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Dell laptops coming soon with WiTricity wireless charging

A Dell wireless charging dock and laptops supporting WiTricity's wireless charging standard made an appearance at Computex 2016 in Taipei.

Aloysius Low Senior Editor
Aloysius Low is a Senior Editor at CNET covering mobile and Asia. Based in Singapore, he loves playing Dota 2 when he can spare the time and is also the owner-minion of two adorable cats.
Aloysius Low
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A Dell wireless charging mat and laptops featuring WiTricity made an appearance at Computex 2016 in Taipei.

Aloysius Low/CNET

Wireless charging company WiTricity may not be a household name, but that could change once Dell laptops start launching with its technology.

Dell laptops that started charging wirelessly the moment they were placed on a charging mat made an appearance at WiTricity's show suite at Computex 2016 here in Taipei. WiTricity declined to comment on when these Dell laptops will be available.

Unlike other current wireless charging standards, such as Qi which requires you to accurately place charging coils on top of another, WiTricity's tech generates a very safe magnetic field (using a smartphone is supposedly 100 times more dangerous) that transmits the electricity wirelessly.

In the case of the above mentioned Dell laptops, WiTricity says about 30W of power were being transmitted to the laptops, allowing you to quickly charge the battery.

Watch this: WiTricity demo shows us the future of wireless charging (video)

WiTricity CEO Alex Gruzen told CNET the company's tech allows it to accurately shape the magnetic field, which is capable of going through materials such as wood or marble, allowing its wireless charging technology to be used in kitchen table tops and letting more than one device to be charged at a time.

Another use of WiTricity can be found in the military. Batteries that used to be on soldier's helmets for night vision goggles have been removed and WiTricity tech in backpacks are used to power the helmets wirelessly. The backpacks' batteries are then charged when soldiers sit in down in a Humvee while being transported.

This sounds pretty cool, and similar commercial applications of the tech could be forthcoming too. Unless battery technology improves in the near future, WiTricity's wireless charging could be the new normal to easily top up your devices without having to bother about wires each time.

Be sure to check CNET's Computex hub for all the coverage from the show floors.