10. Charges up good, but it is not fast.

But Google's latest is not their first, so somebody missed something with the title. (Hence my updated one.)

--
You can't bend reality to meet your perceptions.
Re:What ever happened to pogo port charging? by AmiMoJo · 2013-11-21 11:22 · Score: 1

Because no-one can agree where the pogo pins should go, and it would be impossible to create a universal dock that fits any phone and guides it into place.
Wireless charging fixes all that. Any shape device will work.

--
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
Re:What ever happened to pogo port charging? by hawguy · 2013-11-21 11:37 · Score: 1

Because no-one can agree where the pogo pins should go, and it would be impossible to create a universal dock that fits any phone and guides it into place.
Wireless charging fixes all that. Any shape device will work.
I think a universal charger would be trivial to design as long as the contacts themselves are a standard width apart. Just need an adjustable guide on the sides of the charger to keep the phone lined up on the pins when you drop it in place.
I have a universal LiIon battery charger that works with all of my small LiIon batteries from cameras, cell phones, etc. It has an adjustable spring loaded guide along with movable pins that make contact with the battery. I use that when traveling so I don't have to carry along a separate charger for each device. Seems like the same concept could be adapted to a universal Pogo Pin charger if the phones were common.
The Dock itself could be a dumb plastic dock that is molded to be a custom fit for each phone, with a smart charger that plugs in the back making the dock super cheap to create.
Re:Except for that previous Wireless Nexus Charger by Anonymous Coward · 2013-11-21 13:09 · Score: 0

They were going for looks over usability. This also shows in the design of the Nexus 4, with a glass back which looks great, but makes it slippy, so prone to sliding off surfaces, and is also fragile. At least they didn't repeat that foolish design decision with the Nexus 5.
Re:If we had not ignored telsa by uvajed_ekil · 2013-11-21 15:09 · Score: 1

Are you saying wireless chargers don't work, in which case you are wrong, or are just being an idiot without even trying to make a point? These are the only two options.

--
This is a hacked account, for which the owner can not be held responsible.
Re:If we had not ignored telsa by HornWumpus · 2013-11-22 04:51 · Score: 1

Third option: You have very poor reading comprehension. Note: zero range.

--
John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
oblig bash by Anomalyst · 2013-11-22 05:48 · Score: 1

off course having a nokia also means W8, so much for "works well".

--
There is no right to feel safe thru security vaudeville at the expense of everyone's freedom, privacy and tax money.
your water heater uses 4800W to heat 50g water by electrosoccertux · 2013-11-22 07:03 · Score: 1

To put that in perspective, assuming you take a 15 minute shower at 2.5gpm, that takes 37gallons of water, or 3/4 a tank of water. That's 3600W, 3.6KWH, or 36 cents per shower.
Alternatively, for every shower, you could
-run your 100w incandescant light bulb for...36 hours
-or use a wireless charger to charge your phone and waste 30% of (2500mAh * ~3.7v so 10 watts) aka 30% * $0.001
-or watch your 65" DLP TV for 18 hours (200w)
-tell a green thumb to stuff it
I honestly don't mind the SEER requirements for rental units and new constructions (except that they only measure ability to cool inside temps from 80F, with 85F ambient outside temps-- e.g. practically ideal situation that never occurs in the summer), but before they started releasing mercury into the atmosphere with the mandatory CFLs that nobody is going to bother recycling, they should have made us use heat pump water heaters (transfers the heat to surrounding environment, just like your AC works in the summer/heater in the winter [assuming you're not on gas]).
Re:What ever happened to pogo port charging? by Anti-Social+Network · 2013-11-22 09:23 · Score: 1

I recently bought a Nexus 7 pogo dock and, while I don't understand the point of mono-sound-only output (not enough pins to carry stereo), it was only $30 ($40 at launch from what I've seen). Google has changed the interface such that the new Nexus 7 does not work with it; hopefully they fixed some of the issues. I don't understand why they have such trouble getting such a simple thing right, but it's not all been that expensive.

--
Goddammit just when I get my first +5 the Beta rolls out and kills everything
Re:What ever happened to pogo port charging? by chihowa · 2013-11-22 11:16 · Score: 1

If it's the same interface as the Galaxy Nexus pogo port, it's not mono sound but S/PDIF. The Galaxy Nexus docks went for $90, so it's no surprise they never caught on.

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If you want a vision of the future, imagine a youtube comments section scrolling - forever.
Summary obviously written by a man by Dabido · 2013-11-22 16:04 · Score: 1

Wireless charging has had little success so far (except for toothbrushes) ...

Many sex toys also charge that way!!!!

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Sure enough, the cow costume was hanging up next to the superhero outfit and sailors uniform. (S,Spud)
as a user of them... by pjr.cc · 2013-11-25 09:28 · Score: 1

I got given a QI charger a little while ago... ended up loving it so much i bought a couple more and it has a number of advantages. Firstly for my phones i always end up with a fairly rugged case which makes it hard to find a dock that works, but even when I do find a workable dock its only real advantage is that it keeps the phone upright but its still "fiddly" (which gets slowly worse over time as the connector starts getting worn out)... Its rather hard to explain why the charger has been something i've come to love without videos/photos etc, but everyone i know who has one that works loves it...
Note the use of the term "works" here... a couple of people i've know who've had them hated them because they simply weren't a very good charger (took too long to charge), ironically the ones i ended up with are some of the cheapest but in terms of phone charging they are impressive (what used to take about 30 minutes now takes perhaps 40 as an example). Which leads me to say one last thing - they may seem almost irrelavent in terms of convenience but they are actually alot more convenient then they may first seem to be and they are also now so cheap they're easy to get a hold of.
just to be clear - i dont make, sell, hold patents, shares or make any money directly or indirectly from any form of wireless charging (afaik)...