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Wireless charging has been around since the late 19th century, when electricity pioneer Nikola Tesla demonstrated magnetic resonant coupling – the ability to transmit electricity through the air by creating a magnetic field between two circuits, a transmitter and a receiver.

But for about 100 years it was a technology without many practical applications, except, perhaps, for a few electric toothbrush models.

Today, there are nearly a half dozen wireless charging technologies in use, all aimed at cutting cables to everything from smartphones and laptops to kitchen appliances and cars.

Wireless charging is making inroads in the healthcare, automotive and manufacturing industries because it offers the promise of increased mobility and advances that could allow tiny internet of things (IoT) devices to get power many feet away from a Wireless Charger.

The most popular wireless technologies now in use rely on an electromagnetic field between a two copper coils, which greatly limits the distance between a device and a charging pad. That's the type of charging Apple has incorporated into the iPhone 8 and the iPhone X.

How wireless charging works

Broadly speaking, there are three types of wireless charging, according to David Green, a research manager with IHS Markit. There are charging pads that use tightly-coupled electromagnetic inductive or non-radiative charging; charging bowls or through-surface type chargers that use loosely-coupled or radiative electromagnetic resonant charging that can transmit a charge a few centimeters;

Both tightly coupled inductive and loosely-coupled resonant charging operate on the same principle of physics: a time-varying magnetic field induces a current in a closed loop of wire.

It works like this: A magnetic loop antenna (copper coil) is used to create an oscillating magnetic field, which can create a current in one or more receiver antennas. If the appropriate capacitance is added so that the loops resonate at the same frequency, the amount of induced current in the receivers increases. This is resonant inductive charging or magnetic resonance; it enables power transmission at greater distances between transmitter and receiver and increases efficiency. Coil size also affects the distance of power transfer. The bigger the coil, or the more coils there are, the greater the distance a charge can travel.

But when the coils are larger, more energy can be transferred wirelessly. That's the tactic WiTricity, a company formed from research at MIT a decade ago, has helped pioneer. It licenses loosely-coupled resonant technology for everything from automobiles and wind turbines to robotics.

Sometimes you don’t have the want (or funds) to make the leap into the world of high-end stereo or home theater audio systems, but a good Bluetooth speaker can keep you company in and out of the home. This article covers what features to look out for when searching for the best product for your needs. If your summer days consist of hikes, camping, or hours on your bike, get a durable speaker. At the very least, this means a speaker with an IP rating, which indicates water resistance. Anyone who’s particularly clumsy should also get a speaker with some degree of drop protection, even if it only covers one meter.

Portability is another thing to consider if you plan to have a speaker on your person at all times. No one wants to lug around a Sonos Move. Fortunately, there are great portable options from UE and JBL—not to mention the plethora of small-name speakers available online. If you go with the UE WONDERBOOM 2 or JBL GO 3, you get an integrated carrying system.

We’re living in an era of open workspaces where more people are wearing headphones throughout the day — listening to music, taking calls or just tuning out the rest of the office cacophony. But where do those headphones go when the day is done? Tossed in a drawer, discarded on the desk or flung over your desktop monitor. No, it’s time to act like a professional and invest in a proper desktop stand.

• Declutter your desk space and improve productivity.

It’s no huge secret that a clean and organized workplace can get you in a better mindset to get down to business. And this is exactly what a headphone stand can do. It provides a place to rest your headphones, off your desk’s workspace, and a headphone stand just looks nice and sophisticated, making you feel like a professional who is going to get some real work done.

• They’re pretty inexpensive.

In general, headphone stands are a pretty affordable desktop upgrade. You can of course go out and buy a headphone stand that costs as much as a nice pair of headphones. Case in point: the Focal Headphone Stand ($249). But you can also get a pretty nice headphone stand for as low as $20.

• It’s all about variety.

Headphone stands come in all different shapes, styles and materials. There are headphone stands that are minimalist, stands that have ergonomic designs to help preserve the shape of your headphones, stands that stick to the bottom of your desk (out of sight, out of mind), and stands that are full-on statement pieces. Whatever fits your style and budget, there’s a headphone stand for you.

Using USB Chargers Safely

Remembering to pack the right charging cable was a must if you wanted to continue using your device whilst away from home. However, the Micro USB has combatted the industry’s use of custom ports and now charging your phone on-the-go is no longer a problem with the standardised connector.

There are many different important elements you should be aware of when it comes to USBs. We’ve covered all you need to know about USBs and answered some of the most frequently asked questions.

How USB charging works

When it comes to USB networks there is always one host and one device. The majority of the time the computer is the host and your appliance is the device. Power flows from the host to the device however data can flow freely between. A USB cable has four wires and a USB socket has four pins. The outside pins provide a 5 volt power supply in combination with the inside pins which carries the data.