charger

Apple, others agree to universal cell phone charger standard in Europe

Apple and other big phone makers have struck a deal with the European Commission to start selling phones with universal cell phone chargers starting next year.

Under the agreement, manufacturers would start using micro-USB connections for phone chargers used for smartphones. Apple joins other big cell phone makers including LG, Motorola, Nokia, Research In Motion, Samsung and Sony Ericsson in agreeing to the new standard. Chipset makers, such as NEC, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments have also agreed to the deal.

In February the GSMA, a trade association for mobile carriers using GSM technology, said it had brokered a deal with handset makers to get the micro-USB technology into cell phone chargers by 2012. And the CTIA, the U.S. wireless trade association, backed the standard in April of this year.

The initiative has many advantages. For one it makes it much easier for consumers who no longer have to worry about losing their one and only cell phone charger. It also cuts down on waste since people can reuse their cell phone chargers when they get a new phone. Even though some cell phone manufacturers were reluctant to give up their proprietary cell phone chargers for fear that it would make it easier for customers to switch to new phones from competitors, eventually standardizing on one technology will help these manufacturers reduce costs.… Read more

A wireless charge for your iPhone

The WildCharger is one of those products that creates a problem that you didn't know you had. Though the product is certainly innovative and it succeeds at charging your cell phone without a wired connection, we never really thought that we needed to do so. What's more, unless you're charging more than one handset at a time, we don't consider it a practical purchase.

Yet, WildCharge (the device's manufacturer) continues to surprise us. In April, it greatly expanded its list of supported phones beyond the now ancient Motorola Razr V3. And on Tuesday, the company … Read more

New Energizer portable battery packs

Through a partnership with XPAL Power, Energizer has expanded its Energi to Go line of portable battery packs in a big way. The newly branded chargers run the gamut from an iPhone 3G/3G S battery sleeve to a couple of solar chargers to a larger lithium ion charger that can juice up to three devices at once, including a laptop.

Most of the chargers include cell tips for various makes and models of cell phones, and you can get free new tips online as future phones come out.

Many of the battery packs are available already under the XPAL brand, but the new packaging should be appearing very soon in stores.

Here's a look at the line and check out the slideshow above:… Read more

Nokia powering up self-charging cell phone

No more telling Mom you can't talk because your cell phone is "about to die"--it soon could be charging itself as you speak.

The Nokia Research Centre in Cambridge, England, is working on a prototype system that would eliminate the traditional cell phone charger.

The system collects energy from ambient radio waves emitted by antennas, TV masts, Wi-Fi transmitters, and the like. This might all sound uber-scientific, but we've been using this technology for years. Have you ever exited a store, only to hear the beep, beep, beep of an accusing alarm system? Many retailers … Read more

Get an iPhone charging dock for $5.99 shipped

Tired of your iPhone's USB cable flopping all over your desk? Wish your handset could sit upright while it's charging? Sounds like you need a dock. Unfortunately, Apple charges a whopping $49 for its Universal Dock. Surely there's an alternative for cheapskates?

There is! Meritline has an iPhone charging dock for just $5.99, shipping included. (From Hong Kong, no less!) It normally sells for $15.99, already a good deal compared with Apple's product.

Granted, this dock doesn't come with a remote, nor a bunch of dock adapters for charging various iPods. However, although … Read more

Greenlight's new electric-car recharger comes at a price

Washington based start-up Greenlight is launching a new charger aimed at electric cars and plug-in hybrids, but it's not exactly cheap.

The ChargeBar can charge both 120-volt (the standard U.S. household socket) and 240-volt batteries, and the company says it will work with virtually any electric car or plug-in hybrid, including the upcoming GM Volt.

The exception is electric cars that use 480-volt charging, which according to the company is not yet an established standard for upcoming electric cars.

A number of electric sedans are planned for market introduction in the next two years. But automakers say that … Read more

This Week: Cars of NFL Stars

I'd imagine that quite a few readers out there spent this last weekend checking out the 2009 NFL Draft, hoping for the best for each of your favorite NFL teams. So it seemed like a neat idea to dedicate this week's set of blogs to the fabulously tricked-out rides of NFL stars.

This vid was produced by the NFL network, checking out the bad-ass rides of a few NFL players. To say these cars have been customized is a severe understatement. Big Pat Williams of the Minnesota Vikings shows off his flashy Range Rover as modified by Automotive … Read more

Wind and solar charger 'tribrid' for power blackouts

Kinesis Industries' K3 is a compact "tribrid" wind and solar power generator about the size of a flashlight. The company calls it a tribrid since the built-in rechargeable battery also can be precharged with normal grid electricity using an AC plug. It also charges from any computer via USB, or from a car cigarette lighter with available USB adapter.

According to Kinesis, the fully charged K3 can power a mobile phone more than five times on a single charge--and an iPod/MP3 player more than 10 times.

At a weight of 10.5 ounces (a little over half … Read more

Recharge gizmos on the run for $29 shipped

Tired of running out of juice when you're on the run? The Tekkeon TekCharge MP1800 is a rechargeable portable battery pack that supplies power to phones, MP3 players, Bluetooth headsets, and other mobile devices.

It normally sells for around $45, but Amazon is selling the Tekkeon TekCharge for $28.99 with free shipping.

The charger comes with seven adapter tips for use with most kinds of mobile phones, but you can also use the USB cable that came with your iPod, Zune, or other device. In other words, it's almost universally compatible, provided that your gizmo can be … Read more

Fixing the PC power adapter cluster-muck

It's the small things in life.

So it is that when your car battery dies, you can jump-start the engine using generic cables sold by any of the thousands of retail locations that stock the item. And fairly soon, charging up most cell phones will be just as easy: seven wireless operators and handset makers just agreed at the GSMA 2009 conference to standardize chargers.

Terrific. But when it comes to laptop PC power adapters, you'd be well advised to heed the tag line from a well-known American Express commercial: Don't leave home without it.

Because if … Read more