Hasta La Gadget!

Vitamin Water bus-stop ad lets devices juice-up before the commute originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 Jul 2011 03:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Recharging tired EVs and plug-in hybrids in Japan just got a little more exciting thanks to Toyota‘s upcoming G-Station charger, which relies on contact-less smart-cards to identify vehicles and owners. Toyota’s Windows Azure-powered Smart Center drives the machines, which allows users to connect to the internet and use smartphone apps to find chargers, receive notifications, and check usage history. The G-Station will be coming this July in two flavors, creatively named Type A for the standard and Type B for the more advanced model. Pricing for the aforementioned units will be 280,000 yen ($3,469 USD) and 448,000 yen ($5,549 USD) respectively. Toyota is expecting to sell around 3,000 units by the end of 2012, making these stations available to its retail car dealers, shopping malls and restaurants. Soon the outside of pachinko parlors will be just as electric as the inside.

Toyota premiers smart charging G-Stations in Japan, world instantly jealous originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Jun 2011 09:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba’s SCiB (Super Charge Ion Battery) technology has long been the source of great hope and anticipation in electronics circles, but it’s never quite delivered the world-changing retail products that its marketing promised. Hoping to correct that in a big way, the company’s now hooked up with Mitsubishi to distribute said fast-charging cells in the taxman-friendly i-MiEV (to be known as Mitsubishi i in the US) and its taxi variant, the MINICAB-MiEV. How fast-charging, you ask? We’re told recharging will be done in 15 minutes for 80 percent, 10 minutes for 50 percent, and a mere 300 seconds for 25 percent. You’ll need a CHAdeMO charger to achieve such rapid revitalization rates, but those stations are sprouting up across the US now. There are other favorable qualities to Toshiba’s batteries, including “excellent charging and output” under very low temperatures, 2.5 times the number of charge / discharge cycles of regular lithium ion cells, and safer operation than most other alternatives. Check out the full PR after the break.

Continue reading Toshiba SCiB to be used in Mitsubishi i-MiEV, recharge to 80 percent in just 15 minutes

Toshiba SCiB to be used in Mitsubishi i-MiEV, recharge to 80 percent in just 15 minutes originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 04:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember those thick C-type batteries you used to toss in your flashlights before the age of LEDs? Well, they’re not likely to overtake the disposable battery market anytime soon, but they did just become slightly more useful to a very select number of Japanese MacBook Air owners. The EP-15V from Bird Electron will bridge eight of those C batts to create a 12-volt power source, giving your 11.6-inch MacBook Air a two-hour boost when used with standard alkaline batteries. The charger was released today in Japan, and will initially sell for ¥19,800 (about $250), not including batteries or the requisite MagSafe Airline Adapter (¥5,800, or about $75 in Japan). The EP-15V isn’t likely to be the most practical option, considering its cost, size, weight (2.3 pounds, or just over 1 kilogram — before you add batts), and the fact that you’ll need access to an adapter and eight batteries, which you’ll be tossing after just two hours of use. But if you find yourself in a remote village with a hearty C-type battery supply and no electricity or access to the sun, then you might just regret not picking one up.

Bird Electron EP-15V charges your MacBook Air from eight C-type batteries originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jun 2011 05:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple threw quite the wireless party by introducing PC Free and iCloud at yesterday’s WWDC keynote, but it seems that the engineers in Cupertino may have even more tricks up their sleeve. Judging by a recently filed patent application, the company’s hoping to add charging to its list of cord-cutting services. Specifically, the patent describes building a NFMR (near-field magnetic resolution) power supply directly into your iMac so it can charge your iPhone, iPad, or even peripherals — such as a keyboard or mouse, when equipped with a special antenna — without the assistance of your ol’ trusty charging cords or batteries. Sporting a somewhat mature iMac that’s operating sans NFMR? Pop a special USB dongle in that bad boy and presto, you’re good to go. The patent points out that the range is limited to one meter, though there may be ways to install repeaters in peripherals to extend that distance further. Of course, patents won’t guarantee we’ll be grabbing the scissors to cut our cords anytime soon, but at least we won’t have to rely on these things for the rest of eternity.

Filed under: Wireless

Apple patent app sheds light on wireless charging dreams, NFMR love affair originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 09:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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