Inductive charging of dive computers

[kelemvor]

What you're seeing in the US is aritifically inflated bubble aka scam. In the devolved countries where people don't get a credit without collateral (at a mere 0% APR 27.8% interest rate) and don't get to declare personal bankruptcy when they run out of money, it's usually a $10 SIM with access to all services: voice, data, whatever, at some per-minute and per-megabyte rates. And smartphones cost hundreds.

I pay T-Mobile about $100 a year, BTW, and can purchase a day of mobile data if I ever find the need for it in someplace without free WiFi. I'm not upgrading from my $200-from-fleebay Note 4 as it's the last one with easily replaceable battery, so the free with $700 commitment after paying $300 is of little interest to me.

Last time I checked, Iran was not known throughout the world as a leader in consumer wireless telecommunications.... The US has prepaid wireless on older or lower end phone models such as the note4. You can get brand new note4's in the US for under $200 without financing. AFAIK SIM cards don't cost anything. You go on the website of whatever carrier you selected and buy whatever calling and/or data plan you want to pay for. However most people that I know personally prefer "regular" post paid service. With or without a contract. Without contracts, you simply have to pay for your phone hardware up front. Again, AFAIK SIM cards are free. I've had mine replaced a couple times over the years and my carrier has never asked me to pay.

I agree with you that the lack of a removable battery cover on some newer model devices is a negative thing. That has nothing to do with the US specifically. Some brands still have the feature in their newest products, others don't. Similar situation for SDHC storage slots. I'm sure you'll find that newer model phones (assuming such things are available) in Iran also lack this feature.

Some of our states are in the process of legislating a requirement that consumer electronics must have a user replaceable battery. It didn't occur to me until just now that such a law will likely affect dive computers as well. Unless such a law is enacted at the federal level, I believe it will cause consumers in those states to get Samsung and Apple brand phones mail-order only. Brick and mortar retailers will suffer, and consumers will have a minor inconvenience.

 

[Bert van den Berg]

I'm sorry but "inductive charge lines" is an oxymoron, and techniques for bi-directional communication, lines or no lines, have been developed quite some time ago. I'm sure what they developed makes sense...

Perhaps I stated it poorly. The LED lights and embedded sensors are powered inductively. By modulating the frequency of the signal that powers the LED lights and embedded sensors they are also able to communicate bi-directionally with those LED lights and embedded sensors. No wires are attached to the LED lights and embedded sensors. Perhaps if you look at their website it will explain the technology better than I am able to. Smartstud

 

[RonR]

Competition in smart phones is driving technology very quickly and hopefully it will spread to other areas. I recall some time ago Ron (of Atomics Cobalt) thought inductive charging was only practical for application like the electric toothbrush and here we are charging our iPhones on charging pads. And now I'm reading about research into inductive charging of electric cars.

I think that what is being discussed- and as I understand is quite close to release- for automotive is not the same type of inductive charging, which requires very close proximity, but magnetic resonance charging- still wireless and can operate over a longer distance. The idea is that you could have a pad on the floor of your garage and just by driving in start recharging your car(s). That would be pretty cool. This is technology that will keep improving and having wider applications.

 

[Bert van den Berg]

Competition in smart phones is driving technology very quickly and hopefully it will spread to other areas. I recall some time ago Ron (of Atomics Cobalt) thought inductive charging was only practical for application like the electric toothbrush and here we are charging our iPhones on charging pads. And now I'm reading about research into inductive charging of electric cars.

Inductive charging of electric cars is now a fact. You drive your electric car into your garage (or anywhere that there is an inductive charger) and the car starts charging. In Europe there is a section of road where just driving on the road you can inductively charge while driving on that road if your car is suitably equipped to charge inductively.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Inductive charging of electric cars is now a fact. You drive your electric car into your garage (or anywhere that there is an inductive charger) and the car starts charging. In Europe there is a section of road where just driving on the road you can inductively charge while driving on that road if your car is suitably equipped to charge inductively.

I note a lot of the research is coming out of New Zealand.

 

[dmaziuk]

Perhaps I stated it poorly ... Perhaps if you look at their website it will explain the technology better than I am able to. Smartstud

It's mostly glossy marketing blurb but the point is a fixed street light doesn't need to be inductively powered from a power wire: you just connect the wire. Their lights are temporary mobile markers that don't connect to a fixed wire easily. And if the inductive wire is already there for charging cars, then it makes perfect sense.

 

[dmaziuk]

Without contracts, you simply have to pay for your phone hardware up front.

I think my point is that contracts and upgrades are self-perpetuating and if you don't force users to continuously upgrade, the bubble will burst. You're paying $700/year and getting a new phone every year, say $600 for the phone and $100 for the service. I pay for the phone separately and am paying $100/year for the service. As long as I'm buying a $600 phone every year, it's even money. The year you don't upgrade, it's $100 for the service and $600 free money for the carrier. It's a great scam even if you can't talk the manufacturer into selling you locked handsets at cost and splitting the loot.

Judging from the number of "We Fix Smartphones" shops popping up around here, I'm not the only one who can count. Perhaps those poor struggling LDSes should branch out into smartphone repair, demand seems to be growing.

BTW what does Iran have to do with it?

 

[kelemvor]

BTW what does Iran have to do with it?

Your scubaboard profile says you are from Takistan, Iran.

 

[victorzamora]

This is all incredibly off topic and entirely unrelated. It wouldn't hurt my feelings for a mod to clean this crap up and put it in the pub......but:

I pay for the phone separately and am paying $100/year for the service. As long as I'm buying a $600 phone every year, it's even money

The year you don't upgrade, it's $100 for the service and $600 free money for the carrier.

It's the same for most plans in the US. There's a "service" fee and a "phone payment." You pay for the service and finance the phone through them. If you buy a phone flat-out, you only pay the monthly service fee for data and cell service.​

 

[dmaziuk]

Your scubaboard profile says you are from Takistan, Iran.

When I google takistan, Iran is not the top hit (hint).