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Google Nexus Gets Wireless Charger

Posted by timothy on 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."

13 of 223 comments (clear)

  1. The distinction is minor by i+kan+reed · · 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 · · 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 HornWumpus · · 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'
    3. Re:The distinction is minor by umafuckit · · 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
    4. Re:The distinction is minor by Andy+Dodd · · 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?
    5. Re:The distinction is minor by goldaryn · · 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.

    6. Re:The distinction is minor by mythosaz · · 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.

  2. Giving it ANOTHER good try? by sitkill · · 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 compro01 · · 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
  3. $17 chargers elsewhere by FunkyELF · · 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.

  4. What ever happened to pogo port charging? by hawguy · · 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.

  5. Power efficiency by __aaqvdr516 · · 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

  6. Re:If we had not ignored telsa by HornWumpus · · 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'