Only a concept now, but this charger-that's-also-a-iPhone-stand is easy enough that some Chinese company could quickly put out a solution in a few months. [Petit Invention via Into Mobile]

It looks like the Universal Charging Solution (UCS) has some pretty broad support, from handset manufacturers like LG, Motorola and Samsung to carriers including AT&T and T-Mobile. No word on whether the standard will match the one the GSM Association has been working on, but they're both rallying around MicroUSB, so we'll call it likely for now.

What's sad to me is that, according to the source, this standard could save 51,000 tons of waste if it were in place today. Considering all phone chargers do exactly the same thing, it's pretty ridiculous there wasn't a standard in place before.

Participating carriers and handset makers should fully adopt the UCS by 2012. Hopefully America hops on board before then. [Reuters via Electronista]

The first 3,000 run will cost 29800 Yen ($328), and you get five cartridges for 3150 Yen ($34), which makes it cost ineffective if you're talking about practical charging. But if you really need power on the go and you don't have time to charge up traditionally, this is the future—so long as you're part of the first 3,000 that they'll test this out on before going on a wider release. [Toshiba Japan via Engadget]

The Price:

$40

The Verdict:

Affordable and useful.

The Uno is portable—a lot more portable than the original Fueltank, which charged two things simultaneously. The bonus of not having two is that you can actually pocket this one, if you're the kind of person who really needs to make sure your devices are powered.

Other than the fact that it's smaller, lighter and more discreet than the Fueltank, there isn't a whole lot of difference. We shoved a bunch of our gadgets into it and the Uno charged all of them fine. You even get 2 tips (an iPod one and a mini USB one) for free. The only downside is that it's give-or-take about half the capacity of the regular Fueltank, which isn't that much larger. It's just larger enough that you wouldn't want to pants it.

For $40, the Fultank Uno is a pretty cheap safety net for the times when you forget to charge your phone. [Callpod]

Compact enough to carry with you all the time

Uses Callpod's many tips, so you should be able to find one for your phone or device

Doesn't hold as much charge as its bigger brother, the Fueltank

The upside is that it's $40, and you don't always have to charge two devices simultaneously. The advantage to using this over a specialized charger, like an iPhone battery pack, is that you can also take advantage of Callpod's various tips for their Chargepod adapter. It should fit almost all devices out there now.

The Fueltank Uno will be available at Best Buy starting Sept 27. Callpod's mobile password app, Keeper, is also being pushed out to Vodafone customers as well. Basically, it's a desktop password management that can also sync to your cellphone so you can take your passwords with you. You can get that now for $15. The phone part is free. [Callpod]

We have seen conductive chargers like this before, but it appears to be one of the first from a big brand like Duracell. Apparently, Power Sleeve and/or Power Clip adapters that are needed for myGrid compatibility will be available for several popular phone brands like Apple, Blackberry, Nokia and Motorola. Unfortunately, if your phone requires a Power Sleeve to work with the myGrid, that means you are going to have to deal with a case—which isn't for everyone (including me).

Along with myGrid, Duracell has unveiled several new compact gadget chargers as well as a portable battery charger that can power up rechargeable AA or AAA NiMH batteries in an hour. Expect the mGrid charger to be available for $80 starting in October. The rest of the Smart Power lineup is available now. Check out the press release for full details.

NEW DURACELL SMART POWER INITIATIVE TAKES THE BRAND BEYOND THE BATTERY

Initiative Brings to Market Innovative, New Products Designed to Meet the Consumer's Changing Needs for Efficient and Reliable Personal Power

BETHEL, Conn., Aug. 20, 2009 – Duracell today launched its new Duracell Smart Power initiative, which expands the brand's product portfolio beyond the traditional battery to address the ever-growing and ever-changing power needs of the modern consumer. The company's latest offerings, such as the new drop-and-go myGrid™ charging pad, fall under an emerging category of personal power solutions and signify Duracell's commitment to keeping today's consumers connected to the devices they need the most at all times.

Duracell Smart Power and its range of personal power solutions continue the company's focus on reliability, performance and technological innovation but now deliver added power efficiency allowing consumers the freedom to live beyond the grid. More than 10 new products mark the start of Duracell Smart Power ranging from myGrid™ to on-the-go compact power chargers, new rechargeable battery chargers and patented LED technology for flashlights.

"Duracell Smart Power is an evolution of Duracell's heritage that builds upon the reliability and performance that our batteries have and will always deliver. This initiative will serve as an important lens for future product innovation as we expand the breadth of our offerings to address the evolution of personal power," said Rick June, Duracell Vice President and General Manager, North America. "Our new personal power solutions allow consumers the freedom to live their lives without the limits of staying tethered to today's power grid. It is charging made simple."

Duracell Smart Power Products

Duracell Smart Power products represent state-of-the-art charging performance. Making charging simpler, creating new ways to take extra power with you, and providing new ways to maximize power efficiency, Duracell's latest developments showcase innovation beyond the battery. Products include:

· Duracell myGrid™ charging pad – Consumers can enjoy a better daily charging experience with this device that eliminates the mess of multiple cords by simultaneously charging multiple devices, such as cell phones, MP3 music players or other mobile devices. Once the charging pad is plugged in, your devices can go cordless. By simply fitting a device with a Power Sleeve™ or Power Clip™, you can drop your device on myGrid™ and go.

· Duracell Instant Charger – This compact Lithium Ion Rechargeable charger provides reserve power for popular mobile devices, such as BlackBerrys, iPods and cellphones that come with USB power cords. A USB-to-mini-USB cord is included. Mobile users can now enjoy up to 35 hours of additional power that is efficiently managed with an on/off switch.

· Duracell Powerhouse Charger – Provides reserve power for consumers' most critical devices, including any cell phone, PDA or MP3 player that comes with a USB power cord or can connect to the Powerhouse's mini-USB arm. Powerhouse also comes with a USB-to-mini-USB cord and features an on/off switch for power conservation, making it a must for today's frequent travelers.

· Duracell Pocket Charger – A pocket-sized, supplemental Lithium Ion Rechargeable power source works with all USB-powered cell phones. Pocket Charger provides convenient power when a cell phone battery dies and the owner is away from the traditional outlet for recharging. The Pocket Charger offers cell phone users up to 60 percent more talk time and includes a mini-USB charging arm as well as a USB-to-mini-USB cord.

· Duracell GoMobile – The Energy Star-certified GoMobile delivers a charge to AA or AAA NiMH batteries in just one hour. Designed to fit in a car's cup holder, it also is designed to fit with home décor and comes with four Duracell Pre-Charged Rechargeable batteries that can be recharged hundreds of times while holding their charge for up to one year when not in use.

· Duracell GoEasy – The Energy Star-certified GoEasy is compact enough to go where you go and charges up to two AA or AAA NiMH batteries. It comes with two rechargeable batteries that can be recharged hundreds of times.

· Duracell Daylite LED Flashlight – Captures up to 100 percent of light to focus a brighter, whiter beam, while providing 5 times the battery life of everyday "incandescent bulb" flashlights. The Daylite series, initially introduced in fall 2008, now includes five new models with Daylite Tough flashlights, spotlights and headlamps.

These innovations complement the company's existing portfolio of time-tested CopperTop and rechargeable battery solutions. For more information, visit www.duracell.com/smartpower.

Pricing and Availability

The new Duracell myGrid™ will be available in the U.S. in fall 2009 for a suggested retail price (SRP) of $79.99. Packages will include a myGrid™ charging pad, Power Clip adapter and Power Clip tips for BlackBerry, Motorola and Nokia phones. Power Sleeves are also available for purchase separately for the BlackBerry Curve 8300 series and the Blackberry Pearl 8100 series. Additional Power Sleeves, Power Clips and Power Clip adapters have a suggested retail price of $34.99.

The three Duracell Lithium-Ion Rechargeables (Instant, Powerhouse and Pocket Charger) are available now at mass merchandisers, drug and hardware stores nationwide. Suggested retail prices are $19.99 for the Duracell Pocket Charger, $29.99 for the Duracell Instant Charger, and $49.99 for the Duracell Powerhouse Charger.

The Duracell GoEasy and GoMobile chargers can be purchased currently at major retailers, including drug, grocery and hardware stores nationwide and have a suggested retail price of $12.99 and $29.99 respectively.

The complete Duracell Daylite LED flashlight series is currently available at major retailers, including drug, grocery and hardware stores nationwide. Flashlights range from $14.99 to $34.99 SRP.

[Duracell]

The dock uses only one USB cable, and it has been certified by Apple to work natively with iTunes. [Parasync]

No idea. We're surprised that Apple is getting in on this agreement, though, and we're wondering if the microUSB port will supplement or replace the standard Apple 30-pin iPod port. We're guessing supplement.

As a refresher, you should go and look back at our cable explainer to see what other kinds of cables are out there now. [Reuters via Slashdot]

Update: Looks like Apple's going to provide an adapter. [PocketLint]

The Price: $30

The Verdict: For the most part, it works. The cigarette 12V adapter in my car does not charge my iPhone 3G correctly, but if I plug in through this converter, everything's great.

The problem comes from the fact that it's a pass-through, so if you're not careful, the adapter (and the charger) might snap off if bent too far in one direction. It also is awkward if you're plugging your iPhone into this, and then into a dock from the top without proper support. There's also the matter of it obstructing certain types of iPod/iPhone holders since they weren't designed to have something in-between the connectors.

But as for being able to convert Firewire charging devices to USB charging devices, yeah, it works with most devices, but there were two "older" docks that we checked that it didn't work with. So YMMV, since there are so many different iPod docks and chargers that have been made in the last five years. [Griffin]

Great when it works

Blocks or otherwise awkwardly arranges docking in certain chargers and accessories

Doesn't work with all older docks and chargers, which makes this moot if you've got one of the devices it doesn't work with

This vine-shaped cellphone charging cable from Microworks is one application of this idea. It's only a design concept at the moment, but I can picture something more elaborate—like a faux houseplant that is actually a gadget hub, with multiple branches that extend out and double as charging cables. It certainly would be a lot better than having cables slithering out of every socket like some sort of robotic Medusa. [Microworks via Spoon and Tamago via Dwell]

This thing is amazing, but it's $200. It can support a laptop, three "small devices" (MP3 players, cellphones, Bluetooth headsets) and three USB devices at the same time. We don't know how it charges Macs, because Apple's Magsafe is proprietary, but we're finding out. This does seem like the best thing ever for working from the road. [Callpod]

The Price: $299

The Verdict: It works pretty perfeclty. In our tests, the Powergorilla gave our MacBook Pro an extra 2.5 hours of battery life in everyday blogging usage (Wi-Fi on, lots of app open). That's on top of whatever the internal battery already supplies. The unit doesn't come with a MagSafe adapter, because of Apple's proprietary patent, so you'll have to buy a MagSafe airline adapter and connect via that. It still works, but it's an extra $50 on top of the $299.

Charging phones is an easier premise. As long as your phone can charge from USB, you're set. If not, there are other more proprietary tips and adapters that come with the unit. We couldn't test this ourselves, but Powertraveller also claims that the Powergorilla has many safety features, including voltage limitation, short circuit/voltage/overheat protection. Those are good things to have if you're operating this on an airplane.

Do we recommend this as a gadget? Definitely. Two and a half hours of backup laptop battery is always welcome (more if your laptop draws less power than the beefy 15-inch MacBook Pro), and the ability to emergency-charge your phones, iPods and GPS devices on the go is very handy. However, if you're only going to use this as a backup battery for your notebook, we'd recommend you just invest in a spare battery or two. $299 isn't cheap, but it is worth it if you're a traveler with a lot of different gadgets to charge. [Ecogeekliving ]

Update: Ben Johnson tells us that even the tips supplied don't match the ones on the box. You get no generic USB or Samsung Blackjack, but you do get an iPhone connector (not 3G-compliant).

[Vivien Muller Portfolio via Behance Network]

Intel's work builds on the progress MIT has made with transmitting power through resonant magnetic fields. But where the MIT team, led by Marin Soljacic, has only achieved 50% efficiency over a range of a few feet, Intel is said to have recently zapped up to 60 watts over the same distance at an efficiency of 75%, which is quite a leap forward.

Intel also is extrapolating potential uses of the tech for supercapicitors—basically giant electrochemical "batteries" that recharge almost instantly compared to Li-ion and store over a thousand times more juice than standard capacitors.

Sounds good. We'll keep you posted on any developments from IDF today. UPDATE: Intel didn't tell us anything we didn't know already in their IDF demo today, which lit a lightbulb from a distance of a few feet by passing electricity between two coils. We were assured, though, that being in the middle of the electrically charge resonant magnetic field doesn't hurt one bit.

[New York Times, Photos: John Herrman]