What They Say
Lenovo has a new wireless charging mat accessory for its notebooks. The device, using ‘Power by Contact’ technology from Energy Square uses a 3.2mm thick mat that is left on the desk combined with a long thin antenna that connects to the notebook via USB Type-C and is mounted to the bottom of the notebook. Lenovo says it should charge most 13-inch to 14-inch “non-touch notebooks of up to 65W” with efficiency of 93%, with no requirement for a Lenovo device.
It will cost $140 and be available in Q4.
What We Think
Hmmm…. I guess there are uses for this, but I’m struggling to think of a good one. If you don’t also connect the display with wireless, you either end up with another USB Type-C connection anyway or you run without an external display, which is bad news ergonomically (and illegal for workers in the EU). Of course, if you added a wireless display connection using the same technology, you might be onto something.
I just spent ages digging through my database for details of a system that was used by, I think HP or Dell, that used contact technology to charge notebooks, rather than wireless, but although I have a picture in my mind’s eye, I can’t find it! If you remember what it was, please remind me! (BR)
