In what might be seen as a challenge to the GSMA's initiative on a common charging plug for handsets, the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) has announced four new members, including Samsung and Duracell, bringing the total number of companies involved to 13. The WPC aims to create an international standard for devices of up to five watts that can be recharged by simply being placed on a charging station.
While the GSMA would seem to have received the backing from a majority within the cell phone industry to adopt the mini-USB interface as a common charging interface, the WPC--which was only formed six months ago--has attracted NatSemi, TI, Logitech, Sanyo and Philips among others to support the new standard.
According to the WPC, a universal standard in wireless power charging is within the top 20 per cent of what people want from their portable gadgets, and the plan is for mobile products to carry a logo when they're capable of being wirelessly charged. There are also developments underway for the WPC standard to support high power devices and equipment.
However, the WPC will need to work hard on recruiting the major handset vendors to ensure success over the GSMA-sponsored plan.
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