Matias Duarte coming to Google to head up Android’s user interface was a huge acquisition for all us Android fanboys. Not only has he helped Android to grow up and into its own, but he has influenced many things about the OS since he arrived to help with Ice Cream Sandwich. His former job at Palm has never been more evident before today with Google’s new Charging Orb for the Nexus 4, which looks eerily similar to the Touchstone Charger.

Using the Qi charging standard, Google has created a half-orb that magnetizes to the back of the Nexus 4 for easy charging by just setting your phone on it. The new feature in Android 4.2 named “Daydream” will be activated when set on this dock and the phone will display information from Google Currents and Google Now. There has been absolutely no word on pricing or availability for this accessory but if you’re like us, you are waiting impatiently until it is announced.

Ready to move to wireless charging yet with your Nexus 4?

Via: The Verge

ZENS may have plans to launch their own third party wireless charging station for the Galaxy SIII sometime soon, but Samsung seems to be on top of their accessories as well. A tipster sent these photos over to Phone Arena and showed that Verizon and Samsung are working towards getting their own chargers ready for primetime.

The anonymous tipster says the charging dock itself was supposed to be listed at $70, but is going to be marked down to $50 instead when they hit the sales floor. The problem is, you need to buy a new back for the phone so that it will work with the station, and the new back for the phone will run you $39 according to the source. $89 before tax to get rid of wires with your Galaxy SIII. ZENS’ kit is supposed to be around $80, which one are you going to choose?

Via: Phone Arena

At the announcement of the Next Galaxy last week, Samsung made it a point to mention all of these wonderful accessories we would be receiving alongside the Galaxy SIII. An HDMI adapter, a battery charging stand and a few others were mentioned but the star of the show was the Wireless Charging Kit. This kit is apparently the first to use a new type of technology that will make it more reliable and faster than other technologies, but the problem is they didn’t mention when we would see it.

As many Galaxy Nexus owners will attest, Samsung hasn’t been too good at providing accessories for their phones. Word on the street is that there will be a four month delay from when the phone launches to when we can see the wireless charging accessory. In the long run that isn’t that much of a delay but with Samsung’s track record we are a little wary. Let us all hope for the SIII’s sake that they do better on the accessories this time around. What is so hard about making a dock that uses the G-Nex’s pogo pins?

Via: The Verge

If you love Motorola phones and were looking for reasons to buy the DROID 4 over the RAZR, consider wireless charging one of them. Since the DROID 4′s back cover can be removed in order to give you access to SIM card and microSD slots, Moto has gone ahead and created an “inductive” or wireless charging cover for it. Just remember that in order to charge wirelessly, you will need to fork out $40 for the cover and then anywhere from $50 to $100 for the pad to charge it on. I know it’s not much of a bonus, but there are a handful of companies looking to make wireless charging the way of the future. Think about having the ability to charge your phone while it sits down on a bar next to your Manhattan. We could see it, some day.

Buy.

Cheers Digital Dan Hook!

The HTC Rezound (formerly the Vigor) made its way through the FCC back in September, so when it stopped by again today, we couldn’t help but wonder why. According to the “Change Letter” that was submitted, it needed another look as HTC has added a wireless charging back cover to it.

We will have to assume that this just means they will sell a wireless charging back separately (as has been done in the past), but would be nice if these phone manufacturers would start building this technology in from the start. Of course, that would limit their potential to make money off of accessories, so I doubt we will see that move coming any time soon.

This phone should be announced next Thursday with a potential launch coming the follow week on November 10.

Has wireless charging become a part of your life? Not something you are interested in at all?

Via:  FCC, Wireless Goodness

We got a hold of the extended battery for the DROID Bionic today along with the inductive (wireless) battery cover.  Both are available now through Verizon and Motorola’s stores – extended on sale for 50% off – and could be serious options for those of you looking for either a simpler charging solution or a longer battery life.  The extended battery weighs in at 2760mAh as compared to the standard battery which is just 1735mAh.  The inductive (wireless) cover on the other hand, simply slips over top of the standard battery so it won’t be giving you additional juice, but will instead just make it easier to charge your device.

Both the extended battery and the wireless cover will be getting full tests by us over the next few days, so for now, we’ll just give you this quick look at how they change the look and feel of the device when used. The extended is going to add some weight and thickness, while the inductive cover really just makes the device flat on the back while removing the hump.

Initial tests of the standard battery are giving me anywhere from 6-10 hours on 2 bars of 4G LTE with normal every day use. Hoping that this extended can last another 4.

*Note on the wireless cover:  It appears to practically lock the device from use while it’s charging.  I’m sure this is a bug that needs to be addressed, but while on the charger, it is almost impossible to unlock the device and swipe between screens or apps.  Immediate fix is needed if this is going to be an option. Most of us continue to use our phones even while they are charging.

Pics and video after the jump.  

Either Verizon hasn’t sold many of these inductive (wireless) battery charging pads and covers or they are finally ready to force you into learning about this new technology.  Through August’s “Accessory of the Month” deal, you can buy the wireless charging pad ($69.99) that they have on hand and receive the wireless battery cover for a select few devices for free – all normally priced from $29.99 – $39.99.

What is wireless charging?  Well, if you have a pad and battery cover, you can easily charge your device without having to actually plug in your device.  Sure, the charging pad will always have to be plugged into a wall, but I’ll even admit that it is pretty handy to come home and simply set my Thunderbolt down on my desk to get it to charge rather than fuss with a microUSB cable.

So if you have a DROID3, HTC Thunderbolt, LG Revolution, DROID Charge, or Incredible 2, you may want to look into the future of charging and grab one of these pads along with a matching inductive battery cover.    

Inductive (wireless) battery covers are finally available for a number of devices including the HTC Thunderbolt, Revolution and DROID3 through Verizon’s accessory store.  Some are cheaper than others (4G phones more expensive), but we’ve included links to all of them below so that you can grab whichever fits your device.  Remember though, that you’ll also need the charging pad in order to use these – last we checked, it was still $69.99.