Gizmodo: Aaa

Philips Xenium 9@9j Cellphone Has AAA Battery Power Backup

Kit Eaton — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 04:04:20 EST

We've talked about Philips Xenium cellphones long battery life before, but the new Xenium 9@9j goes one better: it's the first to use "BackuPower" battery technology. Slot an AAA battery into the phone, and the April-bound 9@9j will slurp power from it when its standard Li-ion battery goes flat, giving you an extra three hours of talk time. Its the first cellphone to do this, and though it increases its size, those extra hours are going to be useful for people who spend time away from power sockets. [Techdigest]

Duracell's Mobile Charger Juices Batteries, USB On The Go

Jason Chen — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 19:00:30 EDT

Duracell's Mobile Charger not only has a USB port so you can power your iPods and Zunes, but there's even a slot to put AA/AAA batteries into so you can charge them via wall or car outlet. Those AA batteries work the same way in reverse as well—you use them to charge any USB gadgets you plug in. The charger comes for $24.99, which could be worth it as an emergency phone/music charger that you can use while you're out or in the car. [Earth Times via Electronista]

EcoLong's MP3 Player Goes 85 Hours on AAAs

Jason Chen — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 13:15:47 EDT

If all you've got is a handful of albums in your MP3 library, this 1GB EcoLong player should be all you need for your portable music needs. Not only does it play back over 85 hours of continuous music, it does it on one single AAA battery. Oh, and it has FM frickin' radio! C'mon. If this came out in 2001, it would have dominated the MP3 scene. [NHC via Impress]

AAA Announces GPS-Enabled Turn by Turn Direction Software For Mobiles

Jason Chen — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 15:30:34 EDT

The trusted name in changing a busted tire so you won't have to, AAA is releasing AAA Mobile, a software suite for mobile phones that allows turn-by-turn GPS directions on a pay-for-use basis. The cost will be $9.99 a month, and will work on the phones listed after the jump.

The benefits of using AAA is that you can have access to their Diamond Ratings (hotels, restaurants) and find points of interest in their TourBook guide. There's even options for finding AAA-approved auto repair facilities, which is useful if you're taking a cross country trip in that beater you own.

Sprint only:

Samsung M500, Samsung M510, Sanyo SCP-7050, Sanyo M1, Sanyo SCP-8400, Sanyo MM-9000, Sanyo SCP-3200 and LG 550 (Fusic).

[AAA via Crunchgear]

DIY AAA Batteries

Travis Hudson — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 11:45:47 EST

If your pad is anything like mine then your junk drawer is always chock full of 9-volt batteries, but you can never seem to find any AAA batteries, which are usually more common in gadgets than 9-volts nowadays. It seems that most Energizer or Duracell 9-volt batteries actually consist of six 1.5 volt batteries that look like AAA batteries (they are actually a bit smaller, AAAA batteries to be exact). All you have to do is crack the 9-volt casing open, remove the "sausage link" of 1.5-volt batteries, disconnect and use at own will.

Note that this "hack" or "mod" may not necessarily perform the same as a regular AAA battery, but it is still kind of cool to take apart batteries and make them useful. We are also not responsible if you blow up your house from using these renegade batteries. – Travis Hudson

Why I Never Pay For "AAA" Batteries [Axe Collector]

Koss Pro4AAA Titanium Headphones

Jason Chen — Wed, 24 May 2006 21:09:48 EDT

Designed for a "broadcast professional" the Koss Pro4AAA headphones have a titanium coating on "2 mil mylar diaphrams for a frequency response of 10-25,000 Hz." This means they sound good.

These are closed ear headphones, which means they block sound from the outside. They're not completely sound blocking, like The Plug, but they should be enough to tune out the cries of your infant child so you can finally get some work done.

Available for $149 with a lifetime warranty.

Koss Introduces the PRO4AAA Titanium [Koss]