Gadgetory

it's time to cut the cord here at CES 2018 wireless charging reigns supreme and we're seeing tons of new Chargers in the shapes sizes and form factors specifically we're seeing Qi charging pads the same wireless standard used by Samsung LG and tons of other companies but the big difference this year is that last fall Apple added Qi charging to its iPhone 10 knife on eight models bringing a huge influx of new users to the market and plenty of companies looking to cash in on that Apple jumping onboard means two things one tons of new customers looking to buy a wireless charging pad for the first time in their lives and to the basic effective death of the other main wireless charging standard PMA in fact at CES this year PMA announced that its Powermat Chargers would be adopting she now going forward that leads us to the Chargers themselves and even though this technology has been around for a while we're still seeing companies experimenting and trying to figure things out because I'm like a charging cable wireless chargers a big thing that's always going to be on your desk or nightstand and that means that it needs to fit in your life in the way that cable doesn't so companies are really experimenting with different form factors one IOT showed up with five different chargers a pad a miniature pad stand some weird wall mount thing in the car man don't get also showed up with a bunch of new chargers and they're also just trying new things like this double charger that's actually two charging pads just meshed into one or new startups like tray which are following the steps of Ikea and building wireless chargers directly into a whole line of lambs and honestly that's a pretty good idea why not put a wireless charger in something you keep plugged in and on your desk at all times anyway and all this variety is really important because different people have different tastes and styles the fabric-covered charger I like might not suit your tastes at all and sure the everything but the kitchen sink method might be a little overwhelming but at least there's variety especially because there might not be a single right answer here even mouse pads are getting in on wireless charging with a company called Corsair putting a Qi charger into its mm 1000 mask at ICS which can charge your phone or your mousepad just the same which brings me to one of the other big advantages of Qi charging is that it's become this truly Universal standard that's transcended product category or brand sure companies are still divided as to whether these USB C or microUSB for their phones and Apple of course is gonna stick with lightning for basically forever but I can take a Samsung phone or an iPhone and drop them on my to charger and it'll work just the same we're really reaching this universal standard where anything will charge B it Mouse phone watch battery pack or anything else new there's also interesting applications for the future of wireless charging here at CES we're starting to see the technology and make the jump from traditional gadgets to more household goods like crock pots or even blenders although right now it's still more than a gimmicky stage than a genuinely useful solution it's also important to remember that while chief charging is really cool it's also only wireless charging in the sense that you're not physically plugging in a cable to your phone you still have to take your phone put it on the pad and remember to do that every day true wireless charging where your phone will just magically draw power from air for maybe a hub somewhere else in the room is the real Holy Grail here and we're so kind of years away from that although there are companies at CES this year that are trying to work on that so the future might not be as far off as we think for now though it's never been a better time to start getting into wireless charging and even if it's not quite the magical future we've been promised it still sure beats untangling galas