>Smart home li ving

Wireless technology is effortless – unless you’re Jennifer Phin, that is

>>> I am notoriously bad at keeping gadgets charged. All of my phone conversations start with “SEVEN PERCENT BATTERY, GO!” and end with muffled cursing and abrupt silence.

So now, in an effort to be a reliable, contactable member of my family, I’ve positioned our Ikea wireless charging furniture at strategic points in our home: the Selje side table by the front door and the Riggad lamp on the kitchen counter.

Hooray! Now I can set down the iPhone, in its Incipio Ghost Qi case, for a mini-charge when I load the dishwasher or when I come home, and I can even set the case on the Nordmärke charger on my nightstand, for when I fall asleep Netflixing.

In practice, though, it turns out that wireless charging stations are intended for those with basic spatial perception skills. Twice this week I’ve chucked my phone down on the charging pad and found, hours later, the battery is dead.

“Look, you just need to put it on straight,” says my husband, infuriated.

“It’s… it’s a circular charging pad. There is no straight.” I am honestly bewildered by this.

“Just – like this.” He drops the phone onto the table, and the charging light flicks on. I try, but it stays dark. “Look, it’s off at an angle! Place it centrally.”

I still haven’t mastered it. It occurs to me that perhaps I’ve reached a tipping point in life; a technology that I’ll never grasp. This is my Old Lady Thing: I will need charging cables forever, because I have no hand-eye coordination.

Wait, FOUR PERCENT BATTERY WHY GOD WH–