charging

Charging the Palm Pre

One of the first things that I attempted to do with my phone, knowing that they rarely come with a full battery, was fully charge it. That is also where I ran into my first difficulty. See, unlike my Centro, and all other phones before that I had owned, the recharging port was clearly covered in the Pre.

Consulting the accordion-style instructions

seemed to indicate that this was said cover. The problem I had with this is that when you first get the Pre out of the box, this cover is pretty tightly embedded into its nook. I had visions … Read more

Toshiba Satellites descend in five different updates

Simultaneously expanding and reducing the cost across its lineup, Toshiba's Satellite midrange notebooks got an across-the-board update today. It's a few more product numbers than most consumers can comprehend, but bear with us while we give you the rundown.

The Satellite L series, Toshiba's student-targeted budget line of laptops, comes in three flavors, all with 16x9 TruBrite LED-backlit displays and a large variety of configurations (AMD Turion, Intel Pentium or Core 2 Duo processors, optional ATI Radeon 3100 graphics, hard drives starting at 250 GB, RAM from 1 to 4 GB).

The Satellite L500/505 (starting at $… Read more

New Energizer portable battery packs

Through a partnership with XPAL Power, Energizer has expanded its Energi to Go line of portable battery packs in a big way. The newly branded chargers run the gamut from an iPhone 3G/3G S battery sleeve to a couple of solar chargers to a larger lithium ion charger that can juice up to three devices at once, including a laptop.

Most of the chargers include cell tips for various makes and models of cell phones, and you can get free new tips online as future phones come out.

Many of the battery packs are available already under the XPAL brand, but the new packaging should be appearing very soon in stores.

Here's a look at the line and check out the slideshow above:… Read more

Nokia powering up self-charging cell phone

No more telling Mom you can't talk because your cell phone is "about to die"--it soon could be charging itself as you speak.

The Nokia Research Centre in Cambridge, England, is working on a prototype system that would eliminate the traditional cell phone charger.

The system collects energy from ambient radio waves emitted by antennas, TV masts, Wi-Fi transmitters, and the like. This might all sound uber-scientific, but we've been using this technology for years. Have you ever exited a store, only to hear the beep, beep, beep of an accusing alarm system? Many retailers … Read more

Nyko unveils four new accessories at E3

Hot off the heels of the company's Wand accessory release for the Nintendo Wii, video game accessory manufacturer Nyko debuted three new products at this year's E3 convention.

The Zoom Case for Nintendo DSi is certainly the most interesting DSi accessory we've seen yet, boasting an 8X zoom lens attachment. The protective case is textured for a better grip on the system and the zoom lens itself can be detached and transported in a case of its own. Good thing for that or this accessory would have removed the "portable" feature of the DSi.

For those PSP owners not choosing to upgrade to the new PSP Go, the Charge Flex Grip will provide your handheld (the PSP-2000 or the 3000) with an improved grip as well as up to 1.5 times more play with an embedded rechargeable battery. More high-res photos await!… Read more

Toshiba's NB205 Netbooks start at $350, have sleep-and-charge port

The Netbook arena keeps growing, but it's a good thing new features sprout up once in a while to keep our attention going. Toshiba's NB205 line of Netbooks are on their way to the U.S., in two different form-factor flavors: one for lovers of flat-keyboarded black machines, and a slightly slicker model with raised keys and bright colors.

What makes them truly notable notebooks, however, is their inclusion of a sleep-and-charge USB port. Available on other Toshiba models of laptops, the port can charge USB devices even when the Netbook is turned off. This is a great … Read more

Will Volvo's 2012 plug-in hybrid also be a diesel?

The maker of some of the world's safest vehicles will soon be the maker of one of the world's most fuel-efficient vehicles. Volvo announced today plans to produce a plug-in hybrid vehicle that will be available in 2012.

"Most car journeys are short trips, for instance to and from work. We will be able to offer a product that fulfills this transportation need. In order to cover longer distances as well, the car will also be equipped with one of Volvo's fuel-efficient diesel engines," Volvo President and CEO Stephen Odell said in a press statement.

The new development will be a joint venture between Volvo and Swedish energy company Vattenfall. Volvo plans to create a plug-in version of an existing model rather than create a new one, and its charging systems will be developed and supplied by Vattenfall.

Volvo has previously stated its plans for a fleet of 10 plug-in hybrids. The Swedish car company did not name which of its existing cars will be the first to go plug-in, but last year Volvo road-tested the ReCharge Plug-in Hybrid, which is based on the C30 coupe platform and uses a diesel engine to power the lithium ion batteries. … Read more

Nyko Quad Charging Station Quick Take

The Nyko Quad Charging Station is the exact same product as the Nyko Nintendo Wii Charge Station we've reviewed in the past. The only difference here is the Quad Charger will take care of charging four remotes simultaneously instead of just two.

Finding the best Wii remote charging solution

Unlike with the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, there aren't any first-party controller charging accessories readily available for the Nintendo Wii. At this point in the console's lifecycle, there are literally dozens of third-party devices that promise the most efficient and painless experience in getting your Wii remotes juiced.

There are plenty of variables to consider in picking out the best charging system. Price, charging style, and number of battery packs are all features you'll want to compare.

Lucky for you, we've put every Wii charger we could find through our vigorous testing procedures and have … Read more