voltage

MSI notebook first with Intel's ultra-low voltage processor

The battle over ultrathin, low-voltage laptops has begun in earnest.

MSI announced Wednesday the availability of the X340, the first notebook to hit the market sporting Intel's new CULV (consumer ultra-low voltage) processor.

The X340 is the first of many ultrathin notebooks that look a lot like the MacBook Air, but bear significantly lower prices. Intel's CULV processor draws 5.5 watts, or one-sixth the power of other mobile processors, which leads to longer battery life. The X340 has a 13.4-inch screen, and is priced at $900. It weighs 2.86 pounds, measures .78 inches thick and … Read more

Tech companies aim to untangle power supplies

SAN FRANCISCO--Oh, what a tangled web we weave when plugging in and powering personal electronics whose chargers are so varied that they typically end up balled up in rat's nests beneath our desks.

Help, albeit slow, is on the way, according to members of consumer electronics companies, green-tech start-ups, and venture capital firms at the Alliance for Universal Power Supplies conference Friday.

Attendees charging ahead to create power supplies that cause fewer headaches and wasted energy found hope when Westinghouse announced that it will support standards from start-up Green Plug, whose Greentalk protocol enables devices and power sources to &… Read more

950,000 volts in a 'Runt'

If there were a stun-gun equivalent of a "Saturday Night Special," this might well be it. The "Runt" is an economic alternative to larger varieties like the Avurt IM-5, though it doesn't have anything near the fashion sense of the latest Taser line. In fact, it bears a remarkable resemblance to a brick adapter, but don't let that fool you: The 3.25-inch Runt can deliver 350,000 volts for just $40, and $60 will get you a mind- and body-numbing 950,000, according to Coolest-Gadgets. And that's more than enough, as we … Read more

Stay juiced even while camping

It's almost summer, and we know how popular camping is with Cravers. We think it ranks right up there with a root canal.

But fear not, CrackBerry addicts, there's at least a glimmer of hope in the "Eureka N!ergy Tent." It may not save you from bears, mosquitoes and snoring camp mates, but GeekSugar says it does have three 12-volt plugs that can be connected to a separately sold power pack to keep all your gadgets juiced no matter how remote the wilderness.

Be warned, though: The large size is supposedly designed for eight people (… Read more