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Crowdfunding project of the week: FLI Charge is "wireless charging done right"
Some think Sunday is fun day, but here at Android Authority it’s the day of the week when we highlight some of the coolest crowdfunding projects around. Sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo are teeming with innovation, but not everything in there is awesome. Some projects we can definitely live without. The ‘Crowdfunding project of the week’ series is meant to weed out all the bad stuff and highlight only our very favorite campaigns.
Other featured crowdfunding projects:
Today we are taking a look at FLI Charge, a wireless charging solution said to have finally done things right. But before we get into all the details we would like to touch on current wireless charging issues. What are some general complaints about inductive charging? FLI Charge mentions current charging units are slow, very picky about positioning and… ugly looking.
The FLI Charge is different from what we are used to, as it is not true wireless charging. Yes, there are no wires, but the system charges your devices through actual contact. The charging pad is a thin platform made of metal and plastic. You can then place your compatible gadgets on top of it (anywhere, in any direction) and have them charge with 40 watts of power.
FLI Charge claims their solution is as fast as plugging to an actual outlet. It is also safe, as there is no extra radiation and the current halts as soon as an unapproved devices gets near the surface.
There is a trick, though. This is not a widely accepted technology, which means you will have to jump through some hoops to use it. I believe this is really the main downside. Current technologies (like Qi) already come embedded in devices and are widely accepted. FLI Charge is its own platform and you will need its own accessories.
They currently have charging cases for the iPhone 6, iPhone 6S, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6S Plus, Samsung Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge. This means you are out of luck if you own any other phone and need to charge your device directly. Those are still very popular handsets, though, and we know many of you own them.
If you have any other phone, you can use the FLI Cube or the FLI coin charging accessories. These have their own connections (USB, microUSB and Lightning) to ensure a power flow into your device. It’s not as intuitive as using one of the cases, but at least they are leaving no device out of the picture. Then again, why have this charger if you still have to plug something in? This product is mostly for those with FLI Case-compatible smartphones.
Interested? You can get the signed up for as low as $99. They have surpassed their $100,000 goal in only 4 days and still have almost a month to go. And with an estimated October 2016 shipping window, you won’t have to be waiting around for long. Are you signing up?