The Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) announced the consumer...

The Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) announced the consumer brand name for its wireless power technology. The brand, Rezence, derived from resonance and essence, underscores the magnetic resonance technology behind the standard and its ability to charge “all types of electronic devices,” Geoff Gordon, A4WP marketing committee chair, told Consumer Electronics Daily. “The new Rezence brand is a promise to consumers that devices carrying the Rezence logo will be interoperable with one another,” said Chang Yeong Kim, head of the digital media and communication R&D center of Samsung Electronics, in a statement. Samsung is a founding member of A4WP along with Qualcomm, and prior to the development of the Rezence standard, Samsung devices with wireless charging capability used the Qi technology backed by the Wireless Power Consortium. The first Rezence-compatible products are due on the market in early 2014, including transmitters for furniture, Gordon said. Rezence works by magnetic resonance to extend wireless power applications “beyond the mat,” allowing charging technology to be built into “almost any surface,” according to data. Benefits of Rezence charging solutions include easy integration into existing furniture and surfaces in retail and other public locations; incorporation of “broadly adopted” wireless technologies, including Bluetooth Smart, which allow manufacturers to minimize hardware requirements; flexibility for industrial designers to design charging applications into vehicles, furniture and other surfaces; and for consumers, “a true drop and charge experience,” including the ability to charge multiple devices simultaneously, said A4WP. Devices can include smartphones, tablets, laptops and Bluetooth headsets, it said. A4WP is holding its third plugfest this week to test for interoperability, Gordon told us. At CES A4WP will show demos from different companies along with an ecosystem with embedded furniture and automotive consoles, he said. A major PC OEM will announce its membership in A4WP at CES, the first notebook company to join, he said.