Devices equipped with special Powermat cases or adapters are simply placed on the flat Powermat panel to recharge. Small RFID tags in the adapters communicate with the mat to draw the appropriate amount of power needed to charge each device. Because Powermat uses a technology based on inductive charging—much like the recharging systems used in electric toothbrushes--there are no exposed metal contact points as there are in the WildCharge setup.

The potential downside to Powermat's wireless charging system is that it cannot yet handle real energy hogs, such as high-powered laptops. (Pure Energy Solutions says its WildCharge can supply up to 90 watts of power with models soon supporting 120 watts.)

But, Powermat does allow for a completely wireless system. At CES, for example, the company showed off a forthcoming Powermat Portable which features a built-in rechargeable battery. The concept: You plug it into a wall socket to charge the battery overnight and then take the Powermat Portable with you. When your cell phone needs to recharge, just place it next to the pad. (Which's video below has more on Powermat Portable.)

What's more, company execs at the show say its RFID tags and related circuitry are small enough to be built into rechargeable batteries themselves. That means, one day, we could see mobile devices that don't require physical connections or contacts to recharge the batteries buried within their cases.

Personally, I'm hoping that such a dream comes true. My travels to Las Vegas for CES proved to me that I carry—and depend on—a lot of mobile electronics gear. And carrying wall warts for each one of those devices is a hassle, and there's always the worry that I may forget to unplug them and take them home!

What do you think? Will wireless power take off? Should Consumer Reports take a closer look at these devices? Weigh in below.

—Paul Eng