Crave

(Credit: Nobil)

Portable battery banks may be common these days, but the Juice charger deserves mention for being really pretty.

Made by a Japanese company called Nobil, this product's internal battery can be recharged through the wall socket prongs cleverly hidden in its body. It can then be used to charge any device that draws power from a USB port--just think of it as recharging using your home PC, less the PC. Furthermore, two AAA- or AA-size batteries fit on its sides so those can be recharged on the go, too.

The company describes it as an "ingenious portable charger," which is a bit of a boast. We think it should play on the aesthetics instead as most similar products are really bulky and ugly compared with the Juice.

Nobil's Web site says the product will go on sale in March, though we're not exactly sure where. Contact the company directly for more information on availability.

(Source: Crave Asia via Buzz Beast)

The first Netbook we've seen with the Atom N450 is the Asus Eee PC 1005PE.

Intel has officially announced the next generation of its popular Atom CPUs for Netbooks. While probably the worst-kept secret in personal computing, unveiling the Atom N450 (previously codenamed "Pinetrail") weeks before the upcoming CES trade show means Intel doesn't want this key announcement to get lost amid the thousands of new products set to debut in January.

One of the brightest spots in the consumer electronics industry over the past two years has been the growth of Netbooks. These small, low-power, low-cost laptops are popular with almost every segment of the computer-buying public, from students, to business travelers, to seniors.

But, these machines had became largely commodity products, with identical components and features, driving prices down to $299 (or less, with subsidized deals from mobile phone providers). More recently, PC makers have attempted to create new tiers in the Netbook market with high-def displays and improved Nvidia Ion graphics, or even competing CPUs from AMD and Via. ... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog

Just lay your Wii controllers on this inductive charger and poof: they start recharging!

(Credit: Buy.com)

Last year around this time, it was still a challenge just to get a Wii. Now that everyone's got one, let's take a look at some inexpensive gift ideas for the Wii people ("Wii-ple"?) in your life.

1. Buy.com has the Wii AirCharge Inductive Charger for $17.99 shipped. "Inductive" means you just lay the controllers on the charging base and presto: they recharge. It even works through the silicon sleeves and with the new MotionPlus connected. The package comes with the base and a pair of rechargeable batteries. I'm getting one.

2. Amazon has the hilariously kooky games Rayman Raving Rabbids, Rayman Raving Rabbids 2, and Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party for $11.98 each. Get your cart total above $25 to qualify for free shipping.

3. Meritline has a Wii steering-wheel adapter for $6.99 shipped. Even better, get a two-pack for $9.99 or three for $12.89. It may seem like a silly accessory, but in my experience it makes Wii racing games a lot easier to control (and therefore a lot more fun).

Now that we're getting down to the wire, holiday-wise, any suggestions for what kinds of deals you'd like me to post in the last couple weeks before Xmas? I'm all ears!

Backup deal: I love coffee and tea equally, so I'm digging today's Woot deal: a Gevalia Pod Coffee Maker for $9.99 (plus $5 shipping). It's new, not refurbished, and it works for both coffee and tea.

Three brave batteries answered the call!

(Credit: Eric Franklin/CNET)

Even in the days of nickel cadmium and lithium ion batteries being used in most laptops, phones, and MP3 players, some of us still need traditional alkaline batteries.

Recently, I was forced by my superiors as if my life depended upon my cooperation I was politely asked if I could conduct some battery performance tests on a few regular, everyday, over-the-counter batteries. I, of course, responded: "Yes! Especially since you asked so nicely, I'd be happy to do it!"

I chose what I thought were two of the most popular batteries on the market, and one not so popular battery. The goal being to determine which battery would last longer under controlled conditions.

We looked at the following batteries: Energizer, Duracell Ultra Advanced, and Fuji Enviro Max. All batteries were of the AA variety with a 1.5-volt charge.

We used three identical Mini Maglite flashlights that require two AA batteries each.

We set up a Webcam, placed the flashlights in front of the lens, and started recording. When we returned a few hours later, all three flashlights were off and didn't turn on when we attempted to do so.

We then skipped through the recorded video file to determine exactly when each flashlight died. Using the video duration counter, we determined the following results:

I was not surprised that the purported "Eco-friendly" Fuji Enviro Max came in last place, but I was taken aback that a normal Energizer battery beat something called the Duracell Ultra Advanced.

Note that all batteries were brand-new and only used for the first time with each test run. Also, our goal was to determine which battery lasted longest. Sometimes, even after a device dies, batteries will still have a charge and knocking the device around or taking the battery out and putting it back in will give you more juice. We didn't do that here. The test was one run, repeating the test twice (three times total). The number you see above is an average of the three tests for each brand of battery.

Let us know in the comment section if you think we've missed something, or if you would like to request a different battery to test.

A group of researchers from Stanford University have figured out a way to transform ordinary copy paper into storage units for electricity.

This week a group led by Yi Cui, professor of materials science and engineering at Stanford, demonstrated (see video) the use of an ink consisting of carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires. Once dipped in the ink and then baked, ordinary paper turns into a black paper that can act as a battery or supercapacitor. The paper retains its ability to hold a charge regardless of whether it's bent, crumpled, or rolled.

The ink looks identical to common India ink, which makes sense given the fact that Cui's ink is also made of carbon, albeit carbon nanotubes.

Cui and his team tried the ink on plastic, but found paper to be preferable because of its absorbent properties and its ability to endure crumpling. The ink could also be used as paint to create conductive walls.

The nanotechnology paper would have applications in electricity storage devices connecting to electrical grids, and could last through 40,000 charge/recharge cycles, according to Cui.

Cui said the nanomaterial transfers electricity more efficiently than normal conductors. He sees the paper providing a lightweight storage solution for energy sources, like wind and solar, which contend with the problem of not always being available on-demand. It could also be used in hybrid or all-electric cars.

Ink or printing has become a common method for scientists using nanotechnology to convey unusual properties onto ordinary objects. Innovalight has developed a proprietary silicon ink for ink-jet-manufacturing solar cells. In 2007, IBM and ETH Zurich researchers developed a method for "printing" molecules.

Cui's Stanford team for the ink project includes Liangbing Hu and JangWook Choi, both post doctoral scholars, and Yuan Yang, a graduate student.

Credit: Jack Hubbard/Standford News Service

If you're serious about rechargeable batteries, and saving money on disposables, this charging kit can't be beat.

(Credit: Amazon)

A battery charger is essential gear for any household with a game console (those controllers burn through AA's like nobody's business), childrens' toys, or anything else battery-powered.

Because, let's face it, you'll pay a lot more in the long haul for disposable batteries than you will for a good charger and some rechargeable batteries.

Of course, a good charger--one with features such as a heat monitor and status LCD--can cost you upward of $70 or more--batteries not included.

Today only, Amazon has the La Crosse BC-9009 AlphaPower Battery Charger for $34.99 shipped. And in addition to the kick-ass charger, you get four AA rechargeables, four AAA's, adapters for C and D cells, and a travel case.

What makes the BC-9009 so special? Start with four independent status displays, one for each of its four slots. They can cycle through stats like charge rate, discharge rate, elapsed time, and total battery capacity.

The charger also includes a heat monitor to prevent overcharging. And buyers certainly seem to like it: nearly 650 reviewers rated it 4.5 stars out of 5 on average.

Looks like a perfect gift for that hard-to-buy-for person (or blogger) in your life. I'm just hoping this doesn't sell out in five minutes like everything else I post these days. Dang holiday season!

Backup deal: It's that time of year when we clear out some space on the ol' iPod to make room for the holiday playlist. If yours is a little, well, played out, Amazon MP3 has Diana Krall's "Christmas Songs" album for just $2.99. It's a digital download, of course, in DRM-free, universally compatible MP3 format. Perfect for cozy nights by the fire.

For just $9.99 you can stuff a stocking with the cool, practical HiJack Headphone Splitter Keychain.

(Credit: ThinkGeek)

What do you get for the iPhone user who has, well, an iPhone? After all, the device itself is the gift that keeps on giving. Am I right?

Anyway, I've rounded up five iPhone-friendly items for the holidays. Whether you're shopping for a Secret Santa gift for a co-worker, a stocking stuffer for your hubby (or missus), or something to round out the latter nights of Hanukkah, one of these should fit the bill.

1) A gift card...that later turns into an iPhone stand! Start with any gift card--Starbucks, iTunes (duh), or whatever--then tell the recipient to bring it back to you after it's used up. Following these simple Instructables instructions, do a little waving-your-magic-wand thing and turn that card into a cute, clever, portable, and virtually indestructible stand. Who knew a gift card could keep on giving?

2) The world's best (?) battery pack Blogger Josh Bancroft calls this Monoprice iPhone Backup Battery Pack the "best $15 you can spend," and I'm inclined to agree. For just $15.23 you get a 2200mAh battery, which is good for roughly two full iPhone charges. Just one problem: It's currently on back order. Well, you can always print a photo from the product page, write "coming soon," and stuff that in the stocking.

Amazon has announced small enhancements to certain Kindle models.

(Credit: Amazon)

Just in time for the holidays and facing heavy competition from Barnes & Noble's upcoming Nook e-book reader, Amazon has announced that it has improved the Kindle's battery life when the wireless connection is turned on and will now be offering native PDF support for its e-book reader. Both the battery-life boost and native PDF support will be available to owners of new Kindles and some older models via a firmware upgrade.

In a press release, Amazon says the Kindle now has battery life of up to seven days with wireless turned on compared with four days previously. However, battery life with wireless turned off remains the same (around two weeks).

"Battery power management for portable wireless devices is a complex technical area, and the battery life improvement announced today is the result of a six-month firmware improvement and testing program," the release notes.

As for the native PDF support, Amazon says you can now "read professional and personal documents in their original PDF format without conversion." To read PDF files, you either e-mail them to your Kindle e-mail address or move them over using a USB connection. If you prefer to have your PDF documents converted to the Kindle format, you type "Convert" in the subject of the e-mail when sending documents to your "@kindle.com" address.

All new Kindles will ship with the battery-life improvements and native PDF support in place, but if you bought an earlier Kindle you may be eligible for both enhancements via a firmware upgrade that will automatically download to your Kindle when you turn its wireless connection on.

We're still trying to determine which models will get the upgrade (we have an e-mail into Amazon's PR team). In the meantime, if you have an older Kindle 2 or the original Kindle, let us know if you got the upgrade.

Comments?

Update 12:30 p.m. PST: We have confirmed with Amazon that the latest Kindle, released in October, as well as the Kindle with U.S. wireless (released in February) now have native PDF support and the improved battery life. However, as suspected, the original Kindle is not eligible for the upgrade.

(Credit: Sanyo)

Sanyo is introducing a portable USB recharger that can power mobile devices, such as the iPhone, that require a higher current for charging.

The Eneloop Stick Booster, part of the same family of power products as the USB Solar Panels, comes with two rechargeable eneloop AA NiMH batteries.

The company says the batteries can be recharged some 1,500 times, and eneloops are more effective than dry cells because they don't meet the current requirement of some devices.

The aluminum-construction Stick Booster weighs 2.6 ounces and is 5.8 inches long. When switched on, it can provide power for about 90 minutes on two fully charged eneloop AA batteries.

The device goes on sale December 1 in Japan for what appears to be about $35.

(Via Akihabara News)