Intel Teases Tech for Using Laptop to Wirelessly Charge a Phone

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Imagine being able to charge a nearly dead smartphone battery just by putting the phone next to a laptop.

Well, it turns out that feature is on the drawing board. Intel said on Wednesday that it is working with fellow chipmaker Integrated Device Technology to bring wireless charging capabilities to future Ultrabook laptops.

“Within an hour, you have recharged your smartphone sufficiently to make it through the afternoon,” Intel said in a blog post.

Of course, today you can charge a phone by plugging it directly into a laptop. But Intel and its partners reckon that if you are the type to let your smartphone battery get that close to death, you might also be the type who doesn’t carry around a USB cable.

Intel says the wireless tech should charge a phone at roughly the same rate as with the no-longer-needed cable.

The technology is on the horizon, but not imminent. Intel first talked about the idea — then a labs project — back in 2008.

IDT says that it should have samples of all the necessary parts by the first half of next year, but there is no estimate of when the wireless charging abilities will make their way into shipping laptops.

Source: AllThingsD