wireless charging

You’re missing out if you have a Windows Phone with the ability to charge wireless and you’re not using it. But it’s probably in the comfort of your home or office where you’re enjoying it day-to-day. And that’s probably because you’ve invested in a wireless enabled charging pad. Go out in public and you’ll have a hard time finding businesses that offer them.

What about those partnerships Nokia made companies like Virgin Atlantic or The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf? Jessica Dolcourt shares her experience after finally seeing wireless charging in the wild.

Nokia isn't just about mobile phones today at Mobile World Congress. The company is also showing off a new wireless charger for vehicles. Should you use your Lumia 920 (or other Windows Phone) in the car for navigation, etc. you may well be interested in a wireless charging unit that will provide juice to your device without cables.

As we’re the largest Windows Phone site around, you could imagine we get asked a lot of questions. Some are bizarre, some are just rants asking us to fix the OS (we wish we could!) and some seem silly at first but do make you go “hmmm...”

Such is the case with this scenario: You toss your beautiful Nokia Lumia 920 onto the Fatboy wireless charger to get some juice. But you also have a USB AC adapter standing by...what happens if you plug that in? Will it charge off of both, making it “go faster”? Or does one take priority over the other—and if so, which way?

Update: We now have a discount code...see below.*

Moment of humble-brag: I bought a new car recently and since it’s my first new car I’m suddenly into accessories for it. Enter in ProClip, one of the top recommended companies who manufacture in-car mounts for literally everything mobile.

We had a few conversations with Johan van Mierlo, Global Partner Development Manager at ProClip at CES 2013 and truth be told their products are quite compelling for those considering a superior setup for their vehicles.

Yesterday Toyota became the self-proclaimed first automaker to offer wireless device charging as an option in their vehicles. The 2013 Toyota Avalon Limited and Avalon Hybrid Limited will have Qi wireless charging technology included in their Technology add-on package.

Nokia's 'Free Wireless Charger' page has been live for a while, but registration isn't quite ready / open yet. The Finnish manufacturer has however published the terms and conditions, which reveal exactly what will be on offer and who will be eligible for said free gear. Those who purchase either the Lumia 920 or Lumia 820 through Phones4u will be able to claim a free wireless charging plate.

Update: To clarify, the Touchstone charger doesn't actually charge the Lumia 920. It just actives the charging protocol but due to a mismatch in frequencies, it does not actually do anything. In fact, as webOSNation's Derek Kessler tells us, it could even damage your phone were you to leave it on there for an extended period of time. In other words, don't do this!

The Nokia Lumia 920 (and 820 with backplate) uses the Qi standard for wireless charging. In simplest terms that means universal charging plates (as opposed to some proprietary system) can be mass produced and the 920 will work with future products. It also means that past wireless charging systems, like Palm's Touchstone charging dock also work with the Lumia 920 as demonstrated in the video above.