Hasta La Gadget!

Rechargeable batteries are pretty eco-friendly in the sense that you can recharge them and use them, again and again and again, until they stop holding a charge. However, most battery chargers are bulky and are a pain to carry around, especially if you’re traveling or need to use it on the go.

A neat solution comes in the form of the rechargeable AA battery USB drive. Now, there’s already a product on the market called the USBCell that can be recharged via USB. However this concept design not only does it have the capacity to power up your gadgets that require AA batteries, but can also store video, audio, documents, and other files. All you have to do is plug it into your computer to recharge it or transfer files.

The AA battery USB drive was designed by Wonchul Hwang.

[via In Stash]

The Mission RS isn’t notable because it’s electric or because it’s designed and made in America. Or even because it’s really, really fast. Why you’re going to sit down and read every single word of this world-first review is simply because it’s a superior performance motorcycle to any yet made. Period.

Read more…

Do you leave your phone on the kitchen table a lot? If you do, then you’ll be pleased to know that it won’t just be sitting there idly, thanks to a collaboration between DuPont Building Innovations and the Power Matters Alliance.

They’ve come up with a surface that can charge smartphones and other devices wirelessly. They basically took Powermat’s wireless charging technology and embedded that within Corian solid surfaces. The latter is basically a synthetic, granite alternative that’s often used for countertops.

This new technology isn’t just for kitchen counters. The surface can also be installed on nightstands and coffee tables. The DuPont-PMA team up is especially exciting. Who knows? We might soon see countertop chargers installed in public spaces soon.

[via designboom via Bit Rebels]

Like the Pivot Power, 360 Electrical’s products allow you to cram in electrical plugs and adapters that would otherwise not fit in one outlet or power strip. But unlike Quirky’s power strip where the whole body is adjustable, 360 Electrical’s products have sockets that rotate in place.

I’m not sure how the sockets work, but according to 360 Electrical’s website,“internal premium copper-to-copper contacts provide unlimited 360 degree rotation and continuous power even during rotation.”

Here’s a brief demo video uploaded by FIX IT home improvement channel on YouTube:

As you can see in the gallery above, 360 Electrical also has long surge protectors with sockets that swivel outward instead of rotating in place. Rotate your browser and plug in to Amazon to order 360 Electrical’s products; they sell for about $5 (USD) to $34 depending on the product.

[via Fancy]

So you’re doing your groceries or are out for a run, when you suddenly get a call – and then your phone dies because it’s out of power. What’s a desperate person supposed to do at that point, especially when the call is an important one?

Consider yourself lucky if you’re in New York, though, since you could probably just set off for the nearest Street Charging station to give your phone some much-needed power.

These solar-powered charging stations are thanks to the collaboration between AT&T, portable solar power systems developer Goal Zero, and Brooklyn design studio Pensa. The Street Charge stations were rolled out in various areas of New York.

Each station has PV panels installed on top and an internal battery that stores power gathered from the sun. Just plug your phone in and wait a few minutes to give your phone enough power to make that call or to charge it up because you have nothing better to do but stand and enjoy a sunny day. And also because you want to knock a couple of bucks off of your electric bill.

The concept for the Street Charge charging stations were done in early 2012 by Pensa. Marco Perry, one of the members of the studio’s team, described it as “an elegant all-in-one community solution for solar charging of mobile devices.”

From the looks of it, we agree.

[via Gizmag]