Comment Re:PoE replacement (Score 1) 287
My previous company provided managed/hosted communications services and we used PoE quite a bit. When deploying 100 or so phones it ends up being cheaper to put in a PoE switch than it is to buy power bricks at $5/pop. In the consumer space you only have, what, maybe 3 devices on a switch? At home I have an Ooma, LinkStation NAS, and my computer. PoE only provides enough power (~25W) for the Ooma (maybe), so as much as I'd like to get rid of three power cords it just isn't possible or cost-effective.
100W USB might work for the NAS and the linkstation, but to eliminate the extra cord it would require support for IP over USB and an upstream USB NAT or bridge device. (It would be neat if the standard evolved to the point where every device could request an IP address from the host and be treated like a network device.)
So this technology might work for:
1. Charging larger devices (netbook, tablet) from a PC / standardizing charger form factor
2. Powering and driving external displays
3. Some kind of smart power standards