Batteries are the Achilles heel of any portable gadget. It was NiCad that brought the downfall of Black & Decker’s much-loved DustBuster vacs. Now, the company’s new, updated Flex hand vacs have lithium-ion rechargeable batteries. These should offer twice the runtime over an old DustBuster, even if the new “Flex” name is roughly half as cool. More »
The screwdriver is maybe the last thing in the world that needs a reboot, but the new Black & Decker Max Gyro is the kind of non-essential evolution we can get behind. The little 4-volt handheld tool mimics improves upon the function of ye olde analog screwdriver with a built-in gyroscope that anticipates your movements. Turn your hand clockwise and the bit drives, turn your hand counter-clockwise and the bit goes in reverse. Superfluous? Maybe, but it should take the strain off your trigger finger if you’ve got a long job to do. The Black & Decker Max Gyro will be available in November for 40 bucks. [Black & Decker via Engadget] More »
Were you feeling the need for new tech to replace the switches that control direction and speed on your cordless screwdriver? Us neither, but we’re not the braintrust at Black & Decker, which just launched the Gyro 4V Max, the “world’s first motion-activated screwdriver.” The company put an InvenSense MEMS gyroscope in the new model, so all you have to do to change the direction or speed is rotate your drilling hand one way or the other in varying amounts. After you’ve polished off that Ikea shelf, it should be ready the next time you haul it out of the toolbox, with a Lithium-ion battery that stays juiced for as long as 18 months. Judging by the video below the break, it actually looks pretty clever, and at $40, why not start dragging your tools out of the stone age?
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Household
Black and Decker screwdriver senses your hand movement to adjust speed, direction (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 09:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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