Intel showed off a couple of new inductive charging options for keyboards and smartphones at Computex. Both demos were more a proof of concept than anything but the latter of the two certainly has a of promise.
The unnamed All-in-One concept PC won’t actually ever make it to production but it does showcase some pretty nifty features. In theory, the unit would ship with a special wireless keyboard that could be rejuiced through inductive charging. The base of the all-in-one is where the magic happens; simply slide the keyboard next to the base when you are done using it and the system will start charging it automatically.
Perhaps even cooler than the all-in-one charging option is the ability to essentially do the same thing with an Ultrabook. Intel demonstrated this with a specially-equipped Acer Asipre notebook that had a small charging pad on the right side. A Samsung handset with similar equipment was then placed next to the computer and voila, the phone started charging right away just as it would through a traditional wired charger.
Android Police isn’t terribly impressed by the hardware used for the latter demo, however. As they point out, Intel used an “ancient” Samsung Fascinate handset and with the added charging system introducing an odd bump on the left side of the phone, it’s now “uglier” too.
Either way, it’s a pretty nifty idea and would result in one less cable that has to be toted around in your laptop bag. Here’s to hoping we eventually see this reach the consumer one day and maybe Intel could eventually integrate the handset-side charging component inside the phone.
