MacBook Pro battery explosion reported

Posted in Apple by Shane McGlaun on November 11th, 2009

mbp-battery-explosion_1All of the battery issues that we have seen over the last few years have forced me to reconsider using a laptop actually in my lap. I don’t mind the heat from the computer nearly as much as I would mind a battery exploding on my gonads. Typically, these battery explosions have been mostly limited to Windows computers, but today a new report of a MacBook Pro battery blowing its top has come in.

Engadget reports that the MacBook Pro is a 17-inch non-unibody machine that was being used on a desktop at the time the incident occurred. According to the user, a strange noise began and then got louder.

XP1-Power USB Rechargeable Battery Backup Cable

Posted in Chargers by Conner Flynn on October 26th, 2009

XP1-Power USB Rechargeable Battery Backup CableThe XP1 USB power cable is all you need to power and sync the iPhone and iPod. And with the XP1 you don’t need to carry additional adaptors and cables. Just use the USB port on your computer to charge the XP1 cable and carry the XP1 with you to power your iPhone or iPod on the go.

You can also use the wall adaptor to charge XP-1. The XP1 USB charge and sync cable has a 2500mAh lithium-ion battery. It’s a convenient solution that will always give you power when you need it.

iON Universal Mobile Power Bank Review

Posted in Review by Shane McGlaun on June 11th, 2009

ion-sb1

I can always use more battery life from my iPhone. The thing is great but if you spend any length of time, playing games, or surfing the net the battery gets sucked down very swiftly. Today I am looking at a product called the iON Universal Mobile Power Bank that promises up to 50 additional hours of power for iPods and works with the iPhone as well. Read on for all the details.

iON external battery for iPhone/iPod unveiled

Posted in Mobile Accessories by Shane McGlaun on June 4th, 2009

ion-sbThere is a list of things that I wish my iPhone could do or did better. One of the top things on the list is that I wish the iPhone had better battery life. The battery is wiped out in under a day if you play lots of games or stream video.

A new external battery for the iPhone has tipped up called the iON from FSP Group USA. The battery will be available soon online at Newegg and at other retailers. The credit card-size battery has an included iPhone/iPod connector and a USB output cable.

PSP Extended Life Battery Kit back on sale

Posted in PSP by Conner Flynn on May 25th, 2009

Sony PSP Extended Life Battery KitThis battery kit was originally announced back in November of 2007. The PSP Extended Life Battery Kit promised to give you about 20 percent more battery life for $45. Then, it seemed that Sony pulled the thing in 2008.

Anyhow, now it’s back. You can find the PlayStation Portable Extended Life Battery Kit back on Sony’s website for $44.99. Looks like they are Backordered at the moment, but you can always get in line. You can always use more battery life.

Philips X550 with month-long phone battery life

Posted in Philips by Conner Flynn on May 19th, 2009

Philips X550 with month-long phone battery lifeMobile phone battery life is one of the most important factors to consider when buying a phone. And Philips has one that will last a long tme with the Philips X550. This phone apparently has a battery that can last up to a month in stand-by. Some sacrifices had to be made obviously.

No 3G connectivity here and it relies only on GPRS and EDGE for data transfers. Some other features are: A QVGA display with 262k colors, Bluetooth, FM radio with RDS, 3.2MP autofocus camera, MicroSD card support and up to 8GB memory. No pricing info yet.

HyperMac lives up to it’s name, powers MacBooks for 32 hours

Posted in MacBook by Conner Flynn on May 4th, 2009

HyperMac lives up to it's name, powers MacBooks for 32 hoursSanho’s Hypermac amounts to little more than a large external battery pack. Sure, it’s a great idea. And who wouldn’t want that kind of performance from a battery? We’re talking 32 hours here. That’s more than a full day.

But seriously, most of us have an outlet handy which is far less painful than dropping $500 on this 222Wh unit. But if this appeals to your need for power, it ships later this month. But ask yourself this. Do you even use your MacBook for 32 hours straight? Have you ever?

Fuji EnviroMAX eco-respectful batteries available in retail chains

Posted in Batteries by Shane McGlaun on April 30th, 2009

fujienviromax-sbAs most readers of The Brick, I am a big gadget hound which means I always seem to be in need of batteries. For some of my gadgets, like digital cameras, I prefer plain AA or AAA batteries over rechargeable. That way, if I run out of juice away from home more power is but a flick of the battery door away.

Fuji has announced that its EnviroMAX eco-respectful batteries are now available in retail chains across the country including Ace, Tru Value, and ACO Stores. I guess eco-respectful is sort of like eco-friendly. Then you can be respectful without being friendly so who knows.

Toshiba Mini NB200 Netbook with 9-Cell battery

Posted in Netbook by Conner Flynn on April 22nd, 2009

Toshiba Mini NB200 Netbook with 9-Cell batteryBattery life in netbooks is the new thin. Everyone is competing to give you more juice. Toshiba is no different. Hence the 9-Cell battery version of the NB200 that claims to last for 9 hours, which is fine by us. That isn’t all it has going for it though.

The Toshiba NB200 has some other interesting features, like a 10.1″ TruBrite display, a 3D accelerometer, one always-on USB port for charging and a large touch pad. It only weighs 2.42 Lbs too, so you won’t be lifting weights.

Battery powered battery charger

Posted in Chargers by Conner Flynn on April 15th, 2009

Battery powered battery chargerA battery charger powered by a battery. You will be free and untethered, assuming you have some D-sized batteries to power it. Isn’t this like robbing Peter to pay Paul? Or robbing Duracell to charge Energizer. Something like that.

It “Uses up to 1000 disposable batteries”. How can you resist? This must have been dreamed up by battery manufacturers to sell more D batteries. I can’t remember the last time I used a D battery myself. We have no idea where to buy one. If you have this gadget let us know. It’s probably a joke. Well, we know it’s a joke, but you know…

MIT working on Virus powered batteries

Posted in News by Conner Flynn on April 5th, 2009

MIT working on Virus powered batteries Typically a battery functions with lithium ions flowing between a negatively charged anode, usually graphite, and the positively charged cathode, usually cobalt oxide or lithium iron phosphate. But three years ago, an MIT team reported that it had engineered viruses that could build an anode by coating themselves with cobalt oxide and gold and self-assembling to form a nanowire. The “virus batteries” have the energy capacity and power performance similar to rechargeable batteries.

The prototype battery is a coin battery, but the idea is that cell and larger batteries could be made from this process and that one day it will power cars, boats and everything else. As it stands right now, it can go at least 100 charges before performance goes down. That will change of course.

Dell Adamo battery not user-replaceable

Posted in Dell by Conner Flynn on March 23rd, 2009

Dell Adamo announcedWe have some disappointing news about the Dell Adamo. Turns out that the Adamo’s battery is not able to be replaced by the user. Just like another laptop you may know and love. The hell you say?

Well, it is replaceable, it just has to be sent into Dell for the procedure, thereby inconveniencing you and making them some more money.(We assume.) We don’t know how much the company is going to charge for that.

HP now offering Boston-Power Sonata batteries

Posted in HP by Shane McGlaun on March 16th, 2009

hp_boston-power-sbBoston-Power isn’t really a household name at this point, but the company has some very cool battery tech that promises to make the battery in your laptop work for three times as long before you need to get a new battery. The average laptop battery starts to storage capacity in only a year, yet the Boston-Power Sonata battery promises to last for 3 years with full charge capacity.

I mentioned in December 2008 that HP would be the first computer maker to offer the Sonata batteries for sale. At the time, HP didn’t offer any pricing information for the upgraded battery packs.

Mophie Juice Pack Air iPhone battery pack

Posted in iPhone Accessories by Conner Flynn on February 10th, 2009

Mophie Juice Pack Air iPhone battery packThe latest iPhone battery pack from Mophie is probably the most acceptable battery extender yet for your iPhone 3G, the Mophie Juice pack Air. The Mophie Juice Pack Air is a case for the iPhone 3G with a built in battery pack, and judging by the images, it doesn’t harm the look and feel of the iPhone too much, unlike others.

The Mophie Juice Pack air will give you up to 270 hours of standby time, 4.5 hours of talk time on 3G or 9 hours on 2G, internet usage comes in a 4.5 hours on 3G and 5.4 hours in WiFi.

Dell Latitude XT2 multi-touch tablet now official, 11-hour battery

Posted in Dell by Conner Flynn on February 10th, 2009

Dell Latitude XT2 multi-touch tablet now official, 11-hour batteryDell’s 12.1-inch Latitude XT2 just got official and has also just been released in Korea. It’s been announced for the US with prices starting at $2,399. It features all the cool features you want in a multi-touch like the ability to pinch to zoom and two-finger swiping. (Which sounds a bit dirty somehow)

How does 11-hours of battery life sound? It also features DDR3 memory. Some other specs include: up to 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo ULV SU9400 processor with Montevina chipset, Intel integrated GMA 4500MHD graphics, Windows Vista Ultimate on down, 12.1-inch LED backlit capacitive touch-screen with EM Digitizer pen, up to 5GB of DDR3 1066MHz (1×1GB, 1×4GB DIMM), up to 120GB 5400RPM SATA disk or 128GB SSD, 802.11a/g/n WiFi and gigabit Ethernet, SATA ODD, 3.78-pounds (1.72-kg) with 6-cell battery, eSATA, 2x USB 2.0, firewire, and ExpressCard 54 slot. Check out a video below.





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