A small bleep echoes from your smartphone as the battery indicator turns red. Not headed to the office and no portable battery to hand? It's going to be a long day. Just as public Wi-Fi has become the norm, McDonald's is hoping Qi wireless charging will tempt more customers through its golden arches. After piloting the technology in some of its UK stores, the fast food giant has signed a deal with Aircharge to bring 600 wireless charging points into more than 50 of its restaurants.
Starbucks is experimenting with a similar service in the US, however there it's using Duracell Powermat's PMA technology, a less popular standard, to coax coffee fiends inside. Qi, meanwhile, is reasonably prevalent with a growing number of compatible smartphones, like the Nexus 6 and Lumia 930. Of course, not everyone has a handset with these capabilities, so Aircharge will also be offering its wireless charging receivers for those that need a microUSB or Lightning cable. So now, while you take a quick pit-stop and devour a McRib (for the next four weeks, anyway), your gadgets can be recharging their batteries too.
Filed under: Cellphones
Source: Wireless Power Consortium
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