The Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP), an independently operated, not-for-profit organization whose aim is to build a global wireless charging ecosystem, has announced a new consumer-focused brand - Rezence - that will act as the official name for organization's wireless power technology. The Alliance for Wireless Power is a group of high-profile technology companies that include Samsung Electronics, Intel, LG, Delphi, HTC, Qualcomm, SanDisk and Texas Instruments.
The alliance hopes to make 'Rezence' as popular as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. With the current wireless charging technology, you can place your device on a pad to recharge its battery. Rezence technology will allow you to do the same with some improvements over its predecessors. The technology is going to work on any surface and through tables and clothings. It can also handle multiple devices simultaneously and is unaffected by metal objects.
The brand 'Rezence' will also help the alliance in product certification program. An icon of the same will be used by member companies on its wireless charging devices that will state the Rezence-certified product packaging. However, the certification program is scheduled for the end of this year and hopefully some of the devices will be sporting the Rezence logo in the coming Consumer Electronics Show 2014 that is scheduled to kick off on January 7.
"The challenge for the A4WP marketing committee and its branding agency was to create a distinct and easy to recognize brand concept that would speak to the unique benefits our technology brings to the wireless charging ecosystem," said Geoff Gordon, A4WP marketing committee chair. "The name Rezence was derived from the words resonance and essence, communicating both the underlying technology and its ability to charge all types of electronic devices. The Rezence logo includes a simple, iconic mark in the form of a Z that can also be used as a standalone mark on a variety of applications."
"The new Rezence brand is much more than an icon, it's a promise to consumers that devices carrying the Rezence logo will be interoperable with one another," said Chang Yeong Kim, executive vice president and head of digital media and communication R&D center of Samsung Electronics. "Rezence will allow us to move forward and bring consumer friendly wireless charging to the global marketplace."
The standard laid out by A4WP is being challenged by two other competing standards in the market. One of the two is Power Matters Alliance, which has built cases for phones like iPhone and had a helping hand in creating charging stations at Starbucks and MacDonald's. The other is Wireless Power Consortium that has the standard called Qi. Qi is used in Nokia Smartphones and some devices from HTC and LG Electronics.
In terms of features, Rezence as for now seems to take a lead over the other two standards in which devices need to be specifically laid on the charging pad. In contrast, there are no such stiff requirements in the case of Rezence. Moreover, since Rezence used the principles of magnetic resonance to extend wireless power applications, it can be integrated into public locations with much ease.
