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Despite having been around for a number of years now, wireless charging has hitherto never really threatened to take off. This is due in large part to the fact that current wireless charging solutions don’t really have too many clear advantages over wired charging. But rumor has it that chip maker Intel will try and change that next year by having its homegrown WREL (Wireless Resonant Energy Link) technology built into ultrabooks and smartphones.
According to Digitimes, its sources expect Intel-based ultrabooks and smartphones with the chip maker’s resonant charging technology to appear sometime during the second half of 2013. However, the Taiwanese site’s sources don’t foresee a deluge of such devices next year, with Haswell (Ivy Bridge’s successor) “unlikely to fully adopt the wireless charging technology.”
“The costs, resources and management of multiple, incompatible power cords, bricks, etc. are already a nightmare for the typical user,” Intel says on a page dedicated to WREL. “WREL, in contrast to surface-based systems (power pads), demonstrates wireless power transfer whose efficiency can be nearly independent of orientation, distance, and load over a wide range of operating conditions. This technology could allow people to cut that last cord.”
To give you an idea of what Intel’s implementation of this in-house technology might look like, here’s a video of a recent demonstration by Intel of a smartphone using it to wirelessly draw power from an ultrabook.
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Damnlogin
August 14, 2012 at 9:07pm
It's about damn time! I'm surprised at how hard both WREL and NFC struggle to stay relevant.
AETAaAS
August 14, 2012 at 9:38am
Why just Ultrabooks? It's not as if they aren't expensive enough already... :p It is interesting; but add something like NFC wireless sync on top of it and get some mobile partners on board.
Khoiboi
August 14, 2012 at 10:09am
I suspect it has something to do with power usage. If they built it into some kind of beast of a laptop, such as a hot and heavy Alienware, the laptop might use up more power than the wireless tech can handle.
MrSelatcia
August 14, 2012 at 8:57am
That is probably the coolest thing I have seen from ultrabooks. It would be incredibly useful.
Bullwinkle J Moose
August 14, 2012 at 10:06am
Its not new tech, its just simply being marketed by Intel now
On a similar note, the following is completely unrelated to the topic at hand
Windows 8 hardware runs for weeks
http://www.informationweek.com/byte/news/personal-tech/240005434New testing methods will need to be used for Window 8 devices it seems
I propose testing these devices once fully charged and once after a week of standby time after a full charge
test USABLE compute time in days (Device B lasted 3.7 days, etc)
Usable compute time is NOT how long the tablet lasts during stress testing
Although Maximum stress test battery time wattage "Should" be compaired to actual max user wattage of the device to get an idea of the difference between synthetic and actual user times
In other words, what is the maximum wattage the device draws under constant use and how many days or hours will it run under constant use scenarios after a week of standby time (Standby time can be simulated as long as you find the drain the battery incurs after a week of standby)
See, I don't care if it can go into standby for 320 hours if I can't get any actual work done after 240 hours of standby (or whatever)
Find out how many hours of standby can I have and still get 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 hours of actual work out of the device
That is all
go write an unrelated article
