flow

MIT flow battery breaks mold for cheap storage

Instead of filling up with gasoline, electric cars with a new design may one day refuel their batteries with "Cambridge crude."

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology today published details on a battery design that reinvents the operation of traditional lithium ion batteries by using flowable, rather than solid, materials. In a paper published in the journal Advanced Energy Materials, they said the approach has the potential to boost battery storage capacity many times today's levels while being inexpensive to manufacture for both electric vehicles and grid storage.

The technology developed in the lab has been licensed to 24M, … Read more

Primus Power funded to build grid-size flow battery

Primus Power has raised enough money from venture investors to build a commercial-size flow battery to store energy on the power grid, the start-up said today.

The company received $11 million from I2BF Global Ventures and DBL Investors, which was spun out of a JPMorgan fund to pursue "double bottom line" investments that earn money and address social and environmental issues. Existing investors Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers and Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital also invested in this round.

Primus Power has developed a flow battery to provide backup power for the power grid or store solar or wind … Read more

Google Books now finds, defines, translates text

E-book aficionados who use Google Books will find a few enhancements waiting for them the next time they open their favorite book.

As of yesterday, Google lets you search for any word that appears in the text of one of your books as well as letting you highlight text to ask for a definition or translation. You can access the new features by opening a book in your Google Books library through any desktop browser. Double-clicking on or dragging your mouse over any piece of text then opens a pop-up menu with a series of choices.… Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1468: Bad Facebook! No biscuit for you! (Podcast)

Facebook gets busted for actually hiring a PR agency to try to plant anti-Google stories in the press. Wow. What are you guys, like 14? Oh, wait. Kind of, yeah. In other rant bait, an FCC commissioner who blocked any conditions regulating the NBC/Comcast merger got a lobbying gig at Comcast! How ... sleazy. Plus, the sad story of the other Mark Zuckerberg, and I finally finish my Keynote presentation about my spring break to Alaska. --Molly

iFlow Reader developer rages at Apple (Q&A)

CNET ran a story yesterday about BeamItDown Software, the start-up behind the iFlow Reader app for iOS, offering harsh words for Apple as it felt forced to shut down. In a note to customers, the Irvine, Calif.-based company said its demise was due to Apple's "mid-game rule changes that make it impossible for anyone but Apple to sell e-books at a profit on iOS."

I was struck by the candidness of the remarks and decided to track down BeamItDown's co-founder Dennis Morin for a follow-up interview. Morin has been an entrepreneur for a number of … Read more

As iFlow Reader app closes, harsh words for Apple

Update 5/12: CNET has posted an expanded Q&A with BeamItDown co-founder and iFlow Reader developer Dennis Morin.

Some interesting news from the world of e-reading apps in the land of iOS: BeamItDown is shuttering its iFlow Reader app on May 31, saying "Apple has decided that it wants all of the e-book business in iOS for itself and it has has made mid-game rule changes that make it impossible for anyone but Apple to sell e-books at a profit on iOS."

Just like the Kindle, Nook, and Kobo apps for iOS, the iFlow Reader app for iPhone and iPad has an integrated e-bookstore. Apple has reportedly set a deadline of June 30 for developers to alter their apps to reflect the new terms for subscriptions in the Apple Store, which requires companies to give Apple a 30 percent cut on sales their apps generate.

In the past, e-reading apps like iFlow, Kindle, and Nook have avoided paying the cut by sending customers to a Web-based interface outside the app. Starting in June, however, Apple has said it will require developers to sell content from only within the app.

Fear of reprisals from Apple has kept most companies mum on the looming issue, but the folks at BeamItDown Software who make the iFlow Reader let their anger--excuse the pun--flow freely. It is one of the harsher public condemnations of Apple we've seen. … Read more

Visualizing how Twitter spread news of bin Laden's death

Thousands of words have been written this week about how Twitter had the first reports that the United States had found and killed Osama bin Laden, but a start-up called SocialFlow has published a fascinating visual look at how the news originated and spread on Twitter.

At the center of the bin Laden Twitter storm that erupted Sunday night is Keith Urbahn (@Keithurbahn), the former chief of staff to Donald Rumsfeld who tweeted at 10:25 EST, "So I'm told by a reputable person they have killed Osama Bin Laden. Hot damn."

Despite being relatively unknown outside … Read more

Apple wins reversal in Cover Flow patent case

Apple has come out the victor in a three-year-old patent infringement suit that would have cost the company more than $625 million for infringing on patents held by Mirror Worlds.

The case, in which a jury had found Apple liable last October, targeted the Cover Flow, Spotlight search, and Time Machine features found in Apple's Mac OS. The October jury ruling was fought by the Cupertino, Calif.-based technology company with an emergency motion to stay. In that motion, Apple said the damages were too high and urged the court to re-evaluate the evidence.

In the court's ruling … Read more

Crave giveaway: Pure Oasis Flow

For this week we've got another audio-themed giveaway, a versatile Wi-Fi Internet Radio from Pure--the Oasis Flow.

Here's what Pure has to say about the Oasis Flow:

With its weatherproof and splash resistant case, rubber seals and cast aluminum framework, Pure's Wi-Fi-based Oasis Flow most rugged, Internet-connected radio on the market and is perfect playing outdoors or in moist environments like the bathroom. Teamed with an integrated rechargeable ChargePak battery and built-in handle, you can enjoy up to 10 hours of continuous audio entertainment (it also has an FM radio) on a single charge. Enjoy thousands of … Read more

Solar combo generator heats and powers

A new type of solar thermal system for homes that can provide heat, hot water, and electricity is being tested in Boulder, Colo., over the next few months.

Cool Energy says its SlowFlow system could provide the average U.S. home with 80 percent of its heat, 100 of its hot water, and 60 percent of its electricity needs.

It's being developed with help from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, and electricity and natural gas giant Xcel Energy.

The system consists of solar collectors, a Stirling engine, a hot water heater, a space heater, an insulated … Read more