6 ms·

I'm waiting until 2016 to not bother with wires. Am I being too patient?

by glibgil 12y ago

nilkn 12y ago
Several Android and Windows phones support wireless charging or can be modified to do so. (E.g., the Nexus 6 supports it and with the Note line you can just swap out the back panel for a special one). Devices like the Moto 360 also support wireless charging.
- turnip1979 12y ago
  I have Qi in my phone. Meh ...it isn't as amazing as I thought it would be.
  - mrkipling 12y ago
    It works exactly as I expected it too though. I don't look at it every day and think "wow, this is amazing"; it just works and I don't really think about it at all, which is how it should be. I'm not sure that I would buy a phone without wireless charging now.
- bhauer 12y ago
  I've been using wireless charging for nearly two years on my Lumia 920. And for the past year, my wife's Lumia Icon has been doing the same. I picked up a couple more charging plates when she switched to Windows Phone. Now that I've used wireless charging, I'll never go back. Connecting wires to charge is so 2012. I want my Surface Pro to charge wirelessly. And my Tesla Model S (well, that is, if I had one).
  - dingaling 12y ago
    One benefit of old-school wired charging is that I can still use the device in a normal orientation whilst it is charging, so long as the cable is long enough. Do you find that wireless charging prevents that? I assume the fevice has to lie flat on the plate somewhere near a power outlet.
    - math0ne 12y ago
      It does prevent that but it also prevents my device from ever being dead because whenever I'm at my desk I just put it on the charger. With the wired chargers in the past it was a paint to plug and unplug so my phone was always low but with the wireless stuff my device is naturally juicy all the time.
      - annnnd 12y ago
        Have the batteries progressed enough that this kind of charging is no longer a problem? (I am talking about memory effect)
        omgtehlion 12y ago
        Almost all Li(Ion|Poly|FePO) batteries currently don't have “memory effect” when you charge them repeatedly. The only problem happens when you drain the battery below minimum voltage, then it will lose its capacity.
        ansible 12y ago
        LiIon batteries do suffer from wear from normal usage. The more change/discharge cycles, the lower the capacity. If it is exposed to heat, that damages it. I'm told that leaving it fully charged a lot is also bad for it, because that allegedly puts more stress on the battery than when it is at 90% full. There is a lot to be desired from current battery technology.
        ghshephard 12y ago
        Memory effect was mostly folklore, and, regardless, was only specific to one very specific type of nickel-cadmium battery. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_effect http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_effect "True memory effect is specific to sintered-plate nickel-cadmium cells, and is exceedingly difficult to reproduce, especially in lower ampere-hour cells. In one particular test program designed to induce the effect, none was found after more than 700 precisely-controlled charge/discharge cycles"
  - ibrahima 12y ago
    The one thing I dislike a bit is that the phone seems to heat up a bit more than via normal charging, so if I have to take a call after it's been sitting on the charger it's a bit uncomfortable. Otherwise, it's pretty slick.
  - viewer5 12y ago
    Do wireless chargers spend more electricity to charge your phone? Or the same amount?
    - sbierwagen 12y ago
      Depends on the method, but you can be sure that you're losing at least 10% to inductive/RF losses, and more typically 20%. Reasonable for a phone, batshit insane for EV charging, which is why Magne Charge never took off. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magne_Charge http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magne_Charge) 20% of 6 kW for every car, times millions of cars...
    - ethana 12y ago
      When I had a L920, I noticed the charging plate and phone would get really hot, even after the phone is charged to 100%. Through the wire, the heat is minimal like every other phone. So, base on heat dissipation, I would say yes.

I'm waiting until 2016 to not bother with wires. Am I being too patient?

by glibgil 12y ago

I'm waiting until 2016 to not bother with wires. Am I being too patient?

nilkn 12y ago

Several Android and Windows phones support wireless charging or can be modified to do so. (E.g., the Nexus 6 supports it and with the Note line you can just swap out the back panel for a special one). Devices like the Moto 360 also support wireless charging.

turnip1979 12y ago
I have Qi in my phone. Meh ...it isn't as amazing as I thought it would be.
- mrkipling 12y ago
  It works exactly as I expected it too though. I don't look at it every day and think "wow, this is amazing"; it just works and I don't really think about it at all, which is how it should be. I'm not sure that I would buy a phone without wireless charging now.
bhauer 12y ago
I've been using wireless charging for nearly two years on my Lumia 920. And for the past year, my wife's Lumia Icon has been doing the same. I picked up a couple more charging plates when she switched to Windows Phone. Now that I've used wireless charging, I'll never go back. Connecting wires to charge is so 2012. I want my Surface Pro to charge wirelessly. And my Tesla Model S (well, that is, if I had one).
- dingaling 12y ago
  One benefit of old-school wired charging is that I can still use the device in a normal orientation whilst it is charging, so long as the cable is long enough. Do you find that wireless charging prevents that? I assume the fevice has to lie flat on the plate somewhere near a power outlet.
  - math0ne 12y ago
    It does prevent that but it also prevents my device from ever being dead because whenever I'm at my desk I just put it on the charger. With the wired chargers in the past it was a paint to plug and unplug so my phone was always low but with the wireless stuff my device is naturally juicy all the time.
    - annnnd 12y ago
      Have the batteries progressed enough that this kind of charging is no longer a problem? (I am talking about memory effect)
      - omgtehlion 12y ago
        Almost all Li(Ion|Poly|FePO) batteries currently don't have “memory effect” when you charge them repeatedly. The only problem happens when you drain the battery below minimum voltage, then it will lose its capacity.
        ansible 12y ago
        LiIon batteries do suffer from wear from normal usage. The more change/discharge cycles, the lower the capacity. If it is exposed to heat, that damages it. I'm told that leaving it fully charged a lot is also bad for it, because that allegedly puts more stress on the battery than when it is at 90% full. There is a lot to be desired from current battery technology.
      - ghshephard 12y ago
        Memory effect was mostly folklore, and, regardless, was only specific to one very specific type of nickel-cadmium battery. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_effect http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_effect "True memory effect is specific to sintered-plate nickel-cadmium cells, and is exceedingly difficult to reproduce, especially in lower ampere-hour cells. In one particular test program designed to induce the effect, none was found after more than 700 precisely-controlled charge/discharge cycles"
- ibrahima 12y ago
  The one thing I dislike a bit is that the phone seems to heat up a bit more than via normal charging, so if I have to take a call after it's been sitting on the charger it's a bit uncomfortable. Otherwise, it's pretty slick.
- viewer5 12y ago
  Do wireless chargers spend more electricity to charge your phone? Or the same amount?
  - sbierwagen 12y ago
    Depends on the method, but you can be sure that you're losing at least 10% to inductive/RF losses, and more typically 20%. Reasonable for a phone, batshit insane for EV charging, which is why Magne Charge never took off. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magne_Charge http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magne_Charge) 20% of 6 kW for every car, times millions of cars...
  - ethana 12y ago
    When I had a L920, I noticed the charging plate and phone would get really hot, even after the phone is charged to 100%. Through the wire, the heat is minimal like every other phone. So, base on heat dissipation, I would say yes.