Wireless charging, despite some great positives, can be a bit annoying. It’s not all that fast yet, often requires support of a specific system, pads will usually only charge a single device at a time, and need some careful positioning to get the current flowing. Currently, it’s the price we must pay for charging our mobile devices without plugging something in. Fli Charge is a new system that may solve some of these issues, and it has hit crowd-funding website Indiegogo today.
The big difference between Fli Charge and other wireless charging systems is that it uses conductive technology, not inductive. This means it’s more efficient, and can charge devices that support fast charging, plus it doesn’t matter which way round, or where, your phone gets placed on the charging mat.
Fli Charge is actually a family of products. It starts with the obligatory case for your smartphone to ensure compatibility with the charging system, a charging pad, plus two little gadgets so you can charge up all kinds of other devices. The Flicube has a magnetised USB port, while the Flicoin has a MicroUSB or an Apple Lightning connector, in case you don’t want to use the case or wish to add another device to the pad.
The Fliway charging pad delivers 40 watts of charging power and will happily charge eight devices at a time. That sounds great, and it’d certainly lessen plug-anxiety when you’ve got a few gadgets running low on power, but it does mean you’ll need to have eight accessories to make them compatible with the Fli Charge. If you’re wondering where the Fli Charge fits into the fragmented world of wireless charging, it stands alone. It’s not a Qi or PMA system, but one all of its own, and although it’s not supported by any manufacturers at the moment, the hope is for that to change in the future.
Fli Charge’s Indiegogo campaign has just started, and if you’re fast, $90 will get you one of each Fli Charge product, including your choice of smartphone case, provided you own an iPhone 6, iPhone 6S, and either Plus models, or a Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S7, or S7 Edge. Should the campaign be successful — the target is $100,000 — deliveries are expected to start in October.
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