Starbucks begins rolling out free wireless phone charging tables in its stores
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Recharging your batteries while shopping or sightseeing will soon involve more than just getting a latte, and a comfortable seat.
Starbucks has announced it will be offering wireless mats for customers to power their mobile phones while they sip on their mocha.
The global coffee chain has teamed up with Duracell Powermat to begin the U.S. rollout across 7,500 Starbucks and Teavana shops.
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Starbucks has announced it will be offering wireless mats (pictured) for customers to power their mobile phones while they sip on their mocha. The global coffee chain has teamed up with Duracell Powermat to begin a U.S. rollout of wireless phone chargers in Starbucks and Teavana shops
HOW WIRELESS CHARGERS WORK
The technology is described as 'inductive charging' because it uses magnetic induction.
The current coming from the power outlet moves through the wire in the charger, creating a magnetic field.
The magnetic field then generates a current in the coil inside the device, which is connected to the battery to charge a mobile phone.
To use the system, customers must have a mobile with built-in wireless charging, or a phone accessory that provides the same capabilities.
These can be brought for around £15 in the UK and $25 in the U.S.
Chains in the San Francisco Bay Area will be the first to get the technology, which allows customers to charge their mobiles on designated table areas.
To use the system, customers must have a mobile with built-in wireless charging, or a phone accessory that provides the same capabilities.
These can be brought for around £15 in the UK and $25 in the U.S.
The technology is described as 'inductive charging' because it uses magnetic induction. The current coming from the power outlet moves through the wire in the charger, creating a magnetic field.
To use the system, customers either must to have a mobile with wireless charging capability or a phone accessory that provides the same function. These can be brought for around £15 in the UK and $25 in the U.S.
The magnetic field then generates a current in the coil inside the device, which is connected to the battery to charge a mobile phone.
According to Starbucks, over the next three years, more than 100,000 table chargers will be installed in Starbucks' 7,500 company-owned stores in the U.S.
The group has yet to reveal plans about a global rollout, or whether the technology will also be brought to the UK.
According to Starbucks, over the next three years, more than 100,000 table chargers will be installed in Starbucks' 7,500 company-owned stores in the U.S. (pictured)
'Powermat Spots in Starbucks are the result of almost a decade of scientific research spanning material sciences, magnetic induction and mesh networking,' said Ran Poliakine, chief executive of Powermat Technologies.
'The two-pronged power-plug dates back to the era of the horse drawn carriage, so that today's announcement marks the first meaningful upgrade to the way we access power in well over a century.'
The typical customer will probably use the wireless re-charger for about 15 minutes, Starbucks predicts.
The group is also planning to pilot a programme later this year that will let customers order ahead via mobile apps.
Korean researchers have unveiled an experimental wireless recharging system that could top up the mobile of everyone in the office
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