Water and electricity: that's a winning combination if ever we heard one.
Clearly Philips thinks it's a theme that has some legs--five of them to be precise--because it's created a mains extension socket it calls the "power squid."
Anyone with an encyclopedia would be able to tell you that a squid has 10 appendages--that's 8 arms and 2 tentacles, fact fans. The Philips SPR550BN also differs from aquatic reality in its color, which is black, rather than the more realistic white or slightly translucent skin tone of most squid.
Behold the squid of power.
(Credit: Philips)Still, most real squid don't aim to protect your AV equipment from an electrical surge either. Nor do they offer you the opportunity to turn one plug socket into five--which means, despite its unrealistic color and incorrect number of limbs, the Philips power squid scores over nature's squid in a number of key areas.
The power squid should help you keep the area behind your TV a little tidier, which should in turn lead to a happier home life. Trust us, we've had plenty of arguments about wiring in our time.
One word of caution though: despite its oceanic inspiration, the power squid states very clearly on its rear that it can't be used with any sort of aquarium. Perhaps this is to prevent any real squid getting tragically over-excited by this exotic little chap and jumping out of their watery homes.
Could this be the start of a whole range of sea-derived home electronics? Could we one day see the electric eel-themed HDMI cable, or perhaps an octopus-inspired subwoofer interconnect? Only time will tell, but we're hoping so.
The U.S. version can be found here.
(Via Crave UK)
QuickerTek solar panels for MacBook Air fold up to a rectangle about 10.5 inches.
(Credit: QuickerTek)A new solar panel kit for the MacBook Air will both charge and power the laptop at the same time.
QuickerTek, a Wichita, Kansas-based company that sells accessories for Apple devices, calls its new portable solar power gadget the Apple Juicz MacBook Air Solar Charger.
The Juicz comes in three size and power options and has a one-year warranty, QuickerTek said Tuesday. As usual with solar energy, all that "free" power is going to cost you.
The smallest 19-watt Apple Juicz, which takes 14 hours to recharge the laptop, will sell for $500; the 8-hour, 29-watt model is $600 and the 5-hour, 58-watt model is $1,000.
In addition to laying out the initial money for the solar kit, you'll also need to shell out another $100 for a compatible MagSafe power adapter, or pay QuickerTek $25 to upgrade your existing power adapter. (For $500 to $1,000 you'd think they could throw in the adapter modification for free.)
You'll also need a bit of space to use these.
While each solar panel kit folds up into a rectangle about the size of a piece of paper, unfurling them for use requires room. The 19-watt model unfolds into 30 inches by 30.5 inches and the largest 58-watt model folds out to about 5 feet by 3.5 feet.
That doesn't sound like a big deal when you picture your green, conscientious self sitting outside this summer on a patch of grass, or at a picnic table, with your solar panel spread out beside you and passersby inquiring about your oh-so-ingenious gadget. In reality, how's this going to work when you're jockeying for space around an outdoor table at a coffee shop?
If you bought a replacement power adapter for one of Apple's PowerBook and iBook notebooks--and you managed to hang onto the receipt for all these years--you'll soon be eligible for a refund.
Bloomberg notes that Apple has settled a lawsuit filed in 2001 over the tendency of power adapters sold with PowerBooks and iBooks to spark or overheat. Apple recalled some power adapters in 2001, but some customers felt the company didn't come clean about the full extent of the problems.
Cash refunds of between $25 and $79 will be issued by Apple to owners who bought a replacement adapter when their original one failed. The settlement still has to be finalized, and details of how to claim your refund will probably be released after a final hearing in September.
The Belkin Dual USB Power Adapter can juice up two gadgets simultaneously.
(Credit: CNET Networks)Despite the dream of an "ultimate handheld," it's really hard to get down to fewer than two portable devices. A Treo may do it all, but you still want an iPod; an iPhone is great, but you still need a BlackBerry for work; you like to listen to your iPod while playing your PSP or DS; and so on. Even those who do manage to get down to one super smart phone often have a Bluetooth headset to go along with it. And traveling with two devices means taking two power adapters along. Or at least it did--until the Belkin Dual USB Power Adapter came along.
... Read morePerhaps Justin Stangel's experience will inspire a future Top Ten list titled "The Top Ten Ways to Electrocute Yourself."
The head writer for the Late Show with David Letterman recently had a mildly shocking experience with the power adapter for his PowerBook G4. While at work in Manhattan last week, Stangel starting to smell something burning after firing up his PowerBook, and noticed that the cord was frayed near the adapter, giving off smoke and occasional sparks. Sensing a potential gag for the show, he had a producer tape him playing with the cord, moving it back and forth in order to reproduce the smoke and sparks.
After about a week on YouTube, the clip had been watched almost 40,000 times, which isn't a huge number but was apparently large enough to get Apple's attention. Stangel said he received two calls from Apple's customer service department, one from an executive and the other from a senior technician inquiring about his experience, but he still had to cough up the $79 for a replacement adapter since it was out of warranty. Apple confirmed that Stangel was contacted by its customer service team.
Stangel said he often wraps the adapter's cord around the hooks built into the power adapters, which over time can lead to fraying if the cord is stored in that position for extended periods of time. Apple's support documents advise against wrapping the cord "to (sic) tightly" around the power brick, but everybody's probably got a different idea of how tight is too tight. Avoid bending the power cords as much as possible and check it often for wear and tear to avoid burning down your house or office.
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