Some of the stars of this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas have reportedly been the range of wireless charging solutions that have come to light within the past few months. Here in the UK, it is a product named Power Mat that has become the most recognised of these solutions, however some consumers have labeled this item a ‘con’ due to the requirement of a bulky back panel or case needed to facilitate the charging process.
A manufacturer named RCA aims to combat this problem with their new product Airnergy- a wireless charging device that utilises Wi-Fi signals to refill batteries.
Airnergy resembles a 3g dongle and can be attached to any device that boasts a mini-usb charging port (sorry iPhone users) and additional power is sourced from surrounding Wi-Fi signals then routed to your battery.
Obviously the rate of charge relies heavily on the strength of Wi-Fi signal, however the RCA have suggested that Airnergy may be able to feed off of ambient electromagnetic signals emanating from cordless phones and other mobile devices, thus allowing for unlimited ‘free energy’.
Either way, with the device priced at $40 (£25) this product should be carefully considered as a superior alternative to Powermat and a worthy rival to other CES 2010 exhibitors of this nature Powerbeam and WiTricity. RCA have also indicated that they are attempting to incorporate the technology into device batteries themselves; an exciting prospect from every angle.
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Tags: Airnergy, ces 2010, Charging, wireless charger
