Hasta La Gadget!

We’ve already seen some zinc-air batteries hit the market, and now it sounds like lithium-based cells will be the next type to use air as a cathode. The only problem? Those of you who were awake in 10th grade chemistry might remember that exposing lithium metal to water causes it to explode — which is why a company called PolyPlus has partnered with the government to develop a unique waterproof lithium metal-air battery that keeps the boom-boom in but lets the buzzy-buzz out. The coating allows lithium ions to seep out while preventing water from getting in, and because the membrane protects the cell, the battery won’t discharge in storage. If that sounds a little pie-in-the-sky, well, it is — PolyPlus founder Steven Visco called lithium metal “the holy-grail battery material.” Us, we’re a little more skeptical, but we’re loving the sounds of prototypes that deliver the juice of current laptop batteries at one-fifth the weight — hook us up, boys.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Waterproof lithium metal-air batteries could revolutionize portable power originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Jun 2009 05:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Along with the keyboard, there’s one major advantage the Palm Pre has over the iPhone, and that’s the fancy Touchstone wireless charger. Throw the Pre at the desktop pebble and it sticks, via magnetic magic, and charges without a plug.

Now, though, that lead has been erased, albeit in a slightly clunky way. Wire-Free will sell you a gel-skin for your iPhone or iPod Touch which contains the necessary inductor circuitry to provide the iPhone with power, which itself comes from a large, flat charger pad. The problem with an aftermarket solution is immediately apparent from the picture. It has a nubbin sticking out on the bottom. That, though, mightn’t be a problem for many.

What might be a problem is the price. The case costs $35, but the charger pad is another $50. There’s a kit available for $75, though, and the advantage over the neat, built-in Pre setup is that you can get adapters for other cellphones and toss them all onto the same pad. The Touchstone is neat for the Pre and all, but it doesn’t eliminate proprietary charging solutions from your desktop. IPhone version available in a week or two, iPod Touch version available now.

Product page [Wild Charge]
See Also:

• Palm’s Touchstone: Not Just a Wireless Charger, But a Whole Line …
• Wireless Power Energizes Many Devices – Video – Wired
• Space Geeks Seek Wireless Power

British power plugs are far safer than they need to be, with their internal fuses, earth prongs and individual wall switches. As a result they are also far bulkier than they need to be.

This concept, though, manages to keep these essential components and shrink the whole package down to a neat, manageable size. The injection molded design is ingenious: the prongs are stored in a line, but when twisted take up their normal triangular layout. Two flaps then flip out to keep the whole thing stiff and stable. The fuse-holder is equally good, and the cylindrical safety device just slides into a hole at the back.

I don’t live in Blighty anymore, so I don’t really need any of these, but the design is so fantastic that it should immediately become compulsory for portable goods. And make sure to keep watching to the end, where you’ll see an even cleverer multiplug adapter and USB charger.

UK Folding Plug [YouTube via Pocket Lint]

Go on and file this one away in the folder of “awesome things that could, but won’t ever happen.” As the brilliant minds around the world figure out how to solve vicious diseases, move motorcars with peanut oil and send engineers to fix a telescope in outer space, we still can’t buy a pack of AA cells that last longer than a month or two in our favorite toy. Some call it a limit of physics, some deem it a conspiracy. Whatever the case, we’ve no doubt whatsoever that a new silicon-containing carbon material — designed by Dow Corning Toray to double the capacity of existing Li-ion batteries — won’t ever have a real impact in our lives. Of course, it’s not like any consumer would actually benefit from having a netbook battery good for 16 hours, nor would wedding photographers enjoy being able to shoot 1,000 indoor shots without cracking the battery door open on their SB-600. No — that’s just absurd. C’mon Dow, prove us wrong here.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Science

More scientific black magic promises to double Li-ion battery capacity originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 May 2009 23:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Given that Florida has accurately been coined The Sunshine State, it’s not at all shocking to hear that America’s first “solar city” will be built in the state’s southwest corner. Or, at least that’s the plan. According to a new report, West Palm Beach-based Kitson & Partners is currently developing a new city near Charlotte County, which will get juiced by a massive 75-megawatt solar plant. Said plant will cost around $300 million to build and will be installed by Florida Power & Light; if all goes well, homes will begin construction on a sizable plot of land dubbed Babcock Ranch by 2011. If things don’t go so well, we’re told that the actual power plant will still be erected and fed into the larger grid. In other words, Florida’s gettin’ some solar power, with or without this newfangled concrete jungle.

[Via Fark]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

75-megawatt solar plant to power “first solar city” in Florida originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Apr 2009 04:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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