Apple joins Wireless Charging Consortium, fuels speculation on new iPhones

Every move Apple makes is a seismic one in the industry and usually a hint of things to come or a glimpse on what the company is working on next. Apple has reportedly joined the Wireless Charging Consortium, lending credence to the possibility that upcoming iPhones and possibly iPads will be able to use wireless charging technology.

While wireless charging has been available for smartphones for a long time now, Apple has resisted in putting the technology in its iOS devices. Although the Apple Watch has always been charged using an inductive charger, iPhones and iPads have solely relied on Lightning connectors.

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Mophie’s new cases let you charge wirelessly

Mophie’s new line of cases will move you away from using a cable to charge. The Juice Pack cases will let you recharge your smartphone while magnetically holding it in place, meaning you can charge it at home, work, or even in the car. Of course, you’ll need the mounts but we’ll talk about that in a bit. Mophie is offering cases for the iPhone 6/6s and 6 Plus/6s Plus with an extra 1,560mAh and 2,420mAh, respectively. They also have versions of the Juice Pack for the Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 edge with a 2,950mAh and 3,300mAh boost, respectively. Its charging base, which is part of Mophie’s new Charge Force line, has a desk stand and vent mount options.

If you want to buy the Juice Pack with the charging base, it retails for US$99.95 (approx. CA$130) for the 1,560mAh version of the iPhone 6/6s, while it costs US$129.95 (approx. CA$170) for the 2,420mAh model for the iPhone 6 Plus/6s Plus. The Juice Pack for the Galaxy S7 phones go for US$99.95 but that doesn’t come with the wireless charging base yet, which you can get for US$39.95 (approx. CA$52). If you want the desk and vent mounts, those retail for US$59.95 (approx. CA$78) each. It’s going to be quite an investment to start using these cases. You can check them out on Mophie’s site if you’re interested.

Source: The Verge

Broadcom develops new chip capable of letting phones charge using any wireless charger

Wireless charging isn’t as ubiquitous as we’d want it to be, largely because of extremely fragmented standards. There are different companies that provide the technologies, including Qi, PMA, and Rezence, and there is no indication which one will last. Broadcom has found a solution for that with a new chip its introducing. The BCM59350 is designed to charge your devices using any of these existing wireless technologies. The chip also supports up to 7.5W of power (instead of the usual 5W), which means it can charge your devices faster, too.

Broadcom has kept mum about which manufacturers plan to use the chip and when it will be available out on the market. We can just hope it comes out real soon to help make charging an even more painless process.

Source: Engadget

Wireless charging comes to iPad Air and iPad mini via iPort cases and docks

The iPort Case and Stand revealed today at CES 2014 is a multifunctional accessory that brings wireless inductive charging to the iPad family of products while offering a neat way to dock and angle the popular tablets in various landscape or portrait modes. Available for preorder via the manufacturer's website, iPort will ship in 4 to 6 weeks time.