I was in Hiroshima last week and saw this NTT-Docomo shop.

The new NTT smartphones are prominently displayed

With Qi wireless charging pad, of course

And Aquos phone with Qi logo

75 new Qi-enabled products are demonstrated at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week.

You can see Qi-enabled smartphones and tablets, automotive consoles and cradles, furniture,
gaming controllers, clock radios, first-responder equipment, mobile routers, and more.

Demos will be held from Jan. 10 through Jan. 13, at the Las Vegas Convention Center in the South Hall at Meeting Place # 25950

Elizabeth Woyke of Forbes Magazine has a story on wireless power as part of their CES 2012 coverage.

More details in the press release Wireless Power Consortium at CES 2012.

Who remembers the proprietary home network products that came before WiFi?
Who remembers the proprietary wireless mobile phone headsets that were sold before Bluetooth became ubiquitous?

A proprietary platform has a single provider that solely controls its technology, for example, Microsoft Windows, or Google search. Proprietary platforms can be hugely successful, but fail dramatically in typical consumer electronics products.

Before WiFi you could buy a proprietary base station with matching dongles. If you installed this at home it worked fine, but you could not rely on using your computer anywhere else. WiFi changed that. With WiFi you have network access everywhere, and overnight the proprietary products disappeared from the market.

WiFi was a blessing for notebook manufacturers. It did not make sense for them to integrate proprietary network technology. The WiFi standard made integration commercially attractive, and that made WiFi even more popular.

The California Management Review has an excellent paper by Prof. Thomas Eisenmann on the benefits of creating a so-called “shared platform” (California Management Review Vol. 50, No 4, Summer 2008). With a shared platform, such as Visa, DVD, or Linux, multiple firms collaborate in developing the platform's technology then compete in offering users differentiated but compatible versions of the platform. The article examines factors that favor proprietary versus shared models.

Qi is the shared platform for wireless battery charging. More than 100 companies support Qi. Just like WiFi is a shared platform managed by the many members of the WiFi Alliance.

The Japanese mobile operator NTT Docomo has installed Qi wireless charging stations at 60 public locations, including airport lounges, salons, cinemas, and cafes. By the end of December, Qi will be available at more than 120 venues throughout Japan, including top department stores, hotels, convenience stores, and fast food restaurant chains.

Wireless charging becomes more useful and convenient as it gets integrated into everyday places where people live, work, and travel.

Read more in the press release.