Open Air

I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that the new tech toy that you recently purchased is already obsolete. No matter what the device is it is out dated, and yes this includes the iPhone. It will most likely include any new device that you will buy within the next year or so.
The good news is in two parts. The first is that you can now save your horde of obsolete devices for your great great grandchildren. Hopefully, by then they can fetch a good price for your items on the antiques circuit. The second half of the good news is what will make our current devices virtually obsolete. It is called wi-tricity or wireless electricity. The concept of wireless electricity may conjure images of crackling electricity bolts jumping between metal rods as a deranged scientist screams “It’s alive!”, but it is no longer science fiction.
There are several ways that devices can be recharged wireless. The method that I believe will take root, is one consisting of a broadcast unit and receivers. In this model, a unit will broadcast waves in a similar manner that a radio or television antenna broadcasts a signal. The difference would be that the broadcast unit will most likely localize the range of it’s broadcast to the size of a room or a home. Items such as your cell phone, laptop, mp3 player, and other devices that are normally plugged into a wall outlet to recharge, can now be recharged by merely being in range of a wi-tricity broadcaster and having a wireless electricity receiver embedded within. Wireless charging can enable laptop users to truly be mobile. You could surf the net from anywhere within a room or house without being tethered to a cord.
This technology is innovative, timely, but it isn’t new. In fact it can probably be traced back to at least the 1700’s. Now that the eggheads at MIT have tackled the problem, it is only a matter of time before most rechargeable gadgets are outfitted with a wi-tricity receiver. They have able to light a light bulb wirelessly from across a room.
For those that can’t wait, there is a Scottsdale company that has a wireless charging system named Wild Charge that is on the market. The WildCharger is a thin strip pad that is about the size of a standard sheet of paper, and it plugs into a wall outlet. Cell phones and iPods can be placed on the WildCharger pad and they will begin to recharge. Not bad for less than $100.
The problem with the WildCharger is that you need adapters for each type of device that you are going to charge. Also, you will need a separate and larger pad to charge your laptop. It seems as if it would be more practical to plug the device directly into the wall. It appears to be about the same amount of effort.