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Your Next Android Phone Will Be Better Because of Apple and Magnets

Commentary: Qi2 wireless charging aims to make topping off your phone’s battery more efficient. There could be other advantages, too.

Among the numerous robots, TVs, EVs and this hair printer at CES was a quiet announcement about the next-generation of wireless charging for phones and other rechargeable battery devices. Qi2 (pronounced «chee two») is the follow-up to Qi wireless charging that’s found on phones like the iPhone 14, Samsung Galaxy S22 and Google Pixel 7.

The next version of Qi promises to be more efficient in part due to magnets that help position devices in an ideal alignment on charging pads. If that sounds familiar that’s because Apple’s MagSafe charging, which rolled out with the iPhone 12 in 2020, is essentially that. In fact Apple, which is one of the over 350 companies that make up the Wireless Power Consortium, helped design the Magnetic Power Profile that’s a part of Qi2.

While the Magnetic Power Profile isn’t exactly the same as MagSafe, it could lead to Qi2 being adopted on more devices, including AR or VR headsets. It could also lead to faster charging speeds. Currently, Qi wireless charging caps out at 15W, which also happens to be the max speed for Apple’s MagSafe charging on iPhones.

«Qi2’s perfect alignment improves energy efficiency by reducing the energy loss that can happen when the phone or the charger is not aligned,» Wireless Power Consortium executive director Paul Struhsaker said in a press release. «Just as important, Qi2 will greatly reduce the landfill waste associated with wired charger replacement due to plugs breaking and the stress placed on cords from daily connecting and disconnecting.»

Another advantage of Qi2 is the potential for accessories. Take a look at the number of MagSafe and magnetic accessories currently made for the iPhone. There’s everything from cases and charging stands to tripod mounts and wallets. Android phones that support Qi2 could benefit from a similar range of accessories.

Considering that Android phones come in all shapes and sizes, Qi2 and its Magnetic Power Profile could be an equalizer that makes some accessories interchangeable between different phones and even different devices. Qi2 offers a level of ubiquity similar to what USB-C connectors provide, without the confusion caused by different USB-C cable types that all look the same. It’s hard to tell the difference between a USB-C cable that supports Thunderbolt 3 and one that supports USB 4.

Qi2’s Magnetic Power Profile is not the same as MagSafe, which uses also magnets but arranged in a different position. So you couldn’t attach a MagSafe charger to a phone with Qi2. I should acknowledge that some companies make magnetic cases for Android phones that allow them to work with MagSafe.

MagSafe also contains a microprocessor, which Qi2’s Magnetic Power Profile lacks, that allows an iPhone to know what it’s connected to. For example, if you remove Apple’s MagSafe wallet from your iPhone, it will mark the location where it was last attached and can even send you a notification that it is separated from the phone. I imagine Android phone makers could add their own microprocessor to Qi2 for similar functionality.

With the EU forcing Apple to change future iPhone models from Lightning wired charging to USB-C, Qi2 could also provide Apple a roadmap toward a port-less iPhone which has been rumored for several years. And as Qi2 is a standard, it could help Apple avoid any potential action from the EU around wireless charging.

On the whole, Qi2 holds a lot of promise. And while it’s not clear if Apple will replace MagSafe with Qi2’s Magnetic Power Profile, it does prove that even rival companies can agree on a standard that benefits us all. Now do this for text messaging.

Technologies

Google’s New AI Features Are Trying to Make Data Entry a Thing of the Past

More Gemini AI features will come to Google Docs, Sheets and Slides.

The latest batch of Google updates to its workspace tools highlights AI’s promise to automate mundanity in the workplace. Google Docs, Slides, Sheets and Drive all have new AI-powered features, the company announced Tuesday. The one thing all these updates have in common? Gemini is using your files, emails and chats to give you relevant information, not random answers gleaned from the web.

These updates come as AI is playing a bigger role in our work lives, for better or worse. Agentic tools like Claude Cowork and coding assistants like Anthropic’s Claude Code and OpenAI’s Codex are more capable than chatbots and able to handle tasks announced independently. AI tools are also becoming more customized, with Google’s personalized intelligence rolling out across its platforms to help refine AI outputs to things that are relevant and useful for you. Google continues that trend with this new batch of Workspace updates.

New Gemini AI features in Google Workspace apps will cite their sources after each query. For example, if you ask Gemini in Google Docs to fill out an itinerary template, it will pull the information from your email, chats and files. The «sources» tab in the Gemini side panel will show you where it found the information it used, like your flight confirmation email and chats discussing dinner plans. Seeing where Gemini pulled its answers from is also how you’ll double-check Gemini’s work.

The most impressive new features are in Sheets, where AI can fill in the holes in your spreadsheets. You can describe what you want the AI to do with a simple prompt and avoid writing an exact formula. You can click on an empty cell, select the pop-up that says «Drag to fill with Gemini,» then highlight the cells you want Gemini to fill in. That deploys an AI agent to search the web to fill each cell with the necessary information.

For example, if you have a spreadsheet of the contact info for local companies, you can have Gemini search the web to fill in a the location, CEO and other publicly available information of each company. The tool aims to dramatically reduce the time needed for manual data entry. Gemini can also summarize, categorize and create charts with prompts alone.

You can also chat with Gemini in Sheets and have it scour your raw data to make custom reports and charts. No need for pivot tables if they confound you as much as they baffle me. One of the biggest uses of AI at work is helping create presentations.

In Google Slides, you can now tell Gemini in natural language what you want to appear on a slide, and it will create it, matching the style of your existing slides. You can also ask Gemini to edit your slides if you don’t want to waste time painstakingly moving design elements around the slide. The AI should fill the slides with relevant information based on your instructions and the work files it has access to, so you shouldn’t need to replace a bunch of filler text.

If you use Docs, Sheets and Slides through the Workspace account of your company, then you won’t be able to turn off AI features individually. The managing company is in control of AI access for users. Personal users can tweak their settings to limit Gemini. The new features are rolling out in beta now, in English only, to Google AI Ultra and Pro subscribers in the US, as well as some Google Workspace customers who are part of the Gemini Alpha testing program.

For more, check out the new cowork feature in Copilot and how to use Perplexity AI for deep research.

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Technologies

Nintendo Switches Lanes, Sues US Over Tariffs

Mario wants his money back.

Tariffs implemented by President Donald Trump were struck down by the Supreme Court last month. Companies that were subjected to those fees, such as FedEx and Dollar General, have since sued the federal government, and Nintendo wants a piece of the action. 

Nintendo filed a lawsuit against the federal government in the US Court of International Trade on Friday, as first spotted by Aftermath. The complaint seeks refunds of tariffs Nintendo paid, plus interest, and asks the court to declare the tariffs unlawful and stop the government from collecting them going forward. 

«Since February 1, 2025, President Trump has executed the unlawful Executive Orders, imposing tariffs on imports from a vast swath of countries,» Nintendo said in the complaint. 

When reached for comment, Nintendo of America confirmed the lawsuit. 

«We can confirm that we filed a request. We have nothing else to share on this topic,» Nintendo of America said in an emailed statement on Friday, March 6. 

It’s unclear how much Nintendo paid in tariffs, and it did not state an amount in the lawsuit. While the Switch 2 was priced at $450 when it launched last year, and has stayed at that amount, Nintendo did increase the price of the original Switch and accessories for both consoles. Microsoft and Sony also increased the prices of their hardware and accessories last year due to tariffs. 

The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. 

On Feb. 20, the Supreme Court ruled by a vote of 6 to 3 that the sweeping tariffs Trump instituted last year exceeded his executive powers. Following the ruling, on the same day, Trump announced a new set of tariffs of 10% on imported goods that would last for 150 days, starting Feb. 24. 

The decision on what to do with the collected tariffs — a reported $166 billion —  has been left to the US Court of International Trade. Judge Richard Eaton told the US Customs and Border Protection on Wednesday, March 4, to refund the importers that were forced to pay tariffs, which is more than 330,000. On Friday, the CBP said it couldn’t easily issue tariff refunds because its system requires duties to be recalculated and refunds processed entry by entry. This process would involve tens of millions of transactions. The agency said it’s updating its systems and could start providing refunds by late April. 

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Sony WF-1000XM6 vs. Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro Earbuds: A Photo Finish

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