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WHY IT'S COOL Plugging gadgets into wall sockets is so 20th century. Wouldn't you rather just toss them on your desk and have them charge wire-free?
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A few companies-Fulton Innovation, Splashpower, and WildCharge among them-think you'll be able to do this soon. They're developing box- and pad-like devices that they claim will power and charge multiple devices with various power needs at the same speed as plugging in the traditional way.

Fulton Innovation's eCoupled-powered devices and Splashpower's SplashPads charge gadgets via induction, wherein an electromagnetic field on the pad's base transfers power to a device's receiver. WildCharge's pads don't use inductive charging-nor any type of electromagnetic field-but as of press time the company was keeping quiet about the nitty-gritty behind the pad's operation. All three companies' bases will plug into a wall the old-fashioned way.

WHO'S BEHIND IT Fulton Innovation, Splashpower, WildCharge

CURRENT ETA WildCharge plans to start selling its charging pad (called the WildCharger) coupled with electronics adapters for $40 to $100, depending on the pad size, during the first half of this year. The company is working with partner companies to have its technology included in devices like laptops, cell phones, and digital cameras by 2008.

Splashpower expects to launch several products with partner companies within the next one to two years and wants to eventually have a variety of gadgets operating with its SplashPad charging systems, some of which come with charging dongles and some of which have the technology built in. The company couldn't say exactly which devices will be launched but told us that MP3 players, cell phones, and digital cameras are good candidates for the technology.

Fulton Innovation is licensing its wireless technology, which it calls eCoupled, to manufacturers, who are expected to start selling charging pads and adapters by June 2007. David Baarman, inventor of eCoupled, said he expects companies will charge $25 to $50 for a charging base, while adapters will run $12 to $100. The company claims it has partnerships in place with manufacturers that will eventually enable the technology to be integrated into devices. Fulton Innovation is also working on getting manufacturers to integrate eCoupled tech into things like cars and furniture (and has partnered with Aeron chair manufacturer Herman Miller). 

Copyright © 2007. Laptop Magazine.