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Wow, this is cool, wireless device charging
- Thread starter vniow
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That's pretty damn cool. But it doesn't eliminate the "Last Wire" problem, it only puts it off, if you know what I mean. What's the pad plugged into? An outlet. Is it really that big of a deal to plug your computer into an outlet? And what happens if your destination doesn't have one of these doo-hickeys? You plug it in.
It's cool and convenient, but I don't see it becoming standard. Longer lasting batteries first, please.
It's cool and convenient, but I don't see it becoming standard. Longer lasting batteries first, please.
This looks great, I just can't wait until they get rid of the need for a mat. Maybe some of the places that get a lot of people coming there to use their computers will start installing the bases once this catches on. Way to go MobilityWise! Apple, you need to talk to these people!!
JW
JW
Why would you say this? What in the world would you base it on? There's not a huge amount of detail on the site about how the technology works. All you know is that it's electrical. Do you assume you're giving yourself a tumor every time you buy a toaster or a hair dryer or a waffle iron? It's media-induced paranoia like this that has caused many an excellent innovation to vanish for no valid reason except that somebody started a paranoid rumor with no basis in fact.
I agree with you, Gelfin. Some people daydream too much about sitting on top of the microwave.
This is a great step closer to that [other] American Dream of wireless technology. We made superconducters suspend metal in mid air in 1987, +/-, so we will soon be able to have a completely wireless system.
Imagine a PowerBook GHz with bluetooth and a pad. That would be amazing.
This is a great step closer to that [other] American Dream of wireless technology. We made superconducters suspend metal in mid air in 1987, +/-, so we will soon be able to have a completely wireless system.
Imagine a PowerBook GHz with bluetooth and a pad. That would be amazing.
No cancer from this baby
From the MobileWise website:
"Electromagnetic Compatibility
Power is transferred using DC currents; the MobileWise Wire-free Electricity Base does not utilize electromagnetic or RF fields."
<http://www.mobilewise.com/products.html>
From the MobileWise website:
"Electromagnetic Compatibility
Power is transferred using DC currents; the MobileWise Wire-free Electricity Base does not utilize electromagnetic or RF fields."
<http://www.mobilewise.com/products.html>
Well it could make bluetooth mice workable (more workable).
Imagine a small pad (don't like the mongo desktop one - this would be really small no bigger than the mouse itself) with a wire running to the computer for power. Use a wireless bluetooth all you like (with it's onboard battery) and then when you aren't using it just place it on the re-charge pad.
No more messy battery changes as you have now with standard wireless mice. As many have pointed out most wireless mice today don't eat batterys to begin with so this would be great... Trickle charge the mouse and it'll never run out of power.
Oh and yea my SonicCare toothbrush works kinda the same way (but it isn't a pad)... The toothbrush is all plastic with no contacts that I've been able to find and yet when you drop it into the plastic charging base it gets a charge thru the plastic. That base doesn't seem to have any exposed contacts either. Pretty cool stuff
Dave
old technology
This isn't rocket science, and yes, I'm sure it does produce an electromagnetic field as soon as you place anything on it that has metal in it. (If it didn't, there would be no way for it to power a device.)
These electric shaver, toothbrushes, this mat, etc. all work off of the same principle.
Basically, if you apply a voltage through a wire and then place another wire right next to it at a 90 degree angle, a current will be "induced" in the other wire. This is known as induction and it's the same principle that every transformer in the world is based on.
The only way to induce significant current is to use lots of wires in a tightly-packed array, or a coil as is used in transformers.
If properly designed, there shouldn't be any electromagnetic field generated until a metal device (or your PDA, mouse, whatever) is placed on top of it. Even then, we're talking about very low voltages, so it probably wouldn't be much of a problem.
The interesting part is, unless they've come up with some funky wire layout, you're going to have to place your device on it at a 90 degree angle for optimum charging ability.
This isn't rocket science, and yes, I'm sure it does produce an electromagnetic field as soon as you place anything on it that has metal in it. (If it didn't, there would be no way for it to power a device.)
These electric shaver, toothbrushes, this mat, etc. all work off of the same principle.
Basically, if you apply a voltage through a wire and then place another wire right next to it at a 90 degree angle, a current will be "induced" in the other wire. This is known as induction and it's the same principle that every transformer in the world is based on.
The only way to induce significant current is to use lots of wires in a tightly-packed array, or a coil as is used in transformers.
If properly designed, there shouldn't be any electromagnetic field generated until a metal device (or your PDA, mouse, whatever) is placed on top of it. Even then, we're talking about very low voltages, so it probably wouldn't be much of a problem.
The interesting part is, unless they've come up with some funky wire layout, you're going to have to place your device on it at a 90 degree angle for optimum charging ability.