As by magic, now the kitchen worktop recharges smart phones

Schmidt installs recharge spots for mobiles and tablets in its furniture

Türkismühle – The last thing we keep in our hand in the evening, and the first we look for when we get up: our smart phone. This little device has become essential part of our life and our activities and it follows us also in the kitchen. While we're preparing a coffee we check the weather, at breakfast we read the first mails or at the table together with the family we look up a recipe for dinner. Our mobile is always with us, but the more we use it, the weaker gets its battery. Batteries don't last more than a day by now and often we haven't got the charger or a plug available when the battery is low. It would be perfect if we could put down our little allrounder in a place where it starts recharging itself as if by magic ...

Putting it down instead of plugging

What at first seemed a futuristic vision, now, thanks to the worktop of the SCHMIDT kitchens, has become reality: inside the piece of furniture is installed a charger of the company „Qinside“, according to the internationally certified technology standard Qi. To use it, it's enough to put down the mobile or tablet on a spot signed by an Qi-lable and immediately the battery starts recharging wireless. Extremely easy, useful, quick. The only condition: the mobile needs to be equipped with Qi, but this is the case for about 80 models of various brands of mobile producers. During the process of recharging the energy passes by electromagnetic induction. It's the same principle applied for the induction hotplates or for the electric toothbrush. There are electric bobbines on both sides. If these lie one above the other, electric energy starts to be transferred. „With this innovative solution we give the possibility to our clients to recharge easily and quickly their mobile at the place where today we spend most of our social life – in the kitchen“, says Wolgang Thorwart, the manager of the development area of the company, which is among the 5 main producers of kitchens in Europe.

Furniture as charges – with and without wire

On the worktop we carry out a great deal of daily activities. There's always a lot of life in the kitchen and we deposit keep many of our tools around there, also mobiles and tablets. That's why the long-established German-French company for kitchens and interiors SCHMIDT proposes the practical solution of worktops which are able to recharge mobiles, by installing an invisible battery-charger. If the battery is low, just put it on the foreseen spot and immediately starts the recharging process. There's no need any more to worry about cables and plugs and you can also take of the Qi sticker from the worktop if you want to make the device completely invisible. At last, another suggestion by Wolfgang Thorwart: „if one of our clients hasn't got a mobile which is Qi-compatible, we can offer him the option to plug the phone to an external Qi-receiver by a micro-USB connection. Just attach the receiver Qi to the mobile, put it down on the charging spot and the electricity flows. Also in this case there's no need any more to look for a plug. The worktop of your kitchen is taking care of it.