Hasta La Gadget!

Apple’s new Smart Cover for the iPad has a lot of potential, and it seems the company thinks so as well. Case in point: Apple just applied for a patent that would see the Smart Cover being used as a wireless charger to charge up the iPad when the Smart Cover is closed. Both the iPad and Smart Cover would have induction coils to make the wireless charging possible.

The Smart Cover itself would include battery cells to give the iPad some extra juice, and users would charge up the Smart Cover via a USB cable. This is different than most other wireless charging methods, in that the iPad wouldn’t use a stationary charging dock to wirelessly charge, but rather the iPad would use the Smart Cover to charge up, allowing to take it wherever without being tethered to a charging dock.

The patent also notes that solar cells could also be implemented into the Smart Cover, that way there would be no need to charge up the cover itself when the internal battery gets low. The Smart Cover already consists of magnets that have alternating polarities to ensure a perfect fit on the iPad every time, which is a technology that could be of assistance to wireless charging with the Smart Cover.

Of course, most patents never see the light of day, and it’s usually just a way for company’s to copyright their ideas just in case they want to use them in the future with no guarantees of actual implementation, but a wireless charging Smart Cover seems realistic enough that it would make complete since for it to come to the market at some point.

[via AppleInsider]

Apple files for Smart Cover inductive charging patent for iPad is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Like a regular Joe transformed into a superhero through some freak accident, this giant power adapter turns a single outlet into an all-encompassing charging station for all of your gear. Technically, it requires two outlets since the second gets completely blocked, but that’s ok since the Bestek charging station more than makes up for that loss with six new AC outlets, four USB ports, and a dock for your pre-Lightning iOS devices. More »

Qualcomm didn’t show all its cards for this year when it unveiled the Snapdragon 600 and 800 at CES. The company is introducing a second-generation power charging technology, Quick Charge 2.0, that promises to cut mobile device charging times by as much as 75 percent versus regular power systems. Qualcomm has seen a tablet’s 7-hour top-up time reduced to under 3 hours. While 2.0 requires an optimized charger and is baked into the Snapdragon 800, it’s not exclusive to Qualcomm-based hardware — or small devices, for that matter. The updated Quick Charge is available as a stand-alone circuit, and could drive even laptops demanding up to 60W of energy. We don’t yet know the customer list, although Snapdragon 800 partners are included as a matter of course.

The telecom giant is saving one trick for itself, however. Snapdragon Voice Activation lets Snapdragon 800-based devices wake up through a specific voice command, whether or not those devices are online: think of it as a more advanced, less search-dependent parallel to Samsung’s wake-up trigger in S Voice. Both devices and software support must fall into place to make Voice Activation work, but truly hands-free mobile control could have a solid footing in the market before the year is over.

Filed under: Cellphones, Laptops, Tablets, Mobile

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Source: Qualcomm

In an effort to bolster the city’s friendliness towards electric vehicles, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg is calling for 10,000 charging stations all across the city by 2019. Bloomberg mentioned the goal during his last State of the City address today, and he’s asking the city council to require landlords to make at least 20% of new parking spaces equipped for electric vehicles.

Currently, New York City has 100 public charging stations and 120 stations for the city’s own fleet of electric vehicles. Under this new proposal from Bloomberg, 30 more stations would be added for government electric vehicles. Of course, the effort will no doubt run into some hurdles, thanks to building codes, permits, and negotiating.

However, other major cities around the US are joining on adding charging stations throughout their areas. San Francisco and Texas are adding charging stations, and the west coast is also seeing an increase in places to charge up electric vehicles. Plus, Tesla is working to add charging stations along the east and west coast, and will eventually add some in other places around the US.

Under the mayor’s new proposal, New York City would also conduct testing of curbside charging that would be able to fill batteries in just 30 minutes, as opposed to the traditional few hours that it normally takes. The testing would involve two charging stations in the city that would be able to charge vehicles over lunch. Here’s to hoping that, within seven years, we’ll see a charging station on every corner.

[via Transportation Nation]

NYC mayor calls for 10,000 EV charging stations within 7 years is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The awesome backpack you see below is the Energi Backpack from the folks at TYLT. They’re here at CES 2013 showing off a wide array of accessories for all sorts of users. From iPhone 5 cases, TYLT TUNZ Bluetooth speakers, fun multi-colored chargers and more. This new backpack available now is certainly made with those who rock multiple devices every day in mind. Read on for more details.

We’ve seen powered Backpacks before that rock internal batteries to charge our favorite smartphones, tablets, and more, but this is made to handle any and all situations. With nearly enough pockets to store your entire office, an awesome industrial design, and 3 USB cables to handle a wide array of devices you’ll never be without juice.

TYLT’s new Erergi Backpack rocks a 10,050 mAh battery that’s built in, and will be able to charge your average smartphone almost each day of the week, depending on size. They’ve equipped this backpack with an array of compartments to store everything, and they’ve also got a place specifically for your tablet.

You can charge a single device, or up to three simultaneously. It rocks three USB ports on the side and enough cables to access the nearly 10 different compartments. Every area of the backpack can be provided with juice to charge devices, but it comes with 3 cables already routed for your convenience. The TYLT Energi Backpack can be charged back up via micro-USB, as well as a full USB 2.0 port on the side for easy recharging on the go. It’s currently available for $169.

TYLT Energi Backpack charges 3 devices at a time, we go hands-on is written by Cory Gunther & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.