Crowfunding Project Rubix On Makes Wireless Charging Easier

Battery life is one of the important things for smartphone. Depending on the usage, the battery life of a smartphone can last longer or shorter.  After the smartphone has run out of battery, the next thing that you need to do is to charge it. There are a few ways to charge your smartphone. One of it is by wireless charging.

Wireless charging is a convenient technology as it allows users to charge their smartphones without using cables; however, the users need to place it in a straight line with the wireless charging device in order for it to be working properly.  To solve this issue, a team at Rubix is developing a wireless charger named “On” and a case. Hopefully, it will make wireless charging easier by using magnets.

On Charger is compatible with Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge whereas, for iPhone 6, it will need to use the case as iPhone 6 does not support Qi charging built into the device. On charger is powered by a 5,000 mAh battery and the backup battery can be charged either with cables or by using another Qi wireless charger.

On Charger and On Case is currently crowdfunded in Kickstarter. It is seeking US$100,000. For users who are interested in the product, are able to preorder an item for $59 for S6 and S6 Edge. For iPhone 6 users, they will need to buy the On Case and On Charger for $89. If everything is going well, the product will be delivered in August 2015.

Crowfunding Project Rubix On Makes Wireless Charging Easier

Apple Watch and its MagSafe magnetic charger is Qi-compatible

As we know, the Apple Watch will be using a magnetic wireless charger MagSafe. It is an inductive charger and snaps on to the back of the watch magnetically and works like any other wireless charger. It can charge the Apple Watch from 0 to 80% in 1.5 hours and up to 100% in about 2.5 hours.

It seems that the MagSafe charger is compatible with Qi wireless technology. AppleInsider has obtained a video which shows a Moto 360 smartwatch getting charged with Apple Watch’s MagSafe magnetic charger. Moto 360 uses Qi wireless charging technology and in the video, when it was placed on the MagSafe charger, it got fully charged.

In view of the above, we can say that even the Apple Watch could get charged with a Qi-compatible charging mat, although the video does not show it. Apple has not announced anything about Apple Watch compatibility with the Qi wireless standard. These accessories are easily available in the market and 3rd party Qi accessories are being used for charging iPhones.

Qi, pronounced Chee, means “natural energy in Chinese. The Qi charging system consists of a power transmission pad on which the portable device to be charged is placed and charging is done through “resonant inductive coupling.” This technology is being used in most Android Wear smartwatches and some high-end Android phones too.

Interestingly, Apple Watch will be the first Apple device to support wireless charging. Earlier, Apple did not seem much interested in this technology. Phil Schiller, Apple’s marketing head had said in 2012 that the convenience offered by this technology was questionable because you still needed to plug it into a wall. “Having to create another device you have to plug into the wall is actually, for most situations, more complicated,” he said.

Apple Watch, though Qi-compatible, does not have power mat-like charger. It’s charger consists of a cable with a small magnetic connector at one end that snaps on to the watch and a traditional plug for plugging into a power source on the other.

 

 

Apple Watch and its MagSafe magnetic charger is Qi-compatible