charger

Through a partnership with XPAL Power, Energizer has expanded its Energi to Go line of portable battery packs in a big way. The newly branded chargers run the gamut from an iPhone 3G/3G S battery sleeve to a couple of solar chargers to a larger lithium ion charger that can juice up to three devices at once, including a laptop.

Most of the chargers include cell tips for various makes and models of cell phones, and you can get free new tips online as future phones come out.

Many of the battery packs are available already under the XPAL brand, but the new packaging should be appearing very soon in stores.

Here's a look at the line and check out the slideshow above:… Read more

No more telling Mom you can't talk because your cell phone is "about to die"--it soon could be charging itself as you speak.

The Nokia Research Centre in Cambridge, England, is working on a prototype system that would eliminate the traditional cell phone charger.

The system collects energy from ambient radio waves emitted by antennas, TV masts, Wi-Fi transmitters, and the like. This might all sound uber-scientific, but we've been using this technology for years. Have you ever exited a store, only to hear the beep, beep, beep of an accusing alarm system? Many retailers … Read more

Tired of your iPhone's USB cable flopping all over your desk? Wish your handset could sit upright while it's charging? Sounds like you need a dock. Unfortunately, Apple charges a whopping $49 for its Universal Dock. Surely there's an alternative for cheapskates?

There is! Meritline has an iPhone charging dock for just $5.99, shipping included. (From Hong Kong, no less!) It normally sells for $15.99, already a good deal compared with Apple's product.

Granted, this dock doesn't come with a remote, nor a bunch of dock adapters for charging various iPods. However, although … Read more

Washington based start-up Greenlight is launching a new charger aimed at electric cars and plug-in hybrids, but it's not exactly cheap.

The ChargeBar can charge both 120-volt (the standard U.S. household socket) and 240-volt batteries, and the company says it will work with virtually any electric car or plug-in hybrid, including the upcoming GM Volt.

The exception is electric cars that use 480-volt charging, which according to the company is not yet an established standard for upcoming electric cars.

A number of electric sedans are planned for market introduction in the next two years. But automakers say that … Read more

I'd imagine that quite a few readers out there spent this last weekend checking out the 2009 NFL Draft, hoping for the best for each of your favorite NFL teams. So it seemed like a neat idea to dedicate this week's set of blogs to the fabulously tricked-out rides of NFL stars.

This vid was produced by the NFL network, checking out the bad-ass rides of a few NFL players. To say these cars have been customized is a severe understatement. Big Pat Williams of the Minnesota Vikings shows off his flashy Range Rover as modified by Automotive … Read more

Tired of running out of juice when you're on the run? The Tekkeon TekCharge MP1800 is a rechargeable portable battery pack that supplies power to phones, MP3 players, Bluetooth headsets, and other mobile devices.

It normally sells for around $45, but Amazon is selling the Tekkeon TekCharge for $28.99 with free shipping.

The charger comes with seven adapter tips for use with most kinds of mobile phones, but you can also use the USB cable that came with your iPod, Zune, or other device. In other words, it's almost universally compatible, provided that your gizmo can be … Read more

It's the small things in life.

So it is that when your car battery dies, you can jump-start the engine using generic cables sold by any of the thousands of retail locations that stock the item. And fairly soon, charging up most cell phones will be just as easy: seven wireless operators and handset makers just agreed at the GSMA 2009 conference to standardize chargers.

Terrific. But when it comes to laptop PC power adapters, you'd be well advised to heed the tag line from a well-known American Express commercial: Don't leave home without it.

Because if … Read more

Update: This story has been updated to clarify that Apple was not named in the list of handset makers that have agreed to use a new universal charger standard.

BARCELONA--After I've spent years scrounging through drawers looking for the right charger and kicking myself every time I forgot my charger while traveling, the mobile industry has finally decided to make one device that can juice up any cell phone.

On Tuesday, the GSMA trade association announced at its 2009 Mobile World Congress here that it has brokered a deal with the world's leading handset makers to come up … Read more