Microsoft has applied for a neat patent for a smart inductive charger (via Being Manan). Inductive charging, used, for example, in the Palm Pre's Touchstone, allows for contactless charging of devices in close proximity.

The charger couples inductive charging with an LCD screen that can be used to show off "weather conditions, sports scores, news headlines, and/or other selected items" through a wireless connection to a PC. More useful, I would think, would be some indication of the charging status of the device.

Image from the patent application showing the basic design of the device

Apparent pictures of a prototype of the device have emerged. Though we can't be certain that it uses the patented technology, the prototype is all but identical to the design shown in the patent, suggesting that development is quite far advanced. The prototype is shown charging a wireless mouse. This seems a rather mundane use for such a fancy charger, and the thing is rather smaller than might be expected—the mouse covers the LCD screen when it's on the charger, which renders it all a bit useless.

A larger device that could be used to charge a range of devices (mouse, Windows Phone, some future Zune) would seem a lot more compelling—a one-stop charging shop for all your wireless Microsoft gadgets.