Modern life leaves a tangled web of wires and cords, which often snake out from their proper place by the surge protector and into your living space. It's never a good look, and it gets worse every time you go to Best Buy. The key to a truly cordless future is wireless electricity. And the future is coming soon. Technology will soon create devices that can shoot out enough electrical currents to power all the electronics in a room.
But, until then, we have a few simple tips that can help you achieve a more wireless lifestyle, none of which involve having to keep a cabinet full of AA batteries or getting off the grid altogether.
5. Hand-Held Electronic DevicesIf you're like us, sometimes you let your cell phone charge run down to almost to zero because you're too lazy to take the iPod charger out of their shared electrical socket. Now there is an easy solution to this problem. Powermat, a pad which wirelessly recharges just about any battery-powered gadget you place on it. It's big enough for multiple devices, so you'll never be caught facing a long trip without all your essential electronics fully juiced.
4. Video Games
As Wii players know, the technology in wireless video controls have come a long way in terms of range and responsiveness. So you can feel pretty comfortable picking up a set for Xbox or Playstation, which will go a long way towards taming the daunting tangle that quickly develops around and about a game console.
3. Phones
If you feel the need to continue to have a land line (maybe you want to prove that you have a home?), going VoIP simplifies your wire situation by bringing together your phone and your computer. If you don't choose to go with VoIP, or if you are still being ripped off by the phone company from some reason, you should at least embrace modernity with a cordless Bluetooth headset. Anybody who's still getting twisted up in wire while talking on the phone deserves whatever damage to man or machine that may follow.
2. Computers Unless you want to go with one of those wind-up computers they give to disadvantaged kids in Third World nations, you're going to have the plug the thing in. However, there is no reason you should allow your mouse and keyboard to become dangerous trip wires, as you can get completely cordless and wireless version of those, and many of your favorite peripherals, for about the same price as the tethered originals.
1. TV and DVD
The best way to eliminate the wires that come from your TV and DVD player is to eliminate your TV and DVD player. These days, there are legal (and quasi-legal) ways to get most of your favorite shows over the Internet. As for the DVD player, does anyone think we'll actually be using those things by 2012? Get ahead of the curve and dump that soon-to-be-useless box. In the meantime, you can also watch those polycarbonate discs that sometimes come in the mail on your computer.
Give us your suggestions for detangling your life in the comments.
