I can think of plenty of times when a wall outlet was no where to be found, leaving me with some rechargeable batteries sputtering out their last electrons, wondering when/if they would ever eat again. But thanks to handy little gadgets such as this USB battery charger, I can be at peace that my batteries will never go hungry again. All that’s required is a spare USB port, 4-6 hours of your time, and $20.95 in change. (AA batteries only.)
[Product Page: Useful Things]
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.
- November 11, 2009 6:27 am
How would you like to have the added peace of mind knowing that when you need a flashlight to work, the Emergency Illuminator won’t ever fail you? Flashlights of yesterday required big “C” or “D” sized batteries that were heavy, bulky, and expensive. But the Emergency Illuminator by mPower isn’t your ordinary flashlight. Even the dual mode battery power feature isn’t that hi-tech. What causes it to gain that techie “future” medal is the long running, sealed battery. We’ll start by saying it isn’t rechargeable. What?! A flashlight battery that’s sealed and can’t be recharged? *Pats you on shoulder* Remember, this sealed battery can go 20 years. Mind you, this doesn’t mean that you can leave it on for 20 years around the clock and expect it to last. Instead, most people have flashlights that sit unused for years at a time. Normal batteries eventually lose their charge over such spans of time. The EI does not. In case you still wanted to kick it old school, the flashlight does as mentioned before have a space for traditional batteries as well.
To entice the true gadget fiends, the EI slips in one other nifty feature — USB charging. If you’re not going to buy a flashlight to use for emergencies or whatever else it is you use flashlights for, why not buy one solely to be a mobile gadget charging station? Somehow I don’t think very many are going to drop $250 on a mobile charging station/flashlight. But the added benefit of that spur of the second charging is hard to pass up don’t you agree?
Unfortunately we’ll have to wait until next year to try this beaut out. Even though it’s designed more as a long shelf life type battery/light, I’m curious as to how long it would run non-stop…
Dvice
Cyclists know that space is at a premium. If you’re on a long trip, carrying excess, unneeded baggage slows you down and tires you out quicker. Why go through the hassle? One tool any cyclist wants to have at all times is that of a tire pump. Keeping your bike tires properly inflated can mean the difference between a good day and a bad day. A second tool essential to the road warriors bag-o-tools is a light. Many riders take to the roads at night. As such, their bodies and machines aren’t nearly as visible as larger automobiles. What if you could kill two birds with one stone and combine both of those essential items into one tool? Hopefully soon you’ll be able to.
The PUYL pump/light is a nifty concept that bundles two essential items together, reducing space and increasing efficiency. To power the light, all one needs to do is pump away for 20 seconds. 20 seconds of said pumping is good for roughly 45 minutes of LED illumination. The smaller LED built into the pump won’t signal aliens on the moon, but it will at least allow you to keep your rear end firmly planted on the bike seat and not in a flying motion over the handlebars. I guess that’s the best we could ask for right? Once filling your tires to the desired level, simply clamp it back on your bike and allow the LED to guide you on your way.
This concept won an award at this years Eurobike so hopefully someone will pick up the concept and run with it. Would you buy it?
Dvice > Treehugger
- October 21, 2009 12:09 pm
Typical batteries haven’t quite caught up to the demands that humans and our gadgets place on them. We can’t remain tethered to a wall for hours on end each day so a new solution has to be made. Fuel Cells may conjure up images of futuristic cars or space craft in your head. But in reality, the tech surrounding fuel cells has undergone some significant progress over the last couple years with size being one of the biggest improvements. Today, T-Mobile along with Medis Technologies launched the carrier’s first Fuel Cell charger for cellphones, the ” 24/7 Xtreme Portable Power Solution”. Using the pack is simple: squeeze and shake. After your digital shakedown, the fuel cell gets to work creating usable energy via electrochemical reactions. This chemical magic in a box is good for 20 watt hours of cord free operation. Refill packs will be sold seperately. For references sake, your typical smartphone can be charged several times with a single fuel cell. Support is rather robust as phones using USB, miniUSB, or microUSB ports as well as Palm Treo and Nokia ports can all benefit from this new charger.
Worries of explosions and other bodily harm can be put to rest as Medis claims their products are rigorously tested. Plus, their aren’t any emissions or noticeable heat. A surprising feature is that the Xtreme Power Solution is claimed to be airline security safe meaning you can take yours on the go. While they claim it will fly through security with no problems, I’ll have to see that one for myself. When I get questioned about a freaking hairbrush, anything is fair game. But I digress. Pricing on the unit itself and the refill packs are still up in the air so we’ll have to drop you an update once we find out. Think you’ll pick one up?
