‘Wireless’ concept extends to charging

Wireless charging creates advantages beyond not having to use cords when refuelling mobile devices with electricity, according one British researcher, though a Canadian technology expert says widespread adoption of such technology is far from certain. James Moar, a research analyst with Juniper Research Ltd. in the United Kingdom, said in a phone interview that because wireless charging does not involve physical contact between the device and the source of power, it opens up possibilities for data transfers that can lead to a variety of new functions. "If it's in the context of, say, a coffee shop you've just gone into and you've plunked your phone down and you're out of coffee or you've been sitting there for a good 50 minutes, the data exchange means the location will know this and pin you up a coupon saying, 'Would you like another of whatever you just ordered,' or, 'We can give you X amount of offers as a customer who's been back however many times." If a consumer uses wireless charging in their home, Moar said there several other possibilities, such as setting up instructions for calls to the mobile device, when on the charger, to be forwarded to the home's landline, or to program things such as an audio system or lights to turn on when the phone is placed in a particular location. In terms of why many of these features would be less doable when using a typical wired charging process, Moar said: "The kind of exchanges that go through wire charges aren't quite as programmable. Because there is nothing but the data exchange in wireless charging, you have to have a data-to-database exchange. Whereas if you think about having a programmable plug-in charger, that functionality could be there to a degree, based on a USB charger, I suppose. But because the setup is primarily through the physical connection, rather through data, the ability to leverage the data exchange isn't quite so prominent." Duncan Stewart, director of research for technology in Canada at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd., said that, despite these arguments supporting the potential of wireless charging, smartphones are capable of receiving data and providing location-based information without the use of wireless chargers. He added that home automation can also take place without a wireless charger. "You could also set up your home automation so that as soon as your smartphone was inside a geo-fenced area inside your house, happened," Stewart said in a phone interview. "You don't need a wireless charger to make that happen." Moar said the use of wireless charging would reduce "one of the main points of mobile phone failure," which is when the charger stops working. He said wireless chargers are more durable because they tend to be more stationary and handled less than regular chargers. The U.K. researcher added that wireless charging has the potential to add some of the functionality of a smartphone to an automobile that is not equipped with the latest technology. "You can have your phone sitting in the car providing all these services without having the hardware burden on the car and without fear for the user of running out of battery while they're doing a lot of these energy-intensive things with their phones," Moar said. Juniper predicted in an Aug. 25 press release that almost 40 per cent of households in the United States will have wireless chargers by 2020, and more than 20 per cent in Europe will have them by that time. Moar said current adoption rates are "very, very low" in the single-digit percentage range. He said data for Canada was not available. Stewart estimated that less than 0.1 per cent of the Canadian population has wireless chargers in their homes currently. Among the obstacles to wireless charging becoming mainstream, Moar said, is the lack of a single protocol. Currently, there are two organizations trying to set the standard, he noted. One is the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), and another is made up of two groups, the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) and the Power Matters Alliance (PMA), which agreed to merge this year. There also needs to be more smartphone producers creating devices compatible with wireless charging, Moar said. Certain devices by Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and those of the former mobile-device division of Nokia Corp., now owned by Microsoft Corp., are among those capable of being charged wirelessly, he said. Apple Inc.'s iPhones are not, but its Apple Watches are, he added. BlackBerry Ltd. spokeswoman Kiyomi Rutledge said in an email that the AT&T version of its Passport smartphone is the only BlackBerry device she's aware of that is compatible with wireless charging. Ikea stores in Canada recently started carrying wireless charging pads and a series of furniture items — including tables and lamps — with wireless chargers built into them. Promotional materials provided by Ikea indicate that these charging pads are based on the Qi standard, which is protocol favoured by the WPC. For devices without Qi compatibility built into them, Ikea says it has covers available to make them linkable to these chargers. Stewart said it's possible that the market for wireless chargers could develop significantly at some point, but he doesn't anticipate the conditions for that coming together in the near future. He said for a significant market to develop for wireless chargers, there would need to be more standardization so most devices work on the same kind of charger. Stewart added that "ubiquity" of wireless chargers would also make them more appealing to consumers. "It's annoying to always have to plug in a charger and carry around the device and cord, but one of the reasons that works as well as it does is there are plugs everywhere," Stewart said. He said that while there are perhaps tens of billions of electrical outlets throughout the world, society is a long way from having anything close to a comparable availability of wireless chargers. Stewart said even if 10 million wireless-charging stations were installed around the world, it would be a small fraction of the number of electrical outlets available and not create a reliable means for charging devices while out and about. "You would still need to carry around your traditional plug and cable to connect to your smartphone to charge it up," Stewart said. "As long I still need to have the plug solution, the fact that a wireless solution is theoretically possible doesn't really help me that much because ... the real advantage of the wireless solution is only when we can throw away our cords." Carriers have a role to play in promoting the adoption of wireless charging, Moar said, particularly in creating awareness among customers when they buy devices compatible with wireless charging. He said there is a "substantial proportion" of people who have devices capable of this feature who don't know it. Moar said there are also opportunities for service providers in the area of wireless charging, particularly in using it as a way to differentiate one's service from the competition. Carriers, he said, might want to strike deals with device makers to have wireless chargers included in packages with smartphones, saving consumers an extra $30 to $60 that they would typically have to pay to buy the wireless chargers separately. — With reporting by Derek Abma at dabma@thewirereport.ca and editing by Shruti Shekar at sshekar@thewirereport.ca

‘Wireless’ concept extends to charging

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