One of the things I was most intrigued by at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas was the promise of wireless charging being touted by various manufacturers.

Who wouldn’t love a life free (or at least more free) of all those wires that charge your various portable devices - cell phones, iPods, digital cameras, PDAs, etc.? Imagine a world where all you have to do is set your phone or camera on the kitchen counter. A couple hours later, you have a freshly-charged device.

Wired.com has an interesting article that looks at some of the green promises and possibilities of wireless charging.

This eco-couch potato’s dream is about to come true, say the supporters of new wireless power technologies, which they say can eliminate inconvenient power cables and ugly “wall warts,” while sipping electricity efficiently and sparingly.

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There’s just one problem: Until now, wireless chargers (like those used in many electric toothbrushes) have been less efficient than plugged-in power sources, not more. And the companies working on next-gen wireless power have done nothing to substantiate their claims of greater efficiency.