Stanford Ovshinsky, inventor of the NiMH battery, dies at 89

Stanford Ovshinsky, who may not be a household name but was the inventor of the nickel-metal hydride battery, passed away Wednesday night at the age of 89 after battling cancer. Throughout Ovshinsky’s 50-year career, he received over 400 US patents that cover a range of different technologies, including NiMH batteries, hydrogen fuel cells, and thin-film solar cells.

NiMH is a popular type of rechargeable battery that can be used in everything from computer mice all the way to hybrid automobiles. Ovshinsky never attended college and was a self-taught inventor. He held over 1,000 patents, around 800 of those being foreign patents relating to a wide variety of technologies.

Rewritable CDs, DVDs, LCD displays, and even phase change memory are just some of the other technologies that Ovshinsky helped to develop. Just last year, at the age of 88, he was working on improving photovoltaic thin-film production. This would allow factories to speed up production of solar panels while keeping the cost extremely low.

There was never a time when Ovshinsky thought he would retire. Last year he said he still had 15 patents pending and he planned on getting more in the future. “As long as I know I can do it, it is my civic responsibility to do it because of the character of the problems.” he said. “Somebody has got to do it.”

[via PhysOrg]

Image via Flickr


Stanford Ovshinsky, inventor of the NiMH battery, dies at 89 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Stanford Ovshinsky, inventor of the NiMH battery, passes away at 89

Stanford Ovshinsky, inventor of the NiMH battery, passes away at 89

On Wednesday night, Stanford Ovshinsky, inventor of the nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) battery, passed away at the age of 89 due to complications from cancer. The Akron, Ohio native may not be a household name, but there’s a good chance that many of your electronics have been powered by his work, as NiMH batteries are used in everything from mice to hybrid cars. A self-taught inventor who didn’t attend college, Ovshinsky held hundreds of patents, received a number of honorary degrees and is even the namesake of a branch of electronics dubbed Ovonics. Flat-panel displays, solar cells and even phase change memory are just a handful of other technologies that his work helped to develop. Next time you pick up a modern gadget, just remember that Ovshinsky is partly responsible for its existence.

[Image credit: Joi Ito, Flickr]

Filed under:

Stanford Ovshinsky, inventor of the NiMH battery, passes away at 89 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Oct 2012 06:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourcePhysOrg  | Email this | Comments

Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX HD hands-on vs RAZR HD

Verizon has been granted a couple more smartphones from the likes of Motorola and Google here with the massive battery-toting DROID RAZR MAXX HD right alongside its near-identical brother the RAZR HD (without so much MAXX). The difference between these two devices is just about as slight as it could possibly get – the MAXX has twice the internal storage (32GB instead of 16) and a giant 3,300mAh battery instead of the 2,530mAh unit the standard HD has. The weight and thickness are absolutely negligible – even when you’ve got them both in your hands it’s difficult to guess which is which, believe it or not.

The max is 0.37 inches thick and 5.54 oz (157 g) heavy while the smaller of the two is 0.33 inches thick and 5.15 oz (146 g) heavy. Have a peek at these photos to see how small that difference really, truly is. It’s as if Motorola is playing a joke on us – but the differences are there, and that battery is indeed in there with that much extra power. NOTE: We’ll be doing an extended battery test over the next few days on the MAXX HD as well – stay tuned for that!

heroaadsf
IMG_7005
IMG_7008
IMG_7009
IMG_7011
IMG_7012
IMG_7015
nextto
dsfad

You’d be well off taking a peek at our DROID RAZR MAXX full review to understand how these two devices are going to work for you, and make note of this fact as well: their software builds are the same. They’ve got the same version of Android, the same Motorola additions and tweaks, and the same apps. There’s no software differences between these two devices.

Remember also that Motorola has made it clear that they’ll be bringing each of these RAZR devices (including the DROID RAZR M as well) up to Jelly Bean very, very soon. That means Android 4.1 and a bit of the new Google Now system as well. The MAXX HD and the HD will be on sale at Verizon immediately if not soon nationwide as well – head out and grab one!


Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX HD hands-on vs RAZR HD is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Exovolt Plus Stackable Battery Pack

Ah, modern day gadgets have one major shortfall – the battery life. Smartphones are one of the serial offenders when it comes to low battery life just when you need it the most, as not being able to watch a movie on your iPad or iPod touch is not too bad a situation to be in, but when you need to make or receive that crucial call and your battery dies out on you, that is when you start going around tearing your hair out. Here is a modular solution that you would definitely be interested in if you have had your phone die on you one too many times – the Exovolt Plus Stackable Battery Pack, which has been touted to be the first of its kind in the world. Pricing ranges from $49.99 to $89.99, where it delivers unlimited expandable battery capacity with a 5,200mAh lithium polymer battery in each layer.

If you know that you are going to be gone for an entire week where there is absolutely no way for you to juice up your smartphone simply because the place you are headed off to is so far removed from civilization, no one there has heard of McDonald’s before. Just snap on more and more sub batteries until you think that is enough, and you’re good to go. Just remember that the “sub” batteries require the “main” battery to operate.

[ Exovolt Plus Stackable Battery Pack copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]


A123 Systems becomes America’s latest EV battery maker to file for bankruptcy

A123 Systems becomes America's latest EV battery maker to file for bankruptcy

Having been riddled with setbacks, including a major recall of faulty batteries supplied to Fisker Automotive, Michigan’s favorite EV battery maker A123 Systems has filed for bankruptcy. It has also announced the sale of its main business units to rival Johnson Controls in a deal pegged at $125 million — a sad fraction of the billion dollars it raised since it launched in 2001 (not least from government grants). It seems that neither fresh lithium ion innovations nor a potential deal with Chinese investors were able to keep the company out of the red, which leaves A123 on the road to nowhere — right behind that other DoE-sponsored hopeful, Ener1.

Continue reading A123 Systems becomes America’s latest EV battery maker to file for bankruptcy

Filed under:

A123 Systems becomes America’s latest EV battery maker to file for bankruptcy originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Oct 2012 06:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Technology Review India, The New York Times  |  sourceA123 Systems  | Email this | Comments

A123 Systems runs out of cash and sells assets for $125 million

You may not recognize the name A123 Systems. The company is a manufacturer and designer of batteries and battery packs for the electric vehicle market. A123 Systems may be best known as the battery manufacturer for the Fisker Karma hybrid.

A123 spent over $50 million to replace the battery packs in 640 Karma vehicles when Fisker issued a recall. After shelling out that money, A123 began looking for additional funding to continue operations. That additional funding never materialized and this week the company missed significant payments to its debtors and began talking about bankruptcy or possible restructuring.

A123 Systems has now announced that it has entered into an asset purchase agreement with a company called Johnson Controls. Johnson Controls will purchase the assets of A123′s automotive business arm, including all of the automotive technology, products, and customer contracts. The purchase agreement also includes A123 facilities in the Livonia and Romulus, Michigan.

The transaction is valued at $125 million. In addition to gaining the assets and facilities already mentioned, Johnson Controls also gets the cathode powder manufacturing facilities in China and A123′s equity interest in Shanghai Advanced Traction Battery Systems. Johnson Controls also intends to license A123 to use certain technologies for its grid, commercial, and government businesses. A123 and all of its US subsidiaries filed voluntary petitions for reorganization under Chapter 11 yesterday to facilitate the transaction.


A123 Systems runs out of cash and sells assets for $125 million is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Wii U Pro Controller battery lasts 80 hours, retailers claim

The Wii U Pro Controller is obviously aimed at gamers who want a more traditional experience, but it may just be perfect for hardcore gamers in more ways than one. Listings on both Amazon and GameStop are saying that the Pro Controller’s rechargeable battery can last a ridiculously long time. Spotted by Nintendo Life, both listings claim that the Pro Controller can keep chugging along for up to 80 hours on a single charge.


If that’s true, then it will be a huge leap over the current generation’s rechargeable controllers. The batteries in the PS3 and Xbox 360 gamepads can last anywhere between 20 and 30 hours, while the Wii U gamepad will only last around five. Naturally, the Pro Controller doesn’t have a touchscreen to sap its power, but still, the fact that it could potentially last 80 hours on a single charge is – in a word – insane.

While that’s certainly good news, this revelation comes with a bit of bad news as well. It turns out that the Pro Controller isn’t backwards compatible with original Wii games, so if your games call for a more traditional controller instead of the Wii remote, you’re going to have to use the Classic Controller. That isn’t the most preferable situation, but what can you do? Nintendo has to make that money, after all.

The life of the Pro Controller’s battery immediately reminds us of the Gamecube Wavebird, otherwise known as the best controller to ever grace Earth. We’ll have to wait a little bit longer to find out if there’s any truth to these claims, but for now, things are looking pretty great for the Wii U Pro Controller. What do you think? Is it possible that Nintendo’s claims of an 80-hour battery life are legitimate, or is this a bit of pre-release embellishment?


Wii U Pro Controller battery lasts 80 hours, retailers claim is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


iExpander iPhone Case is Packed with Features

When the iPhone 5 came out, many people wished that it was packed with more features – or at least a beefier battery – instead of being thinner than many smartphones. If you’re one of those people, you might one to get the iExpander case. It’s packed with practical features in exchange for nearly doubling the iPhone 5′s thickness.

iexpander iphone case

Perhaps the best feature of the iExpander is its built-in microSD card slot, which supports up to 64GB cards. Inventor Charlie Corry didn’t specify it, but he did imply that the iExpander will come with an app to facilitate file transfer to and from an iPhone to a connected microSD card. The iExpander also stays true to its name by adding a built-in 1420 mAh battery, which is almost equal to the iPhone 5′s own 1440mAh battery and the 4S’ 1430mAh battery. In short, the iExpander will nearly double your phone’s battery life.

iexpander iphone case 2

The case also has an LED flash that’s stronger than the one in iPhones for better low-light performance. The case will come in two variants, one compatible with the iPhone 4 & 4S and one with the iPhone 5. The latter variant has a bonus feature: it has a built-in adapter that makes it compatible with 30-pin cables, so you can use your iPhone 5 with older chargers, cables, and whatnot. Though the added thickness will probably keep it out of most docks.

A pledge of $75 (USD) or more on its Kickstarter fundraiser gets you an early unit. It’s already surpassed its target fund with still a week to go, so it’s safe to say that the iExpander will see production.

[via CNET Asia]


Sharp Aquos Phone Zeta to Get Low-Power IGZO Display

While a new crop of smartphones has just been released in the U.S., the Japanese aren’t going to fall behind anytime soon. They just upped the ante with the new Sharp Aquos Phone Zeta SH-02E, which is the first production smartphone with an IGZO display.

sharp aquos phone zeta

What’s so interesting about IGZO? The indium gallium zinc oxide tech promises higher translucency, compared to regualr LCDs, which reduces the energy needed for backlighting and thus saves power – and the backlight is usually the number one consumer of power in mobile devices. The 2,000 mAh battery is no slouch either, though it’s unknown how much battery life is actually improved by the IGZO display.

sharp aquos phone white

The phone has a large 4.9-inch screen with 1,280 × 720 resolution, and a 16 MP camera. It has a 1.5 GHz S4 Pro quad-core processor and has NFC-compatibility. Hopefully we’ll get something like this in the States soon.

[via NTTDoCoMo via Engadget]


NC State nanoflowers can boost battery and solar cell capacity, make great prom accessories

NC State crafts nanoflowers that boost battery and solar cell capacity, would make great prom accessories

We see a lot of sleek-looking technology pass through our doors, but it’s rare that the inventions could be called beautiful by those who aren’t immersed in the gadget world. We’d venture that North Carolina State University might have crossed the divide by creating an energy storage technology that’s both practical and genuinely pretty. Its technology vaporizes germanium sulfide and cools it into 20-30 nanometer layers that, as they’re combined, turn into nanoflowers: elegant structures that might look like the carnation on a prom dress or tuxedo, but are really energy storage cells with much more capacity than traditional cells occupying the same area. The floral patterns could lead to longer-lived supercapacitors and lithium-ion batteries, and the germanium sulfide is both cheap and clean enough that it could lead to very efficient solar cells that are more environmentally responsible. As always, there’s no definite timetable for when (and if) NC State’s technology might be commercialized — so call someone’s bluff if they promise you a nanoflower bouquet.

Filed under:

NC State nanoflowers can boost battery and solar cell capacity, make great prom accessories originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Oct 2012 20:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink North Carolina State University  |  sourceACS Publications  | Email this | Comments