In the not too distant future, PC makers want to free your laptop of wires and cables. Some announcements at CES signal progress toward that goal.

PC makers want to bid adieu to bulky power adapters, and make charging as simple as placing a laptop on a kitchen counter, desk or table at a cafe. Another goal is to establish speedy wireless connections between laptops and external peripherals, which could eliminate wired ports like USB and HDMI from PCs.

Intel showed a wire-free prototype laptop last year. The laptop charged wirelessly when placed on a surface. Monitors and external storage linked up to the laptop through the emerging WiGig wireless technology, which is significantly faster than Wi-Fi.

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