The technology may also be able to speed up charging of automobile batteries, she said.

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Indeed, NRG's CEO David Crane recalls the first time he visited Nest at its Palo Alto headquarters, where the parking lot is ringed with high-speed auto charging ports.

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When asked why it went that route vs. the nearly ubiquitous micro-USB (the choice on the tablet's e-reader siblings), the company claims that it's, in part, due to the ability to speed up charging.

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Even though it may be plugged into any common 110-volt electrical outlet for a slow charge, high-speed electric vehicle charging stations have only sprung up in major population centers or along busy highway corridors, meaning a lack of foresight before heading down a less-traveled road may initiate a tow truck encounter.

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The company is doing amazing things in peer to peer gaming, content distribution, wireless charging for electric cars, cell phone remote controls, direct sunlight viewable screens, and extremely high speed wireless radios.

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