Starbucks to offer free wireless charging

By Ted Schwerzler | Jun 12, 2014

Starbucks Coffee stores are some of the most frequented places in America. With the convenience of coffee, breakfast, and speed all in one place, it is no wonder why the brand has seen the rise to the top as the go to place for morning business people. To add to their offerings on the technological side, already offering WiFi, Starbucks will be bringing free, wireless charging to its San Francisco coffee shops.

Starbucks announced that it is in the early stages of deploying Powermat chargers nationwide. The chargers are circular shaped pads that would be laid into counters and tabletops in order to charge compatible devices. San Francisco, not Seattle, will be where the Powermat’s will be rolled out to first.

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Within the next year, Starbucks plans to roll out the Powermat’s to the rest of the nation.

Powermat’s biggest competitor comes in the form of the Qi System, which can be found on the handsets of Nokia and Nexus devices.

In order for customers to take advantage of the charging source, customers would need to have a compatible device, or purchase an add-on charging right that would sit on the mat.

Right now, the Powermat adapters are available at AT&T stores nationwide. It does seem that both companies are missing out on an opportunity however, in that neither Powermat nor Starbucks has said the add-on will be purchasable at Starbucks stores.

For now, check out this map to find out which Starbucks currently offer the charging stations.

While it’s nice that the technology will be headed to Starbucks, it will be even better for consumers once Powermat is rolled out to stores nationwide. Powermat and Starbucks both should see a nice benefit from the new perk.