Starbucks in-store wireless smartphone charging debuts in Boston

Folks in Boston who love drinking coffee while modding with their smartphones will be happy to know that Starbucks has just rolled out a series of wireless smartphone charging stations in Boston. The world-renowned Italian-style coffeehouse chain has partnered with Duracell Powermat to provide a limited time in-store trial for wireless charging in Boston. Approximately 17 locations were selected for the tests, with the first three stores located in One Financial Center, 125 Summer Street, and 101 Federal Street, respectively.

Starbucks uses the technology of Powermat to install charging pads into their tables. This, of course, will be made possible through a process called inductive charging, which uses electromagnetic field to transfer energy between two objects. Basically a charging station will send energy through inductive coupling to a smartphone that supports the said technology. Starbucks is planning the test the technology through the holiday season until early next year.

“Customers are coming into our stores every day with mobile devices, and putting them down on the table. If they could be charging their device at the same time, then we’ve connected with that customer and met their need, maybe even before they realized they had a need for wireless charging,” said Adam Brotman, the Chief Digital Officer at Starbucks.

Gene Ryan Briones
Categories: Cellphones, General
Tags: starbucks