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Posts with tag batteries

Charge Up Batteries By Pedaling Away Under Your Desk

by Tim Stevens, posted May 9th 2008 at 11:20AMBreaking News

Pedal Your Gadgets to Full BatteriesLooking for a really alternative way to power your gadgets? Here's a an innovative and totally renewable option out of China that lets your legs do the charging. Called "ENERGIZED by YOU," the roughly $140 gadget is a simple pedal-powered generator tied to a small, removable battery. Pedal away and you'll charge the battery up. Then, you can remove the gadget from the pedal base, plug in your gadgets, and let them pull some juice.

It also has a little LED flashlight built-in that (if we're reading the Google-translated page correctly) gives a whopping 72-hours of light per charge. Impressive -- if you don't mind carrying around a giant, brick-shaped flashlight. [Source: BoingBoing]
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Top 11 Ways to Make Your Cell Phone Battery Last Longer

by Ian Rowan, posted Feb 12th 2008 at 1:10PMFeatured Story

Cell phones have come a long way in terms of features and styling, but the issue of battery life, or having enough of it, remains strong. Yes, you can keep your battery juiced up for days if you don't talk on the phone ever, but what's the use of that? And sure, you can carry your admittedly portable charger with you to work, but try taking it out with you for a night out on the town -- it's just not practical. Luckily, all hope is not lost -- with a quick adjustments here and there, you can extend the battery life of your phone by hours and sometimes even days. We've compiled a list of tips and tricks to keep your phone battery running longer -- take a look, follow a few, and you'll never have to say "sorry, my phone battery died" again.

Turn your cell phone off to save battery life

Turn your cell phone off.
Sure, it might seem obvious, but when was the last time you actually shut off your phone when not using it? Well, do it next time, and you'll see just how much longer your battery lasts. When you're asleep, while you're in a dead cell phone reception area, or, the next time you're at the movies....Next time you find yourself in a theater as the previews start, try turning your phone off instead of putting it on silent. You shouldn't be checking your phone during the movie anyway.
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Green Batteries Boast No Lead, Cadmium or Mercury

by Alon Avdi, posted Jan 9th 2008 at 7:28PM


Vinnic batteries

At this year's Consumer Electronics Show, Green Technology is all the rage. It seems that companies are increasingly embracing an environmentally friendly approach to product development. From hydrogen-powered cars to Freeplay Energy's solar-powered radios, it is clear that technological advances are paving the way for a healthier Mother Earth. We particularly like Hong Kong-based Chung Pak Battery Works, which has removed many of the most harmful elements from its Vinnic and Vinergy product lines without sacrificing power output. For this reason, we enthusiastically support Chung Pak's Green Batteries. (We also enthusiastically support their commercial, so click the image above to watch.)

The latest Vinnic innovation is the No Lead Added Zinc Chloride Battery Series, while Chung Pak's completely new line, Vinergy, offers a Mercury and Cadmium free alkaline button cell and battery. The result is an array of different eco-conscious batteries that have no Lead, Mercury or Cadmium added. A more complete list of available Chung Pak products includes several series of the aforementioned alkaline and zinc chloride batteries, in addition to alkaline/silver-oxide button cells; high voltage, alkaline, cylindrical button cells; Ni-MH rechargeable, cylindrical and button cells; battery packs and chargers; and even lithium batteries. Vinnic and Vinergy merchandise is sold in the United States through Evergreen (C.P.) USA Inc.

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Green Tech to be a Major Theme at Next Week's Gadget Show

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jan 4th 2008 at 1:35PM


green tech to be a major theme at cesNot like we couldn't see it coming, but news is that a big theme at this year's CES will be "green technology." The environment, being green, and global warming have been on everyone's minds this year. The Prius, 'An Inconvenient Truth,' OLEDs, and tons of research into alternative power sources and fuels were all the rage in 2007, and '08 doesn't look to be any different.

A number of new technologies are expected to make their debut, or at least US debut, at CES next week. Among them is a new Silver-Zinc battery technology that will increase battery capacity by up to 30 percent, and will also yield more recoverable metal when recycled than the currently common Lithium-Ion batteries.

Fujitsu will show off a laptop with a plastic case made partially from corn byproducts. The case will not be biodegradable, because it still contains petroleum based plastics, but when the case is recycled the petroleum based plastic mixed in with the corn will separate and the corn plastic will be biodegradable.

Even cell phone chargers are getting a green makeover. As much as two thirds of the power drawn by a phone charger is wasted because AC adapters continue to draw energy even after the phone is fully charged. A company called GreenPlug will show off a universal hub that it hopes to convince electronics companies to support. The hub works by "talking" to devices to determine how much power they really need. Another perk is that the universal hub could eliminate the need for carrying a separate adapter for every phone, iPod etc. However one very un-green side effect is that the hub, even if supported, just means more non-biodegradable plastic going into circulation.

From CNN

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