Energizer bunny hits iPhone, BlackBerry - wirelessly

The wireless power consortium, Qi, is celebrating the launch of a solution with a known brand - Energizer - attached, but the technology is still a long way from the mainstream. The Energizer Inductive Charger will be available in the USA next month, along with a sleeve that fits round an iPhone 3GS to Qi-enable it, and a …

[BristolBachelor]

Advantages vs. disadvantages

ADVANTAGES:

I can save the 10 seconds it takes to pick-up the charger plug and plug it into the socket on my phone.

DISADVANTAGES:

It will cost more for no additional device functionality.

Inductive charging automatically means no "energy star"

My iPod automatically charges anyway when I put it in the dock on my HiFi.

The £0.50 USB cable I use to charge my phone at work will now be a £?? mat and always take up desk space*

The £0.50 car cable I use to charge my phone in the car will now be a £?? mat and the phone will slide off it on roundabouts*

* OK so I could still use a cable to charge at work and in the car, but if I use a cable then, what's the point?

Come back when it can charge anywhere in my house and I'll give you my money.

[Anonymous Coward]

advertising budget

was all spent on special effects, thats for sure.

and it will only be of use when you work in a place and your device starts charging, rather than placing it on a mat.

[Anonymous Coward]

No all.

They must have spent a fortune tracking down the worlds most annoying man.

[D@v3]

it's NOT wireless!!!

for christs sake. you still have to plug the damn pad into a wall socket. Even when they are built into surfaces, work desks etc.. they will still need to draw power from somwhere, which surprise surprise will mean a plug of some sort.

Also a 3Gs case, isnt that a little out of date??

[A handle is required]

Ahem

I don't think anyone implied it that it was *completely* wireless.

[Chris 211]

Rubbish product

Rubbish product, wasteful, aimed at lazy people. I want an efficient fast standards based charger via a proper peace of wire that works with my phone, camera, ipod, dynamo, even a laptop (maybe just trickle charging), remote control! Whatever, STANDARDS STANDARDS get a grip! Instead they throw this gimmick at us that's no more advanced then a toothbrush charging stand!

[Bill Gould]

Future

I'm really just waiting for all household surfaces to be inductive so I can live the dream of the future where everything is always charged and there are no wires anywhere in the universe.

I can see this thing being useful once more devices are compatible and I have more than 1 or 2 devices. Curve? Check. Uhm... that's it.

[OffBeatMammal]

Duracell ...

I'm sure I've seen Duracel branded PowerMats here in the US as well, so it looks like the Energizer Bunny is hopping to catch up on the marketing hyp

Until these are standard (ie both Qi and PowerMat charged devices are interchanagable) and built into stuff (cup holder in my car wherer I drop my phone, various sized mats for bedside table, desk, airport lounges) and enough devices use them without sleeves and other gizmos then they're just a party trick.

[darkFlame]

Wow, who let Klaus out of his fish bowl?

I think I like him better with orange scales...

[leakyPC]

Pointless

How are you supposed to use the phone whilst it is charging?

Hold the phone and the matt to you face?

I can see a product like this being useful in a kitchen environment, where you could place the electronic equipment on a work surface without the wires. But I cannot see one advantage to using it with mobile phones.

[Hardcastle]

Head...

If there was a "best part" of that video, it was when that damn head exploded and STFU LOL...

Grenade for obvious reasons.

[Daniel B.]

as useless as the PowerMat

I've seen a crapload of PowerMat commercials. I fail to see the convenience of these gimmicks, as they take longer to charge, and it involves adding some weird extension to my handset(s). I've got 4 cellphones that need charging (3 of them are Blackberries) and I yet have to find a good reason why this would be good for me.

[M Gale]

So...

One half of a transformer goes into a mat, and the other half goes into your phone?

Be nice if it worked anywhere in the room, but somehow I can't see that happening. Now inductive cooking stoves.. they look quite funky.

[Nameless Faceless Computer User]

Neat concept - bad idea

Inductive charging is slow, uses more energy, and radiates heat and EMI radiation. It's nothing new. Years ago, they tried using inductive radiation on a stove top. It didn't catch on then either.