Four in 10 U.S. households and more than 20 percent in Europe will use wireless charging by 2020, said a Juniper Research report Tuesday. As more devices implement wireless charging -- smartphones, tablets, wearables and upcoming laptops -- infrastructure providers are starting to roll out support for wireless charging in a manner similar to the rollout of public Wi-Fi, said Juniper. The visible public infrastructure will play a key role in increasing awareness of the technology, where consumers can audition it without committing to a purchase, Juniper said. The provision of additional data-based services alongside the charging process is an area of potential for wireless charging, said Juniper. “While easing battery anxiety is a key appeal of the technology, the easy data exchange will in the future enable over-the-air services through the charging points,” said analyst James Moar. "Wireless charging will ultimately be about more than the power and speed of charge.” The ability to pinpoint device location through data exchange enables “location-based activation functions around the home, the car and in the leisure industry,” and industry stakeholders should be ready to leverage the opportunity, he said. Japan is expected to lead global adoption of longer-ranged resonance-based charging technologies, while induction-based charging will remain dominant for the next five years in cost-driven markets, Juniper said. Wearables will account for a fifth of all wireless charging by 2020 and will drive diverse designs without physical connectors, it said.

Toshiba began mass production of the Qi-compatible TC7764WBG wireless power receiver IC for smartphones and tablets with charging time equivalent to charging with a cable, it said. The IC is compliant with the Wireless Power Consortium’s low-power specification V.1.1.2 and has maximum output power of 5 watts, said the company. Features include 95 percent maximum power conversion efficiency, support for foreign object detection, under voltage lockout, over voltage detection and thermal shutdown, it said.

Qualcomm, a founder of the Alliance for Wireless Power, said it engineered Rezence wireless charging for devices with metal exteriors. Using Qualcomm WiPower, it is the first announced technology to support wireless charging for metal devices, Qualcomm said Tuesday. Until now, it said, charging a device with a metal exterior has been incompatible with wireless charging technologies. "Building a wireless charging solution into devices with metal exteriors is a significant step for moving the entire industry forward" because device manufacturers are increasingly using metal alloys in product designs for better structural support and aesthetics, said Steve Pazol, general manager-wireless charging, Qualcomm. WiPower, along with other technologies that meet the Rezence standard, operate at a frequency more tolerant of metal objects that come within the charge field such as keys and coins, he said. WiPower added the ability to have the device itself made of metal while maintaining the ability to charge devices up to 22 watts at speeds equal to or faster than other charging technologies, said Pazol. WiPower allows wireless charging without the need for precise alignment or direct physical contact, while enabling simultaneous charging of multiple devices with different power requirements using Bluetooth Smart, said Qualcomm.

MagSOL Labs has started a Kickstarter campaign for what it calls the first solar-powered and wireless mobile charging station. Dubbed the ESL, or Easel, the Qi-compatible charger converts solar energy into wireless battery power for virtually any electronic device, said the company. One day of sunlight can power four smartphone charges wirelessly via an internal battery, it said. In addition to Qi charging, the device supports USB turbo-charging via USB cable. MagSOL is pitching the Easel for camping, outdoor activities, airports, long trips or emergency situations, said Ron Vick, co-founder, who said Easel will enable device charging “in situations where it once was impossible."

Accessories maker Belkin is launching its first wireless charger, a Qi-certified power pad ($39) rated at 1-Amp output. The decision to launch now came from Qi capability in the latest Samsung phones and out of a Belkin survey showing that one of consumers’ biggest complaints about their smartphone experience is the need to plug and unplug phones for charging, a company spokeswoman told us. Belkin is also looking at Rezence and Powermat wireless charging technologies, and Belkin could have a Rezence-based charger in the market late next year. Uncoupled Rezence technology opens the possibility of putting a charging product beneath furniture for “true wireless charging,” the spokeswoman said. “We’re working closely with Intel to determine whether it’s a good space for us to participate in,” she said. Wireless charging is part of Intel’s vision to eliminate all wires from computers by next year (see 1505250003). The challenge for wireless charging overall now is consumer education, the Belkin spokeswoman said. People are aware of wireless charging but they’re “not readily adopting it,” she said, citing lack of education “on the partner side.” Wireless charging stations at McDonald’s and Starbucks, furniture from Ikea and adoption of wireless charging by carmakers including GM and Toyota are helping get the word out, she said. Belkin sees the $2 billion wireless charging market growing to $8.5 billion by 2018. Responding to our question on charging for wearables, the spokeswoman said Belkin currently isn’t in that market but expects it to grow “exponentially.” When Belkin decides to enter that market will depend on partnerships it forms, since Belkin goes through “rigorous testing to make sure we’re certified,” she said. Belkin expects to make more wireless charging accessories available -- including Qi car products -- in the next few months, she said.

Trident Case announced the Electra Qi Power Base 6000 ($89), a wireless charger for Qi-compatible phones that also charges non-Qi devices via USB cable. The Electra’s 6000 mA/h battery can charge two devices at once, said the company. The charger’s base also supports 1-Amp devices such as digital cameras, and an LED indicator shows charging status of the power base, the company said.

The annual International Wireless Power Summit will be Nov. 5-6 in San Diego at the Paradise Point Resort & Spa, said show sponsor Smithers Apex. The theme of the conference and exhibition is “Wireless Power Goes Mainstream: How to Make Money in Wireless Charging.” Attendees will discuss applications, new technologies and how to achieve commercial success and broader use for wireless products, it said.

Wireless charging standards organizations The Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) and Power Matters Alliance (PMA), announced the signing of a merger agreement Monday that establishes “a core charging standard supporting a wide range of consumer, medical, military and industrial applications,” the groups said. A new name for the combined organization will be announced later this year, with “key leaders and contributors within all working groups including technical, testing and certification, regulatory and marketing” retained in the merger, they said. The merger letter of intent was announced at CES 2015 (see 1501060013), and the integration process is underway, they said. A4WP President Kamil Grajski will be chairman of the new group, and PMA President Ron Resnick will be president. As a result of the merger, consumers can expect “to gain access to an exciting and enhanced wireless battery charging and power management experience sooner across the full spectrum of devices in daily use,” said the organizations. They expect that with less competition among wireless charging formats, the merger will allow mobile network operators and commercial and retail brands to “commit to the necessary investment confident of stable, long-term evolution and management of innovative wireless charging technologies.” Product applications, they said, include Bluetooth headsets, wearables, smartphones, tablets and notebook PCs. "The combination of equal partners in support of a vision for wireless power with an initial focus on consumer applications is on schedule and provides a clear path for industry to shift to volume economics," said Grajski. Resnick said the groups have a “world-class certification program to support members' innovative solutions." Many of the new group’s 170 members also belong to the Wireless Power Consortium, which promotes the Qi wireless charging standard.

Integrated Device Technology (IDT) announced a collaboration with Blu Wireless Technology to demonstrate integrated wireless charging with 60 GHz WiGig data transmission. The combination is said to enable consumers to charge phones and tablets while streaming video to TVs and PCs without the need for power cords or cables. In a news release, IDT said the combination will enable consumers to charge their phones while streaming “the highest quality 4K HD video and photos” wirelessly to their televisions and computers using the 60 GHz band to deliver 7 GHz bandwidth. As an example, IDT said consumers will be able to wirelessly charge their devices while cordlessly transmitting “uncompressed video of 1080p directly to their HDTV.” Questions to the company on the quality of 4K transmission versus uncompressed 1080p weren’t answered by deadline. WiGig technology uses the 60 GHz band to deliver 7 GHz bandwidth, said IDT. Using WiGig, a synchronization of data on a portable device that today would take two hours and use up nearly a third of a battery’s charge could be completed with WiGig in 45 seconds, while consuming 2 percent of a battery charge, it said. IDT’s semiconductors are enabling wireless charging today in smartphones, accessories, wearables and furniture, it said.

Ikea chose P9030 Qi-compliant magnetic induction transmitters from Integrated Device Technology to embed in its furniture and accessories for wireless charging of enabled portable devices, IDT said in a Wednesday announcement. The products will be available this month in Ikea stores throughout North America and Europe, Ikea announced at last month’s Mobile World Congress (see 1503020002). In addition to the furniture, Ikea also has developed a line of charging pads and a wireless charger that consumers can build into furniture themselves using IDT components, IDT said. The P9030 transmitter complies with the Wireless Power Consortium’s Qi standard, delivering a 5-watt single-chip in a compact package, IDT said. IDT wireless power transmitters and receivers also have been designed into smartphones, phone accessories, wearables and charging stations, it said.