NovoThink Solar Surge charger for iPhones and iPods

We got used to see solar chargers appearing all around especially before summer. We’ve seen and reviewed a good slag of them. Mostly, solar chargers require a bit of compromise in day-to-day usage – freedom they offer can be bogged down by taking care of them like leaving the thing in the sun and carrying extra weight. Anyway, here is a one more solar power gadget, the one for iPhone and iPod this time.

NovoThink, the company which designed and is selling Solar Surge solar charger for iPhone/iPod has done an amazing thing. First, NovoThink has approved their solar cell case at Apple, which means it will actually work. Second, it’s specs are really impressive. Solar panel distributes 5.5V at 100 mAh if there is no clouds whatsoever, then, after two hours you will have 30 minutes talk time on 3G and double that on 2G. Solar Surge inbuilt battery is 20% bigger than the iPhone’s and can be charged via USB 2.0 while synchronizing data. Approximate dimensions are: 4.9" x 2.7" x 0.9", weight is 7 oz. In addition you can choose from a vast variety of colors. The only problem about the Surge I can imagine is that high temperatures may cause problems for lithium ion batteries which is kind of worrying if it’s meant to stay in the sun.

Things To Do To Get More Improved Battery Life On Your Mobile Phone

Today mobile phones are a necessity in one’s life. We talk much on phone and the battery of the phone gets used up. So we always find the means to save the battery of the phone so that we can talk as much as possible. To fulfill this need of user, mobile phone now come up with batteries with longer talktime backup and those which last for years if used according to some useful instruction.

Today we use many applications and programs which consume the mobile battery at a faster rate. Our bad habits of avoiding switching off the mobiles phones when not in use especially at night consume more battery. The new phones with greater megapixels also consume a lot of battery power. Here we will discuss some of the steps to increase your mobile phone battery life:

• Turn off your mobile: Turning off mobile handsets is one of the most effective measures to save the battery power. You can turn off your mobile during the time you go to bed or when you attend a meeting. Turning off your mobile phone when no connectivity is available also plays a vital role in saving your battery power.
• Turn off the connectivity means: Turning off connectivity means like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and infrared also save a major part of your battery power.
• Switch off the vibrate function: Vibrate alert function in mobile phones consumes a lot of battery power. So switch off the vibrate alert function of your phone.
• Reduce the screen brightness: More the brightness of your phone more is the power consumed, so keep the brightness level of your phone to a minimum level. Also set the display time out as low as possible.
• Avoid screensavers: To save battery power, avoid the use of screensavers on your mobile and use of simple wallpapers will be more beneficial.
• Terminate Applications: Termination of applications of your mobile phone when not in use also saves a lot of battery power
• Recharge your battery: It is good to recharge your phone properly and recharge the battery when three fourth of the battery has been used up.
• Avoid heating: Keep your mobile phone cool. Keep it off from direct exposure to sun or any heating appliance. The preferable range at which the battery works fine is 10-35 Centigrade.
• Avoid flash: Avoid flash light during photography also save a major portion of battery power. Flash light consume a lot of power, to turn off the flash in day.

Read more: http://www.mobiletipstricks.com/category/mobile-hacks/#ixzz0PA9arDYx

Platune Sand-X bike for dune adventure holiday

If you are in search of dune adventures and have no trustworthy dune buggy, this imposing snowmobile seems to be a right solution for you. Called the Platune Sand-X Bike, this imposing snowmobile is developed by American company Platune in tandem with Swiss company Sand-X which is rated to be off road vehicles producer. It seems no sand dunes could be an obstacle for your off-road adventure holiday.

Instead of skies, the Platune Sand-X Bike uses soft wheels in front to allow smooth desert friendly driving. The snowmobile runs on a Rotax 800cc two-cylinder two-stroke motor to generate 160 horsepower. Such a powerful engine makes it possible for the dune buggy to catapult from 0 to 60 miles per hour in staggering 2, 8 seconds.

The Platune Sand-X Bike features a top speed of 115 miles per hour which makes your driving a thing to remember. Still, there is not any word about its sticker price tag but keeping in view its capability to ride on sand it must be a pricey snowmobile. The sand bike includes a radiator which is protected by custom made bull bars positioned in front.

Mint Energy to be a smart battery powered by motion

In today’s technological world we witness endless and intelligent solutions to most of our problems. With all the portable electronic devices you use it seems to be necessary to have batteries handy to run your favorite gimmicks. Here is a new clever solution called Mint Energy battery which is easily rechargeable once it is well shaken. So whenever you need some power, just shake it. What could be easier than that?

The main advantage of this nifty battery is that it is also available compared to those no wall socket situations where you are limited in actions. Whether you have a camping and need a torch constantly operating or you drive your bike listening to your mp3 player you now have the idea how to make your life easier.

Since this is a rechargeable battery it is supposed to be better for the earth compared to those conventional throwaway batteries polluting the environment. This intelligent battery does not depend on weather conditions, so this is another major advantage that lets you using your portable gadgets all day long.

This turns out to be a rechargeable metal hydrate Ni - mH battery while its capacity is approximately half of its standard counterpart. The battery is capable of storing the power generated from the bobbin when well shaken.

There is a permanent magnet under the coiled bobbin and when it travels through the shaft up and down, it produces energy while its rubber shock absorber is designed to bounce the magnet back and absorb the shock at the same time.

Sony’s approach with new mercury free button batteries launch

Enterprising Japanese well known leading electronics producer has revealed its intention to launch six various models of button batteries having no mercury at all. These batteries are usually used in remote controls, cameras, and calculators. The company is supposed to reduce 470 kilograms of mercury a year for the year to come.

Owing to the mercury presence having a bad influence on our environment, mercury batteries were forbidden in many countries. Battery production has never been environmentally friendly for Sony, but now with new developed technology it seems to be possible to be a sustainable batteries maker.

According to Sony, they are the first ever company to remove mercury presence in its batteries by mixing absorbent raw material into the cathode. Their ecologically conscious batteries are supposed to go on sale only in Japan for the moment with expected price of 2 USD.

When not suitably disposed of, mercury tends to pollute groundwater sources with potential neurological problems birth defects and even death but with this brand new approach offered by Sony, our sustainability seems to be on the make.

HP recalls notebook batteries as a safety hazard

Hewlett Packard is at it again, recalling defective battery packs in its notebook computers. The affected computers are the HP, HP Pavilion, HP Compaq, and Compaq Presario. Battery packs sold separately are also involved in the recall. The items were sold nationwide beginning in August 2007 through March 2008. Both high end and low end models are affected.

The recall was initiated by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission which monitors thousands of different consumer products for risk factors. Two reports were made of batteries overheating and erupting in flames causing minor property damage, but there were no injuries. The problem is occurring in lithium-ion batteries. No brand was identified, but they were manufactured in China. HP, Dell and Toshiba in October, 2008 recalled Sony batteries that were in their laptop computers.

HP says it is not recalling its notebooks, only the removable battery packs used in the notebooks. They claim that the notebooks will function under A/C power until a replacement battery pack is received, free, from HP. To determine if your computer is affected, look at the product number that is located on the service tag on the bottom of the notebook as shown in the photo. Instructions are contained in a letter to their customers.

This isn’t the first problem HP has had with batteries in its products. They have been involved in recalls as far back as October, 2005, with similar recalls in April, 2006 and October, 2008. The 2005 problem was an internal short that caused battery cells to overheat and melt or char the plastic case, potentially causing burns or fire. Then, HP noted 16 such reports, with only property damage, and no injuries.

In February, HP participated in an unrelated recall. An animated Kung Fu Panda character contained a USB flash drive that was considered a possible choking hazard for small children. Their company policy states that “HP “participates in voluntary replacement programs for components or products that may cause functionality issues but are not related to a safety hazard. In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, HP participates in voluntary recall programs when a defective part is shown to cause a potential safety hazard.”

Last-minute WWDC rumor: New iPhones pack 20 percent longer battery life

A new iPhone code-named iPhone 3GS will feature up to one fifth longer battery life. Existing iPhone 3G will be kept on the market, reduced to just $99.

According to Daring Fireball’s John Gruber, who has been pretty accurate with Apple predictions in the past, new iPhones expected to be unearthed later today during the WWDC keynote address will pack up to 20 percent longer battery life.

While we haven’t heard this one before, Apple might have managed to keep this a secret to the last moment. While this doesn’t file as a feature per se, it’s still a big deal because battery life has been perceived as one of iPhone’s weakest spots.

Gruber wrote that his sources told him that the handset is code-named iPhone 3GS. He also reaffirmed multiple rumors calling for the feature set that includes a 3.2 megapixel camera and video recording as the killer feature, in addition to a faster CPU, GPU and twice the RAM and storage on the device.

“I expect Apple to announce updated iPhones with significantly faster processors, twice the RAM, and twice the storage. I expect prices to remain the same as the current lineup: $199/299 for 16/32 GB, respectively. The video camera is going to be a major selling point.”

Gruber expects minor design tweaks but otherwise virtually the same form factor and the repeat of the overall iPhone 3G design. Dimensions will remain unchanged so all existing iPhone cases should fit new iPhones as well.

Gruber believes that a cheaper $99 iPhone first reported by the Financial Times is in fact the existing iPhone 3G that Apple will allegedly keep alongside new iPhones, albeit at the reduced price in order to capture the lower end of the market. The author also expects Apple and AT&T to announce terms and price points for the tethering service which is fully supported with the iPhone OS 3.0 and wonders how Apple will sell Snow Leopard for $129 given that the company repeatedly said that Snow Leopard focuses on speed instead of new features which have traditionally defended the $129 price point of all OS X versions to date.

History of battery

World's first battery
Alessandro Volta's work was carried out pretty much in the same time frame as that of Galvani. However, it was Volta that, back in 1800, created what would be later known as the world's first true battery, which was dubbed the “Voltaic Pile.” The pile consisted of pairs of copper and zinc discs piled on top of each other, separated by a layer of cloth or cardboard covered in brine, which served as the electrolyte.

The main merit of the Voltaic pile was its being able to generate a continuous, stable current, at the same time retaining much of its charge in time. Unfortunately, the earliest Voltaic piles generated a very small amount of power, but things got better with the more evolved models.
After Volta's initial discovery, other scientists continued to study the concept behind batteries, achieving more or less notable results. One such person is John Frederic Daniell, who invented the Daniell cell, which consisted of a copper pot filled with a copper sulphate solution, in which was immersed an unglazed, porous earthenware container filled with sulphuric acid. Within this container was immersed a zinc electrode.

What made the Daniell cell so interesting was the fact that it was actually able to generate a 1.1-volt current that was more reliable and lasted longer than the one created by the Voltaic pile. This was possible due to the fact that the electrolyte deposited copper (a conductor) rather than hydrogen (an insulator) on the cathode. Furthermore, this cell was safer and significantly less corrosive than the Voltaic pile.

The next “cell” developed during this period was the Grove cell, introduced by William Robert Grove in 1844. This particular cell (actually, the world's first fuel cell) consisted of a zinc anode introduced in sulfuric acid and a platinum cathode introduced in nitric acid, both separated by porous earthenware. This setup allowed the Grove cell to develop nearly 2 volts and a pretty high current, but, at the same time, generated poisonous nitric oxide fumes when operated. Another major disadvantage of the Grove cell was that it recorded a sharp drop in voltage as the charge diminished. The Grove cell was used, for a period, by the American telegraph networks, but it was later on replaced by evolved versions, due exactly to the shortcomings listed above.

One of the major drawbacks of all the “cells” and “piles” developed in the first half of the 19th century was that they had a limited lifetime and, once the chemical reactions powering them were depleted, the batteries would become permanently drained. However, things took a turn for the better in 1859, when Gaston Plante invented the lead-acid battery, the first battery capable of recharging itself when a reverse current was passed through it.

The lead-acid battery is formed of a lead anode and a lead oxide cathode, both of which are immersed in sulphuric acid. The electrodes react with the acid to produce lead sulfate. The reaction at the lead anode “generates” or “releases” electrons, while the reaction at the cathode consumes them, creating a difference in electric potential and, thus, a current. However, given their nature, these electrical reactions can actually be reversed when a reverse current is sent through them. This way, the battery is recharged, without requiring users to add supplementary compounds to the mix.

World first rechargeable batteries
And if the processes described above seem somehow familiar, you should know that this is exactly the principle behind modern car batteries, which has suffered very few modifications over time (the chemical compounds used might have changed a bit, and the design of the cell itself has been seriously improved, but the basic way these things work is pretty much the same).

Plante’s first battery was formed of lead sheets separated by rubber strips and rolled into a spiral. It was initially used to power the lights in train carriages while stopped at a station, and then, after being improved in the hands of Camille Alphonse Faure, in 1881, it became quite easy to mass produce and to use within various vehicles (mostly cars).