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LG's WCD-800 goes wireless to power your phone

Using your smartphone while charging always has been possible, but LG's WCD-800 charging cradle gives you a bit more freedom to do so.

Kent German Former senior managing editor / features
Kent was a senior managing editor at CNET News. A veteran of CNET since 2003, he reviewed the first iPhone and worked in both the London and San Francisco offices. When not working, he's planning his next vacation, walking his dog or watching planes land at the airport (yes, really).
Kent German
LG's WCD-800
LG's WCD-800 LG

File this under the unique but perhaps not entirely necessary, mobile accessories drawer.

In addition to the shiny new smartphones that it introduced last week at Mobile World Congress, LG also showed off a wireless charger that encourages you to use your device while it's receiving juice.

The WCD-800 is shaped like a cradle and can accommodate your phone in either a portrait or landscape position. So while you make calls, send texts, and watch a video, the charger uses electric coils located inside to power your device via magnetic fields.

It's an interesting idea, no doubt, though it's not as if a standard wired charger prohibits you from using your phone while it's being zapped. Sure, the wired part means that you have to stay in one place for a short period, but there are more inconvenient things.

I missed the WCD-800 while in Barcelona, Spain, last week, but CNET will check it out at our next opportunity. The accessory will arrive first in South Korea and North America by June of this year. LG has yet to release pricing.