The highly anticipated iPhone 5 is finally in millions of people’s hands. Within three days of its September 21st launch, Apple had sold a record-breaking five million units. And within a year, analysts project that sales of the iPhone 5 will reach 170 million. More »
It’s all explainable via science, but if you replace your typical cornucopia centerpiece with this floating steel plate supporting a glowing wireless candelabra, your dinner guests will be too blown away to notice your dry turkey and lumpy gravy. More »
When complete, the Vestas V164 is slated to be the world’s largest and most powerful wind turbine on the planet. Standing 443 feet tall, with a diameter spanning 538 feet, the turbine to generates eight megawatts of power. This is no child’s pinwheel. In fact, it cranks out enough juice to power a whole neighborhood. More »
This picture from Mitsumi’s CEATEC booth may not seem to say much, but it’s certainly showing the future. The silver cylinder at the top is actually a small power generating device that converts micro-vibrations into usable energy, so stick one of these on, say, a ventilation duct and you should just about get enough juice to power a calculator or even an LED. In fact, Mitsumi says these can be integrated into the RF sensor network of large air conditioning facilities, as an RF transmitter can run on very little power these days — even less than a calculator. Alas, a company rep said this product won’t be available until 2014.
Speaking of RF, Mitsumi does have something even more awesome that will be launched sooner. You see that black stick on the left? Embedded inside it is a batteryless RF switch, and the way it works is that upon the release of the spring mechanism inside, a tiny bit of power is generated for the 2.4GHz RF transmission (ZigBee compatible), and whatever device is connected to the RF control outlet on the other end will receive the on or off signal. So yes, you basically get a switch that requires no wiring nor power (except for the receiving end)! Expect this to hit the shelves in March 2013. For now, we have a hands-on video after the break.
Continue reading Mitsumi exhibits micro-vibration power generator and batteryless RF switch (video)
Filed under: Misc
Mitsumi exhibits micro-vibration power generator and batteryless RF switch (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Oct 2012 06:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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If you ever try to use a power bar anywhere but on the floor, you’ll quickly realize that gravity will do everything it can to drag it off a table, a ladder, or anything not at ground level. That’s not the case with Quirky’s new Prop Power extension cord, though. Its six-foot cable is made with flexible wiring and a conforming plastic sleeve, so it holds its shape. More »
Google has made a point of relying on renewable resources for its data centers whenever possible, even down to the cooling. It hasn’t had quite as unique an arrangement as what it’s planning for its data center in Oklahoma, though. The search firm wants to supply its Mayes County location with 48MW of wind energy from Apex’s Canadian Hills Wind Project, but it isn’t buying power directly from the source. Instead, it’s making a deal with the Grand River Dam Authority, a utility, to purchase the clean power on top of what’s already supplied from the GRDA at present. The deal should keep the data center on the environmentally friendly side while giving it room to grow. Wind power will come online at Google’s facility once the Canadian Hills effort is up and running later in 2012; hopefully, that gives us enough time to better understand why there’s a Canadian River and Canadian Hills to be found in the southern United States.
Filed under: Internet
Google data center in Oklahoma to get 48MW of wind power, boost renewable energy in the Sooner state originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 01:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
New technologies have a greater chance at being accepted and embraced when they’re easy to adopt. And to help the spread of solar power Sharp has developed a new see-through solar cell, allowing them to be used as architectural accents that blend into a building. More »
Lithium-ion batteries are the most common technology powering modern devices. But lithium itself is a rare metal that’s hard to come by, and countries that have to import it are developing alternatives. In Japan, researchers at the Tokyo University of Science have discovered a way to make a sodium-ion battery that can be made with plain old sugar. More »
A backup battery for your smartphone is useless without the necessary cables. So Mophie has built both a USB and a microUSB cable into its Juice Pack Reserve Micro allowing you to charge a myriad of portable devices—as long as they’re not from Apple. More »
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