IDT and Intel Push Wireless Charging Standard to Ultrabooks

There are already accessories that allow Android devices, and the iPhone, to recharge without being plugged into a USB port, or using a power adapter, but Intel wants to make wireless charging a mainstream consumer feature.

Ultrabooks aren't really mainstream-level yet, nor are their sales numbers impressive, but Intel is convinced that Windows 8, and its progress over the past year, will change that.

The company is now thinking of adding something extra to the feature set of such laptops: wireless charging support, whereby Wi-Fi signals, or other radio signals, are “harvested” straight from the air and used to recover battery energy.

Right now, the idea is for a small pad, perhaps next to the trackpad, on which one would just place their phone, or whatever else, and let the technology do all the work.

There are many standards to choose from though, and the industry will have to decide on just one. Intel hopes it will happen faster than the time it took for everyone to warm up to DisplayPort.