Mobile Devices Are Finding More Ways to Cut the Charging Cord
Magnetyze, a charging system from BuQu Tech, starts with tough, metallic cell-phone cases for Apple or Android phones that have a magnetic spot on the back to mate with a variety of devices for a charging connection. With the iPhone 5, the case nests into Apple's proprietary port and extends the contacts to a set of concentric rings on the back of the case. An array of charging tools have, on a tab, matching contacts that hug the spot on the case back whenever they meet. There is no struggle to orient connectors: Move the phone near, and the magnet does the rest. Charger options include a mini USB cable with a magnetic tab, a cable for 12-volt DC outlets, a flat plug for AC wall sockets and a desktop stand. It's a nicely engineered system that works well.
Photo By Tom Sawyer for ENR
The svelte, universal SunBar pocket solar charger from Juicebar is about the size of a deck of cards, weighs 3.2 oz. and is a negligible addition to your gadget load. But the 5.5-volt, 80-mA polycrystaline-photovoltaic panel and its 3.7-volt on-board Li-ion battery will soak up the sun or even your desk lamp and build and hold power to charge virtually any mobile device using a set of included mini USB adaptor plugs. An iPhone 5 with a 49% charge came back to 95% charge in an hour and cruised to 100% in a few more minutes. With SunBar, your cell phone really could go conveniently off the grid.
Photo By Tom Sawyer for ENR
Intel's charger is the Smart Bowl, a black, 10-in.-dia dish into which a variety of devices, such as phones, headsets or tablets, can be placed to charge, simultaneously and without exact alignment, using magnetic resonance. Intel is a member of the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP), a not-for-profit group that aims for wide adoption of a wireless charging standard. It is to be based on Rezence technology, a trademarked variant of magnetic resonance that meets A4WP technical specifications. The idea is that any A4WP-compliant device can play and charge with any other, regardless of manufacturer. In his keynote at CES, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich dropped his phone and a Nike+ Fuelband, a wearable device that monitors the user's physical activity, into the bowl to demonstrate how they charged together. Intel has not yet revealed pricing or a schedule for release.
Photo Courtesy of Intel
As construction users increasingly take up mobile devices, battery drain is becoming a drag. Fortunately, innovators are on it. Here are a few neat items that impress ENR as being particularly promising or useful right now, including one from Intel unveiled at the Consumer Electronic Show in January.
