Gadgetsteria » Battery technology

CES 2012: BoostCase Hybrid Hands On.

Jordan Carpenter — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:08:10 +0000

We first heard about the BoostCase Hybrid at CES Unveiled this past Sunday and we were crazy impressed. We’ve used so many different battery cases in the past and to be falling in love with one now seems whacky to us. After seeing the Hybrid and meeting with the reps at the booth on Sunday, I decided I would spend the majority of my walks through the CES Halls looking at the battery case competition. I wanted to see if what I was excited to learn more about would stand up against all of the other competition out there, especially the likes of Incipio, that have been doing this for a few years.

We’ll spend more time on that subject in a future post this week once we’ve had enough time to play with every case out there. But for now, please join us inside for a hands on with one of my personal favorites – the BoostCase Hybrid…

The Hybrid – as you can probably tell by the name – doubles as a sleek case and a battery pack. The slim fit snap-on case hugs your iPhone 4/4S, and drapes it in a wide array of colors. Not much to say about the case, other than that it is a nice addition to the iPhone itself. It isn’t too bulky and adds some good protection to the sides and the back of the iPhone. But it doesn’t stop there, the detachable extended battery slips and locks directly into the case giving a whopping 1900mAh in a small sleek outfit. The battery doesn’t add much of a bulk or weight to the iPhone itself.

Weighing in at only 2.2 oz, you don’t notice an undesirable weight gain to the already light and sexy iPhone. I was surprised to pop my iPhone 4S into the display units they had available to find out I wasn’t going to be lifting a brick. The case itself is exactly how I like my cases – sleek and barely adding any extra mass. But the cool part about it, the extended battery doesn’t take anything away from that. This is exactly what I want in a battery case – to the T.

With 7 colors to choose from, you can mix & match your way into long battery life and stylish protection. I do love the BoostCase Hybrid, actually, all of us here at Gadgetsteria love it. We’ve been comparing everything we see to it over the past 24 hours, and I can see us continuing that trend for the next few days. We will attempt to get a unit for review and really give the Hybrid a test to see how it stands up with the rest of the World’s battery options. Until then, head on over to the BoostCase website to check out all of their products.

BoostCase

“Stay Unplugged” – Motorola To Introduce Wireless Charging at CES?

Jordan Carpenter — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 18:09:15 +0000

It looks like Motorola Mobility will be debuting some sort of wireless charging at this year’s CES. The Motorola Mobility YouTube channel just gave us a little teaser video showing a USB plug sitting on the counter crying. The tag-line reads; “Stay Unplugged.”

We’ll be there front and center and will let you know the second we see what they have in planned. Anyone excited yet about CES this year? Only a couple more days and we’ll be in the thick of it. Be sure to follow us throughout the week as we’ll be hitting as much as we can!

Hop on in for the sad, sad video!

Source Motorola Mobility YouTube

Via The Verge

iFan, charge your iPhone, tangle your hair.

Jordan Carpenter — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 22:03:11 +0000

The iFan: a revolutionary, magical device made famous by it’s multiple uses. One use being to greenly charge your iPhone. The other to rip out all of the hair on the side of your head. Well, only if you are stupid enough to think the wind will blow through it while it is next to your face. Either way – Magical!

The iFan was designed and created by Tjeerd Veenhoven. He must run into a lot of instances when he isn’t near an outlet, (or the cigarette outlet in his car) to need to design such a spectacular and magical piece of glory magic. How long does it take you to charge your iPhone using the power from your wall — mind you, not the computer, but the wall outlet? 30 minutes to 1 hour? It took this guy 6 hours to get a full charge with the wind. Now, these results are somewhat skewed. Wind speeds vary. And if you were a Storm Chaser, chances are your iPhone would charge a bit faster.

Created using a modified computer fan, Tjeerd was able to construct a sleek case to house it and the iDevice to allow for optimal wind blow charge power. As he states, holding the phone outside of your car window while driving could speed up the charge process, but we here at Gadgetsteria.com don’t recommend it. However, it may work wonders for those long sexy walks on the beach with your brand new match.com love sweetheart, you can spark chemistry all while saving the planet!

Tjeerd Veenhoven’s Blog
Originally found at FSM

HyperMac rebranding to “HyperJuice”. Last day to get MagSafe-packing batteries!

Mike Norris — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 10:54:26 +0000

Last month we reported that Apple was suing popular Mac accessory maker, HyperMac. In their legal filings, Apple cited copyright/IP infringement specifically on their MagSafe adapters as the reason for the gavel toss. At first, anger is the only thing that came to mind. I mean, how could Apple put a truly innovative company out of business? Especially since Apple themselves won’t produce any type of external battery like HyperMac? And then it came to light that HyperMac was in talks with Apple to license their technology a bit more legally this time so that the 3rd party battery love fest could continue.

And continue it has. Sort of. HyperMac announced today that they will be re-branding themselves to “HyperJuice” in accordance with Apple’s lawsuit and licensing regulations. Hopefully a deal can be worked out so we can get these extremely useful batteries back on the market once again. Speaking of which, HyperMac batteries will officially go offline tonight at midnight. So if there was any lingering desire in your soul to get a HyperMac, now is the time.

HyperMac
Via: Engadget

Another battery love story: 30% longer runtime brought to you by Titanium Oxide.

Mike Norris — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 11:20:41 +0000

We’ve seen this scenario before — batteries are languishing behind technological improvements in our digital devices. Roughly every couple of months, we see some story detailing an all new method of creating/charging batteries or some new material that supposedly will increase runtime considerably. And yet many years and several stories later, we’re still left with this pathetic Lithium-Ion gig we’ve been using for the last several years. Though like clockwork, another new spin on the traditional battery is hitting the airwaves.

Bought to us by talented researches of the Japan’s Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), this new battery promises to make our digital-powered lives many times better. For this tale, we’ll be looking at the anode material. Specifically, the new oxide negative-electrode material is comprised of a titanium oxide where as current batteries use Lithium titanate. The chief improvements of this new material over the latter include enhanced battery capacity, lower cost, and increased life span. Sounds like a win-win to me!

I’m already impressed with the runtime of my iPhone 4 compared to other smartphones I’ve had in recent years. But I’m sure it’s nothing compared to what a battery powered by the above could achieve. Here’s to hoping this tech makes it into our hands sometime this century…

Source: TechOn
Via: Ubergizmo

Latest iPod Shuffle teardown reveals 51mAh battery. Magic gremlins nowhere to be seen…

Mike Norris — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:14:25 +0000

In the world of consumer electronics, you always hear how our devices are constantly putting more and more strain on batteries with faster running electronics. Then you’ve got the whole wireless thing. It seems as if every month a new wireless standard is proposed or adopted into our gadgets, equally detrimental to battery life and runtime. The argument we here is that batteries aren’t progressing as fast as our gadgets/needs are.

So consider me surprised to find out that the latest iPod Shuffle is quite frugal even by the strictest standards. I mean, what else would you call a 51mAh battery pushing through 15 hours of music playback? I’d certainly call that a small miracle. My first reasoning would be magic gremlins. But as you can see from the iFixit teardown above, no such gremlins exist — at least in this model.

Kudos to Apple. Even though the iPod Shuffle doesn’t have to power a speedy processor and battery raping display, 51mAh hours is just tiny. Apparently, they’re doing something right. Anyone else similarly impressed?

Source:
iFixit

It’s official: Chevy Volt costs $41k before $7,500 tax credit. Pre-orders now open!

Mike Norris — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:10:29 +0000

Fancy saving a tree or two and happen to title yourself a nerd? There’s no doubt that Chevy’s ambitions Volt project has been a long time coming. Since the truck market bombed out a few years back, they’ve been scrambling to catch up to other manufacturers more fuel efficient and alternative fuel-powered vehicles. And up until now, the biggest mystery about the Volt was the price. Price it to high no one will buy it. Lucky for consumers, it looks like Chevy will make it relatively affordable, at a now confirmed base price of $41,000. Interested parties may even get a stab at the electric wonder vehicle for a far cheaper price, however. At stake is a tax credit totaling up to $7,500 as well as leasing options. Speaking of the latter, the leasing program looks like it’ll hit a little closer to more individuals’ homes with a $350 monthly payment and $2,500 due at signing.

But what good is a hot new geek car with relatively new and untested reliability without decent warranties and protection from the factory? Oh dear reader, jump on in and find out…

As far as warranties go, both fully owned and lease customers will be able to be at peace. Leases will be covered by a 3-year bumper-to-bumper warranty while fully owned customers will see the same 3-year warranty expanded to 6. On top of that, a 100,000-mile corrosion warranty and 8-year warranty on the battery packs also comes standard.

It looks like Chevy has quite a winner on their hands. I haven’t a shred of doubt that the 10,000 initial vehicles for 2010 will all be accounted for, perhaps all in pre-orders. Speaking of which, pre-orders are now officially open, with Chevy dealers being instructed to start taking said early orders. If you can swing the fully tax credit, a cool $33,500 for one of the geekier vehicles in recent memory doesn’t seem too bad, does it?

So what are you guys going to do? Are you going to jump in feet first and snatch up a piece of GM history? Or are you going to be a bit more cautions and wait it out. As we’ve seen so many times in history, first generation products are really beta products, with the second and third generations bringing much needed refinement and improvements.

See supported dealers near you and pre-order your Chevy Volt now at: GetMyVolt.com

Crunchgear

Chevy Volt to come with 8-year warranty on batter pack. Relieved?

Mike Norris — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 00:11:21 +0000

People always look to flying cars as *the* sign that the future has arrived. While a flying car has recently been talked about as making its way into production (albeit in limited quantities), right now the general consensus is that battery-powered cars are where it’s at. The only issue so far has been runtime. Cars are very large and very thirsty machines. Most of our batteries simply don’t have the power or longevity to make solely battery powered cars practical or affordable. But things are projected to change with the introduction of the Chevy Volt.

Taking on the image of a sort of “Mechanical/Electrical Jesus”, the Chevy Volt has certainly enjoyed its fair share of media attention. But one very important aspect, replacing the spent battery pack after a few years of continuous charge/discharge cycles, hasn’t been highlighted quite as often as one may like. But the jury has finally come back and it’s looking pretty promising. How’s an 8-year warranty sound? That’s what GM is offering. Yeah, it’s not as long as non-battery vehicles. But it’s pretty much the king of warranties compared to other offerings from foreign manufacturers.

What’s the big deal you ask? Well, the most recent estimates have a full replacement of the Volt’s battery sitting heavy at $10,000 per pack. So warranty replacements are a pretty big deal if you ask me. Is it enough to sway you in the direction of electric vehicles?

Technology Review

USBCell: The rechargeable battery that plugs into a USB port.

Mike Norris — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 18:24:57 +0000

Need a reason to drop a few more dollars on the geeky things you know and love? Today’s gadget won’t be one that fulfills only lust, but utility as well. The USBCell is so ingenious and simple in design that it pains me to think that I didn’t coin this up first. But I digress, the USBCell…

Basically, it’s a nickle metal hydride battery with a removable top cap that exposes a standard USB plug. Pop it into your ever plentiful USB port and whip up a 90% charge in 5 hours or a 50% charge in 1 hour. When you’re finished, simply replace the cap, and pop a couple into your battery loving gadget. Viola! Hopefully more sizes become available as interest increases. I’d kill for a 9-volt version. You?

Pick up a 2-pack of AA USBCell batteries from the following locations: Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA, SharperImage.com, ThinkGeek.com, and Tiger Direct.

TechFresh > GearDiary

The calculator of tomorrow, today! The water-powered calculator.

Mike Norris — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:12:38 +0000

Batteries really haven’t changed much over the years, only going through a few big changes every few decades. Even still, they’re wholly inefficient and toxic to the planet. But a water powered calculator with some unique new age batteries could go a long way to making this planet happier…

“Powered by water?” — you say. Yes. It’s actually not that complicated. The batteries that power this calculator are simple capsules filled with water and interact with two electrodes, causing a chemical reaction which in turn produces the electrical juice we all crave so desperately.

The best part — when the batteries are dead (all the water evaporates eventually), simply refill with water and viola!

$10.99 and it’s yours. Step inside for the links…

[Product Page: Perpetual Kid]

7Gadgets

[CES] mPower Flashlight

Mike Norris — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 02:05:00 +0000

It never fails — any time you reach for that flashlight, often times of urgent matters, you come to find that there isn’t a single electron inside willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. That lack of guiding light is depressing, frustrating, and sometimes dangerous. That’s where Mpower’s innovative new flashlight come in handy.

Designed by Porche Design Studio, the mPower light features two compartments — one for the normal replaceable batteries we’re all familiar with and a second compartment for a new type of *insert battery info*. The big draw (no pun intended) of this secondary battery is that it has an incredible shelf life — a full 10 years!

When you find yourself out of juice and need light quick, simply turning the knob on the end of the *insert battery info* and get ready for up to 2 hours of bright shining goodness.

The picture doesn’t really do it justice. The rep we spoke with quoted 120 lumens for the LED. I know LED’s are bright and all, but wow. It will blind you. Even shining it on the ceiling of the hall some 30 feet above in a brightly lit room was no match for the LED as you could still easily see a fairly concentrated beam of light. Impressive.

Look for these to drop soon for $249.99.

Mobile power in your pocket with the “Finger Generator”

Mike Norris — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 16:38:13 +0000

Mobile power generators for things such as flashlights and consumer electronics are becoming increasingly popular as more and more people adopt such things. In regards to flashlights, simple “shake” designs allow users to shake the light for a specified amount of time time to create clean energy. That’s all fine and dandy, but even the flashlight style shaker isn’t exactly the smallest or most portable design. Enter the realm of the Finger Charger.

This concept is an ingenious creation coined with the collective brain power of Song Teaho & Hyejin Lee. Simply spinning the device around your finger for as little as 130 revolutions will give you enough juice on a mobile phone to power a short call and with more spins, keep you going until you can reach an outlet.

If built into a battery outright (keeping space down of course), this could have far reaching effects on the consumer electronics world. Gone are expensive and bulky adapters and chargers. Instead, simply charge the battery yourself! It’s freakin’ cool and hopefully a sign of things to come…soon.

Geeky-Gadgets > Yanko Design

Porsche’s Lithium-ion battery offering finally here.

Mike Norris — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 03:38:21 +0000

**Update: I apologize for the countless typos and broken sentences that were found throughout this post. I was *attempting* to write while drowsy. Utter failure. Don’t post drowsy folks…

Battery technology just isn’t keeping up with the demand consumer electronics are putting on them. No one would normally think that a 22lb. weight reduction in a car is something to brag good about. But in the wild world of racing, every ounce can be vitally important. Today, Porsche is taking the high road (high tech road that is) and introducing one of the world’s first automotive Lithium-ion batteries. The longer run times, lack of a “memory”, and overall general performance upgrades over older models are the main reasons why an end user such as yourself would want to make the switch.

But such luxury doesn’t come cheap. Simply checking the small checkbox next to the Lithium-ion option on the order sheet site will make an already expensive car into an even more expensive car. $1,700 more expensive actually. Pricey for a battery no doubt. Though as already stated, the 22lbs. weight savings you’ll gain is something that should improve your laptime. And in a car whose real purpose is lapping the track the fastest, is there really any debate that you need to check that little box? Is a spiffy new battery with a rather (in racing car terms) substantial weight loss compared to traditional lead-acid batteries enough to make you splurge $1,700 more? Chances are if you can afford a Porsche, a spare $1,700 isn’t likely to phase you.

CrunchGear > CrunchGear

The battery of tomorrow: Paper

Mike Norris — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:50:15 +0000

The science world is currently fixating on those uber cool Zinc-air batteries that are set to debut next year, but the really cool technology is further ahead still. Batteries of late have one simple problem: fast discharge times, length charge times, and short life span just to name a few. Did you ever think that something so abundant and widespread as paper could be a mobile energy saving grace?

Yes, normal paper has been turned into a battery thanks to the many great minds at Stanford University. I should point out that this “paper battery” is actually more like a super capacitor in that it can’t hold a charge very long, but more than makes up for that shortcoming with extremely quick electrical transfer rates — perfect for electric vehicles. In order to get the electrons flowing, scientists coated a piece of paper with ink made of carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires. These compounds allow the electrical juices to flow providing a lightweight and cheap battery that is easily scalable.

But will it last? Hows does 40,000 charge/discharge cycles sound? That’s many times greater than current battery technology and should ensure that battery replacements in the future will be a lot less relevant. Because of the high surface to density ratio, hybrid cars and other electric vehicles are prime candidates for a paper based battery. Not to mention, think of all the new possibilities gadget manufacturers will have with paper batteries which will ultimately be smaller than current iterations. Though as mentioned before, seeing as how current versions of this battery/super capacitor boast a greater ability for electrical transfer as opposed to actual runtime, any gadget applications may need a bit more tweaking in order to provide 1-month long runtimes.

The next time you’re writing on that piece of paper thinking how useless it is in the digital age, remember this post and think again. It won’t be too much longer before we start seeing some actual usable concepts pop up.

GizmoWatch > GizMag

Triple that iPhone battery of yours for $15!

Mike Norris — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:38:10 +0000

iPhone users regardless of race, age, sex, etc. all have one thing in common — their batteries could be better. iPhone batteries that is. Don’t get me wrong, the iPhone does a great job of squeezing out the most juice possible with what it’s given. But if you’ve ever seen a tear down or spec sheet of the iPhone/3G/3GS, you’ll know “what it’s given” isn’t that much — 1400mAh for the original iPhone and 1150mAh for the 3G/3GS. The 3rd party accessory market is full of battery extenders and chargers so that anyone should be able to find one to suit their needs. Though such accessories often cost upwards of $50-$100! That’s way too much for a piece of plastic surrounding some electrically friendly compounds. Thankfully Monoprice is here to save the day.

If you’re tired of selling limbs on the black market or have already run out of limbs to sell, Monoprice’s new 2200mAh battery extender for the iPhone and iPod Touch is just what the doctor ordered. It won’t win any beauty contest but hey, for $15 why not?

Purchase the 2200mAh from Monoprice for $15

TechChee > Gear Live