Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on October 5, 2011
Four-Way USB-Charger Packs Power-Saving Timer
Toss away up to four chunky USB chargers and replace them with one small, slick charger. That’s the promise of the Green Wall Charger from VogDuo.
At its heart the VogDuo box is a pocketable four-way charger for any and all USB-powered gadgets, and for that alone it probably deserves a place in your travel-bag (you’ll need an adapter, though, as the handy fold-out prongs are US-only). But it also comes with its own special schtick: a timer. Hit the set-button to choose between two, four, six or eight hours and press start. Once done, the circuit is cut and no power is drawn from the mains.
Want to charge your iPad? The charger provides standard five-watt USB ports, which aren’t really enough to charge the iPad (the Apple charger puts out 10-watts). A Y-connector is provided in the package, though, so you can just hook the iPad up to two sockets simultaneously.
The Green Wall Charger will be on show at CES in Las Vegas next month, where we should find out about pricing and shipping dates.
Green Wall Charger [VogDuo]
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Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on December 21, 2010
IFan Case Charges iPhone with Wind Power
The iPhone uses a lot of power. Whether the battery is too small or we just feel compelled to play with it more than with other devices doesn’t matter. What matters is that half way through the day, you can find yourself with a dead phone. Tjeerd Veenhoven decided to do something about it, and instead of just, you know, plugging the thing in, he made the iFan.
Fashioned from an old computer cooling fan and a bumper-style case to house the electronics, Veenhoven’s iFan charges the iPhone fully in six-hours. Sure, that’s a lot longer than using a power adapter, but it’s also a lot less than I would have expected. He plans to cut that time with a more efficient fan.
Best of all are Veenhoven’s usage scenarios, which involve catching the wind while “sun bathing at the beach, doing walking trips in the mountains or just holding it outside your car window while driving along”
That last one gives me a great idea: Attach this to your dog’s collar and take a road trip. What could possibly go wrong?
iFan, charge your phone with wind [Tjeerd Veenhoven]
Photo: Tjeerd Veenhoven
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Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on December 9, 2010
Europeans Realize Dream of a Single Charger for All Cellphones
Cellphone battery dead? No problem: Just borrow a charger from a friend. Oh, wait — you can’t, because your friend doesn’t have the same phone as you, and his charger won’t work with your phone.
That annoyance will end next year, for Europeans at least. Thanks to the efforts of the European Commission, most cellphones sold in Europe will have a one-size-fits-all charger starting in 2011. So far, 10 major cellphone makers, including Apple, Motorola, Samsung and Research In Motion, have signed on to the agreement.
American users will have to wait. Without a government agency setting a deadline, it is up to handset makers to make the switch to a single standard. All consumers can do is let their old chargers gather dust in a drawer somewhere, while hoping manufacturers will eventually converge on a standardized charger.
“For the FCC, this is probably number 5,000 on their list and it is legislative priority number 10,000 at this point,” says Joe Banos, chief operating officer for Wilson Electronics, which makes cellphone boosters and antennas. “We believe the U.S. will ultimately follow Europe here, but the question is when.”
Today each cellphone ships with its own charger. Different companies use different connectors — and often different models from the same company do too, making it difficult for users to borrow a charger. And when it’s time to toss the phone, the charger goes into the bin too.
A universal charger means consumers don’t have to get a new charger with every mobile phone. As a bonus, it will be easier to borrow a charger when in need.
Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on August 4, 2010
