Hasta La Gadget!

It’s fast becoming apparent that no electric vehicle is complete without an accompanying smartphone app to help you find places to charge it, and it looks like ECOtality isn’t about to let that trend pass it by. It’s just announced its new Blink Mobile app for iOS, Android and BlackBerry devices, which will let folks locate Blink charging stations, check up on the charger’s status, and receive various alerts (like when your car is finished charging at home). Unfortunately, you can’t download it just yet, but ECOtality says it will be available sometime this summer, with the iOS and Android apps likely to come out a bit ahead of the BlackBerry app — a web-based app is also in development. Head on past the break for the complete press release.

Continue reading ECOtality announces Blink Mobile EV charging app

ECOtality announces Blink Mobile EV charging app originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 07:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mobee’s Magic Bar charges Apple’s keyboard and trackpad, wirelessly

The biggest failing of Apple’s Bluetooth trackpad and keyboards is that they aren’t rechargeable. Instead, you have to keep them fed with a constant diet of AA cells. Low-discharge rechargeables do the trick, but if you have any regular NiMH cells around, they tend not to last so well for such low drainage purposes.

I also use a Magic Trackpad on either side of an aluminum Bluetooth keyboard, which means I get through the alkalines at a fair clip.

Enter the Magic Bar (of course) from Mobee. It’s a wireless charger for your Apple keyboard or Magic Trackpad. The Magic Bar comes in two parts. First is a double-AA sized battery pack, and second is the dock cradle. The cradle connects to the computer or other power source via USB, and has a channel into which the cylindrical rear section of your chosen input device snugly fits for charging.

It sounds ideal.

Then we take a closer look at the specs. A pair of regular AAs will last you for months. The battery pack that comes with the Magic Bar gives just ten days of life on a six-hour charge, thanks — presumably — to a reduction in battery size to accommodate the charging circuitry. This is the same problem as befalls Mobee’s other product, a charger for the Magic Mouse.

The Magic Bar will be available to order on May 15th. The price is still unannounced, but as a guide the Magic Mouse version — which is a lot smaller — costs €50, or $72.

The Magic Bar [Mobee]

Don’t get us wrong, we think electric vehicles are totally rad and all, but there’s still the whole recharging thing that makes us a little wary. That’s why we’re stoked to hear that Better Place’s first battery swap station for EVs (and not just special Japanese cabbies) has officially opened its doors in Israel… for owners of the Renault Fluence Z.E. All it takes is an RFID card to enter the carwash-esque structure, and robots from below swap out your empty battery for a fully charged alternative while you occupy yourself for three minutes. No word on how much it’ll cost for the opportunity, but we’ve got an inkling it won’t be cheap. Fortunately, we’ve got apps and “get you home” guarantees for that additional peace of mind, but we do hope the concept eventually makes its way over to our shores. Of course, we’re also still waiting for eternal battery life in all of our electronics, but until that day comes invisible robots changing batteries for us will suffice.

Israel gets its first EV battery swap station, makes charging stations obsolete originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 13:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve seen it adorned with a giant Honeycomb and an oversized Gingerbread man, and now Google’s bringing a more practical addition to its Mountain View campus — specifically, a Plugless Power EV charging station. Its maker touts the installation as “the first public release” of the handsfree re-juicing system, and says it will eventually provided power to a fleet of low-speed EVs already in use at El Goog HQ — the first of which has already been retrofitted to get pumped up. Who knows, maybe now we’ll see something come of Google’s claims to make electrical vehicles charge more efficiently. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Google HQ gets juiced with Plugless Power EV charging unit

Google HQ gets juiced with Plugless Power EV charging unit originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 18:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Though never confirmed by Verizon, it seems likely that battery life (or more accurately, the lack thereof) played a part in the series of delays preceding the Thunderbolt’s launch. To combat this problem, Big Red and HTC are offering a rather unsightly extended battery pack that nearly doubles the handset’s capacity from 1400mAh to 2750mAh. All that extra juice will certainly come in handy for folks leaning heavily on the phone’s LTE radio. However, the device costs $50 and adds an ounce of junk in the trunk — on a device that isn’t svelte to begin with — so why not buy another standard battery for ten bucks less instead? Then you can use the Qi-compatible back and induction charging station Verizon’s releasing in April. It’s just under $100 ($29 for the back and $69 for the pad) for those who want to cut the cord and don’t mind the expanded waistline we assume comes with the privilege.

Verizon and HTC offer Thunderbolt extended battery, give your phone dumps like a truck originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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