Everybody’s favourite hot dog seller slash flat-pack furniture store is getting over 500 new products in its 2017 catalogue refresh, which officially kicks off at the start of September. One techy inclusion at Ikea for the second half of 2016 and beyond is the addition of new tables, lamps and wireless charging cases for smartphones that — if you’ve got the right one — remove the need to ever plug your phone in again.

The Varv, for example, is a new floor lamp — choose your own lampshade and add your own light globe, as is Ikea tradition — that has a wireless charging pad integrated into it halfway up the stand, acting as a convenient side table for storing your phone while you relax on the couch, charging all the while.

There’s also a new range of Vitahult wireless charging case for popular smartphones like the iPhone 6, iPhone 5S, Samsung Galaxy S5 and Galaxy S4. Any phone that supports the Qi wireless charging standard will work with Ikea’s wireless charging pads, which operate at 5 Watts, and also have a 10 Watt USB port.

And, like in previous years, Ikea continues to sell the tools and accessories to install your own wireless charging pads into your furniture. The big-box retailer sells everything from hammer drills to hole saws to the wireless charging pads themselves, which also have a USB port on them so you can plug in a second device, or one that doesn’t have a wireless charging case installed or its own integrated wireless charging.

All these new gadgets are already available to purchase, but you can see how they’re used in the real world when Ikea’s 2017 catalogue comes out in stores on September 1.

(Source: gizmodo.com.au  Author: Campbell Simpson)