Dell has joined The Alliance for Wireless Power A4WP today, becoming the first major PC original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to join a wireless power standards organization. Dell joins an existing A4WP membership that has grown to over 80 companies including board members Broadcom, Gill Electronics, IDT, Intel, Qualcomm, Samsung, SEMCO, and WiTricity in addition to other industry leaders such as Fujitsu, Haier, HTC, LG, Panasonic, and SanDisk.
The A4WP is standardizing wireless power transfer using near-field magnetic resonance technology, called Rezence, which will improve the user experience for charging their mobile devices by "cutting the last cord." Rezence is uniquely capable of charging multiple devices simultaneously and without the need to dock the device. Power levels and charging speed will meet the expectations of today's "always on, always connected" user.
Coinciding with the addition of Dell's membership, the A4WP is introducing a secondary, higher-powered initiative focusing on wirelessly charging electronic products from 20 to 50 watts, like Ultrabooks, laptops, and mid-powered appliances. Dell's addition to the Alliance signifies the importance of defining a wireless power standard that spans these higher power levels thus expanding the range of electronics beyond smartphones.
"The development of magnetic resonance technology will improve the customer experience when it comes to wireless charging and bring the capability into more homes and businesses over the next few years," said Glen Robson, Dell VP and CTO. "We are excited to work with other industry leaders in the A4WP to deliver on the promise of easy, flexible wireless charging across an array of mobile devices including smartphones, tablets and laptops."
"The A4WP continues to make progress on its mission to cut the power cord for all mobile devices," said Sanjay Vora, GM for Strategic Planning of Intel's PC Client Group. "Extending the Rezence specification to include higher-power, more capable devices like Ultrabooks and 2 in 1's is a necessary evolution that will help to accelerate charging station installations and bring a truly enjoyable 'No Wires' user experience to more users. We are excited to have Dell joining the Alliance and help expand the specification."
The A4WP's technical specification benefits both industry and consumers alike. Specifically, the A4WP specification leverages broadly adopted wireless technologies (e.g. Bluetooth Smart), which simplifies development and manufacturing. For industrial designers, the A4WP specification utilizes a near-field magnetic resonance technology that provides increased flexibility for wireless charging solutions to be installed into all types of products and surfaces (cars, furniture, etc.). Finally, for consumers, the A4WP's Rezence brand indicates interoperability between devices and chargers and signifies the ability to support simultaneous charging of multiple devices with differing power requirements. Users can simply "drop & go" their devices onto a charging surface without the hassle of accurate positioning or alignment.
A4WP is exhibiting its wireless charging standard at the 2014 Mobile World Congress, in Barcelona, Spain, 24-27 February, 2014 at Hall 2, Stand 2J2.
For a video demonstration of Rezence-enabled spatial freedom, click here.
