The nPower PEG (at right) can harness kinetic energy to power most portable electronic devices.
(Credit: nPower/Tremont Electric)The nPower PEG (Personal Energy Generator) from a company called Tremont Electric harnesses personal kinetic energy as a person walks, transferring it into electricity to the portable electronic device plugged into it.
Using this method, the PEG can charge the average portable device up to 80 percent in about an hour.
Aaron LeMiex, the inventor and founder of Tremont Electric, came up with the idea for the device while hiking 1,500 miles of the Appalachian Trail more than 10 years ago.
The PEG is 9 inches by 1.5 inches, weighs about 9 ounces, and is made of recycled materials. The PEG isn't a battery, so users can not store their kinetic energy to be used for charging later. Instead, it's more of a kinetic energy real-time converter that must be plugged in to the device as it's moving for the kinetic energy to be transferred as electricity immediately to the device.
The PEG, which has a standard USB 2.0 output, is compatible with 90 percent of portable electronic devices including MP3 players, GPS units, and digital cameras, according to Tremont Electric. (The compatibility list includes BlackBerry, iPhone, iPod, LG Chocolate, Magellan GPS, Nintendo DS Lite, Palm Treo, and most cell phones from Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Sanyo, and Sony.)
There's no need to wear the device, as with some other kinetic energy harvesting devices. Simply carrying the PEG in a backpack, purse, or briefcase while walking provides the opportunity to harvest enough kinetic energy for the electricity. ... Read More
(Credit:
Samsung Mobile)
If you're planning to do a lot of flying next week for Thanksgiving, you may be in luck. Well, depending on where you're actually traveling that is. Last August Samsung Mobile announced the availability of 50 free charging stations at Newark Liberty International Airport. On Thursday, the company announced that they will be adding 115 new stations to that number.
Samsung Mobile says that it is opening new free stations at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Miami International Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport.
With the new additions Samsung claims that is has installed charging stations in 10 of the nation's busiest airports in the U.S.
The more stations, the better, especially if they're in more general areas where I can sit back and watch from the comfort of my own seat and not have to stand there guarding it the whole time.
Samsung Mobile on Monday announced that it had installed 50 free charging stations at Newark Liberty International Airport in Terminals A, B, and C.
The shelf is a bit narrow, IMO.
(Credit: Samsung)Each charging station includes four outlets that allow several normal travelers or a huge geek of one to recharge their electronic devices simultaneously. The stations are built to charge devices designed for U.S. voltage--120 volts--and come with a small shelf to hold the gear. Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) of New Jersey is providing electricity for all 50 charging stations at the airport.
Samsung Mobile has already recently installed free charging stations in several U.S. airports including 54 at JFK, 51 at LAX, 12 in LaGuardia, 18 in Orlando, and 22 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
Sounds great, but I doubt I'd ever use this. I mean, do they really think I'm gonna leave my phone or laptop alone at some charging station at the airport? Don't airports try to curb leaving your stuff unattended anyway? Sure you could just stand there, waiting for whatever you're charging to finish, but if you do remember to keep your knees bent so when you pass out you don't do that much damage.
Also, from the looks of it, the shelf could use more space. How do they expect me to charge my 17-inch laptop on that thing? I guess I'll be copping a squat under the station if I want to be able to watch movies on long flights.
Finally, here's a phone plan that allows you to switch from the U.S. government's Secret Internet Protocol Router Network to the Unclassified but Sensitive Internet Protocol Router Network with a single keystroke.
(Credit:
General Dynamics)
The National Security Agency has authorized military and government personnel to order up a bunch of General Dynamics' Sectera Edge secure, wireless smartphones, which will not only allow them to make secure calls but also to e-mail and Web-browse in either classified or unclassified mode.
The phones will still operate right along with everyone else on the existing high-speed Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), code division multiple access (CMDA) and Wi-Fi commercial cellular networks.
Although it looks like a regular phone, the company says the Sectera Edge is designed to rugged military specs, allowing for the wear and tear of both the office and "war fighters completing a tactical mission." And it comes with a personal organizer that includes contacts, calendar, tasks, alarms and notes so you won't forget your loved ones' birthdays in the midst of a covert operation.
Deliveries are scheduled for later this year, with sales estimated as high as $300 million over the next 5 years, according to the company. The Sectera Edge is part of the NSA's Secure Mobile Environment Portable Electronic Device program, but there are civilian models available. Did we mention the secret handshake?
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