Everybody nowadays have more than one electronic device they carry everyday like , cellphones, iPods, Blackberry, PDA etc. However,with all different chargers and different types of plugs to recharge them, it can be a complicated lifestyle. 2009 has brought some interesting gadgets to the global arena and one particluar gadget has actually got people talking about. Like something out of a science fiction movie, it has finally come to reality. Meet the Powermat.

What is it?  It’s a mat that can be plugged in and will simultaneously charge a whole heap of gadgets, all at the same time, wirelessly. That’s no more chargers cluttering up your house, no more tangled wires and no need to use multiple plugs when you need to charge up more than one thing at the same time.

The Powermat uses magnetic induction and, according to the website, “When a Powermat-enabled device is placed on the mat, a process synchronizes the mat with the receiver and electric power is generated to meet the specific energy needs of the device.The mat then monitors the power in the device and disconnect power to each device once it finishes charging.

Powermats will also be able to be used in cars with their universal, window mount car charger for hand-held devices with the different car accessories that will be available in the near future.

The Technology

Inductive charging is a wireless charging method used for mid-sized items such as cell phones, MP3 players and PDAs. High-end electric toothbrushes and waterproof vibrating razors were among the first products to use induction charging.
In inductive charging, an adapter equipped with contact points is attached to the device’s back plate. When the device requires a charge, it is placed on a conductive charging pad. Once the contact points come in contact with the conductive surface of the charging pad, a small current moves through the coils of the charging pad, creating a small magnetic field which is gathered by the contact points of the adapter and converted into energy. The energy gathered is transferred to the device’s battery as efficiently as if the device were connected to a wall socket with its regular wired adapter.

FInally, breakthough in technology that we’d like to see. and hopefully we will see more of these devices on the shelves soonPretty exciting stuff but we still have no word on prices. So we’ll wait and see about the price tags on these things before we get rid of our chargers.