 It's time to cut the cord. Here at CES 2018, wireless charging reigns supreme, and we're seeing tons of new chargers in new shapes, sizes, and form factors. Specifically, we're seeing Qi charging pads, the same wireless standard used by Samsung, LG, and tons of other companies. But the big difference this year is that last fall, Apple added Qi charging to its iPhone X and iPhone 8 models, bringing a huge influx of new users to the market. And plenty of companies looking to cash in on that. Apple jumping on board means two things. One, tons of new customers looking to buy a wireless charging pad for the first time in their lives. And two, the basic effect of death of the other main wireless charging standard, PMA. In fact, at CES this year, PMA announced that its PowerMAT chargers would be adopting Qi now going forward. That leads us to the chargers themselves. Even though this technology's been around for a while, we're still seeing companies experimenting and trying to figure things out. Because unlike a charging cable, a wireless charger's a big thing that's always going to be on your desk or nightstand, and that means that it needs to fit in your life in the way that a cable does. So companies are really experimenting with different form factors. One, IOTI showed up with five different chargers. A pad, a miniature pad, a stand, some weird wall mount thing, and a car mount. Belkin also showed up with a bunch of new chargers, and they're also just trying new things like this double charger that's actually two charging pads just mashed into one. Or new startups like Trey, which are following the steps of IKEA and building wireless chargers directly into a whole line of lamps. And honestly, that's a pretty good idea. Why not put a wireless charger in something that you keep plugged in and on your desk at all times anyway? And all this variety is really important because different people have different tastes and styles. The fabric-covered charger I like might not suit your tastes at all. And sure, the everything but the kitchen sink method might be a little overwhelming, but at least there's variety, especially because there might not be a single right answer here. Even mouse pads are getting in on wireless charging, with a company called Corsair putting a Qi charger into its MM1000 mouse pad at CES this year, which can charge your phone or your mouse pad just the same. Which brings me to one of the other big advantages of Qi charging, is that it's become this truly universal standard that's transcended product category or brand. Sure, companies are still divided as to whether to use USB-C or micro USB for their phones, and Apple of course is going to stick with Lightning for basically forever. But I can take a Samsung phone or an iPhone and drop them on my Qi charger and it'll work just the same. We're really reaching this universal standard where anything will charge, be it mouse, phone, watch, battery pack, or anything else new. There's also interesting applications to the future of wireless charging. Here at CES, we're starting to see the technology make the jump from traditional gadgets to more household goods like crock pots or even blenders. Although right now, it's still more in the gimmicky stage than a genuinely useful solution. It's also important to remember that while Qi charging is really cool, it's also only wireless charging in the sense that you're not physically plugging in a cable to your phone. You still have to take your phone, put it on the pad, and remember to do that every day. True wireless charging, where your phone will just magically draw power from the air or from maybe a hub somewhere else in the room, is the real holy grail here. And we're still kind of years away from that. Although there are companies at CES this year that are trying to work on that, so the future might not be as far off as we think. For now though, it's never been a better time to start getting into wireless charging. And even if it's not quite the magical future we've been promised, it still sure beats untangling cables.
 It's time to cut the cord.
 Here at CES 2018, wireless charging reigns supreme, and we're seeing tons of new chargers
 in new shapes, sizes, and form factors.
 Specifically, we're seeing Qi charging pads, the same wireless standard used by Samsung,
 LG, and tons of other companies.
 But the big difference this year is that last fall, Apple added Qi charging to its iPhone
 X and iPhone 8 models, bringing a huge influx of new users to the market.
 And plenty of companies looking to cash in on that.
 Apple jumping on board means two things.
 One, tons of new customers looking to buy a wireless charging pad for the first time
 in their lives.
 And two, the basic effect of death of the other main wireless charging standard, PMA.
 In fact, at CES this year, PMA announced that its PowerMAT chargers would be adopting Qi
 now going forward.
 That leads us to the chargers themselves.
 Even though this technology's been around for a while, we're still seeing companies
 experimenting and trying to figure things out.
 Because unlike a charging cable, a wireless charger's a big thing that's always going
 to be on your desk or nightstand, and that means that it needs to fit in your life in
 the way that a cable does.
 So companies are really experimenting with different form factors.
 One, IOTI showed up with five different chargers.
 A pad, a miniature pad, a stand, some weird wall mount thing, and a car mount.
 Belkin also showed up with a bunch of new chargers, and they're also just trying new
 things like this double charger that's actually two charging pads just mashed into one.
 Or new startups like Trey, which are following the steps of IKEA and building wireless chargers
 directly into a whole line of lamps.
 And honestly, that's a pretty good idea.
 Why not put a wireless charger in something that you keep plugged in and on your desk
 at all times anyway?
 And all this variety is really important because different people have different tastes and
 styles.
 The fabric-covered charger I like might not suit your tastes at all.
 And sure, the everything but the kitchen sink method might be a little overwhelming, but
 at least there's variety, especially because there might not be a single right answer here.
 Even mouse pads are getting in on wireless charging, with a company called Corsair putting
 a Qi charger into its MM1000 mouse pad at CES this year, which can charge your phone
 or your mouse pad just the same.
 Which brings me to one of the other big advantages of Qi charging, is that it's become this truly
 universal standard that's transcended product category or brand.
 Sure, companies are still divided as to whether to use USB-C or micro USB for their phones,
 and Apple of course is going to stick with Lightning for basically forever.
 But I can take a Samsung phone or an iPhone and drop them on my Qi charger and it'll work
 just the same.
 We're really reaching this universal standard where anything will charge, be it mouse, phone,
 watch, battery pack, or anything else new.
 There's also interesting applications to the future of wireless charging.
 Here at CES, we're starting to see the technology make the jump from traditional gadgets to
 more household goods like crock pots or even blenders.
 Although right now, it's still more in the gimmicky stage than a genuinely useful solution.
 It's also important to remember that while Qi charging is really cool, it's also only
 wireless charging in the sense that you're not physically plugging in a cable to your
 phone.
 You still have to take your phone, put it on the pad, and remember to do that every
 day.
 True wireless charging, where your phone will just magically draw power from the air or
 from maybe a hub somewhere else in the room, is the real holy grail here.
 And we're still kind of years away from that.
 Although there are companies at CES this year that are trying to work on that, so the future
 might not be as far off as we think.
 For now though, it's never been a better time to start getting into wireless charging.
 And even if it's not quite the magical future we've been promised, it still sure beats untangling
 cables.