From Wikipedia:

In traditional Chinese culture, qi, pronounced “Chee”, is an active principle forming part of any living thing. It is frequently translated as “energy flow,” and is often compared to Western notions of energeia or élan vital (vitalism) as well as the yogic notion of prana. The literal translation is “air,” “breath,” or “gas” (compare the original meaning of Latin spiritus “breathing”; or the Common Greek πνεῦμα, meaning “air,” “breath,” or “spirit”; and the Sanskrit term prana, “breath”).

And now you know, and knowing is equivalent to 50 percent of the conflict or some other such nonsense.

We’ve seen wireless inductive chargers before dear readers, but Energizer is rolling out the first in their line of inductive chargers that meets the new universal standard for inductive charging adopted by the Wireless Power Consortium. (Yes that Wireless Power Consortium…This is how the Sith got started dagnabbit.) The new standard states that any device that is Qi equipped and requires less than 5 volts to power up will be able to charge on any Qi charging surface. Nifty. The adopted standard brings with it the hope of universal charging at your friends house, work or the sushi joint across the street. This standard also means that should inductive charging really take off, and I pray to the gods it does, you wont need to carry different sleeves around for your device to charge on different manufacturers charging pads. Standardization my friends – it’s the way of the future…the way of the future…the way of the future…the way of the fu-……yikes, had a Howard Hughes moment there. Maybe it’s all this inductive charging.

If you’re excited about the new Energizer inductive charger well that’s just great. If you are excited about the charger and own an iPhone 3G/3GS or Blackberry Curve 8900 then that’s even better, because these are the only two devices Energizer is supporting at rollout. How you go to sales floors without several charging sleeves and especially ones for the most recent versions of hardware seems to be a mistake in the making to me. And with this limited device rollout comes the problem with getting everyone on the same page with a standard. Energizer is willing to jump into the inductive charging arena but only by dipping their toe in the water. Currently, Energizers view on other products becoming compatible lies with the hope that the various manufacturers of electronic devices will build the Qi standard right into their new offerings thus saving Energizer from having to design charging sleeves for all. The strategy Energizer has put itself into means it’s time to start packing for that trip on the failboat. Why? Blu-ray and HD DVD is why. VHS and Betacam is why. Gasoline and Diesel is why. If you’ve been a fan of technology for any length of time then you have seem some great ideas go down the toilet all because everyone wants to believe they can build their own and maximize profits or secure market share, whichever spin you want to put on it. The ugly truth is that sometimes, standardization keeps a tech idea alive and eventually allows everyone to get a piece of the pie, just not one that necessarily has their logo over the whole thing.

Personally, I’m excited by inductive charging technology and I know it’s a product I would buy in a heartbeat, but for now, I guess I’ll have to wait on somebody to step up to the plate. Somebody? Anybody?…

You can read more about the Energizer Qi on their website.