Rechargeable

The "WildCharger" was met with some skepticism when it was announced more than a year ago because it sounded too good to be true. The roll-up pad promised to charge various devices simultaneously, regardless of type or brand.

But its manufacturer, appropriately named WildCharge, continues to prove its critics wrong by releasing new adapters compatible with more products. The latest of them will work with the iPhone, iPod, second-generation Nano, and two BlackBerry models (the Pearl and 8800), according to Gizmodo.

The adapters still need to be placed on the back of the devices, which can then be … Read more

JOBO introduced today its Energy Premio line of replacement rechargeable batteries, designed specifically for use with digital SLR's, compact digital cameras and camcorders. Sixty of the most common battery models will be available for 400 popular camera models. The JOBO batteries are packaged with an easy-to-match color-coding system, making it easy for consumers and retailers to find the right replacement battery for their digital cameras or camcorders. JOBO Premio batteries do not have a memory effect, are high current capable and quick charge capable. They provide a constant capacity across many charging cycles, 300 to 500 depending on usage. … Read more

Ecotality plans to acquire Minit-Charger, a subsidiary of publicly traded Edison International, for $3 million in cash and stock, both companies announced Thursday.

Minit-Charger makes chargers for rechargeable lithium-ion and lead-acid batteries that can be used in electric light construction vehicles like forklifts. The Irvine, Calif.-based company includes Home Depot, Costco Wholesale, and Toyota Motor among its customers.

"It's the charging system, very complex, that allows batteries to be charged to maximum charge on minimum time. It has a complex electrical system that adjusts once every 300 times per minute for variances," Ecotality CEO Jonathan Read … Read more

If there's one thing everyone agrees on, it's that we all need a better way to charge the multiplying electronic devices that run our lives. One of the more anticipated technologies in this department, for example, has been the "WildCharger" wireless recharging pad. Herman Miller, the office furnishing designer extraordinaire that gave us the "Aeron" chair, has apparently a concept similar to the WildCharger's and plans to use it in future desks.

The company has licensed a system called "eCoupled," which uses a magnetic field that can theoretically charge cell phones, … Read more

Sitting on the floor of LAX last summer, my cell phone plugged into an outlet that looked as if it might catch fire at any moment, I thought to myself, "There must be a more civilized way of doing this."

Turns out, there is. This month 50 mobile charging stations with four outlets each will be installed at JFK airport in New York for this express purpose, and--bonus--it's free. Travelers will have access to the outlets to recharge their laptops, phones, PDAs, etc. in every single terminal at the airport.

The original idea was to use the … Read more

It's great that solar rechargers are starting to catch on, but we're not thrilled at the idea of carrying one that's 10 times the size of the phone it's supposed to power. Brunton's "SolarPort 4.4" isn't that big and won't give us a hernia (we hope), but it's still not as portable as we'd like.

The charger, which Red Ferret says is designed for handheld devices and nothing bigger, weighs 19 ounces and measures 9.3 by 6 inches and 1.5 inches thick. That would stow easily … Read more