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powercast

A very Tesla Christmas: The tree that lights itself

I know, I know, it's not even Halloween yet, but this wireless LED-powered tree is too Crave-worthy to wait until 12:01 a.m. Nov. 1 (or whenever Starbucks deems it appropriate to start slinging gingerbread lattes) to blog.

The Wireless Christmas Tree from Front Gate nixes wires and uses radio frequencies to transmit energy from a power source to the LED (light-emitting diodes) bulbs on the tree. The tree comes in a golden urn and stands 4.5 feet high. It's available starting today for $395.

For several reasons, this tree is an excellent candidate for something … Read more

Harvesting RF energy

A Pennsylvania start-up says it has the answer to one of the biggest problems in mobile phones: battery life.

After three years of keeping its technology under close guard, Powercast has come to CES 2007 to get consumer and manufacturer attention. Powercast is a radio frequency that is transmitted over a small area, and its energy is "harvested"--wirelessly--to give power to small devices like cell phones.

While it's presented as wireless power, Powercast isn't just a replacement for a universal charger. Instead, it's meant to either continuously charge a battery or replace the need … Read more