Nokia to introduce wireless charging
Bringing charging solutions from the home and office to the high-street, Nokia will introduce integrated wireless charging plates into The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf cafés in select major metropolitan cities.
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is the oldest and largest privately-held specialty coffee and tea retailer in the United States with more than 850 stores in 24 countries.
It is also present in 40 prominent airport locations, such as Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, Changi Airport in Singapore, and New Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport.
This follows the launch of two new Nokia Windows Phone 8 devices which both offer wireless charging. The Nokia Lumia920 features in-built wireless charging, while the new Nokia Lumia820 benefits from wireless charging via a removable and exchangeable shell.
“With Nokia wireless charging access points located in its chain of coffee houses, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf can provide technology that will offer total convenience and simplicity to its consumers," said Jo Harlow, executive Vice President, Smart Devices, Nokia. "The partnership highlights Nokia’s commitment to making wireless charging as ubiquitous as Wi-Fi is today.”
In addition, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, the world’s largest privately held specialty coffee and tea retailer, will launch a new mobile app for Nokia Lumia and Windows Phone smartphones.
“With the large number of customers that pass through daily, many are using it as a place to work, rest and play. Wireless charging provides a convenient way for consumers to recharge their phone while relaxing with a coffee,so that they can leave their house and use their phone freely without worrying about running low on battery,” said Bob Kaufman, Vice President of Business Development at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.
Nokia also announced a deal with Virgin Atlantic to offer wireless charging facilities at its London Heathrow Clubhouse for passengers who want to recharge their phones before a flight.
Stylish and colourful Nokia wireless charging plates will initially be introduced in the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at London Heathrow later this year.
Nokia and Virgin Atlantic also plan to expand wireless charging to the JFK Clubhouse at a later date.
Nokia announced in New York that its Windows Phone 8 flagship smartphone, the Nokia Lumia 920, would be its first smartphone with in-built wireless charging, while the new Nokia Lumia 820 benefits from wireless charging via a removable and exchangeable shell.
"Virgin Atlantic is putting passengers first by removing a major anxiety, particularly for business travellers – how to keep their phone charged throughout a long day," said Jo Harlow, executive Vice President, Smart Devices, Nokia.
Chris Rossi, Senior Vice President, Virgin Atlantic North America said: “Our Upper Class passengers choose Virgin Atlantic because they understand that we aim to deliver a memorable experience every time that they fly with us.
"We constantly look for ways to enhance their overall experience through partnering with companies such as Nokia to let them experience new technologies in our clubhouses. Our passengers will be able to wirelessly charge their phone while catching up on email, sipping a cocktail or enjoying a massage in our clubhouse spa!”
Wireless charging provides a convenient way to top-up a phone while relaxing in the lounge so that phones can be used for listening to music, playing games or watching movies during the flight.
Nokia is part of the Wireless Power Consortium, an organization that supports the Qi wireless charging standard.
This group comprises of a number of operators, service providers, component suppliers and consumer electronics companies that have pledged their support to Qi and are working together to build an infrastructure ecosystem that will make it possible to charge wirelessly throughout the day.
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