This post was published 2 months 30 days ago.
It\'s is possible that the information within this article is now out of date or updated.

It seems that there have been a lot of advances recently in the way we charge mobile devices. I still remember the days when it was a big deal when a device could be trickle charged via a USB port rather then requiring a connection to the mains. Now however the big deal is so called “wireless” charging, but the vision of connection-free charging such a term calls up is still somewhat misleading.

First and foremost in the world of Wireless charging is Palm’s Touchstone for use with the Palm Pre (and I assume more WebOS phones to come). Since the wireless charging receptors are built directly into the Palm Pre all that has to be done is to set the device on the Touchstone…quick, simple, easy. No other wireless charging solution available today is quite so elegant.

The leading solution for wirelessly charging other products is the WildCharge system. Originally developed for the iPhone and iPod Touch but since expanded to include most mobile devices, the WildCharge system uses a charging mat that you can lay several devices on at once for charging. However, it still requires putting the device in a charging skin or connecting a power receptor of some kind to the device. You can’t just toss your phone on the pad at night and let it charge up.

However, one element of wireless charging may soon be simplified…availability of the equipment. Battery giants Duracell have apparently licensed the WildCharge technology and are selling their own branded version of the system. According to their website, the Duracell myGrid system will be available in October and will initially support products by Apple, Motorola, BlackBerry and Nokia. You can buy the pad, and as many “tips and Power Clips” as you need to charge all your devices. Since the system works based on plugging into the device’s power connectors, those four should cover the connector types of most popular devices by any vendor. Hopefully this will be a step towards making the WildCharge technology standard, so that phone vendors will begin building it directly into their handsets and eliminate the need for Power Clips or special skins.

While the Duracell myGrid may not exactly be “wireless” yet, it will still be a big leap forward for gadget lovers when we can buy the system and replacement Power Clips at our grocery store’s check out line, along with other Duracell batteries, caffeinated chewing gum and this week’s copy of The Star.

Zealot (468 Posts) - Website | Twitter | Facebook

By day a department manager and writer for a major network device vendor...by night Zealot stalks the mean magnetic streets, striking fear into the hearts of bandwidth abusers and theme park mascots. Zealot has been involved with mobile devices for more than a decade now, starting off with dumb phones, moving to PDAs and then to smartphones, notebooks and netbooks with the odd PMP thrown in. Most of his mobile time currently is spent on a Treo Pro, Zune HD, Thinkpad T61, Gigabyte M912M or a Hackintoshed Compaq Mini 704. He proudly groks the Geek community and considers himself a Neo Maxi Zune Dweebie (thanks Will Wheaton!).