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Nokia has a couple of fun new accessories to go with its shiny new Lumia phones at IFA — a wireless charging pad that glows to show notifications, and a device to let you wirelessly share your phone’s screen on your TV.
The charging pad, officially named the DT-903 Wireless Charging Plate, works like any other charging plate; plug it in and pop your compatible phone down on it to begin wirelessly charging. It has a cool twist though — connect it to your phone over Bluetooth and the pad will pulse with light when you have a notification that needs your attention. If you tend to pop your phone on charge then sit down at the other side of the room, this could be a handy way of seeing when something’s happening.
Also handy: it gently reminds you if your device needs charging. If your phone is low on battery but still in your pocket, the pad will pulse to catch your attention and remind you to feed your phone before it conks out. The pad uses the Qi wireless charging standard so will work with any compatible smartphone, although at the time of writing, I’m unable to confirm if the glowing notifications will work with non-Lumia phones.
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The screen-mirroring device — named the HD-10 Wireless Screen Sharing For Lumia Phones — is a hockey puck-sized black circle that hooks up to your TV over HDMI and can mirror whatever is on your Lumia’s screen. It has NFC, so to hook it up, you only need to tap your phone on the device to set up the connection. You can then swipe around your phone, showing off your photos and videos on the TV exactly as they look on the smaller screen.
The streamer also comes with a little black NFC disc — rather like a poker chip — that you plonk anywhere in the room, onto which you can tap your phone to set up the connection to your TV. It means you don’t have to get up to wander over to your TV to pair the devices, and also makes it easier in meetings, for example, for people to quickly pair their phones if they have something to show on the larger screen.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
It’s similar to what Apple does with the iPhone and Apple TV, but Nokia’s device doesn’t also include smart features and streaming services. Thankfully though, Nokia’s streamer is much cheaper. Nokia estimates it’ll be around £62, which converts to $102 or AU$110, when it goes on sale later this year. The wireless charging plate is estimated to sit around the £47 ($78, AU$84) mark, although firm pricing for both devices are yet to be announced.
The streamer and charging plate were unveiled at the IFA tech show in Berlin alongside two new mid-range Nokia Lumia devices, the Lumia 735 and the Lumia 830 .
