Can You Ditch All of Your Gadget Chargers?

It’s time to pack away the tangle of power cords for charging your cellphone, MP3 player, laptop, digital camera and other electronic devices. Several new technologies showing up on store shelves this fall allow consumers to charge their gadgets without messing with wires.

The "wow" factor is hard to dispute. Toss your phone on a countertop mat when you get home from work. Charging automatically begins as soon as the device makes contact with the mat and stops when you pick it up or when it reaches full capacity. The technology is called either inductive or conductive coupling, depending on how it’s configured; it transfers power using the magnetic fields generated by electrical currents moving through wires.

Manufacturers have been experimenting with wireless charging technology for years (it’s what recharges most electric toothbrush models), says Steve Koenig, the director of industry analysis for the Consumer Electronics Association, an industry group. Palm (PALM) uses inductive coupling for the Pre’s Touchstone charging docks, and Energizer (ENR) sells a wireless charging device for battery packs designed for Nintendo Wii controllers.

Now, several companies are rolling out wireless charging mats and adaptors designed to power a wider variety of your gadgets. Battery maker Duracell is introducing a line called myGrid this fall, and smaller rival Powermat plans to release a suite of products on Oct. 4. A third firm, WildCharge, has sold similar devices since 2007.

As with any emerging technology, being an early adopter has its drawbacks. Before you invest in wireless charging components, consider these three potential pitfalls:

Wireless power has the potential to be more energy efficient -- pads don’t draw power when they’re empty or hosting fully-charged devices -- but the savings from your electric bill are unlikely to offset the currently high cost for components, says Michael Morgan, an industry analyst for mobile devices at ABI Research, a technology-focused market research firm. Duracell charges $80 for its myGrid charger pad (which also includes an adaptor and several phone tips). WildCharge bundles a pad and one phone skin/adaptor for $80, and Powermat has a package with a pad and universal adaptor for $100. Additional adaptors run $20 to $35, depending on the wireless power brand and the type of connection.

For 2009, the average family is expected to spend $2,225 on home energy, according to the Alliance to Save Energy. By Department of Energy estimates, electronics account for 15% of that bill, and as much as 75% of that portion stems from devices that are plugged in but not in use. Cut your power drain, and you could save up to $250 a year. The catch: Much of the drain comes from devices that won’t benefit from wireless power, such as televisions and desktop computers. There are also cheaper ways to reduce energy waste, such as using power strips.

Wireless power components aren’t interchangeable. As more players enter the market, you run the risk of investing in an obsolete brand or format, says Andrew Eisner, director of content for Retrevo.com, an online electronics marketplace that offers user manuals and consumer reviews. Wait and you may be able to more seamlessly integrate wireless power into your day-to-day routine. For example, wire-free design and integration firm WiProwess (which signed licensing agreements with WildCharge earlier this month) is experimenting with applications for putting wireless power into car consoles and office desks.

The true advantage of wireless power is the convenience of replacing several plug-in chargers with one plug-in charger pad. But syncing up every device is not easy. “A lot of the specific adaptors work only with phones,” Eisner says. Duracell’s myGrid works only with select devices from Apple (AAPL), BlackBerry, Motorola (MOT) and Nokia (NOK). WildCharge’s Power Disk and Powermat’s Power Cube adaptors work with a wide variety of devices, but their dongle designs create extra work for the user beyond the usual drop-and-go.

Wireless power adaptors that clip on or add heft to a phone case may also be incompatible with your lifestyle. “It can ruin the pocket-ability of devices,” Morgan says.