It’s taken a while, but Wildcharge has released iPhone and iPod touch adapters to their inductive charging system.
The Gadget: TouchCharge, a wireless charging kit for Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii controllers that charge not by docking, but by just being placed on the charging surface. It’s a small difference, since there are other controller chargers who charge by docking into the contacts, but an interesting one.
We’ve spotted WildCharge wireless charging kits before, but this new implementation in the Psyclone TouchCharge kit for Xbox 360 controllers might make the most sense. You load the 360 controller with the special bundled battery and plug the base plate into the wall. Set the controller on that plate and, KAZAAM, everyone in your family thinks you’re a warlock as your battery recharges right on your table. The only catch is that we think this kit might only support one battery/controller at a time, and at $US70 a pop that’s going to add a pretty hefty tax on gaming. [EBGames]
Wireless power for charging gadgets has been among the more vapourous of developments we’ve been hearing promises of for years. While there are a few working instances of the tech on the market, its large-scale adoption still feels miles away. So the appropriate scepticism should be applied to this NY Times report claiming Intel will announce a major wireless power breakthrough today at the Intel Developers Forum, but the details do seem enticing this time around for one of the holy grails of the CE world soon becoming a bit more feasible. UPDATED: Pics of Intel’s IDF demo from today have been added.
Wildcharge, the device that lets you wirelessly charge your RAZR, has just released new adapters for the iPhone, iPod, BlackBerry Pearl, BlackBerry 8800 and 2nd Gen iPod Nano. It still works the same: put the adapter on the back of your phone, place your phone onto the charging pad and wait for the juice to flow. No pricing information on this quite yet, but the old RAZR chargers were US$34 (or US$89 for the pad and the charger together). [WildCharge]
We have been harping on about Splash power’s wireless charging solution from way back in 2003, but they have just showed as a working unit. Here’s the surprise; it really works. The idea is simple, by plugging in a dongle into the base of your gadget, you are able to drop the device into a charging bay, and as soon as contact is made, charging begins. We like the look of the product—check the gallery for more shots.
WildCharge has finally announced their first production unit—the Motorola RAZR. For $89.99, you get the starter bundle including charging pad and phone adapter. The adapter is really a back plate replacement for the RAZR that has a “charging arm” that plugs into the phone. In other words, wires are involved, just not between the charging pad and the phone itself. Expect sales to begin sometime this month, possibly tomorrow if they are on schedule.
The second device to be produced by WildCharger will work with the iPod Nano. Pricing will be the same as for the RAZR, and it will be available in August. The only way the WildCharger is economical, or even practical, is if you can use it with all your mobile devices. Hopefully the company will ramp up production and introduce units more often than one/month.
[wildcharger] Thanks John!
