power

Apple's MagSafe connections for its laptop power adapters allows the connections to be quickly detached from systems, the benefits of which are obvious to anyone who has ever caught a foot in the power cord of a charging device and yanked it to the floor from its resting perch.

The MagSafe adapter is a great idea, but a number of people complained that its first iterations did have a couple of flaws that resulted in the cable getting twisted and bent (a situation called "strain relief"). In some instances this strain would cause the cable components to … Read more

The original NHT SuperZero speaker was an immediate hit with audiophiles when it was introduced in 1993, and the current SuperZero 2.0 ($198 a pair) is still the company's biggest seller.

NHT (Now Hear This) was in New York last week demonstrating its newest creation: the SuperPower speaker ($199 each). It's a near twin of the SuperZero 2.0, but the new one comes with a built-in 90-watt power amplifier. Just hook up the little speakers directly to smartphones, portable media players, tablets, video games, entertainment systems, and, of course, desktop and laptop computers, and bask in … Read more

Asteroids Gunner follows the same basic gameplay as the original stand-up arcade game, but adds much more to the action. At the beginning of the game, you find yourself in an asteroid field and your job is to maneuver your ship and break up asteroids until you've cleared the area. Also like in the original, occasionally a UFO will materialize that you can shoot for bonus points. But what brings Asteroids Gunner squarely into the present day are several improvements that will keep you coming back for more. For starters, Asteroids Gunner uses a dual-stick control method with the … Read more

Asteroids Gunner was released by Atari today in the iTunes App Store, taking some cues from the company's arcade classic, Asteroids, and adding contemporary gaming mechanics that might make it a hit for iOS gamers.

When I think of the classic arcade games of old, the titles that pop into my head are games like Pac-Man, Defender, Galaga, and Asteroids, among many others. You can still find many of these games using emulation software on desktops or purchase them in newer iOS collections like Atari's Greatest Hits. But today Atari released a sequel to Asteroids (first released in 1979) called Asteroids Gunner, and it has just the right mix of action and contemporary gameplay elements to make it a must-have for those who like old arcade hits.… Read more

Energy's Power EM-2.1 plug-and-play desktop speaker system is remarkably compact.

How tiny is it? The EM-2.1's gloss-black 4.25-inch-by-2.25-inch-by-2.75-inch satellite speakers come mated with a satin black 4.5-inch-by-5.25-inch-by-5.75 inch subwoofer. Connectivity is as basic as it gets, there's just one 3.5mm input jack, and the sub has stereo RCA outputs that drive the satellites. Build quality is inline with my expectations for a $100 package.

The EM-2.1 system promises 80-Hertz-to-20-kHz frequency response, but those numbers sound a little optimistic as far as the bass goes. A power-house system, … Read more

Today's post is dedicated to my father-in-law, Don Whalen, an incredibly skilled, larger-than-life man I loved and admired. He passed away suddenly last night.

iPhone battery problems got you down? Or perhaps you have an older iPod or iPad with a battery that just doesn't hold a charge like it used to. Whatever the case, it's always a good idea to pack a power pack.

Today only, and while supplies last, Laalo has the Mophie Juice Pack Boost external battery for $17.95, plus $4.95 for shipping. The Mophie has a built-in, retractable connector for … Read more

Apple has reached a proposed settlement in a class action lawsuit involving older models of its MagSafe power adapters.

Those particular adapters, the 60W and 85W versions that shipped on earlier models of the company's MacBook and MacBook Pro portable computers, were prone to splitting and became the target of a class action lawsuit.

The lawsuit claimed that the particular adapter design was defective to the point of where it "dangerously frays, sparks and prematurely fails to work." The 2009 filing accused Apple of knowing about, and misrepresenting the problem, claims Apple denied in court. AdapterSettlement.com'… Read more

The Volvo C30 Electric is already out on the roads in Europe, but this week the Swedish automaker released 10 video clips documenting the development of new technology for the C30.

According to Volvo, the C30 Electric had a short development time, and the process involved about 100 research and development specialists.

Click on the links below to view videos two through 10, to learn more about testing, safety, engineering and other aspects of the C30's development.

The films include "A Milestone in the Automotive Industry" (below), "Battery System," "Electrical Architecture and Electrical Safety,&… Read more

Power, unlike beauty, is less in the eye of the beholder and more in the hands of the cudgel-wielder.

The question, then, is just how much people ought to be shivering at the idea that Forbes has declared Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg the ninth most powerful person in the world.

Yes, it seems there are only eight people alive who can stop him in his quest to control precisely everything.

Who, of those eight, might be prepared to do it? At No. 1 is President Barack Obama. But he seems pleasantly disposed to Zuckerberg. They've even had dinner together. … Read more