The Asus UL30Vt: 12 Hour Battery+GeForce G 210M

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Asustek added a new CULV, the UL30Vt, to its line-up (via Electronista). This new notebook sports a sweet brushed aluminium look and brags 12 hours of in-use battery life.

With that kind of longevity, you'd expect this CULV to pack some bare-bones hardware. And you'd be wrong. Instead, it features either a healthy Core 2 Duo 1.4 GHz processor or a Celeron 1.2 GHz processor, from 2-4 GB of RAM, and up to 500 GB of storage space. What really makes this CULV special though, is the graphics card.

Posted on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:06:25 CST | by Robert Evans

Bugathermo Boots Come With Battery Powered Heater

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One of my goals in life is to, someday, have everything I wear be a gadget of some sort. Thanks to Columbia's new Bugathermo boots (Gizmodo) I am now one step (or rather, two steps) closer to that dream. Basically, the Bugathermo boots use rechargeable batteries to power tiny heaters inside each boot.

The batteries are good for 4-8 hours of warm feet, and you can adjust the heat settings via side-mounted LED display. I can't vouch for the quality of these boots, but they certainly look solid. The Bugathermo boots have a cool design, and the ankle LEDs make them look like something out of a William Gibson novel.

Posted on Mon, 5 Oct 2009 11:39:24 CDT | by Robert Evans

Apple Surveys User Battery Life Issues

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After iPhone OS 3.1 hit, people started to notice some problems. Outside of the Exchange issues, 3.1 also lead a number of people to experience a precipitous drop in battery life. While the problems with Exchange came from Apple fixing something that was broken, the origin of these new battery issues is a mystery. According to AppleInsider, AppleCare workers are busy getting to the bottom of it right away.

They've started sending out brief, 11 question surveys to certain customers who posted in the Apple support discussion forums. Apple is also asking these users to download an attachment that allows their iPhone to log its battery life. If Apple can get some useful info on what is causing the battery drain, they should be able to fix it.

Posted on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 09:39:59 CDT | by Robert Evans

The Battery-Efficient Browser

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Have you ever wondered how battery-efficient your web browser is? It's not something we tend to think about very often, but browsers are applications like any other. That's why AndandTech decided to take a look at which browser is best for the battery life of your notebook or netbook.

First off, AnandTech found that plain Internet surfing used 50% less battery life than Flash intensive web browsing. Considering the fact that Flash content is everywhere, trying to avoid it is probably not going to be an option for most users. That's why, for the purposes of testing, AnandTech used Flash-heavy, resource-intensive websites to better simulate actual browsing.

Posted on Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:14:55 CDT | by Robert Evans

Lenovo Issues ThinkPad Battery Recall

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Do you have a Lenovo ThinkPad model R60, R61, T60, T61, X60, or X61? If so, the battery to your machine has been recalled. These batteries are causing a wide variety of problems, primarily resulting in error messages that warn of irreparable damage or an inability to charge. These batteries develop extremely short capacities and, in some cases, become unable to hold any charge whatsoever.

Posted on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 10:55:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Dexim BluePack S3 External Battery for iPhone Review

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Today I am looking at the Dexim S3 battery pack for the iPhone and several other devices. The battery is a lithium polymer unit that has 2600mA of power and promises 10 more hours of talk time per charge.

The device ships with a charger and several cables for charging the iPhone, Blackberrys, and other HTC phones. The battery pack also has an integrated flashlight. Read more

Posted on Wed, 22 Jul 2009 08:17:22 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

You want longer iPhone 3GS Battery Life? you need this uncool Accessory

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If you think your iPhone 3G or 3GS battery life is to short then gadget shop Brando has this ugly clip on iPhone Fuel rechargeable battery pack for you.

Stick your slick iPhone into this thing and you get 9 hours of additional talktime, or 250 hours of stand by time. Read more

Posted on Tue, 7 Jul 2009 06:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

3GS Battery Issues Due to iPhone 3.0?

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Yesterday we reported on the numerous battery complaints plaguing the iPhone 3GS. Customers have noted that the 3GS often fails to get through a workday without a charge, and even die-hard Apple fans have had to admit that something is up. Initially we thought that the battery issues were due to the increased functionality of the 3GS, but now the problem appears to be software related.

A new report from Computerworld casts the blame squarely on the iPhone 3.0 update. The report notes that users of other iPhone types began to complain of battery issues shortly after the launch of 3.0. One user noted that, after applying the update, his 3G iPhone started to lose power at a rate of 5-10% an hour. This points to a software glitch or conflict of some sort that is consuming power at a high rate.

Posted on Mon, 6 Jul 2009 11:45:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Customers Complain About 3GS Battery Life

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Nobody's perfect, not even the iPhone 3GS. While it may have a faster processor, more features, and a bigger app store than most other smartphones on the market, it still has one big weakness: battery life. Issues with battery life are pretty much inherent to the idea of a smartphone. Web browsing, MP3 playing, video streaming, playing games and even the occasional phone call all take a toll on your phone's battery.

The iPhone 3GS, however, has more of an issue with this than most phones, due in part to the fact that it has an even smaller battery than the iPhone 3G. iFixit.com states that the 3GS's battery is about 15% smaller than its predecessor. That's a fairly substantial decrease, and it leaves the 3GS only able to handle around 7 hours of calling. A full hour less than the iPhone 2G got.

Posted on Sun, 5 Jul 2009 12:35:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Palm Pre Owners report Overheating and Battery Life Issues

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The Palm Pre launched on Saturday and it looks like the Pre is not free from launch hardware issues. In the Palm support community several users report that their Palm Pre gets extremely hot during charging and the battery is dying after 3 hours on stand-by.
This issues point towards faulty batteries. The number of posts in this thread is not crazy high, but high enough to be an issue. Read more

Posted on Mon, 8 Jun 2009 07:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

iON Credit Card Battery for iPhone Debuts

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One of the biggest problems with my first gen iPhone is that the battery just doesn’t last that long. If I play games or surf the net much at all I am down to half battery power quickly. To remedy this problem a new universal mobile power pack called iON has been announced.

The battery uses a slim design and is about the size of a credit card. The battery features universal USB connectivity with 5V output and 1500mAh of power. The device is designed to give extra power to the iPhone, iPod, and other cell phones. Read more

Posted on Thu, 4 Jun 2009 08:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

10 Ways to Increase the iPhone 3G Battery Life

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OCModShop published a guide with tips to improve the battery life on the iPhone 3G.
Quote: "One of the biggest faults of the device is the inability to replace the battery. This decision is even more unbelievable when you realize how much power the iPhone can really suck down... an average user usually cannot last an entire day without being tethered to an electrical outlet of some kind. Read more

Posted on Mon, 18 May 2009 13:35:58 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Better Place Battery Switch is how you are going to gas up in the Future

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Better Place unveiled its battery swap system for electric cars today in Japan. The video below shows how you will be recharging your electric car in the future.
Better Place is a hot Silicon Valley startup led by Shai Agassi that wants to build the infrastructure for electric cars.
The Better Place battery swap system is still a work in progress but can exchange an empty with new battery within 40 seconds. This would be less time than it takes to fill a tank with gas. Read more

Posted on Wed, 13 May 2009 10:32:02 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Dell Unveils 6-cell Battery for Mini 10

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The Dell Mini 10 netbook is by many accounts one of the better netbooks on the market with regards to build quality and usability. The little machine provides all of what you would expect from a netbook and is one of the best selling and least returned machines that can be had running Linux.

One of the big issues that many users have with the Mini 10 is that the 3-cell battery it ships with offers under 3 hours of run time. That is quite low for the class with some machines producing three or more times the run time of the Dell. Read more

Posted on Fri, 24 Apr 2009 10:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Macally PowerLink 3-in-1 iPhone Battery Pack Review

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Do you run out of battery on your iPhone or iPod all the time? Everything USB tested the Macally PowerLink 3-in-1 iPhone / iPod Battery Pack. Read the review to find out if this iPhone accessory is the solution for you.
Quote from the review: "Scan any review of the iPhone or iPhone 3G and the first thing you will notice are complaints about the poor battery life. While most casual users will be fine to recharge every day or second day, we power users really expect more than 8 hours from our beloved smartphones. Read more

Posted on Tue, 7 Apr 2009 15:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

10 inch Acer Aspire One Battery gets tested

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Acer has the best selling netbook on the market with its Aspire One. The company has announced a new version of the netbook called the Acer Aspire One 10 that has a larger 10-inch screen. The first real problem for the netbook was the sort of problem buyers will like as the first set of netbooks shipped has a higher capacity battery.

The first group of Aspire One Tens has a 6-cell battery with 5800mAh of power. The battery that was supposed to go in the netbook offers 6-cells but only has 4400mAh of power. Laptop Magazine tested an early One 10 sample with the larger capacity battery and found the thing ran for nearly eight hours on a single charge. Read more

Posted on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:00:00 CST | by Shane McGlaun

Juice Pack Air is World's thinnest iPhone external Battery

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mStation | mophie announces juice pack air, the world’s thinnest apple-certified external battery for iPhone 3G. The rechargeable 1200 mAH lithium polymer battery housed in an ultra-thin case virtually doubles the amount of time you have to rock, talk, surf, and send.

Juice pack air features an innovative “standby mode” that allows users to control when they want to take advantage of additional battery support versus simply using it as a protective case.
The integrated 4 LED charge status indicates how much juice is remaining in the external battery. Unique pass-through design allows users to simultaneously charge their juice pack air and sync their iPhone 3G with iTunes with the included USB cable. Read more

Posted on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:00:00 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Effects of Humidity on Battery Life

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I have not been happy with the battery life of my first generation iPhone. With the popularity of the iPhone, there are gobs of users across the country that use the same device I do. Often people I know in other parts of the country say their device lasts much longer than mine lasts and have no complaints on battery life.

I had previously chalked the battery life differences I have heard of up to differences in usage. I recently got a Mophie Juice Pack and between it and the internal iPhone battery, I can go about two days on the external battery and the internal battery at home. Read more

Posted on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 06:27:49 CST | by Shane McGlaun

DreamGear 2-in-1 Battery Backup for iPhone and iPod

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One of the biggest wishes for iPhone and iPod users away from an outlet for long periods is more run time. With Apple's preference for non-removable batteries, simply getting an extra battery to extend run time isn’t an option.

This leaves iPhone and iPod fans to use clip on batteries that connect to the bottom of the devices. DreamGear has a new battery for the iPhone and the iPod called the i.Sound 2-in-1 Charger and Back Up Battery. Read more

Posted on Wed, 24 Dec 2008 09:00:00 CST | by Shane McGlaun

Hybrid Solar Light Uses Battery Back Up

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Most of us don’t put much thought into a flashlight until the power goes out or we need to go mucking about the attic in the dark. That's the point when we realize our flashlight has dead batteries, if we can even find it. The new Hybrid Light won't help you keep up with the flashlight, but you shouldn't have to worry about dead batteries.

The Hybrid Light provides 40 lumens of light and is waterproof up to 80 feet. The batteries house inside the light are rechargeable via solar panels integrated into the handle of the flashlight. The batteries promise to hold their change for a full three years. Read more

Posted on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:00:00 CST | by Shane McGlaun

HP will be First to Use Boston-Power Sonata Battery

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Battery technology company Boston-Power has announced that HP is its first customer for the new Sonata Lithium-ion battery packs it developed. The new battery will be available as an upgrade option for HP customers.

Sonata batteries promise to deliver like new battery performance for a full three years. HP customers will be able to choose the Sonata upgrade on select HP notebooks in early 2009. The battery will also be a drop-in replacement that users can order as a second battery for their notebook. Read more

Posted on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 10:00:00 CST | by Shane McGlaun