Battery

Mobile

iPhone Catches Fire On Aussie Flight

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4:15PM November 29, 2011 | Alex Kidman

File this one under “quite terrifying”, methinks. It’s been a long while since you’ve been allowed to smoke on board any Australian flight, but that didn’t stop an iPhone 4 that apparently self-combusted on a Regional Express flight late last week. More »


Gadgets

It’s A Case! It’s A Battery! It’s A Projector! It’s… ALL OF THEM

8:40AM October 15, 2011 | Natt Garun

Sometimes, smartphone screens are just not big enough. Linking it to a projector is helpful but it’s hardly portable and before you know it, the battery’s gone. The Monolith, a triple-threat iPhone case that works as a projector and a battery pack, can light up your room while keeping your gear boo boo-free. More »


Science

Nanogenerators Could Power A Bluetooth Headset With Your Pulse

1:13PM June 17, 2011 | Kelly Hodgkins

Scientists have developed the first self-powered nanogenerators that scavenge energy from their surroundings. They could someday replace conventional batteries in small electronics. More »


Mobile

ZDbox For Android Controls Everything On Your Phone

2:40PM February 24, 2011 | Casey Chan

ZDbox for Android is an “all-in-one” toolbox app that makes it easy to find out what’s going on in your phone and gives you full control of different tasks. Those who geek out to numbers, fret not, ZDbox gives the exact battery percentage and traffic usage (with alerts!). If you want to set a do not disturb time range, lock some apps (like Gmail or messaging) or batch uninstall others, you can do that too. The interface is simple enough where you won’t have to learn new things to do new things. It’s still in beta, but has been working pretty well for me. [XDA Developers via Mobiputing]


Science

This Battery Has Been Working For 60 Years

12:00PM January 5, 2011 | Casey Chan

Ah, batteries. They always die sooner than you think, right? Not this one! Called Karpen’s Pile, this battery has been working uninterrupted since the 1950′s. That’s 60 years of charge! More »


Science

Giz Explains: Why Batteries Die

8:00AM November 24, 2010 | John Herrman

Inside almost every gadget lurks a ticking time bomb. In two years, or maybe three or four, it will die, rendering your gadget useless. Possibly permanently. So, what are these awful little bastards? They’re called batteries. More »


Gadgets

Your Batteries Could Take Down A Plane

5:46PM October 9, 2010 | Rosa Golijan

Ready for mass hysteria? Apparently the FAA has acknowledged that aeroplane cargo holds can get hot enough to cause lithium batteries to ignite. And there’s more! There was a large quantity of such batteries on a plane that crashed recently: More »


Update: The Power Brick That Does Indeed Fly

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3:00PM September 13, 2010 | Alex Kidman

Does the PADACS Ultracharge become an actual bomb scare? It was time to find out. More »


Nice Power Brick. But Will It Fly?

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3:00PM August 31, 2010 | Alex Kidman

This battery promises to charge 98 per cent of mobile devices and add up to 20 hours to the iPad’s operating time. I just wish it didn’t look quite so explosive. More »


Google: “If You Are Not Getting A Day [Of Android Battery], There Is Something Wrong”

6:29PM May 19, 2010 | Kat Hannaford

On the whole, most smartphones only give you a day’s usage before the battery fizzles up – but Androids seem to be particularly juice-sucking. According to Larry Page however, if you’re not getting a full day’s use, there’s “something wrong.” More »