Wi-Charge harnesses light to free Amazon Echo Dot and Google Home Mini smart speakers from power cords

A battery dock allows you to place the speaker anywhere in a room, not just in the proximity of an AC outlet. But those batteries will need recharging eventually, so most people who use them--myself included--end up leaving battery-docked smart speakers in the same places they'd be if they were AC-powered. A company called Wi-Charge claims it has a better solution: It has developed a battery-charging technology that harnesses the power of light. The power transmitter in this solution must be plugged into a wall, but the power receiver trickle-charges the battery in whatever device it's plugged into, keeping the battery forever topped off. Today, Wi-Charge announced new kits that work with Amazon Echo Dot and Google Home Mini smart speakers, so that the speakers can be placed anywhere in a room and operate without power cords.