2015/5/7 0:50:14
Source: Web
Views:1032
Comments:0
It’s tempting to
dismiss IKEA’s new embrace of furniture that will charge your phone as a
gimmick. After all, what are the chances–really–that laying your device down on
a pad or table top to charge will significantly improve the quality of your
life?
In fact,
thousands of hours of observational research argues that it will. “We know that
people are attached at the hip to their smartphones,” said Janice Simonsen,
IKEA’s U.S. design spokesperson. “They are constantly referencing it, and one
of the biggest problems is the constant need for charging.”
The research,
part of IKEA’s ongoing effort to design products that improve the average,
day-to-day experience, led to a new furniture line that began rolling out to stores
in Europe on Wednesday. The hallmark of the Wireless Charging Collection is
built-in wireless charging. The line includes a bed-loft combo, a desk, two
bedside tables and floor, table and work lamps with embedded transmitters. The
collection will arrive in U.S. stores later this spring.
Simonsen said
the tables and lamps were chosen because they are adaptable, transitional and
streamlined. In colors of white or birch, they are meant to blend into the
home. “They look like they belong there,” she said.
IKEA’s
transmitters will work with the Samsung Galaxy S6, and are compatible with any
phone that includes Qi wireless charging technology. (You may need to activate
it in the settings.) iPhones can be used with a special case that IKEA sells.
And if IKEA’s furniture doesn’t appeal to you, but the idea of embedded
wireless charging does, IKEA sells both an embeddable charger ($29.99) and a
special circular saw ($4.99) you need to install it yourself. (The saw attaches
to a standard power drill.)
Photos
featuring the new products emphasize simplicity and ease. In one, a woman
lounges comfortably on a couch while her smartphone lies cradled on a small
shelf attached to a reading lamp in easy reach. The message: Both human and
device are being recharged.
Indeed, the rollout could mark the first major shift in the
function of furniture since prehistoric man started forming beds, chairs and
cubbyholes out of wood, stone and animal skins.
(Credit: Web)