I have a Samsung S7, and although I wouldn't buy a phone just for the
wireless charging feature, I do find it convenient. I also assume the S7
runs about the same as your latest iPhones.
On 27/02/17 00:01, Alan Lemly wrote:
Hi Sieghard,
Actually, I have an iPhone 7 and also the Belkin adapter that lets me listen
with my wired earpods and charge at the same time. I have found that I don't do
this quite as often as I used to but keeping up with the adapter and using it
as needed isn't a problem for me. And I'd be willing to bet that you'll be
paying considerably more than $40 in device cost to cover the wireless charging
when it's added. But that rumored phone is also supposed to be about 5.8 inches
in size with no home button so I'm pretty sure I won't be getting it.
Alan
-----Original Message-----
From: viphone@googlegroups.com [mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of
Sieghard Weitzel
Sent: Sunday, February 26, 2017 10:28 PM
To: viphone@googlegroups.com
Subject: RE: Wireless Charging, Anyone? It's a Chicken-and-egg Problem That Can
Only Be Solved By a Fruit
Hi Alan,
You forget that the iPhone 7/7 Plus and most likely all iPhones going forward
don't have a 3.5mm headphone jack. This means that if you want to use a wired
headset you need to use the Lightning port hence you can't charge while using a
headset or vice versa. Yes, I know you can spend $40 and buy this splitter
gadget from Belkin, but who wants to do that and have another piece of cable to
bring along or more clutter.
Unfortunately there are already rumours which indicate that Apple may release a
new high-end model this year with a 5.8 inch OLED screen and that this year
only this huge super phone will get the wireless charging. I really hope this
is not so, if it is I think I'll stick with my 6S Plus for another year because
if wireless charging comes only to a high-end and high-priced iPhone this year
it will certainly come to the other phones next year. I would totally go back
to a 4.7 inch phone if battery life was better or if the phone was constantly
being charged wirelessly when I'm at home or at my office.
Regards,
Sieghard
-----Original Message-----
From: viphone@googlegroups.com [mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of
Alan Lemly
Sent: Saturday, February 25, 2017 6:43 PM
To: viphone@googlegroups.com
Subject: RE: Wireless Charging, Anyone? It's a Chicken-and-egg Problem That Can
Only Be Solved By a Fruit
Mark,
Thanks for the info. I guess I'm more old school because finding access to an
outlet or USB port to charge my iPhone really doesn't seem to be that big of a
deal. And if I'm on the move, carrying a small external battery power source
isn't much of a hassle either. But I've no doubt that wireless charging is
inevitable and I hope after reading the below history and its complexities that
the eventual convenience of wireless charging is worth its cost.
Alan Lemly
-----Original Message-----
From: viphone@googlegroups.com [mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of
M. Taylor
Sent: Saturday, February 25, 2017 4:43 PM
To: viphone@googlegroups.com
Subject: Wireless Charging, Anyone? It's a Chicken-and-egg Problem That Can
Only Be Solved By a Fruit
Hello Everyone,
Here is the text from a very interesting cNet article that I thought you may
find interesting.
The URL to the original article is located as the end of the piece.
Enjoy,
Mark
A World Free of Charging Cables? It's All Up To Apple By Roger Cheng/CNET
The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge features wireless charging, and successor the S8
will likely have the same capability.
The pitch has always been a simple one: Place your phone down and watch it
charge automatically, without the fuss of finding an outlet or connecting a
power cord.
The reality of wireless charging, however, has been anything but.
Differing technologies and incompatible standards have hindered broader
adoption of wireless charging. It was good enough to work in Oral-B electric
toothbrushes in the early '90s, yet most phones still lack the ability to
charge without a power cord.
But 2017 appears to be the year wireless charging gets its act together.
You're starting to see an accelerating trickle of products incorporating the
feature, from a Dell laptop unveiled at CES to automakers looking for a way to
more easily power their electric vehicles. The most obvious spark could come
from Apple, which appears ready to get off the sidelines and commit to the
feature in a big way by joining the Wireless Power Consortium. The rumors of
the iPhone 8 getting wireless charging alone are enough to get people thinking
about the feature.
"Whoever Apple picks wins," said Avi Greengart, an analyst at research firm Global Data.
"That's the catalyst that would drive enough volume."
Apple declined to comment on how the WPC will impact the next iPhone.
"Apple is an active member of many standards development organizations, as both a leader and
contributor," the company said. "Apple is joining the Wireless Power Consortium to be
able to participate and contribute ideas to the open, collaborative development of future wireless
charging standards."
An embrace of wireless charging by the iPhone maker could mean a resurgence of interest
in the feature. Last year, "things lost steam a bit," according to IHS analyst
David Green. Yes, the number of wireless charging devices grew 40 percent year over year
in 2016, but that was largely because Samsung incorporated the feature into its Galaxy S7
and Note 7 phones.
And just because wireless charging is in a phone doesn't mean consumers are
taking advantage of it -- or even aware of the capability.
The market is expected to nearly double to 375 million devices in 2017, and
Green said he expects at least one more player to publicly embrace wireless
charging at the Mobile World Congress trade show next week.
Obvious benefits
Phone makers for years have touted wireless charging as a key feature. Nokia
famously championed it with its flagship Lumia phones, and Google and LG
incorporated it into the Nexus 4 phone.
Those companies used a technology called inductive charging -- the same as that
electric toothbrush -- which requires you to place the device on a charging pad
in a specific position.
Newer forms of wireless charging open the door to different applications.
Magnetic resonance gives you a bit more freedom, so you don't have to lay your
phone down at an exact spot. It can charge multiple devices with different
power needs. It can also charge across a few inches and through objects, so you
can mount a charging pad under a table rather than have a specific built-in
inductive charger in your furniture (which Ikea actually offers).
That ability to charge over a short distance is an opportunity for automakers
and their electric cars. Alex Gruzen, CEO of WiTricity, which builds chips to
power magnetic resonance technology, said he's planning for car launches in
2020 that will take advantage of the technology. He sees phones capable of
using magnetic resonance coming next year.
"Wireless charging is part of everyone's future roadmap," Gruzen said.
Meanwhile, companies like Energous are exploring sending power over radio
frequency airwaves, similar to how online connectivity gets broadcast over
Wi-Fi. In fact, Energous plans to integrate its power broadcasting capabilities
into Wi-Fi routers next year.
Beyond phones, that kind of capability would be ideal for low-power sensors
like smoke detectors or even smaller devices like hearing aids.
While the idea of charging something 15 feet away sounds great, there are
questions about how quickly you can charge over the air. Energous also needs to
get approval from the Federal Communications Commission to ensure its system is
safe.
"We are quite comfortable that we have developed tech that conforms to their
guidelines," said Energous CEO Steve Rizzone.
How did we get into this mess?
Here's where things get confusing.
Despite the range of technologies, the standards battles have largely been
fought around two incompatible versions of inductive charging.
On one side is Qi, championed by the Wireless Power Consortium. It boasts, by
far, the most wireless charging products.
On the other side is a form of inductive charging pushed by Powermat and the
AirFuel Alliance, an amalgamation of two former groups that now also embraces
magnetic resonance and radio frequency charging. (I told you this was
confusing.)
Powermat has invested in building a network of charging stations in retail
locations like Starbucks and McDonald's, but has fewer phones in the market
using its technology.
Samsung actually had a chance to provide some clarity, but opted to play nice
and incorporate both versions into its Galaxy S phones. That just led to more
confusion, with both standards crowing about being in the high-profile devices.
"By not picking the winner, it almost prolongs the pain," Greengart said.
Talking to the two sides is like talking to a Golden State Warriors fan and a
Cleveland Cavaliers fan: You're going to get two distinct realities.
"They're not there," WPC Chairman Menno Treffers said of the competition.
"There's not much of a battle anymore."
"The adoption is so small now, there's no one to say what the standard is going to
look like," said Ron Resnick, chairman of the AirFuel Alliance.
You can see why we're still in a logjam.
Where Apple comes in
Apple could provide some clarity. Earlier this month, it confirmed it had
joined the WPC, sparking speculation that the purported iPhone 8 would include
wireless charging.
It isn't just joining for show. Treffers said that Apple is expected to make a
technical contribution to Qi and that company representatives were in London
last week making a presentation, part of a broader gathering of members.
WPC membership doesn't guarantee that the iPhone uses Qi. Note that the Apple
Watch uses a form of inductive charging too.
But if Apple commits to Qi, Powermat CEO Elad Dubzinski said his network of
charging stations could support the standard with a mix of hardware and
software tweaks. He said he was more concerned with managing the network of
services that would flow on top of wireless charging, say, at a Starbucks.
There's also the persistent chatter that Apple is exploring wireless charging
over several feet, which is where Energous could come into play.
Rizzone has hinted at a "key strategic partner," which many have taken to mean
Apple.
Energous has given this partner a one-year exclusivity deal for a specific
product category. Given Apple's eagerness to lock up new features for itself,
the deal might signal that future iPhones could embrace radio frequency
charging.
And that ultimately could be the answer, with companies incorporating inductive
or magnetic resonance for faster charging over shorter distances, and radio
frequency to help keep your battery topped off.
No matter how things shake out, it may take Apple to light the way.
"It's a chicken-and-egg problem that can only be solved by a fruit,"
Greengart said.
Original Article at:
https://www.cnet.com/news/wireless-charging-apple-iphone-8-samsung-wpc-qi-po
wermat/?ftag=CAD1c318f6&bhid=22694667381686839172315209628767
--
The following information is important for all members of the V iPhone list.
If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you
feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or
moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.
Your V iPhone list moderator is Mark Taylor. Mark can be reached at:
mk...@ucla.edu. Your list owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at
caraqu...@caraquinn.com
The archives for this list can be searched at:
http://www.mail-archive.com/viphone@googlegroups.com/
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"VIPhone" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email
to viphone+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to viphone@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/viphone.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
--
Christopher (CJ)
chaltain at Gmail
--
The following information is important for all members of the V iPhone list.
If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you
feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or
moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.
Your V iPhone list moderator is Mark Taylor. Mark can be reached at:
mk...@ucla.edu. Your list owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at
caraqu...@caraquinn.com
The archives for this list can be searched at:
http://www.mail-archive.com/viphone@googlegroups.com/
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "VIPhone" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email
to viphone+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to viphone@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/viphone.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
