Starbucks Brings Wireless Charging To London Cafés

You can't miss the call. You just can't. But, as fate would have it, your battery is on its last eight - no, four percent. Your world suddenly hangs on charging you phone, so you dash into the nearest coffee shop (of course it's Starbucks), hurriedly buy an espresso and turn to find the nearest available socket... only to be met with a sea of cables and smug, fully charged phone users. 

Thanks to that omnipresent coffee chain, the above scenario is about to become a lot less stressful. 

Over the next month, Starbucks is rolling out a wireless charging service to 10 of its London-based cafés. In a move the company is comparing to its 2011 decision to pump out free wi-fi, customers will be able to charge their phones using a wireless system created by Powermat. 

To supply the free juice, tables within the participating cafés have a circular Powermat pad installed. Customers with compatible phones can slap their handset down on or near the circles to charge, while others will need to ask to borrow (free of charge) a ring dongle to plug into their phone - with adaptors available for new and old iPhone handsets, and micro USB ports.

Starbucks will also be selling the charging rings for £10. 

Should the trial prove a success, Starbucks could roll the service out to a wider number of stores, much like it has in the US, where 2,000 cafés now run the service after successful stints in Boston and San Jose. 

While the rest of the UK will have to wait to try the system, Londoners will be able to top up their batteries at Princes Street, Kingsway, Wardour Street, Pentonville Road, Harewood Place, Berkeley Street, Great Portland Street, Moorgate, Fleet Street, and Euston Tower. 

(Images: Powermat)