I4U Gadget Model of the Month

Battery

Oncore Develops 6-Bay Battery Charger for Macs in Classrooms

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Oncore Develops 6-Bay Battery Charger for Macs in Classrooms Technology News, Electronics Buy Guide and Gadget Review Oncore Power Systems has announced a new 6-bay battery charger that is designed specifically for classrooms using Mac notebooks. The charger can keep six Mac batteries charged at the same time and an upgrade kit that includes the charger and six batteries is also available.

The charger measures 11" x 7" and can hold both MacBook and iBook batteries. Six batteries can be fully recharged in under 8-hours. The charger is available now for $395 and the price for the charger with six batteries is unknown. Read more

Posted on Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:17:04 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Mophie Battery Extender for iPhone 3G

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Mophie Battery Extender for iPhone 3G Technology News, Electronics Buy Guide and Gadget Review The battery life of the new iPhone 3G is not the greatest, which creates an opportunity for accessory makers to offer battery extenders for the iPhone 3G.
Mophie offers the stylish looking juice pack 3G. The mophie juice pack 3G comes pre-charged and ready to go straight out of the package. The case of the Mophie juice pack 3G houses a rechargeable lithium polymer battery within an ergonomic, comfort-grip case with a soft-touch, non-slip finish. Read more

Posted on Tue, 5 Aug 2008 09:32:01 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Japan Firms to work out next-gen car Battery Norms

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Japan Firms to work out next-gen car Battery Norms Technology News, Electronics Buy Guide and Gadget Review
TOKYO (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp , Nissan Motor Co , Matsushita Electric Industrial Co and other Japanese companies will work together to set up common standards for lithium-ion batteries being developed to power next-generation cars, the Nikkei business daily said on Saturday.
Read more

Posted on Sat, 19 Jul 2008 01:32:43 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

How to optimize iPhone 3G Battery Life

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How to optimize iPhone 3G Battery Life Technology News, Electronics Buy Guide and Gadget Review The iPhone 3G has been in customer hands since last Friday. You might already get frustrated by the short battery life of the iPhone 3G, but do not fret Apple has published a "few commonsense pointers" to extend the iPhone 3G battery life.
Apple recommends switching off 3G, especially when 3G coverage is spotty. To disable 3G, from the Home screen choose Settings > General > Network and set Enable 3G to Off. Read more

Posted on Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:21:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

i.Sound 2-in-1 Charger & Back Up Battery for iPod and iPhone

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i.Sound 2-in-1 Charger & Back Up Battery for iPod and iPhone Technology News, Electronics Buy Guide and Gadget Review If you have an original iPhone, plan to get the 3G iPhone this week or own a 30-pin connector iPod i.Sound has a new charger and backup battery that will work with all of the devices. Called the 2-in-1 Charger & Back Up Battery the device claims to be the smallest of its kind and offers up to 30 hours of additional music playback, 6 hours of video and 3 hours of talk time.

The battery pack has a LED status indicator that shows the charge left in the battery. The device has a 2-in-1 USB AC adapter that allows for charging of the iPod and iPhone at the same time the internal backup battery charges. The charger retails for $49.99 and is available now. Read more

Posted on Wed, 9 Jul 2008 08:58:32 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Sanyo Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) Battery Details

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Sanyo Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) Battery Details Technology News, Electronics Buy Guide and Gadget Review Sanyo supplies the battery for the Ford Escape Hybrid car and just published a detailed article describing their efforts for Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) batteries.

SANYO Electric started the development of HEV battery systems already back in 1997 and has been suppling it to Ford since 2004. Read more

Posted on Tue, 1 Jul 2008 03:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Mobile Phone Battery dead? Try Dancing

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Mobile Phone Battery dead? Try Dancing Technology News, Electronics Buy Guide and Gadget Review
LONDON (Reuters) - What do you do if you're stuck in a field at a pop festival but there's trouble ahead because your mobile phone's battery is about to run out?
Read more

Posted on Tue, 24 Jun 2008 07:56:04 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

McCain calls for $300 million Prize for Car Battery

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McCain calls for $300 million Prize for Car Battery Technology News, Electronics Buy Guide and Gadget Review
By Steve Holland

FRESNO, California (Reuters) - Republican John McCain said on Monday if elected president he would challenge American experts to develop a futuristic battery to power cars and win a $300 million prize.
Read more

Posted on Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:27:19 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Sanyo says to double rechargeable Battery Output

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Sanyo says to double rechargeable Battery Output Technology News, Electronics Buy Guide and Gadget Review
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Sanyo Electric said on Thursday it plans to double annual production of AA and AAA size rechargeable batteries as more consumers choose the economical and environmentally friendly option.
Read more

Posted on Thu, 19 Jun 2008 03:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Bosch, Samsung SDI to form Hybrid Car Battery JV

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Bosch, Samsung SDI to form Hybrid Car Battery JV Technology News, Electronics Buy Guide and Gadget Review
SEOUL (Reuters) - Robert Bosch and Samsung SDI have signed a contract to form a hybrid electric vehicle battery joint venture to boost their presence in the next-generation energy business, Samsung said on Monday.
Read more

Posted on Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:16:53 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

RichardSolo Smart Battery Backup for iPhone/iPod

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RichardSolo Smart Battery Backup for iPhone/iPod Technology News, Electronics Buy Guide and Gadget Review Richard Thalheimer, founder and creator of The Sharper Image, has a new solo gig called RichardSolo. It sounds like a company founded by Han's little brother for sure, but its first product is interesting. The device is called the RichardSolo Smart Backup Battery.

The battery claims to have 20% more power than its closest competitor and is certified by Apple for "Made for iPod" and "Works with iPhone". The battery snaps onto the bottom of the iPhone or iPod with Apple’s proprietary connector and can charge your device while it is in use. Read more

Posted on Thu, 22 May 2008 06:41:22 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

VW, Sanyo to develop Lithium-ion Battery: Paper

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VW, Sanyo to develop Lithium-ion Battery: Paper Technology News, Electronics Buy Guide and Gadget Review
TOKYO (Reuters) - German carmaker Volkswagen and Japan's Sanyo Electric Co will jointly develop a lithium-ion battery to be used in hybrid and electric cars, the Nikkei financial daily reported on Sunday.
Read more

Posted on Sun, 11 May 2008 00:25:22 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Asustek sees Battery Issues mostly resolved by June

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Asustek sees Battery Issues mostly resolved by June Technology News, Electronics Buy Guide and Gadget Review
TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan's Asustek Computer said on Monday it expects most of its battery shortage problems to be resolved by the end of the second quarter, as it maintained its sales target for its popular low-cost PCs.
Read more

Posted on Mon, 21 Apr 2008 00:22:07 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Zero Battery Powered Dirt Bike

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Zero Battery Powered Dirt Bike Technology News, Electronics Buy Guide and Gadget Review I owned more dirt bikes growing up than I can remember and used to ride them in all sorts of places that may or may not have been approved for dirt bikes. Thanks to that little fact I did have the police come and run me off on several occasions.

Commonly it wasn’t because I was tearing anything up; rather it was all the noise that the two-stroke gasoline engines produced that would rain on my parade. A company called Zero Motorcycles has the answer to that problem with an all electric motocross bike that produces no noise, needs no gas and has performance on par with a 250cc gasoline bike. Read more

Posted on Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:34:37 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Dell and HP see Laptop Battery Shortage

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Dell and HP see Laptop Battery Shortage Technology News, Electronics Buy Guide and Gadget Review
By Philipp Gollner

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Dell Inc said on Tuesday the personal-computer industry was experiencing a shortage of laptop batteries partly because of a recent fire at a major supplier, but the company was working with other suppliers to limit any price increases.
Read more

Posted on Wed, 26 Mar 2008 07:48:07 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

New Panasonic D-Snap SV-SD870N DAP with 100 Hour Battery Life

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New Panasonic D-Snap SV-SD870N DAP with 100 Hour Battery Life Technology News, Electronics Buy Guide and Gadget Review Panasonic announces new D-Snap SV-SD870N SD card digital audio players.

The new Panasonic D-Snap SV-SD870N features ambient noise cancellation and 100 hours of play time on a single battery charge.

The noise cancellation offers 83% cut in the frequency spectrum of 300Hz. Of course a dedicated noise cancellation headset offers more quality, like the new Sony MDR-NC500D, which digitally cancels 99% of ambient noise. Read more

Posted on Tue, 18 Mar 2008 02:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Samsung Electronic says a Laptop Battery melts

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Samsung Electronic says a Laptop Battery melts Technology News, Electronics Buy Guide and Gadget Review
SEOUL (Reuters) - A battery in a Samsung Electronics Co Ltd notebook computer melted on Sunday, officials from the company and South Korea's fire department said.
Read more

Posted on Mon, 25 Feb 2008 01:57:24 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

SOLO XP Travel Battery Charger for Cameras & Camcorders

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SOLO XP Travel Battery Charger for Cameras & Camcorders Technology News, Electronics Buy Guide and Gadget Review Lenmar Enterprises introduced the Solo XP portable battery charger today. The Solo XP is available in a couple of different styles that can charge specific camera brand batteries like Canon or Nikon. A universal charger is also available.

The Solo XP features a built-in USB port so you can use it to charge other devices like PMPs and portable phones. “The days of lugging multiple battery chargers and AC adapters are over,” says Marty Goldberg, president of Lenmar. “With the Solo XP and a spare battery, you will always be ready to capture those special moments in photos or video. Add in charging for your handheld devices and it may be the ideal travel accessory.” Read more

Posted on Wed, 19 Dec 2007 09:18:44 CST | by Shane McGlaun

Ford sees Rollout of next-generation Hybrid Battery

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Ford sees Rollout of next-generation Hybrid Battery Technology News, Electronics Buy Guide and Gadget Review
By Kevin Krolicki

DEARBORN, Michigan (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co expects a new generation of more powerful batteries to be on the road in hybrid vehicles in the next three to five years, a senior Ford engineer said on Tuesday. Read more

Posted on Wed, 12 Dec 2007 03:00:00 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Toshiba SCiB Super Charge Ion Battery announced

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Toshiba SCiB Super Charge Ion Battery announced Technology News, Electronics Buy Guide and Gadget Review Toshiba introduces a rechargable battery that can recharge to 90% in less than 5 min.

Toshiba Corporation today announced the commercial launch of the SCiB the Super Charge ion Battery a breakthrough rechargeable battery primarily targeting the industrial systems market.

The battery offers a long-life cycle of over 10 years, even under conditions of constant rapid charging. Read more

Posted on Tue, 11 Dec 2007 02:35:18 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Betavoltaic Battery Teases Us with 30 Year Life Span

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Betavoltaic Battery Teases Us with 30 Year Life Span Technology News, Electronics Buy Guide and Gadget Review Research funded by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory could lead to batteries for our laptops that run for 30 years without needing to be recharged. The battery uses what is called betavoltaic power cells constructed from semiconductors and use radioisotope as their energy source.

As the name implies, the radioisotope is radioactive and as it decays beta particles are emitted that transform into electricity capable of running a device like a laptop for years. Since the batteries don’t use fission/fusion or a chemical process to produce energy there is no radioactive or hazardous waste. Read more

Posted on Wed, 3 Oct 2007 12:33:13 CDT | by Shane McGlaun