Jun 08

New ‘semi-solid’ battery could recharge EVs as fast as pumping gas

Posted in: electric car, electric vehicle, ElectricCar, ElectricVehicle, ev, mit, power, Today's Chili

Researchers at MIT reckon they’ve struck oil. In fact, you’re looking at what they call “Cambridge crude” — a substance that could halve the weight and cost of EV batteries and make them quicker to charge too. The black goo is packed with a high concentration of energy in the form of particles suspended in a liquid electrolyte. When separated by a filter, these particles function as mobile electrodes that can be pumped into and around a system before the energy is released. So instead of waiting up to 20 hours to juice your Nissan Leaf, you could potentially just pump this pre-charged substance into it — rather like dirty old gas. Until now, no such “semi-solid flow cell” has been able to hold useful quantities of energy, but this stuff literally oozes with it. Not only could it power EVs, it could even be used for large-scale electricity storage for utilities. The researchers insist this energy revolution is years off — but when it comes, there will be blood.

New ‘semi-solid’ battery could recharge EVs as fast as pumping gas originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Jun 2011 12:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 07

Motorola clarifies position on Android apps, is still cool with developer community

Posted in: Android, apps, droid, motorola, Today's Chili

Being an outspoken executive often involves a steady diet of crow. So, when Sanjay Jha seemingly threw Android developers under the proverbial bus with last week’s comments, it seemed only a matter of time before the backtracking commenced. Motorola has fittingly issued a clarification on the CEO’s statement, explaining that Jha didn’t mean to suggest that apps were at fault for 70-percent of returns. Instead, they’re a contributing factor, along with poor battery life and slow performance. The company also took a moment to point out its continued support of the Android developer community, just in case anyone on that side was planning on adding to the aforementioned return rate.

Motorola clarifies position on Android apps, is still cool with developer community originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 13:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 01

EVO 4G getting Gingerbread on June 6th (or Friday if you’re impatient)

Posted in: Android, gingerbread, Gmail, Google, HTC, leak, leaked, leaks, ota, rumor, software update, SoftwareUpdate, Sprint, Today's Chili, update, upgrade

Well, this was inevitable. After Sprint’s website snafu outing its Android 2.3 intentions for the EVO 4G, we’ve received evidence that points to June 6th as its release date. Better yet, if you’re willing to manually check for its availability, you might even find a happy surprise this Friday. In addition to Gingerbread, users will find SMS and Gmail fixes, along with a tweak to the phone’s power management software. Hopefully you’ve got WiMAX, because this update is coming over-the-air. Should everything go according to plan, users will have less than a week to say goodbye to Froyo. It’s a trusty companion for sure, but that spicy aroma is quite enticing. Hit the break for some corroborating clues.

[Thanks, Tone Bone]

Continue reading EVO 4G getting Gingerbread on June 6th (or Friday if you’re impatient)

EVO 4G getting Gingerbread on June 6th (or Friday if you’re impatient) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Jun 2011 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 31

Garmin announces redesigned line of eTrex GPS handhelds with enhanced geocaching

Posted in: navigation, Today's Chili
Lost hikers and outdoorsmen will soon have yet another arrow to add to their navigational quivers, now that Garmin has decided to upgrade its eTrex line of GPS handhelds. The refresh, announced this morning, will bring three new models to the eTrex family during the third quarter of this year. First up is the eTrex 10 — a basic, $120 little guy that carries a global database of locations, as well as a monochrome display that can be read under the sun. The $200 eTrex 20, on the other hand, displays images in 65k color on a 2.2-inch screen and can support topographic, roadway and marine maps. At the high end of the spectrum is the eTrex 30 ($300), which offers all the features you’ll find on the eTrex 20, plus a tilt-compensated electronic compass, barometric altimeter and wireless data transfer capabilities. All three models allow users to download geocached information directly to their devices and boast a lengthy 25-hour battery life — giving you plenty of time to find your bearings before calling in the rescue squad. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Garmin announces redesigned line of eTrex GPS handhelds with enhanced geocaching

Garmin announces redesigned line of eTrex GPS handhelds with enhanced geocaching originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 May 2011 12:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 27

HP expands laptop battery recall, doesn’t want you to feel the burn

Posted in: HP, laptop, Today's Chili
HP wants to make sure you don’t get burned, literally. For the third May in a row, it’s issuing another expansion of its voluntary battery recall on laptops produced from July 2007 to May 2008 — frankly, we’re considering a holiday to mark the occasion. May 2009 saw a recall of 70,000 batteries followed by an expansion to cover 15,000 in China, totaling 85,000 affected laptops. It didn’t end there though, as further expansion was put in place during May 2010 to cover even more models, and this time around, a sizeable number of lappies have been added to the ever-growing list. About five percent of the models from the aforementioned time frame could have problematic batteries, and HP will be providing replacements for those at risk of getting a little too hot under the collar. If your machine was also part of the previous recalls, HP’s saying those should be verified as well, even if you’ve done so in the past already. The full grid of affected laptops can be perused after the break — Memorial Day weekend will be full of grilling, but we wouldn’t want that to include your skin, okay?

Continue reading HP expands laptop battery recall, doesn’t want you to feel the burn

HP expands laptop battery recall, doesn’t want you to feel the burn originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 May 2011 00:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 25

Barnes & Noble clarifies battery life on new Nook, calls out Kindle

Posted in: amazon, barnes noble, e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, kindle, nook, Today's Chili
Barnes & Noble clarifies battery life on new Nook, calls out Kindle

Wondering which electronic reader reigns supreme when it comes to extreme battery life? If you ask Amazon, it’s the Kindle, but Barnes & Noble begs to differ — and it has some numbers to back that up. Earlier today we received a statement from the company explaining just how thrifty the new Nook is when it comes to sipping from cells. With WiFi disabled on both devices, B&N says it managed 150 hours on the new Nook when turning a page every minute. The current-gen Kindle, meanwhile, petered out after 56. That’s almost three times as long and maybe, just maybe, enough to finally get you through Anna Karenina on one charge — or at least through the Cliffs Notes version. More details on the testing overview below, which we promise can be rather more rapidly ingested.

Continue reading Barnes & Noble clarifies battery life on new Nook, calls out Kindle

Barnes & Noble clarifies battery life on new Nook, calls out Kindle originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 May 2011 23:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 20

Ask Engadget: best extended battery for power-hungry smartphones?

Posted in: AskEngadget, cellphone, smartphone, Today's Chili

We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from Chuck, who seems to be having an unusual level of difficulty getting his phone through an entire day on a single charge. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“I have the HTC Evo, which has terrible battery life. I’ve gone through many steps, including rooting it and using SetCPU, however I’m still not getting as much out of it as I would like. I am looking to buy an extended battery, but after researching them I have found prices and reviews to be all over the map. What brand / model has the best results? Thanks!”

So, superphone users — which USB battery pack serves you best? Feel free to toss out Evo-specific solutions, but universal ones could help the masses. And it feels good to help the masses.

Ask Engadget: best extended battery for power-hungry smartphones? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 May 2011 22:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 14

FCC reveals Seagate GoFlex Satellite, a WiFi-capable battery-powered external hard drive

Posted in: external hard drive, ExternalHardDrive, leak, leaked, leaks, nas, satellite, Today's Chili, usb 3.0, Usb3.0, wifi, Wireless

For a purportedly doomed manufacturer of magnetic storage, Seagate sure is spinning some interesting ideas these days — last year, we got modular, upgradable cables, and now the company’s testing external hard drives that don’t need pesky wires to function. According to filings, the Seagate GoFlex Satellite not only plays the network-attached-storage card with built-in 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, it’s also got a 3.7V battery inside its case… making the product’s name somewhat apt, don’t you think? According to a leaked description, Seagate’s also planning a companion iOS app called “GoFlex Media” to let your iDevices stream content directly from the device. Mind you, none of that means you won’t be able to dock with your Satellite the old-fashioned way — FCC docs also mention a USB 3.0 cable that delivers data and power simultaneously.

FCC reveals Seagate GoFlex Satellite, a WiFi-capable battery-powered external hard drive originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 May 2011 13:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 14

HTC Thunderbolt inductive charging back hits FCC, makes life with LTE a little easier

Posted in: 4G, charger, charging, HTC, lte, thunderbolt, Today's Chili, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, vzw, Wireless
HTC Thunderbold inductive charging backThat inductive-charging backplate for the HTC Thunderbolt just hit the FCC, which means keeping the battery-devouring device juiced is about to get a little less inconvenient. Instead of having to plug in three times a day just to keep that LTE radio happy you’ll simply be able to rest it on a charging mat… three times a day. The part made a brief appearance in the Verizon shop for $39, but the rumored April release date came and went without so much as a peep from Big Red. While we still can’t say for sure when it will land, at least we know it’s coming sooner rather than later — and we’ve got one less reason to reconsider that pocket-busting extended battery.

HTC Thunderbolt inductive charging back hits FCC, makes life with LTE a little easier originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 May 2011 11:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 11

Third Rail iPhone case has detachable battery, probably won’t electrocute you

Posted in: Apple, AppleIphone, iPhone, Today's Chili

For humans, coming into contact with the third rail will likely void your personal lifetime warranty, but one accessory manufacturer hopes to apply a similar concept to your iPhone — in much smaller doses, of course. For $90, the Third Rail System includes an iPhone 4 Slim Case, which always surrounds your device, and a 1250 mAh Smart Battery that you can slide into place whenever you need a boost. The removable batteries can charge other devices over micro USB, and can be stacked up to four deep for charging multiple gadgets at once (at $60 a pop). It’s also designed to be compatible with future cases, negating the need to purchase another complete solution each time you upgrade your phone. We’d love to see a similar device that includes inductive charging as well, but for now, this is one of the most intuitive external battery solutions we’ve seen.

Continue reading Third Rail iPhone case has detachable battery, probably won’t electrocute you

Third Rail iPhone case has detachable battery, probably won’t electrocute you originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 May 2011 19:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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