A wireless charging consortium backed by the likes of Samsung and Qualcomm today unveiled Rezence, which will serve as the official consumer brand name for the group's wireless power technology.
The Rezence brand will be used in conjunction with the Alliance for Wireless Power's (A4WP) product certification program, which is expected to kick off by year's end. The Rezence icon will then show up on packaging, technical literature, and future software apps.
"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," Geoff Gordon, A4WP marketing committee chair, said in a statement. "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 Alliance for Wireless Power debuted in May 2012 with the goal of pushing the development of wireless charging technologies. Specifically, the group wants to develop new power transfer technologies that will allow for simultaneous charging of multiple devices in cars, on tabletops, and elsewhere. It will focus on a wireless charging standard and offer certification.
Wireless charging has thus far been slow to take off, in part because it requires an ecosystem of chargers to make it work. Apple has yet to embrace the technology for iOS devices, which is a large chunk of the smartphone market, but other manufacturers - like Nokia with its Lumia series and Samsung with some Galaxy phones - have been giving it a chance. Dr. Kamil A. Grajski, president of A4WP, said the first wave of Rezence-enabled products will hit the market in early 2014.
Other A4WP members include Broadcom, Deutsche Telekom, HTC, Intel, LG, Marvell, SanDisk, Texas Instruments, and more.