mobile

Ecotality buys Innergy for mobile-solar and battery technology

What the clean-energy industry needs more of is profitable companies and fewer science experiments.

So says Jonathan Read, the CEO of Ecotality, which announced on Thursday that its has signed an agreement to buy Innergy Power. The price was $3 million, Read said.

San Diego-based Innergy makes solar panels and batteries for mobile applications, such as solar-powered phones, remote surveillance cameras or off-grid lighting. It also manufactures sealed lead acid batteries that can be combined with small solar panels.

The acquisition is part of Ecotality's plan to "roll up" different clean-electricity companies into a diversified and profitable … Read more

Shrinking the multimedia phone watch

Talk about cruel irony. Just as some companies are finally developing smart watches that perform a multitude of functions ranging from video to phone features, reports persist that people may be giving up on wristwatches altogether.

But if products like the "iMobile C1000" continue their rapid development, it could forestall the death of the wrist timepiece indefinitely. This multimedia watch phone claims to be much less bulky than other models while still offering video, audio and Bluetooth, as well as a 1.5-inch color touch screen, according to Newlaunches. Before it can take the world by storm, however, … Read more

A 'mobile circle' from the Netherlands

If the "HyperBike" ever had training wheels, they might look something like the "WheelSurf." Actually we should say training wheel, not wheels, because this contraption is just one giant ring big enough to fit a human being inside.

Hailing from the Netherlands, this $6,900 precarious-looking "mobile circle" runs on a gas-powered Honda engine that can reach more than 18 mph. The scariest-sounding thing of all is how you ride this thing: "The outer wheel revolves around propelling you forward while keeping the center level with the horizon. Steering is accomplished by moving … Read more

Zinadoo lets anyone create Web sites to fit your mobile phone

Zinadoo promises to create a home for you on the Web; a site of your own devising that will be accessible to your friends and jealous frenemies from any device. I'd yawn if not for the fact that Zinadoo, like so many other Webutainment or social networking sites, offers an engaging activity with good usability that really delivers.

Register a site name and it's smooth sailing to a four-part WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) site creator that's built with Adobe Flash Player. File controls that add another Web page, upload an image, and so on live on the left sidebar. It's also one point for publishing. You type your Web content directly into a large rectangular authoring field, and play with text formatting and hyperlinks from the nearby options menu. Click a button to preview the fledgling site on an emulator, and another to generate your site's URL (here's mine.)

Editing is as easy as logging in and typing over what you wrote, then republishing. The hardest part of the process is supplying the content.

Then you name your site, give it a description and tags, and start sharing by way of e-mail, text message, or publishing to MySpace.… Read more

Google AdSense for Mobile puts contextual ads at your fingertips

Google is launching AdSense for Mobile, which will allow marketers to place contextual ads on sites viewed via mobile devices. The company has been running mobile ads through its auction-based AdWords program since mid-2006. Now it will be automatically converting AdWords ads to text ads that will appear when someone accesses a participating Web site on a mobile device. The Web sites must be optimized for mobile browsers first.

Basically, the system reviews the content on the site and delivers text ads that are relevant; the publisher earns money every time an ad is clicked on. AdSense for Mobile will … Read more

Yap does voice to text for your phone

Here's a useful concept: say you're really sick of dealing with your phone's tiny keypad to type in text messages. What if you could simply say what you wanted to write down, and have the tool fill it in for you? Yap is a new service that's trying to fill that need with their new mobile phone client. It's aimed at teens, who the company claims 66% of text while driving. Yap will read off your friend's responses, meaning you don't have to pay attention to what they're writing. The service works … Read more

T-Mobile announces Samsung SGH-T429

T-Mobile today picked up another slider phone with the new Samsung SGH-T429. Features include a VGA camera, a speakerphone, instant messaging, personal organizer applications, a voice memo recorder, text and multimedia messaging, and Bluetooth. The slider style is similar to the Samsung SGH-T629's design; it has the same thin profile (0.6 inch) but the SGH-T429 is two-toned blue instead of silver. The tri-band (GSM 850/1800/1900) handset is available for $49 with service.

The Gizmo Report: APC's Mobile Power Pack UPB10

When I posted my review of Belkin's TuneTalk Stereo, a representative of APC commented on the story to suggest that I might want to use APC's Mobile Power Pack to extend the iPod's battery life when recording.

I started to reply to describe the gizmo I designed to power my iPod from a spare PowerBook battery-- a little clip that connects the battery terminals to an iPod dock cable. This is what I used to use to power up my old 4th-generation iPod while recording long conference sessions with the Belkin Voice Recorder for iPod.

But even as I was typing, I realized… Read more

Alltel's Razr2 now on sale; could T-Mobile be next?

As expected, Alltel today formerly picked up the Motorola Razr2 V9m, that lovely Razr revamp that caught our attention last month. Alltel joins Verizon Wireless and Sprint in offering the feature-packed handset while AT&T has already countered with the GSM Razr2 V9. As is the case with the other carriers offering the Razr2, Alltel adds its own customization to the phone. The massive external display shows the missed calls list (handy indeed) and you'll find the carrier's unique Celltop application. The carrier chose to use Moto's standard user interface rather than applying its own, and … Read more