Panasonic Platinum Power batteries introduced

panasonic-platinum-cellsWhen it comes to the numerous remote controls as well as children’s toys around the home, many of them tend to rely on the classic AA and AAA batteries. In fact, what were some of your favorite toys that ran on AA batteries? Mine was the Nintendo Game Boy, where its monochrome glory certainly helped me go through mountains of AA batteries over the years. It was a huge relief then, to see Nintendo slim down the Game Boy in addition to lowering the number of batteries required for it to run by half. Having said that, here we are today with Panasonic announcing the introduction of their AA and AAA Platinum Power batteries.

These alkaline battery cells are capable of protecting power for up to 10 years, as they boast of enhanced storage capabilities in addition to safe, stable power features. The all new Platinum Power AA and AAA battery cells were specially designed for high drain devices that have greater power consumption, where among them include radio controlled toys and game controllers. Not only that, you can also opt to make use of Platinum Power batteries in everyday medium and low drain devices such as flashlights, remote controls and thousands of other products, without worrying about them running out of juice anytime soon.

I personally stick to using Sanyo’s Eneloop batteries, and my first set that was purchased more than half a dozen years ago still operate just fine until today. I suppose rechargeables could be the way to go if you want to go green, but if you need long running power on the spot without having to go through the hassles of recharging and its pesky wait time, then the Panasonic Platinum Power batteries would fit the bill perfectly. It comes packaged in standard four and eight pack sizes, in addition to a wide variety of multi-packs with up to 24 cells or more. The asking price for the four pack AA size will cost $3.99 a pop.

Press Release
[ Panasonic Platinum Power batteries introduced copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Vonkil’s Batthead Is A Rechargeable, Remote Controlled AA Battery

batthead

I spent my formative years using up AA batteries at a frenzied pace, and I can’t count the number of times my parents said they wished they could zap my trusty Game Boy dead. While there’s nothing they can do to salvage my childhood now, the folks at Vonkil Technologies have worked up something that should help a new generation of parents remotely kill toys at will.

Enter the Batthead, the star of a new Kickstarter campaign that wants to make your rechargeable AA batteries much, much smarter.

Here’s the concept in a nutshell: they have essentially taken a rechargeable AA battery and crammed a Bluetooth 4.0 radio and an accelerometer into it. You probably see where this is going — thanks to a companion app, users can remotely enable and disable those batteries in a bid to preserve more power for when it’s really needed. Of course, parents can don their troll hats and remotely shut down their kids’ toys from afar using their iOS devices (the Vonkil team says that Android support is in the works too).

The accelerometer adds a curious bit of awareness to the fold, as users can set the batteries to activate only when they’re moved or oriented in a certain position. I can already hear you murmuring about the questionable value that brings to the table, but the notion of a flashlight that turns on automatically when you pick it up still strikes me as awfully neat.

Now I can’t blame you if this all sounds a little familiar. A seemingly similar concept called the TetherCell was successfully Kickstarted earlier this year (although backers are still waiting for those first shipments to go out). The big difference though comes down to execution: while the TetherCell is also remotely controllable from an iOS device, the fact that the product itself is just a sleeve that wraps around a AAA battery means there’s only so much the team could physically squeeze into the thing. Since the Batthead contains a rechargeable cell in addition to that slew of sensors, we’re ultimately left with a more capable power source.

Of course, there are some caveats to be aware of. Don’t go expecting these things to outperform your trusty set of Eneloops, for one. The team hasn’t yet disclosed that rechargeable cell’s capacity yet (I’ve reached out and will update the post if and when they do), but I can’t imagine that longevity hasn’t taken a hit considering how much space all those other bits must take up. And then there’s the price differential to consider, too — a single, early-run Batthead without an accelerometer will set you back $19 CAD, while the fully tricked out version will cost you $40 CAD. Not exactly the most cost-effective way to power your myriad remote controls, but it just may be worth it for some tinkerers and connected home buffs out there.

gdgt’s best deals for July 17: HP Envy TouchSmart, Logitech Bluetooth Illuminated Keyboard

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Palm-Sized Portable Iron Runs On USB, AA Batteries To Deliver Wrinkle-Free Clothes

We know when traveling, one of the hardest things to do is to keep your clothes wrinkle-free, especially if you’re the kind of person to pack everything they’re traveling with into a large duffle bag. Sure – you could use […]

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Thanko – “Flexible Endoscope 2″ – Investigate hidden and hard to reach places

With Thanko’s “Flexible Endoscope 2″, you can monitor small/narrow/hidden places where you are not able to see directly such as under the floor of your house or the back of your car’s engine, etc.
“Flexible Endoscope 2″ has a 2.4 inch LC monitor and an LED light at the tip of the camera, and runs on 4 size AA batteries. It comes with 3 different kinds of adapters: hook type, side-viewing type, and magnet.
This looks like it would be really fun to use and …

Buffalo – BSMPB05BK – Compact dual iPhone and Android smartphone battery charger

With 4 AA batteries, you can charge your iPhone or Android smartphone with Buffalo’s new mobile battery charger “BSMPB05BK” anytime.
It’s a very compact, portable small stick, so you can take it with you in your pocket or bag very easily.
Size is 42.4mm x 100.7mm × 23.9mm.
It will be out in late February.

Tethercell Gives You Power Over Any AA Battery-Powered Device Via Smartphone

 Tethercell Gives You Power Over Any AA Battery Powered Device Via Smartphone

Smartphones can control a large number of things these days with the proper app. We have applications that can help us change the channel on our TV and even automate our home, but we want control over everything around us. We know that’s not possible, but Tethercell is making it possible to have complete control over anything powered by a AA battery.

The way Tethercell works is through is a Bluetooth-enabled adapter for your battery that allows you to completely control the device through a smartphone application. From the application, you can turn the battery-powered device off, on, view how much charge it has left, as well as set timers to automatically turn on or off your device.

If you have a device that requires more than one batter, let’s say, and Xbox 360 controller, you’ll only need one Tethercell adapter to control it, which will probably save you the extra money you probably thought you’d have to spend to buy additional adapters.

Tethercell is currently seeking funding on Indiegogo of $59,000. There are a number of perks you can receive if you decide to support the project, so if you feel this is something you could use in your life, feel free to open your wallets and help fund them.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Amazon Sells Stolen iPhones, Internet-Based Messaging Providers Should Support Text-To-911 Too, Suggests FCC,

IRL: Ballistic Tough Jacket, Dell UltraSharp U2412M and an argument for disposable AA batteries

Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we’re using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment.

What a week. What a month! So far this September, Amazon, Nokia, Motorola and Apple have announced new products, and HTC is up next, with a press event scheduled for Wednesday. We’ll let you speak for yourselves — maybe you want more liveblogs — but we here at Engadget keen to take a break from the hands-on posts and breaking news posts and talk shop about the products we already own. This week, Jason tests a rugged tablet sleeve, Don rates his Dell monitor and Darren makes the case for disposable AAs (and yes, he has a favorite brand).

Continue reading IRL: Ballistic Tough Jacket, Dell UltraSharp U2412M and an argument for disposable AA batteries

IRL: Ballistic Tough Jacket, Dell UltraSharp U2412M and an argument for disposable AA batteries originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 16 Sep 2012 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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