Here’s a clutter-saver for a small office where everybody has cell phone and laptop chargers taking up desk space and cords underfoot: a wireless charging pad. Plug the pad in, lay several phones on it and they charge by induction, the coil technology that juices your electric toothbrush, or conduction, a metal-to-metal transference of power.
The one bother is you have to snap a clip or sleeve on the phone that makes contact with the pad. And for laptops and phones that aren’t compatible with the clips or sleeves there’s a little box that sits on the pad, receives the charge and transmits it through a wire.
PowerMat is the established company in this field and sells a three-phone induction model for the desk, or a fold-up model for travel, for $79.99. The Energizer Inductive Charger is about to hit the stores. Just out on the market is the Duracell myGrid conduction charger at $79.99 for a pad that holds up to four phones. The WildCharge conduction pad comes in a wide range of models (also $79.99). The sleeves for these devices run around $30 to $40.
Get ready for wireless charging to pop up everywhere. Last summer, major electronics companies agreed on the Qi standard for induction charging, meaning manufacturers can build one charging technology inside their products and any device could charge on a pad with no sleeves or clips. The Energizer Inductive Charger is a Qi charger. There are already plans to build charging pads into office furniture, cars, airport bars and any other place where batteries might run low.
Image of the WildCharge Pad from PureEnergy
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For more cell phone charger vendors, check Business.com.
