One of the fascinating things about living in this era is observing how everyday products can become far more useful with a little infusion of technology.
Konica Minolta today debuted a desk lamp with an ace up its sleeve: it features a built-in induction charging pad for devices that support the Qi wireless charging standard (such as the Nokia Lumia 920 and many other products). It appears to be the first of its kind. … Read more
Way back in October 2009, I wrote about the Kenwood Cooking Chef. The device has finally made it to the U.S. What sort of gadget is this machine that has taken so long to grace our shores? Well, the answer appears to be more of what it isn't as opposed to what it is.
Combining a stand mixer with an induction plate, the multitasking appliance carves out a new niche on the countertop. By allowing chefs to cook directly in the work bowl, the Kenwood Cooking Chef offers a new way to operate in the kitchen.
The highly … Read more
One of the features I was secretly hoping to see in the iPhone 5: induction-powered battery charging.
This already exists in the form of third-party products like the Powermat and Energizer Qi. Alas, Apple missed a chance to wow the world, catch up with smartphones like the Lumia 820 and 920, and perhaps distract from the massive disappointment that is the Lightning connector.
Fortunately, if you own an iPhone 4 or 4S, you still have options for cutting the charging cord. One of the latest: BuQu Tech's Magnetyze, a complete inductive conductive-charging kit priced at $69.99. Update: According … Read more
Apple has won a patent for a technology that could help iOS device owners more easily charge their phones and tablets.
Granted to Apple yesterday, Patent No. 8,207,906 is known simply as "Antenna insert" and would outfit a docking station with inductive charging circuits and a reradiating antenna.
The charging circuits would let users place their device on a docking station or other platform where it could be charged wirelessly.
As the patent states: "Devices currently require a physical connection to either a docking station, cable, or other device for battery charging and data transfer. … Read more
Qualcomm is working on the second generation of the Halo inductive charging system for electric cars that it acquired last year from HaloIPT.
Like inductive charging systems being worked on at Mercedes-Benz and Nissan, the Halo uses an inductive emitter installed in, or on, the street, and a receiver on the bottom of the car. The new second version uses a smaller car-mounted charging plate, only 14 by 8.5 inches (and one inch thick).
Unlike the inductive "paddle" chargers in the GM EV-1, the Halo system works over a fairly large air gap, up to two feet. … Read more
Cooking is interactive and requires a certain degree of flexibility.
Things don't always go as planned in the kitchen and even when they do, the necessity to be able to hop from one thing to the next is something that is as natural as stirring the sauce while keeping one eye on the meat.
Dealing with variables is a fact of life in the kitchen and the Thermador Freedom Induction Cooktop can accommodate. The new cooktop for home kitchens is designed to allow cookware of any size to be placed anywhere on its surface.
A series of 48 individual … Read more
Instead of plugging a cable into an electric vehicle, drivers may some day just need to park it on the right spot.
Daimler yesterday disclosed it is working on a wireless charging system for electric vehicles that uses inductive charging. Nissan is also working on an inductive charging pad, which is expected to be made available with future versions of the Leaf.
In its tests, Daimler is using a modified Mercedes-Benz A-Class E-Cell, which includes a large coil under the car chassis. The car needs to be positioned above another coil placed on, or built into, the pavement. As … Read more
Rather than fiddle with cables, Nissan EV drivers will have the option to park over a wireless charger.
Nissan is working on a system in which drivers park over an induction charging mat that creates a wireless connection to an electric vehicle's on-board charger. Using a dashboard display to navigate, drivers back up so the charging map is under the rear wheels. Sensors stop the car at the appropriate spot and the charging is started by operating a touch-screen display on a charge point.
The automaker released a demonstration video of induction charging with the Leaf last month in … Read more
Portable induction cookers are a great way to delve into the relatively new world of induction cooking. A lot of mystery surrounds the appliances and which pieces of one's current arsenal of cookware can be used. Here's the deal: as long as it is ferromagnetic it is good to go; glass, ceramic, and solid copper won't work, so going with a full-size cooktop isn't for everyone. Luckily, going the small and portable route, doesn't mean compromising on what the induction burner can do.
The Viante CUC-30DC Induction Cooker and Grill measures just over 20 inches … Read more
As any company involved in the mobile consumer electronics industry is aware, one of the main areas of focus for new technology is the speed and ease of charging solutions. For iPhones, iPod Touches, and iPads, charging may soon include wrapping your headphones around an inductive charging tower.
According to a new patent discovered by AppleInsider, Apple suggests that by twisting your headphones around a specially designed tower, an inductive receiving coil would be formed.
In an effort to keep the devices small, having a home-based tower may be the solution.The charging tower creates a magnetic field, allowing a … Read more
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