batteries

Whether you want to use Microsoft's new Windows Vista operating system or not, you're almost certainly going to get it if you buy a new Windows laptop. While reviews of Vista have been mixed, one thing is certain: some of Vista's features, such as the Aero interface and Windows Sidebar, can suck the life out of a laptop battery in no time. In particular, the Aero Glass interface has shown to be a major energy drain.

Luckily for new Vista laptop users, open-source software from Tamir Khason can help considerably. Titled Vista Battery Saver, the little 900K … Read more

You'd think that lawyers would be trained in the art of correctly interpreting the fine print.

Larry Drury, an Illinois lawyer, has filed a lawsuit on behalf of iPhone owner Jose Trujillo that claims Apple defrauded his client by failing to reveal that the iPhone battery was not user-replaceable, and that it would die after 300 charges. (Thanks, Gizmodo.)

"This case arises out of Defendants' purposeful and fraudulent concealment to purchasers of its iPhone cellular telephone that they will be required to incur an annual fee of $85.95 as part of Defendants' battery replacement program," Drury … Read more

Tesla Motors, the guys with the all-electric sports car, have set a goal of manufacturing 800 cars in their first production year.

The company has already taken deposits for more than 560 2008 Tesla Roadsters, according to a spokesman. The cars sell for $98,000 after a recent price hike from $92,000. If they sell all 800, that will lead to revenue of around $76 million, by my math (average price of 95K x 800).

The company has raised more than $40 million in venture funding.

The Roadster runs on lithium ion batteries and can go from zero to … Read more

Our review is up, and the results are in--Cowon's latest player, the iAudio 7, snagged a CNET Editors' Choice award. This little guy has just about every feature you'd want in an ultracompact MP3 player, plus a rechargeable battery life rated at an incredible 60 hours. You'll have to read the CNET review to get all the details.

Or, if you don't care about details and just want some eye candy, then take a gander at our official Cowon iAudio 7 slide show. If you want a slightly less polished tour, then here's a slide show … Read more

When I served in the U.S. Army back in the waning days of the Cold War, about the only battery-operated equipment I needed to worry about taking into the field was the standard-issue L-shaped flashlight, the one with the red lens we needed to swap in to reduce the risk of (a) night blindness and (b) giving away our position to the bad guys.

Things are a lot different now. While the Army is still a long ways off from its Land Warrior, Future Combat Systems and related "every soldier a sensor" goals, today's GIs pack … Read more

A Chinese man has died after a cell phone battery exploded in his chest pocket, according to the Associated Press and other news sources.

Xiao Jinpeng, a welder, reportedly died while working at the Yingpan Iron Ore Dressing Plant in Gansu. A county official told the Xinhua News Agency that the welder had a Motorola phone in his pocket. Colleagues quoted by the agency said the phone was apparently exposed to high temperatures. Xiao suffered broken ribs, and rib fragments pierced his heart, according to reports.

A Beijing spokesman for Motorola, however, is quoted by the Associated Press as saying … Read more

Immediately after we posted our Apple iPhone review, Senior Editor Donald Bell and I handed our iPhone off to CNET Labs for battery drain tests. And now we can report that our first results are in. Just to remind you, the iPhone has a rated battery life of 8 hours talk time, 24 hours of music playback, 7 hours of video playback, and 6 hours of Internet use.

Talk time: When we tested the iPhone with the Wi-Fi function turned off, we got about 7 hours, 20 minutes of talk time. When we tested it with the Wi-Fi activated, we … Read more

Replacing the battery on an iPhone will be an expensive and nerve-wracking experience.

Apple revealed the details behind its iPhone battery replacement program this week. It's basically the same deal as with the iPod, in that you have to return the unit to Apple for battery replacement, but it's a little more expensive. The service costs $79 plus $6.95 for shipping to replace the battery on an out-of-warranty iPhone, and Apple says it will take three business days.

The service is also similar to the iPod in that all data is cleared from the iPhone during the … Read more

Valence Technology won't go it alone.

The company, which is angling to sell lithium ion battery markets to vehicle makers, has signed a licensing deal with Lishen Battery Stock Co. to help it gets its batteries quicker to market, said CEO Bob Kanode in a recent interview with News.com

Under the deal, Valence will sell its lithium powder to Lishen. Lishen in turn make battery cells out of the material and sell them back to Valence. Valence will then take the cells and make battery packs that it will sell for use in electric cars, military vehicles or … Read more