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Hughston
Then don't sit on one.
Hughston
Nokia just added this feature to their new smartphones but their main ...
How Intel can use wireless charging to attack ARM
Peter Clarke
8/30/2012 10:54 AM EDT
The gadget swarm is the gadget
Intel's wireless charging technology is expected to arrive in the second half of 2013 in a few models of Intel-based thin notebook (ultrabook) computers. A casual glance might lead one to think that these computers would be charged wirelessly by sitting on some plate that is plugged into the main electricity supply and indeed for some models that might be so.
But the leverage comes when Intel embeds the ability to charge nearby Intel-based smartphones from the ultrabook and denies access to the technology to other smartphone makers.
In this way Intel could start to use the provision of mobile charging capability on Intel-based computers to enhance the desirability of mobile phones and tablet computers also based on its processors.
Plonk your intel-phone down on the desk next to your ultrabook and it is fully charged and synched up when you are ready to go walkabout. Does that sound good? But if you put your iPhone or non-Intel Android smartphone down next to your ultrabook, or even next to your Mac notebook, it doesn't charge up. How uncool is that?
And in this way Intel Atom processors plus wireless charging receiver technology could start to become the basis of a desirable platform for smartphone and tablet computer makers at the expense of ARM and its ecosystem partners.
All this assumes that what Intel has is sufficiently energy efficient to be justifiable in use and that Apple, ARM, Android supporters and others do not have something as good or superior. It is notable that Qualcomm and Samsung formed a wireless power consortium called the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) and there is also the Wireless Power Consortium trying to set Qi as a global standard so the battle lines are being drawn.
Obviously such a battle would prompt issues over standardization but it could also prompt legal arguments over "tied selling." But as wireless charging is not a distinct market as yet Intel should have a few years in which to benefit, if its technology indeed provides a benefit, before the authorities would enforce moves to open access.
Related links and articles:
www.wirelesspowerconsortium.com
www.a4wp.org
News articles:
Intel energizes wireless charging effort
Intel preps wireless charging
Charge medical devices without wires
Leyden Energy partners for wireless charging
Qualcomm, Samsung form wireless power alliance
Qualcomm, Renault team on wireless electric vehicle charging
Intel's wireless charging technology is expected to arrive in the second half of 2013 in a few models of Intel-based thin notebook (ultrabook) computers. A casual glance might lead one to think that these computers would be charged wirelessly by sitting on some plate that is plugged into the main electricity supply and indeed for some models that might be so.
But the leverage comes when Intel embeds the ability to charge nearby Intel-based smartphones from the ultrabook and denies access to the technology to other smartphone makers.
In this way Intel could start to use the provision of mobile charging capability on Intel-based computers to enhance the desirability of mobile phones and tablet computers also based on its processors.
Plonk your intel-phone down on the desk next to your ultrabook and it is fully charged and synched up when you are ready to go walkabout. Does that sound good? But if you put your iPhone or non-Intel Android smartphone down next to your ultrabook, or even next to your Mac notebook, it doesn't charge up. How uncool is that?
And in this way Intel Atom processors plus wireless charging receiver technology could start to become the basis of a desirable platform for smartphone and tablet computer makers at the expense of ARM and its ecosystem partners.
All this assumes that what Intel has is sufficiently energy efficient to be justifiable in use and that Apple, ARM, Android supporters and others do not have something as good or superior. It is notable that Qualcomm and Samsung formed a wireless power consortium called the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) and there is also the Wireless Power Consortium trying to set Qi as a global standard so the battle lines are being drawn.
Obviously such a battle would prompt issues over standardization but it could also prompt legal arguments over "tied selling." But as wireless charging is not a distinct market as yet Intel should have a few years in which to benefit, if its technology indeed provides a benefit, before the authorities would enforce moves to open access.
Related links and articles:
www.wirelesspowerconsortium.com
www.a4wp.org
News articles:
Intel energizes wireless charging effort
Intel preps wireless charging
Charge medical devices without wires
Leyden Energy partners for wireless charging
Qualcomm, Samsung form wireless power alliance
Qualcomm, Renault team on wireless electric vehicle charging
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askubel
8/30/2012 1:08 PM EDT
Intel-phones are Android phones, and Macs use Intel chips. I don't doubt Apple would be very interested in having this functionality in the iPhone.
Right now it's a matter of getting the tech to market and proving it works for consumers. Given the relatively low number of Intel phones in circulation, it may be in their interest to license the "client" portion to facilitate adoption.
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Hughston
9/6/2012 3:14 PM EDT
Nokia just added this feature to their new smartphones but their main improvement is a better camera. I think wireless charging would not be cost or space effective but it could increase reliability by eliminating broken connectors.
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Luis Sanchez
8/30/2012 4:32 PM EDT
Interesting. Now we'll have a new way to charge our phones. Wires are getting to become a thing of the past.
This will also add to the testing and development cycles as new coexistence tests will have to be done involving Bluetooth, Wifi against wireless charging radiation. But isn't wireless charging inefficient? I suppose a lot of power would be lost through air and the equipment enclosures in the form of heat. wouldn't it?
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resistion
8/30/2012 8:16 PM EDT
Wireless charging is sigificantly inefficient compared to wired, so the picture of instantaneous power up is quite misleading.
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eewiz
8/30/2012 11:45 PM EDT
Yea True. Do you have any numbers? For eg, How long would it take to charge an iPhone(1400mAH battery) to 100%.
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resistion
9/1/2012 10:57 AM EDT
for ipad 4 hrs inductive
http://www.macnn.com/articles/12/08/29/requires.wall..or.base.mounted.charger/
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resistion
9/1/2012 12:58 PM EDT
Of course here inductive is wired with no prongs or plugs. IIRC magnetized surfaces. Still easy to pull off.
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hm
8/30/2012 8:23 PM EDT
It looks interesting concept. However, we need more analytical analysis to support this concept. Should IEEE also start working developing standard for it?
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askubel
8/31/2012 1:41 AM EDT
Efficiency is not a big problem; using resonant inductive coupling, efficiency rates of 90% have been claimed.
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resistion
8/31/2012 3:13 AM EDT
beware how efficiency is defined.
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resistion
8/31/2012 5:31 AM EDT
I suppose the best posted results are when the charging is done in "wireless contact" - actual touching but not plugged in. The efficiency is certainly much higher here, but may not give the expected proximity advantage of wireless. The advantages may be other things, like no contact or wear issues.
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prabhakar_deosthali
8/31/2012 5:29 AM EDT
In the current scenario where everybody is talking "GREEN" to design products which can consume less energy or do energy harvesting, this new concept seems to be going in the opposite direction
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Josato
9/2/2012 7:08 AM EDT
I agree, and wireless charging is largely, I feel, a gimmick (like siri). Is it really so much effort to plug in your phone?
I wonder if the day will come when people are less and less receptive to 'innovative' new technologies.
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http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/poconoarmchairreview
8/31/2012 7:59 PM EDT
As I mentioned elsewhere, I am very worried about the safety of wireless power, even at small power levels.
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Hughston
9/6/2012 3:15 PM EDT
Then don't sit on one.
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ughhhh
9/1/2012 4:51 PM EDT
I fail to see why only Intel could offer this technology and thus use it as "weapon" against ARM.
More companies offer wireless charging ( already 20 years ago my tootbrush used wireless charging). Besides that ARM processor are much more energy efficient than Intel's.
On the other hand, I don't mind connecting my laptop to charge. Where is the big user benefit? Also the wireless charger requires you position the appliance at a precise location.
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KB3001
9/2/2012 6:28 AM EDT
I do not think this is such big an issue to be honest. Non-Intel consortia can well develop their own wireless charging standard and bring it to the market fairly quickly. Efficiency is not such a big thing provided it's within 20% or so of Intel's. If Intel are really thinking of using this as a strategic weapon against their competitors in the mobile market, then God help Intel :-)
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zzacreek
9/4/2012 10:15 AM EDT
So far wireless charging is mostly a sales thing. Other companies already have wireless charging like texas instruments. But all the products i have seen only work if you are less than 1 foot away from it? What is the point in that?
I would like to see a mechanical charge cell phone. So that all i have to do to charge my cell is give a cranks to a small wheel on it. Or maybe shake it like you can do with some flashlights.
Because i get tired of my cell going dead and i am not by any power supply. I would love to go wait one minute i shake my cell phone and it is fully powered up again. Now that would be awesome.
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peter.clarke
9/4/2012 1:13 PM EDT
The advantage of being within one foot of wireless charging source is that you don't have to plug and unplug a charger connection into the phone.
That's about it.
But cranking/shaking may not be such an "awesome" prospect if the craking to battery life ratio is relatively low, say 5:1.
How does 12 minutes of cranking/shaking for 1 hour of phone life appeal?
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Frank Eory
9/4/2012 3:23 PM EDT
Peter, within one foot? Not likely. Even the wireless EV charger that was demo'd at CES two years ago relied on the undercarriage receiver and the floor mat transmitter being within a few inches of each other.
For wireless charging of mobile devices, you're still looking at placing your device on a charging mat with fairly precise alignment to a coil within the mat -- exactly like today's wireless charging mats require. The gap between transmitter & receiver coils is a small fraction of an inch.
In any case, it seems crazy that Intel would think of wireless charging as some sort of strategic weapon. There are already a variety of products on the market, the WPC has it's Qi standard and newer revs in the works, CEA is starting another standards effort, and now Intel wants to do it's own thing too.
I admit it would be cool if an Intel-powered Ultrabook could wirelessly charge a phone. But if that only applies to Intel-powered phones, then it's a useless feature for 99.9% of mobile phone users and will unnecessarily add cost to the Ultrabook.
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