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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.

"I can't talk, my phone is charging...oh, wait."

(Credit: Nokia)

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 use radio frequency identification to prevent theft and track inventory. Like RFID tags, the Nokia phones would catch radio waves across a range of frequencies, harnessing them for power.

Nokia's goal is to get cell phones to harvest about 50 milliwatts of power. Currently the prototypes are able to harvest up to 5 milliwatts, but at least 20 milliwatts is needed to keep phones running in standby mode indefinitely without the need for a recharge, the U.K.'s Guardian reports in an article on Nokia's research.

We're not quite sure what features 50 milliwatts could power: music playing? 3G Internet browsing? As consumers increase their business- and entertainment-related dependency on cell phones, Nokia might have to adjust its 50-milliwatt goal. For a more functional lifestyle device, the phone would need to be paired with a solar-paneled case, or even an occasional wired charge.

The Nokia Research Centre has said the technology will take three to five years to develop. Though this would presumably be the first time electromagnetic radiation is applied to a mainstream consumer product, wireless charging has already hit the market. This month, Palm introduced a wireless charger, the Touchstone, for its much-anticipated Palm Pre.

The Touchstone uses a method referred to as inductive charging. The electric toothbrush is one of the most common devices that applies this technology.

(Credit: Tech Digest)

If home electronics with built-in ambient lighting is a gimmick as some suggest, it's nevertheless a profitable one. We're just not sure about the reasoning behind using it with an iPod dock.

Philips has charged a premium for its TVs with this feature, which supposedly improves viewing. That doesn't help music, of course, but that hasn't stopped LG from incorporating red ambient lighting with its PC12DAB "iDoc."

Sporting an unusual oval design, the dock also has a CD player, DAB radio, alarm clock, and speakers with 10 watts of sound, according to Tech Digest. As far as the lighting goes, maybe LG just has a thing for the color red.

Anti Atlas sounds a little like the music you'd make if you spent too much time around Thom Yorke--which Radiohead manager Chris Hufford surely has. Hufford's return to recording is a narcotic--but never narcoleptic--brew of modern English down-tempo and classical strains.

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The next generation in voice technology may bypass the mouth altogether. A couple of weeks ago we saw a consumer product called the "Roadrunner" headset with microphones strategically placed next to the voicebox--which readers say was based on military versions--but a new technology takes the concept to a level worthy of a sci-fi novel.

Ambient's "Audeo," which colleague Rafe Needleman saw demonstrated at a conference in September, is described as a "voiceless phone" that uses sensors worn around the neck. A trained individual "can send nerve signals to their vocal cords without making a sound," according to New Scientist Tech, adding that "these signals are picked up by the neckband and relayed wirelessly to a computer that converts them into a computerized voice." The technology behind the Audeo has also been used in controlling wheelchairs.

One reassuring aspect: Ambient co-founder Michael Callahan says the system requires "a level above thinking," meaning that it will work only with thoughts about specific words--so it won't blurt out whatever pops into your head.

(Credit: Tech Digest)

Sometimes--just sometimes--we have a thought that isn't so crazy after all. When we first heard of Philips' "Ambilight" TVs, for example, we wondered whether it was worth paying a premium for the feature--and whether it would be possible to develop something similar as a separate product.

Lo and behold, someone else had the same thought. A company called Illuminaire offers an LED system that claims to provide similar backlighting (which supposedly reduces eye strain) in a variety of colors that can change continually or even strobe, according to Tech Digest. Perfect for the first time you watch Saturday Night Fever on Blu-ray.

There's one area, however, where we suspect Philips will always have an advantage. Actually, make that 2,200 of them.

(Credit: Crave UK)

There have been some rumblings recently about the next generation of Ambilight televisions from Philips. A number of leaks have now provided model numbers and a few details about the new televisions.

From what we can gather, the new Ambilight technology will no longer just rely on reflecting colour on to a wall--instead, the light will be projected behind the screen as well as shine through the bezel of the TV. The question that we immediately have is: Will that be horribly distracting?

Early details indicate that one of the screens will be a 42-inch LCD, with full 1080p support, which is exciting on its own, even without the pretty lights. There will also be the traditional 100Hz support that we've come to expect from Philips.

Philips has a particularly frustrating Web site that enigmatically announces that we are--as of today--13 days away from something happening. It would be fair to assume that this is a reference to the European technology trade fair, IFA, where this TV is to be officially launched. We've tried to probe Philips for more information but it's keeping schtum for now. Rest assured, as soon as the launch happens, we'll bring you more details and photos of it in action.

If you fancy a quick sneak peek, there is a video on YouTube that appears to be the first glimpse of the screens in action. Plus it has some dancing silhouette girls, which is a nice bonus.

(Source: Crave UK)

If it's flashing, you'd better take it.

(Credit: Ambient Devices)

The folks from Ambient Devices came by the office yesterday to give me a look at the company's upcoming products and also let me know that their new weather-forecasting umbrella is now on sale. The Ambient Umbrella, which automatically receives weather data from Accuweather.com via Ambient's Infocast Network, has made some appearances on blogs, but it's now an official product with an official price tag of $125--though it's selling for $139 at Hammacher Schlemmer. I saw the thing in action, and while it isn't exactly super high-tech, the handle of the umbrella has a little ring of blue LED lights that start flashing when rain is forecast.

According to the press release, "The Ambient Umbrella's handle illuminates when precipitation is expected, to remind the user to carry the umbrella. The Ambient Umbrella is designed to stand by upright by the door, near a coat rack or in an umbrella stand--so it will be visible whenever the user goes outdoors. The handle's illumination behavior changes according to the forecast; for example, the handle shows soft, intermittent pulses for light rain, and very rapid, intense patterns for thunderstorms.

"The Umbrella has a high-quality, 'gust-buster' dual-canopy design and requires very simple activation via the Ambient Devices customer service phone line. The Ambient Umbrella will provide a year or more of battery life with one 'C' cell battery."

Needless to say, rain or not, this is one umbrella you might not want to take out on the town for a night of heavy drinking, which studies show correlates to a near 100 percent chance of losing your umbrella. While $125 (or $139, as the case may be) may seem like a lot for an item that I'm used to buying on a New York City street corner for $3, I can see how an affluent, weather-challenged person might think it well worth the dough.

It's bad luck to open this umbrella inside too.

(Credit: Ambient Devices)