Asus Sabertooth 55i motherboard

Posted in ASUS by Conner Flynn on October 7th, 2009

Asus Sabertooth 55i motherboardAsus’ Sabertooth 55i motherboard is part of the TUF Series, a series made especially to handle heavy duty computing, whether you demand lots of power or are a hardcore gamer. It will perform under the most extreme conditions.

You can count on the fact that Asus TUF Series motherboards have been put through their paces in their testing program. The Sabertooth 55i motherboard features the Intel P55 chipset along with a CoolMem! Fan Frame that will fit most standard 40mm or 50mm computer fans. These boards are solidly made and equipped with components that have passed military-style testing.

TV TrickleSaver cuts off game console power

Posted in Games by Conner Flynn on July 8th, 2009

TV TrickleSaver cuts off game console powerWe all know that some game consoles consume a whole lot more power than others. Wii won’t mention any names. TrickleStar knows this and so has introduced their TV TrickleSaver device aimed at cutting down on some of that wasted power consumption.

Just plug both your TV and game console into the device (it will also work with a power bar), and then the device does it’s thing, cutting off power to the game console when you shut off your TV. It even works with other devices other than game consoles. TrickleStar outs the PS3 as its primary target, with the Xbox 360 a close second.

Supermarket uses power-generating parking lot

Posted in News by Conner Flynn on June 15th, 2009

Supermarket uses power-generating parking lotEngland is a very innovative country. They’ve created such things as Policemen in tall hats, Palace guards that don’t flinch, Time-traveling Police boxes and now they are powering their supermarkets with their own parking lot.

At least one supermarket in England is setting up a high-tech parking lot that will generate energy simply from cars driving back and forth on it. The energy created will power things like cash registers and lights inside the store. It may even “power your savings”… At least, that’s how I would pitch it to customers.

The system will work using a series of plates that, when driven over, will create a rocking motion underground which turns generators. As more cars drive over it, more energy is created. About 30kw of energy an hour. It’s a smart idea. Hopefully …

Hands on: Kinesis K3 power generator

Posted in Review by Conner Flynn on June 14th, 2009

Kinesis K3 power generatorHere at the ‘Brick we’re always on the lookout for gadgets that can give us sweet gadget juice, without it costing money on our electric bills. So we checked out Kinesis’ K3 power generator. The device sports both a windmill and solar cells, plus you can charge its internal battery with external electricity sources. So you can charge its 4,000 mAh battery using a USB adapter or a car cigarette lighter if you absolutely need power on hand.

According to the company, one hour of sun and wind will give you 30 minutes of talk time on a cellphone. Fully charged, the K3 can load the battery cells for an average mobile phone five times, or an MP3 player more than ten times. It costs $100.

Giant snakes to power 50,000 UK homes

Posted in News by Conner Flynn on May 7th, 2009

Giant snakes to power 50,000 UK homesGiant snakes powering homes? What is this, the Flintstones? Are we to play our non-vinyl granite records with bird beaks? Man, I hope not. But as it turns out, reptiles are a good source of energy. Not real ones. Fake snakes. A company called Checkmate is using these creatures to help provide cheap and clean power for up to 50,000 UK homes within five years.

The company is testing 200m long rubber devices which would be tethered to the sea bed and are designed to swim against the current and produce up to 1MW of power each. The waves cause a bulge to ripple down the length of the snakes and power turbines at the tails.

Loewe Art SL HDTV claims to be the greenest of them all

Posted in HDTV by Conner Flynn on May 7th, 2009

Loewe Art SL HDTVIf you are the environmentally friendly type, the Loewe Art SL HDTV has just been introduced and you’ll want to check it out. It’s touted as the greenest HDTV from the company to date. And it doesn’t sacrifice specs and design.

This 1080p LCD display comes with an Eco Mode that lets you control how much power it uses and the automatic light dimming uses up to 20% less than when it runs normally. In standby mode, the Loewe Art SL sucks just 0.7 watts. As you might expect, these power saving features don’t come cheap.

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?

Panasonic announces 16 power saving water heaters

Posted in Panasonic by Conner Flynn on April 9th, 2009

Panasonic announces power saving water heatersPanasonic has announced a batch of 16 heat pump water heaters that will save energy and keep your water temperature constant by using a human presence sensor. The mechanism is able to reduce power consumption by up to 35% in winter, which is when you use the most.

If you’re in Japan, you can get one by July 10. Just don’t expect it to be affordable. The HE-KU37CQS model has a tank capacity and hot water supply pressure of 370L and 280kPa and retails for about $8,211. Seems like a cruel joke, but at that price they are selling you the remote control separately.

Kensington’s power adapter for Netbooks will also charge your USB Gadgets

Posted in Chargers by Conner Flynn on April 7th, 2009

Kensington’s power adapter for Netbooks Kensington has a new Power Adapter designed specially for Netbooks. The adapter is compatible with brands like Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, LG, Lenovo, MSI and Samsung netbooks, so all of the big names are covered.

But the most interesting thing about it is that it also features a USB port for powering up your cell phone or MP3 player. Don’t worry, the adapter features over-current protection, short-circuit protection, and over-temperature protection. Pretty nifty gadget to have with you while traveling.

Samsung intros eco-friendly LCD displays

Posted in Samsung by Conner Flynn on April 6th, 2009

Samsung intros eco-friendly LCD displaysSamsung is showing their love for the environment with the release of two more eco-friendly LCD displays in Korea. They’re in the SyncMaster 70 series with 20″ and 23″ sizes. The LCD displays will come with ToC (Touch of Color) Design and boast that they will suck up to 33% less energy compared to average LCDs.

If that turns out to be true, that’s pretty good. We like to see less waste. Aside from this power-saving feature, there aren’t any other details on this pair. Just a contrast ratio of 50,000 to 1 and a 2ms response time.

Tweet-a-Watt shares your power usage with the World

Posted in Power Strips by Conner Flynn on March 29th, 2009

Tweet-a-Watt shares your power usage with the WorldYou already share all of your life’s details on Twitter, why not share your power usage? Tweet-a-Watt will broadcast your power consumption for all to see. Each device only reads one outlet, so you can really get the low-down on how you use energy.

Modified from a Kill-a-Watt energy reader, the Tweet-a-Watt slowly charges up just enough power to communicate with a nearby computer via an XBee receiver, then uses a predefined Twitter account to automatically publish the results.

Solar panels hang outside of your window

Posted in Solar Powered by Conner Flynn on March 15th, 2009

Solar panels hang out your windowWe could probably all stand to get a little greener in our everyday lives. Portable and compact solar panels like these make it pretty easy, since large panels are expensive and not suited for the home. These are especially great for apartment dwellers looking to get greener.

Veranda Solar is working on these solar panels that would sunbath outside of apartment windows, gathering rays that will power your stuff inside. No word yet on how much power you can expect to get from them, but the price is estimated to be from $400 to $600.

The Inlet-Outlet: Harnessing energy from your daily life

Posted in Concepts by Conner Flynn on March 9th, 2009

The Inlet-Outlet: Harnessing energy from your daily lifeThis may come as shock to you, but you are wasting energy. Everyday. How about giving back, simply by plugging into your wall? It may come sooner than you think. Nearly every room in our home has an electrical outlet. What if each one had a matching electrical “inlet” so you could give some back?

The idea is that adapter kits would be made available to convert common household products into energy-generating devices. Things like exercise equipment, for instance. Maybe even the wheel in your hamster’s cage.

LG LH30FD HDTV reduces power consumption by 70%

Posted in HDTV by Conner Flynn on February 11th, 2009

LG LH30FD HDTV reduces power consumption by 70%LG just announced the launch of it’s new LG LH30FD LCD HDTV series. The LCDs will come in three sizes, 47 inch, 42 inch and 32 inches and will feature rich finishes to compliment home interiors.

The interesting thing is that they are being promoted as energy saving devices with up to 70% reduction of power consumption when using the LCD’s unique power saving modes. No other specs yet or the pricing, but they will likely hit the Korean markets first.

Solar ChumAlong personal solar tracking device

Posted in Solar Powered by Conner Flynn on February 9th, 2009

Solar ChumAlong personal solar tracking deviceCan’t seem to get enough sun for your gadgets? If only that great big fiery ball in the sky would stay still. It would make it so much easier for you to harness those rays. That ain’t gonna happen, but here’s the next best thing.

The Solar ChumAlong solar tracking system is a solar charging panel that automatically tracks the sun just like those expensive arrays you see in movies. But this one is portable and lightweight, so you can always have power. The solar panel is always facing the sun so you’ll always be able to juice up your gadgets.





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