Look, Ma, No Wires: Tables That Can Charge Smartphones
Business + Economy

Look, Ma, No Wires: Tables That Can Charge Smartphones

© Yves Herman / Reuters

Ikea has launched a range of furniture range that can wirelessly charge your smartphones and tablets.

The technology will be built into bedside tables, lamps and desks, the Swedish company known for its flatpacked furniture announced at Mobile World Congress on Sunday. (Click here to see two examples.)

A number of top smartphone makers are this week expected to unveil a slew of devices that don't need cables to recharge. Typically consumers would have to buy a separate dock to wirelessly charge their devices, but Ikea is pushing the convenience of built-in technology.

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"People hate cable mess in the home and they are worried about not finding the charger. That was our starting points and we wanted to make things easier," Bjorn Block, range manager of Ikea, told CNBC by phone.

The furniture range will launch in April in Europe and North America. Block said any items with the wireless charging capability will be an extra $25 than normal. Ikea claims the standard of wireless charging it uses - known as Qi - is compatible with 80 different smartphone models and over 700 devices.

The first collection of furniture will have about 15 items in it and Block said Ikea would release one to two collections a year. It will then aim for releasing 10 collections a year that feature wireless charging, but would not outline when this would be.

This article originally appeared in CNBC.

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