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Posts Tagged “

Battery

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nintendo

Nyko's Energy Pak Gives the Wii Fit Balance Board a Recharge

Nobody likes buying batteries, and chances are if you are a fatty in dire need of some Wii Fit workouts, you will probably go through quite a few of them. Fortunately, the team at Nyko are offering a solution with their new Energy Pak product for the balance board. The Pak installs on the bottom of the board and makes it easy to plug in for a recharge without having to remove the device or turn the board over. You can get your sweaty hands on one starting May 19th for $19.99. More »

7:07 PM on Thu May 8 2008
By Sean Fallon
2,017 views, 6 comments

Latest by FrancesTheMute: nice, but the wii fit board should probably have come with rechargeable batteries in the first place. more »

fuel cells

Sony Hybrid Fuel Cell Delivers 14 Hours of Cellphone Video, Will Arrive "Soon"

Sony's new hybrid fuel cell 1.2 x 2-inch battery prototype has managed to keep the juice flowing to a cellular video broadcast for 14 consecutive hours off of 10mL of methanol. The micro fuel cell system uses methanol as fuel and is complemented with a Li-polymer secondary battery to help it deal with electronic peak loads. And according to the R&D team behind it, it may arrive to your gadgets "soon." More »

3:00 PM on Sat May 3 2008
By Elaine Chow
5,607 views, 17 comments

brando

Brando's Jaw-Tastic Solar Charger Will Power All Your Gizmos

This mashup from Brando takes some of Thanko's electric vampire universal charger idea and the "survival" solar charger and mixes them into one multi-purpose device. Its adjustable contact teeth mean its jaw can grab onto and charge a wide range of batteries, it's got a set of adaptors to suit different cellphones and has a USB output for your iPod and the like. Better yet, you can charge up its 1,350 mAh internal battery up by sunlight, USB or AC adapter. Basically you'll never be without a source of power for your gadgets. And it's got an LED torch. Is there a better power gizmo out there? [Brando]

6:30 AM on Wed Apr 16 2008
By Kit Eaton
3,133 views, 11 comments

Latest by TOWken22: The two "teeth" underneath the clip can be positioned at varying widths so it can accommodate just about any rechargeable battery by clamping down on its contact points. more »

laptops

Scientists Develop Lithium Ion Battery That Won't Ever Blow Up Your Laptop

The problem with the lithium ion batteries powering your iPods and notebooks is that they can be a mite explode-y. But German scientists at Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research have figured out how to replace the liquid electrolyte ka-bloom goo with a non-flammable polymer, which, on top of not blowing up, is a solid material, so it can't leak either. But, there are two big catches. More »

6:00 PM on Fri Apr 11 2008
By matt buchanan
7,476 views, 14 comments

cellphones

T-Mobile Sending Out HTC Wing Replacement Batteries

T-Mobile is replacing all HTC Wing batteries, swapping the default Dynapack battery for a newer Celxpert one. The note attached to the replacement says, "T-Mobile and HTC are providing a replacement for the T-Mobile Wing battery made by Dynapack at not charge to you due to rare occurrences of the battery overheating." Ask for yours before your phone asplode. [WMexperts via Boy Genius]

7:30 PM on Fri Apr 4 2008
By Jason Chen
3,532 views, 14 comments

gaming

Lousy Wii Fit Accessories Already On Their Way

The Wii Fit isn't actually even available yet officially in the US, but manufacturers like Subsonic have already developed a line of "accessories" to help you get the most out of your Nintendo Wii "exercise" kit. There's a silicon mat to lay on top of your WF so you don't slip on all that sweat you're going to be working up, and a rechargeable battery pack for your board (it's wireless). Rounding out the pack is a carrying bag and a microfiber spray and dust cleaner for wiping those feet stains off your Fit. Not a bad lot if you're going to be using the thing daily, but nothing you couldn't make out of stuff you already have lying around. [Kotaku]

12:30 PM on Wed Mar 26 2008
By Jason Chen
2,597 views, 8 comments

Latest by Skeezix404: Why is it that no one seems to take issue with the obvious packaging error? This "kit" does not include a SILICON mat - it includes a SILICONE mat. Silicon is an element, and SILICONE is a class-name for various more »

gadgets

Porta Jump Will Jump Start Your Car From the Comfort of the Driver's Seat

You are sitting in the parking lot at work with a dead battery. You obviously need a jump, but you don't have jumper cables and your co-workers are dicks that don't want to help. Screw them—you have the Porta Jump. There is no need for jumper cables or helpful friends, all you need to do is plug it into your cigarette lighter and wait for the green light to turn on. Just like that, you are back in business. Plus, it will recharge while you are driving. Seems like a no-brainer for only $20. [JC Whitney via Book of Joe via Coolest Gadgets via DVICE]

5:30 PM on Fri Mar 21 2008
By Sean Fallon
6,215 views, 25 comments

Latest by doubledeej: It's much better to invest in one of those jump start battery thingies that are available at AutoZone/NAPA and the like. The cigarette lighter ("power port") is fused at 10-15A, so delivering enough power to your battery to start the more »

apple

Apple Says MacBook and MacBook Pro Battery Life Has Improved Slightly

UPDATE: We've been trying to understand the new Apple Macbook Pro battery life ratings compared to the old models. It's been hard to quantify generational differences because Apple is now testing using a more challenging battery benchmark, while improving the efficiency of the new machines via Penryn chips and LED backlights. Is it a wash, then? Not quite. We just got comparative numbers between the previous and current generation notebooks from Apple. They read as follows: Macbooks and Macbook Pros have 30-45 minutes more life than the previous generation using the same Wireless Web test. With LED backlighting, the numbers jump to an hour. Note that the 17-inch notebook is not standard with an LED backlit LCD, so those are not the estimates given. Lastly, while Apple's test is harder than it used to be, as we saw in the Air, the battery life you or I will get on these machines will likely be even less. (The battery claims in the previous generations were much higher because the old test was basically typing on a text editor with Wi-Fi off, which obviously inflated previous battery life estimates beyond reason.) More »

8:01 PM on Tue Feb 26 2008
By Jesus Diaz
21,646 views, 57 comments

Latest by bullshitfilter: so, when my macbookpro battery has 35 minutes of life after 27 cycles, that's a pretty good reason to complain right? more »

cellphones

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

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]

4:04 AM on Thu Feb 14 2008
By Kit Eaton
4,174 views, 22 comments

Latest by pepito99: I think this concept is just great and moreover, simple to understand. True that those old phones could use AA batteries but they were extremely power hungry. With this new device from Philips you can talk for 8 hours only more »

thanko

All Your Batteries Are Belong to Thanko's Jawsome USB Charger

Like an adjustable electric anti-vampire, Thanko's new universal charger has jaws that let it clamp onto, and juice-up, almost any battery from your gadget shelf. Drawing power from USB, like all the best Thanko stuff, it's even got lights that indicate when it's charging and when the batteries are full. Another pic and how it works after the jump. More »

10:27 AM on Wed Feb 13 2008
By Kit Eaton
4,193 views, 14 comments

Latest by ZX3Junglist: They've had these on woot on several occasions more »

apple

MacBook Air Tear Down: Sexy On the Inside Too

Ah, shit. The Air technically belongs to Apple, so we're not supposed to open it up. For the time being, we're pulling the photos, but nothing is gonna stop us from running em later. We'll repost when we get our own units. UPDATE: Now that Macbooks are shipping, we've posted the second set of innards. Full details below.

More »

6:37 PM on Thu Jan 24 2008
By Christopher Mascari
254,058 views, 54 comments

power up

Panasonic's Evoltas Earn Guinness Record For Battery Life

It looks like the folks at the Guinness Book of World Records took some time away from determining how many frat boys can fit into a Volkswagen to bestow the title of "world's longest-lasting AA alkaline battery cell" onto Panasonic's new EVOLTA. More »

4:50 PM on Wed Jan 16 2008
By Sean Fallon
10,467 views, 30 comments

gadgets

Hands-on With FastMac's iV iPhone Battery Pack

The Gadget: iV iPhone case and battery, which adds 4x as much battery time to the iPhone while not adding too much more bulk.
The Verdict: The rubberized plastic feels nice, the LED flash/flashlight on the back is good for finding your keys or taking low-light pictures and it clips neatly onto your belt if you're one of those belt dudes. There's also a USB port on the back for charging another device while your iPhone is being charged/docked. $79. [Fastmac]

1:55 PM on Wed Jan 16 2008
By Jason Chen
6,733 views, 41 comments

Latest by frigg: This seems like a great solution if you need to use your iPhone for a long time and aren't able to charge it. And just because you have this thing doesn't mean you have to ugly-up your iPhone all the more »

wireless charging

Splashpower Charger Lets You Charge Wirelessly, Lose That Wired Mess

We have been harping on about Splash power's wireless charging solution from way back in 2003, but they have just showed us a working unit. Here's the surprise; it really works. The idea is simple, by plugging in a dongle into the base of your gadget, you are able to drop the device into a charging bay, and as soon as contact is made, charging begins. We like the look of the product—check the gallery for more shots. More »

4:41 PM on Tue Jan 8 2008
By Haroon Malik
5,703 views, 17 comments

Latest by Maxwells_Nylon_Hammer: @Rojaws: is right. The original idea was to just place your device onto the pad and it charges with no hassles and no plugs. What happened to that 4 years worth of work? more »

concepts

Sony Twirl N' Take Camera Shoots One Picture Per 15 Seconds of Jiggling

This Sony Twirl N' Take camera seems like an interesting concept, even if its execution is somewhat strange. The camera is shaped like a pizza cutter that you roll back and forth to get enough energy to take a picture with. Roll it for 15 seconds and you'll be able to take a shot. Unfortunately, there's no LCD screen, so you can't tell whether that shot was good enough—which means you're going to have to spend another 15 seconds twirling and telling your subjects to "hold that pose" while you're vigorously pumping away. [Yahoo via Wired]

4:30 PM on Thu Dec 13 2007
By Jason Chen
2,514 views, 18 comments

Latest by tigga76: Who thinks of these things and who supports the ideas once the crazy person who thought of it no longer thinks its cool. more »

cellphones

Sidekick Slide Back on T-Mobile, Hopefully Without Battery Contact Problem

The Sidekick Slide was pulled off the T-Mo product line last month due to faulty battery contacts, which forced the phone to power off by itself when opened one too many times. The DIY fix was to stick some business cards or loose paper into the battery compartment to make sure the contacts never de-contact, but we're sure Motorola has some fancier solutions (premium business cards, perhaps). In any case, you can buy one again for $199 after discounts and rebates. We still wonder how they got Michelle Yeoh to pose for that product shot. [T-Mobile via Electronista]

2:00 PM on Thu Dec 6 2007
By Jason Chen
2,242 views, 3 comments

Latest by mnwilkinson: The T-Mobile stores were exchanging the faulty Sidekick Slide for a Sidekick LX. So basically I got a Sidekick LX for only $200...pretty good deal!!! more »

gadgets

iPhone Battery Replacement Video Tutorial

Dru and Nate over at Gearlive don't only have awesome looking matching beards, they also have matching love for replacing the iPhone battery. Their video tutorial lets you see—in moving picture—exactly how to shove a new battery into your phone. It's hardly been six months since the phone has been released, so most of you probably won't need this unless you're horribly mischarging it. [GearLive]

1:38 PM on Fri Nov 30 2007
By Jason Chen
7,742 views, 20 comments

upgrade

Sony Announces Extended PSP Battery Pack

The irony about the new PSP Slim is that while it gets twice the battery life, Sony shrunk the battery capacity in half...defeating their own engineering. While modders have been sticking old, larger PSP battery packs in new PSP Slim models, Sony has decided to make the whole idea official. More »

9:45 AM on Wed Nov 28 2007
By Mark Wilson
4,702 views, 6 comments

Latest by colinet: I've been using the bigger high capacity PSP battery in the new PSP without a cover. It's quite a snug fit and doesn't fall out especially as your hands hold it in place anyway. more »