charger

Software that can be downloaded for use with the Energizer Duo USB battery charger contains a backdoor that could allow an attacker to remotely take control of a Windows-based PC, Energizer and US-CERT is warning.

"The installer for the Energizer Duo software places the file UsbCharger.dll in the application's directory and Arucer.dll in the Windows system32 directory," the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team said in an advisory on Friday. "Arucer.dll is a backdoor that allows unauthorized remote system access via accepting connections on 7777/tcp. Its capabilities include the ability to list … Read more

If you are looking for a iPhone charger that's compact and portable to carry on the go, Scosche, an accessory maker for mobile devices, might have just what you want.

The company launched Thursday the Revivelite II, a portable iPhone Charger that incorporates a night-light, which could come in handy for those who don't want to sleep in complete darkness.

About the size of a wall plug, the new charger features an iPhone docking station and a USB port, meaning it can charge two devices at a time. The second device can be another iPhone, an iPod, or … Read more

Conor Klein, a furniture design student at the Rhode Island School of Design, was inspired by a leech to come up with an ingenious way to prevent unnecessary overcharging. When a device reaches full power, most modern adapters will switch to a trickle charge mode that continues to supply electricity to the machine at a slower rate. Over time, this will reduce the life of the battery and waste electricity.

Klein's Outlet Regulator design is unique in that it comes in two parts--a main unit plugged in to the outlet and a secondary wire to which a device is … Read more

Talk about the rubber hitting the road. Researchers from Princeton and Caltech have come up with a power-generating rubber material that could harness walking and other movement to charge electronic devices.

The material is made from nanoribbons composed of lead zirconate titanate, or PZT, a ceramic substance that's "piezoelectric," meaning it generates an electrical voltage when pressure is applied. The "piezo-rubber chips" are embedded in clear silicone rubber sheets that produce electricity when flexed.

The scientists--who detail their findings in the new issue of Nano Letters, a journal of the American Chemical Society--say the rubber sheets could one day appear in shoes that power cell phones and other mobile electronic devices as the user walks or runs.

What's more, "the new electricity-harvesting devices could be implanted in the body to perpetually power medical devices, and the body wouldn't reject them," said Michael McAlpine, an assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton who led the project.

For example, the biocompatible material could be placed next to a person's lungs and utilize breathing motions to power pacemakers, the scientists say. That could reduce the need for surgery to replace batteries in the device.

We've heard of other gadgets that can be powered by kinetic energy, including the Dance Charge, which is strapped around the arm and powered, as the name suggests, by dancing.… Read more

Apple has its eye on the sun as a source of energy for iPods.

Company employees have applied for a patent relating to powering electronic devices using integrated solar cells, the Patently Apple site has uncovered. Called Power Management Circuitry and Solar Cells, the application dates back to August 2008 and was officially published Thursday.

It appears, though, that it's not the first Apple patent application relating to solar-powered gadgets. In October 2006, a more general patent under the title "Solar Cells on Portable Devices" was filed by at least one of the same people. When that … Read more

Call it an occupational hazard, but as CNET's senior editor for MP3 player reviews, I'm constantly being called on to loan out iPod/iPhone cables to co-workers. I'm not complaining--in fact, it's sorta nice to feel like I can save someone's day with an iPod cable. If anything, I wish I could carry an extra iPod cable with me at all times, poised and ready to bail out a friend's dying iPhone or transfer music to my iPod.

That's why I freaked when I saw the $20 FlipSync cable on display at the … Read more

Here's an energy source most of us haven't considered tapping: Wi-Fi wireless signals.

At CES 2010, RCA was showing a prototype of a handheld energy-harvesting battery designed to convert energy transmitted in a Wi-Fi signal into DC power, according to a report in OhGizmo.

The device, called the Airnergy, uses an antenna and circuitry to harvest the energy and an internal battery to store the electrical charge. A company representative told OhGizmo that they were able to charge a BlackBerry from 30 percent to full charge in about 90 minutes using the ambient Wi-Fi signal at CES, although … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Over the last few years, I've spent a lot of time piecing together a mini solar station to charge my gadgets. Having just returned from CES, it's clear that the latest options for small-scale solar are likely appeal to more than just eco-geeks like me.

My home solar-charging gear is decidedly clunky. I bought a 10-watt solar panel that charges a 12-volt back-up battery which has a regular AC outlet on it. It's versatile since I can use the wall plugs that come with various devices but my toys weren't cheap--close to $300 all told. … Read more

There are all sorts of devices that provide a quick charge for a cell phone or other gadget when you can't get to an electrical outlet. Most, like the Energizer Energi To Go products, require you to insert AA batteries that transfer energy from the AA battery to the device's internal battery. But Easy Energy has a battery-free solution.

Spokeswoman Allison Morrison told me about the company's YoGen product, which is like a yo-yo that generates power. It's a handheld device with a cord. Pull the cord a few times and it generates enough power to … Read more