Swedish furniture giant Ikea will release its new line of wireless smartphone device charging furniture in Australian stores later this year.
The international home furnishing retailer has announced a range of Qi wireless charging technology-implanted desks, bedside tables, and lamps aimed at keeping your handheld device’s battery at full in the most “convenient, discreet and accessible” manner possible.
Dubbed as the ‘Homesmart’ line and set for an October release Down Under, following a US and European launch next month, charging station furniture pieces are expected to cost $30-$40 more than regular items.
Removing the need for lengthy cable wall socket chargers, the Ikea products feature charging pads compatible with Samsung, HTC and Nokia phone units. Apple users will also be able to get in on the action with iPhone compatible cases.
“Through research and home visits, we know that people hate cable mess,” Ikea’s lighting and wireless charging manager Jeanette Skjelmose said in a press release. “They worry about not finding the charger and running out of power. Our new innovative solutions, which integrate wireless charging into home furnishings, will make life at home simpler.”
Qi technology is the most widely used wireless charger around the globe and is featured in some 3,000 international hotels, restaurants, airports and public locations.
“We have been looking at people’s lives at home … and how that frustration can be reduced,” national commercial manager Tim Prevade told News Ltd.
“(Qi technology is) more or less the same energy usage and time to charge batteries,” he added.
“It could potentially extend to other types of furniture, like couches.”
Check out some of the new Homesmart products below.
Photos: Twitter.
