Sanyo’s eneloop batteries have been around for a while. People seem to like them when it comes to powering our various toys and gadgets. And now Sanyo is offering some new AA and AAA eneloop rechargeable batteries that will give you 500 more charges compared to the previous versions.

They are already charged and ready to go in the packaging. The company claims that they can maintain about 75% of their charge for up to three years and they are capable of up to 1,500 charge cycles. Perfect for Christmas time.

Many devices have moved away from AA and AAA batteries in favor of lithium-ion rechargeable batteries. But for things like TV remotes, the use of AA and AAA batteries are still the norm. We have rechargeable versions of these batteries, but sadly most people still rely on the standard one use versions and throw them away.

Brother has an alternative for low-power devices. A new Vibration-power Generating battery (VpGB) has been created which can be produced in both AA and AAA sizes. It does not contain a certain amount of energy which gets discharged and then becomes useless though. Instead, shaking the battery generates power which can then be used immediately.

We were asked to check out C.Crane’s Solar Battery Charger, so CableOrganizer.com sent us a review unit and all we needed to do was wait for some sun. Luckily for us, the sun is returning around these parts. So we rounded up a bunch of dead batteries and got to work.

This solar battery charger will charge AAA, AA, C and D size batteries and has a solar power meter on top which shows the charging rate. Just open the plastic cover and put some batteries in. At any one time, you can charge several batteries, a few AA or AAAs along with some Ds for instance.

Kensington recently introduced a new USB charger powered by AAA batteries. The gadget will compete with similar products from Energizer, Duracell and IOGear. The dual-function charger can be used to power your cell phone when you don’t have access to power outlets.

Just realize that the AAA batteries inside are not going to satisfy power hungry phones like the iPhone. It’s more for entry-level handsets. The device comes with adapter cables and two sets of batteries so you can rotate them. It’s great for wireless mice and keyboards and is a good gadget to have around for emergencies.

Even though we don’t see them in most devices, AAA batteries can be pretty darn useful, aside from powering remote controls and toys. Philips thinks so too, that’s why the Philips Xenium 9@9j has a AAA battery slot at the base. This is very likely the first cellphone that supports a AAA battery. It supposedly gives it up to three hours of talk time. It still has the standard lithium ion rechargeable battery, but the AAA is a backup.

It does add some bulk, but what is a backup worth to you? The 9@9j should be around in April. The technology is from the Israeli firm Techtium, and they are calling it Backupower. If your main battery goes dead, the backup battery takes over.