IKEA's Electrifying New Furniture

Ah, IKEA. A modern day miracle from Sweden, where little more than the loose change from in between your couch cushions can buy you yet another couch. But IKEA isn't known for their technology, or their home automation abilities. But that might be changing soon.

IKEA has announced that this Spring, they will start selling a new line of furniture with wireless charging built in. That means that you'll be able to buy a nightstand from IKEA with a special pad on it, and if you rest your phone on that pad, it will charge. No wires, no connectors. It's not just nightstands either, you'll be able to get full on tables and lamps with chargers built in, or just the pad itself to rest on other, non-charging furniture.

This is a pretty big move for IKEA, and a big win for the wireless charging industry. But there are a few things to consider before you run out to your local blue and yellow behemoth and pick one of these things up. First of all, the furniture uses the Qi wireless charging standard, one of the most popular standards out there. That's all well and good, but not every phone supports it. There are a handful of android devices that do, but some of them have their own proprietary charging standards. And Apple devices don't support wireless charging at all, unless you buy a bulky case with the receivers built in.

So while this is absolutely a cool idea, it's really only cool for the handful of people with compatible devices. But just wait, wireless charging will undoubtably catch on faster, now that IKEA is behind it.