Original Article by Adam Mills
On October 29th, Google announced a host of new Nexus devices including the Nexus 10 tablet, the Nexus 7 with cellular data and of course, the Nexus 4 smartphone. The company also announced something else that day, something called the Wireless Charging Orb, an intriguing wireless charger for the Nexus 4. Oddly enough though, since the end of October, we haven’t heard anything about the Nexus 4′s highly anticipated accessory.
Read: LG Nexus 4 Wireless Chargers Available Today.
One of the most exciting features on the Nexus 4 smartphone is its built-in wireless charging which will allow for it to wireless charge without the need for a third party accessory. And what made the feature even more exciting was the announcement of a new accessory for the Nexus 4 dubbed the Wireless Charging Orb.
The Wireless Charging Orb, which uses the Qi wireless charging standard, is a sphere-shaped device that resembles Palm’s Touchstone accessory. When the Nexus 4 is placed on the face of the dock, the phone will charge, without the use of any wires. The dock’s face will hold the phone in place and users will be able to tilt it into landscape or portrait mode while charging.
Needless to say, it’s an extremely attractive accessory for the Nexus 4. Problem is, much like the 8GB Nexus 4′s shipping date, the company remains completely and utterly silent about the Wireless Charging Orb’s price or release date.
Since the end of October we haven’t seen anything in regards to the the Wireless Charging Orb and this has left many Nexus 4 owners, who were intrigued by the announcement in October, wondering about when Google might release the accessory on the Google Play Store.
And if and when the Wireless Charging Orb does go on sale through the Google Play Store, we may see the same exact thing happen when it arrives: A near-instant sell out with increasing shipping times culminating in a sell out.
If the device went on sale today, many Nexus 4 owners likely wouldn’t see the accessory until 2013 or beyond. That is, if it went on sale today, which it didn’t Instead, it may go on sale tomorrow, or the next week, or the next month. Google isn’t saying for sure.
The lack of the Wireless Charging Orb would have been much easier pill to swallow had Nexus 4 owners not had to endure a frustrating all-around launch. From the site errors, to the backorders, to the lack of information, to the increasing shipping times, the Nexus 4 launch has been one headache after another. And the lack of information regarding Google’s amazing look sphere isn’t helping.
Not one bit.
In the meantime, there are an assortment of third-party Wireless Charging Orb alternatives that Nexus 4 owners can look at should waiting for the official charger become too much of an annoyance.