GadgetReview

In the past we’ve seen piezoelectric technology applied to flooring in train stations and mats to take advantage of people’s stepping power.  Now the technology is being applied to a home theater remote control developed by NEC and Soundpower.

How does it work you ask?  Instead of being powered by batteries, the remote harvests the kintentic energy of a pushed button and uses that to power itself, hence piezoelectric technology.  It’s not too often that my remote dies, but it would be great to have at least one self sustainable device.

Read

Buy.com, via Amazon has the CyberPower CP1350AVRLCD Intelligent LCD Green UPS (back up battery system) for $189.95 – $65 instant savings + free shipping = $124.95 shipped! This backup has 8 outlets, USB/Ethernet input, an LCD screen and $425,000 connected equipment warranty. …Continue reading: CyberPower Systems CP1350AVRLCD UPS Battery Backup – $125 Shipped

If you’ve got that one great gadget that you always rely on in the car, and you always find yourself needing a change of batteries for it, then Wagan Tech may have exactly what you’re looking for.  It’s a two-battery charger that plugs directly into your car’s cigarette lighter and always keeps a couple batteries on hand, charged and ready.

Not only does this charger come adjustable for the best positioning, it also has an LED reading light built in.  You can pick one of these up for just $12.49 direct from Wagan Tech’s website.

This is actually a pretty sharp idea, because I know I’ve found myself without batteries for something on the road, and being able to slip into a quick recharge on the go makes for a lot of frustration that I didn’t need to have.  This is a pretty sweet idea–now to let them come out with a four or eight battery model….

Read

Rumors are flying fast and furious about the upcoming Apple Tablet–let’s take a look at what’s being tossed around:

- The tablet will launch with a 9.6 inch Wintek touchscreen.

- Verizon Wireless will NOT be included, but rather, High Speed Downlink Packet Access connectivity will be offered.

- The tablet’s processor will be made by P.A. Semi, a subsidiary of Apple.

- Release date for the Apple Tablet is February 2010, with an expected retail price of between $800-1000.

Even better, this information comes from Dynex, who manufactures the batteries for the tablet under contract with Apple.  Is any of this true?  Well, we’ll have to wait to find out when someone makes them official, but for right now, they make good speculation fodder.

Read

When the apocalypse hits we all better be ready!  But until then you can take comfort in knowing that someone, somewhere is preparing in an eco friendly manner.

Available in a variety of capacities, the Horizon Green Hub Powerbox UPS uses a hydrogen fuel cell to keep your computer’s power up and running in the event of a sudden power outage.  If the hydrogen gas flavor seems a bit too risque you can always opt for a renewable energy version, which can be charged by wind or solar and stored in a set of metal hydride canisters.

Capacities range from  500W to 2kW and include a remote control feature via GPRS using your phone or PDA (does anyone still use a PDA?).  If you’re looking for price you’ll need to contact them directly.

Read

Following in the foot steps of Griffin’s PowerDuo Reserve battery packs, Kensington has introduced an iPod/iPhone charger that includes a battery pack. As you can the battery charges while your iPhone charges, which should some how insure that you always have backup power. Unlike Griffin’s offering, though, Kensington’s Dock Charger with Mini Battery pack isn’t quite as portable but might offer a slightly longer battery life (1000mAH).

If you’re so inclined you can pre-order one now for $49.99 for an October arrival.

Read

If you own and play games on both of the latest next gen consoles than you probably know that your gaming habit can be an expensive one when it comes to replacing your controller’s batteries.  So hopefully you’ve signed on and purchased the appropriate rechargeable batteries for each respective console.  But charging each controller can be a hassle.

Enter the Power Pyramid from Konnet.  Each Power Pyramid can simultaneously charge up to 4 controllers and they offer versions for the PS3 and Xbox 360, but if you own both console then you’ll be glad to know they also produce a version for both consoles.  Each slot features glowing LED lights to indicate when the charge is complete and plugs directly into the wall so neither console needs to be powered up.

Amazon currently sells the 360 version for $50.

Read

One of the inherent challenges with any phone’s battery is determining just how much time you’ve got left until you need a recharge.  For instance, say you wanna surf the net or more importantly need to get through a 1 hour movie, do you have enough power?

Launched in the app store yesterday for the iPhone, the Battery Go! app lets you see how many minutes of juice you’ve got remaining to: surf the net, watch a video, listen to music or make a phone call.  A slider bar allows you to adjust the app according to your current charge or select a hypothectical charge.  The makers, Collegekidapp.com says that it will work to within a 5% accuracy, which is pretty reasonable.  You can grab it now for $0.99.

[via PCMag]

Read

We’ve been anticipating the arrival of Mohpie’s Juice Pack Air.  So much so in fact that we requested one for review two months ago when it was first announced.  Today, the Juice Pack Air officially went on sale for the $79.95 at all Apple retail locations and Mophie’s website.  This new and updated version adds just .75-inches of thickness to your iPhone 3G and is now the world’s thinnest of its type.

• Standby Time: Up to 270 hours
• Talk Time: Up to 4.5 hours (3G) Up to 9 hours (2G)
• Internet Use: Up to 4.5 hours (3G) Up to 5.4 Hours (Wi-Fi)
• Audio Playback: Up to 20 hour
• Video Playback: Up to 6 hours

Read

Mophie officially announced the availability of the Juice Pack for the iPod Touch 2G last week.  Just like the entire Mophie Juice Pack line, the Juice Pack for the iPod Touch 2G features a nonslip, rubber finished case with 4 LED battery status indicator lights.  Using something they’ve called ‘Advanced Battery Technology’ the Juice Pack instructs the iPod Touch to drain the external battery pack first and provides up to 42 hours of audio playback and 7 hours of video playback.

The Juice Pack for the iPod Touch 2G is available now at Amazon for $100.

Full release after the ‘leap’ …Continue reading: Mophie Juice Pack For iPod Touch 2G Officially Available