For the price of a Starbucks coffee you can charge your phone wirelessly

Starbucks will soon let you charge your phone wirelessly when you grab a coffee. It's planning to rollout wireless phone charging capabilities in its coffee shops after a successful trial in the US.

 

Anyone who panics when their phone flashes five per cent will rejoice at the news that they can simply head to Starbucks for a top-up without the need for cables.

 

Like Wi-Fi, the service will be free for customers, so for the price of its cheapest coffee – £1.50 for an espresso – commuters can ensure they have a screen to stare at on the journey home to avoid making eye contact with fellow commuters.

 

US rollout will begin now, starting in the San Francisco Bay Area and then major markets in 2015. Pilots in Europe and Asia are expected within the year.

 

Stores will create “Powermat Spot” areas in store using the Duracell Powermat which will charge a device just by placing it on the table.

 

It currently supports AT&T, Blackberry, HTC, Huawei, LG, Microsoft, Qualcomm, Samsung, TI and ZTE devices, however many do not have the capability built in yet and will require a separate case to make it compatible.