British fashion designer Richard Nicoll wanted to create an electric atmosphere at his catwalk show at London Fashion Week this weekend. He did that, in part, by debuting a rechargeable handbag that can power your cell phone.
My Samsung Galaxy S II had been great to me. It’s a thin, light phone with a gorgeous display and a dual-core processor that handles Android with ease. When people asked me if I’d ever return to an iPhone, my answer was a cheery “nope!” That was until last week, when AT&T delivered an Android 2.3.6 update to the Galaxy S II that destroyed its battery life.
Duracell? Energizer? The cheapie packages of AAs at the dollar store? Tired of dumping money blindly on batteries for Wii remote controllers, flashlights, Nerf guns, and the like, a physicist decides it’s time to investigate which batteries truly give the most bang for the buck.
Is there hope for breakthroughs in battery technology, or are we doomed to need to recharge all our gadgets on a daily basis? There are several things happening that I want to highlight, along with emphasizing that more still needs to be done.
Engineers in South Korea are working on a system that converts sound to energy, with one potential real-world application of the technology being cell phones that recharge themselves as people speak into them.
The $70 Wet Circuits 4-outlet power strip is VERY expensive for a surge protector. That being said, the company claims that this one is water resistant and you can stick tweezers into the sockets without electrocuting yourself to death. I tested those claims. Did I die? I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
If you find yourself constantly travelling and even more constantly running out of power for all your gadgets, has Quirky got the backpack for you.
Smart. Lenovo has managed to stuff four USB ports into the brick of a notebook power adapter. And while notebook adapters with built-in USB charging ports exist already, this one actually turns three of its four ports into a USB hub while reserving the fourth for straightforward charging.
Kensington’s $40 Pocket Battery for Smartphones is roughly the length and width of a credit card, with a thickness of just over 1/4 inch.
The ReTrak 4-in-1 iPad Travel Charger costs $40 and plugs into your home outlet while featuring a flip-out car charger connection as well.
You know how you have to load batteries into products a certain way? Get ready to have your minds collectively blown. Microsoft has developed what it’s calling InstaLoad battery installation technology, “which allows users to easily install a battery without regard to positive and negative polarity.”
