Starbucks alienates most Android phones by siding with PMA wireless charging
Soon people won’t be the only thing getting charged at Starbucks. The coffee giant is planning to install Powermat wireless charging stations at shops across the US. This is a huge win for the Power Matters Alliance, which is battling the Qi charging standard. Many smartphones have been released with the Qi standard, but the tides could begin to shift.
The Powermats at Starbucks will be embedded in tables indicated with small circles. If your device doesn’t have PMA built-in, which most don’t, you can purchase a small dongle that will plug in to your device and allow charging. During trials at Starbucks people typically used the charging for an average of 15 minutes, which is just enough time to give your battery a nice boost. The rollout will begin at Starbucks locations on the west coast at first, but next year they will reach all of the US.
What do you think about Starbucks going with PMA? Most devices that have wireless charging today support the Qi standard. In order to use PMA charging devices you nee to buy a case. Do you have a Qi wireless charging device? Whose side are you on in this wireless charging battle?
[via verge]