Power Matters Alliance Picks Up Support From BlackBerry, TI, And NEC

You might not hear about it on the evening news, but there's a quiet war being waged in the consumer electronics universe. The issue at stake? Wireless power. It's one of those concepts that everyone realizes will be at the heart of the next-generation product, but we've seen so many lackluster attempts over the years that it's tough to get truly excited about yet another one. But, of course, an alliance on such a thing could change everything -- focusing the efforts of many intelligent companies in order to produce a technology that's actually worth paying attention to.


The Power Matters Alliance has just announced some serious growth, expanding 50% in just 30 days. It's an ecosystem and standard for wireless power, and while AT&T, Starbucks and Otterbox were already on board, the new list includes support from BlackBerry, NEC, Texas Instruments, ZTE, and dozens more. PMA was founded by Powermat Technologies and Procter & Gamble in 2012; Google's Chief Internet Evangelist, Vint Cerf , is its Honorary Chairman, and its board includes representatives from AT&T, Duracell, Starbucks and the US Government's Energy Star and Federal Communications Commission (both in non-voting capacity). The PMA's efforts to set a global standard for smart and environmental wireless power operates under the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) Industry Connections program – and PMA members are working to create a real-world ecosystem of wireless power based on the PMA standard.

Only time will tell if this one (or a rival) ends up winning out, but for now, it's safe to say that the wireless power competition is surely heating up.