Outlet charging may be out, as wireless charging catches on

At a time when just about every thing seems to be going wireless from phones and internet to headsets and keyboards, the ubiquitous charger or power outlet that devices need to be periodically plugged into for charging certainly seems to be trifle outdated.

What makes it even worse is the fact that the technology has been available since engineer inventor Nikola Tesla first demonstrated wireless power through magnetic induction in the 1890s, reveals a report in Technology Review India, published by MIT.

For whatever reasons cord-free charging that allows charging of a device when placed on a charging surface, has found few takers, which has nothing to do with a shortage of products, or a shortage of companies wanting to sell them.

Over 125 businesses signed up with the Wireless Power Consortium, formed in late 2008 for global charging standard and though the consortium hoped the technology would one day become as common as Bluetooth in most devices and, like Wi-Fi, available in many public spaces, wireless charging has had a tardy take off.

There are signs though that things may be changing in favour of wireless charging as the number of power-hungry mobile devices grows.

In the report Technology Review India quoted Ron Rabinowitz, CEO Duracell Powermat, as saying phones were running out of charge faster and faster, whereas battery capacity was limited. Duracell Powermat was among the early pioneers in wireless charging smartphone cases and charging mats in 2009  (See: Duracell Instant Charger for mobile devices wins engineering award) and had notched up $100 million in sales in the last fiscal year.