One charging pad could power up all gadgets

"Finding the right battery charger for your cellphone, digital camera, camcorder or PDA among the sea of anonymous black boxes that clutter our homes is a complete pain - as is finding a free socket when they all need charging at the same time. But this modern hassle could be short-lived.

Instead of each device needing its own charger, it may soon be possible to recharge phones and cameras by placing them on a plastic pad the size of a mouse mat. A dense array of coils buried in the pad will transmit energy to the gadget to charge its batteries. And it will be possible to charge as many gadgets as can fit on the pad at once, the inventors say."