Skip to main content

Starbucks is trying out wireless phone charging in Boston shops

Starbucks
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Wireless charging your electronics hasn’t become popular yet, partially because wireless charging tech is only starting to work well and partially because there’s been a long-running battle in the wireless charging industry, between the Power Matters Alliance (PMA) and Wireless Power Consortium (WPC). Each of these groups wants to own the ‘standard’ way to wirelessly charge a phone or tablet. Thanks to a deal with Starbucks, the PMA believes it has a leg up.

Daniel Schreiber, president of Powermat, and PMA board member, told The Verge today that he believes the race is drawing to a close, as Starbucks has begun to test out PMA charging stations in Boston. He’s also expecting the company’s adoption of the stations to be “expanded significantly in the coming months.”

Schreiber feels that this will be the end of the war with WPC, even as the group’s Qi standard continues to be adopted by new phones. “Standards are ultimately set in a coffee shop, not in a conference room,” Schreiber said. To illustrate his point, he made a parallel to the wireless war between Wi-Fi and HomeRF, all the way back in 2001. Schreiber cited Starbucks’ endorsement of Wi-Fi in 2002 as one of the primary reasons we’ve never caught ourselves looking for a HomeRF station.

European company Powerkiss recently migrated to PMA from the WPC, and is set to provide 1,000 McDonald’s locations across the continent with PMA-approved wireless charging stations. The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf also recently jumped ship from WPC, and will both be trying stations out in California this quarter, with international plans likely to follow.

An MIT spinoff called WiTricity, also announced today that it will be joining the PMA. It’s currently working on more distanced wireless charging. WiTricity’s technology works through tuned electromagnetic resonators to charge devices. If such technology were perfected, whatever device you had on you could potentially start charging the second you walk into any location that had it. And of course, the same would go for everyone at that location with you. While it might not be there just yet, Eric Giler, WiTricity’s CEO, says that the technology is ready, and has been for a while. It was just waiting on a reliable standard.

According to Giler, WiTricity actually approached the Wireless Power Consortium about a partnership, but the WPC shot down the idea. The company remained on the fence for some time, but when AT&T took a seat on the PMA board, that convinced WiTricity to join the Power Matters Alliance. 

Still, as much as PMA is bragging, no winner is set in stone for this war, and while it’s true that Starbucks’ trial run of the PMA-approved charging stations bodes well for the group, it’s nowhere near as aggressive its adoption of Wi-Fi over HomeRF back in 2002. The public may be ready for wireless device charging, but we’re not ready to pick a winner just yet.

Saul Berenbaum
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Saul Berenbaum has been writing film and gaming reviews since college. Recently, he contributed to HardcoreDroid. Now he…
Much-desired iPhone feature may not arrive until 2027
The Apple logo on the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

We’ve heard a lot in recent years about an iPhone that ditches the Dynamic Island, placing the selfie camera and FaceID technology beneath the glass for a clean, full display. But despite a growing number of Android phones adopting the design, for the iPhone it still seems a ways off.

In 2022, oft-reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed that a full display could arrive with next year's iPhone 16, though others in the same field have since suggested that it may take several more iterations of the iPhone before the tech giant is able to make the change.

Read more
This smart ring maker has some wild product plans for 2024
A person holding the Ultrahuman Air ring, showing the sensors.

“We wanted to chat about what's coming in the near future, as well as some new product launches that are happening over the next couple of months, which I think you'll find really interesting. I wanted to give you a sneak peek into what's coming.”

This was how Mohit Kumar, founder and CEO of Ultrahuman, started our conversation when I spoke to him over Zoom. And in doing so, he definitely had my attention. What followed was a fascinating glimpse at how the Ultrahuman Ring Air that I wore recently is only the start for this four-year-old company.
15 new product releases

Read more
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 line prices slashed for the holidays
A Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 is held up on top of a desk.

If you're thinking about getting a tablet for a holiday gift -- whether for a loved one or for yourself -- you should check out the discounts that are available for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 line of devices. The previous-generation tablets are still pretty reliable by today's standards, and they offer amazing value because of Samsung's discounts. For their 128GB versions, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 is down to $510 from $700 for $190 in savings, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+ is down to $630 from $900 for $270 in savings, and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is down to $720 from $1,100 for $380 in savings. If you're interested in any of these tablet deals, you're going to have to hurry with your purchase if you want the device to arrive before the rush of the holiday season starts.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 (128GB) -- $510, was $700

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 features an 11-inch touchscreen with a 120Hz refresh rate for super smooth movements on the display, and it's powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 with 8GB of RAM that enables fast performance while you launch and use apps. What makes it stand out from other Android tablets is its suite of productivity features, including the customizable Edge Panel, the versatility of the S Pen, and the ability to function as a portable monitor, among others. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 also has an 8,000 mAh battery and the option to expand its storage capacity by up to 1TB through a microSD card.

Read more