New Rezence-Based ConvenientPower Charging Pad Sends Power Wirelessly Through Metal

ConvenientPower announced a resonant-based wireless charging transmitter pad that can charge mobile devices encased in metal. The WoWme is based on Qualcomm’s WiPower technology and will charge metal and nonmetal devices, the company said. Phone designers now have the choice of incorporating metal and wireless charging, ConvenientPower said. The company worked with Qualcomm Technologies “to advance the state of resonant-based wireless charging of devices,” said ConvenientPower, which called the charging through metal capability a “significant breakthrough.” The ability for metal-encased mobile devices to be wirelessly charged “accelerates the range of design and waterproof possibilities for mobile electronics such as wearables, smartphones and computing devices,” said Camille Tang, president, ConvenientPower. The capability also enables “greater differentiation in user experience and product feel,” Tang said. The WoWme 10-watt wireless charging pad “maintains all the properties of other Rezence-certified transmitters, including the ability to charge multiple devices with various power requirements, simultaneously, through surfaces," ConvenientPower said. Qualcomm's WiPower was designed to support wireless charging for smartphones, tablets and other CE devices, allowing OEMs and vertical markets such as hospitality, furniture and automotive to deploy the technology in surfaces and devices. Convenient and wireless charging has been viewed as a leading challenge for the wearables market. Citing the “valuable tools and expertise” brought by ConvenientPower, Steve Pazol, general manager-wireless charging, Qualcomm, said the company was surprised by the excitement the charging pad generated. “Having ConvenientPower follow up so quickly with a companion solution gets this technology that much closer to consumers,” Pazol said. The companies didn’t say how ConvenientPower overcame the challenge of passing radio signals through metal.