charge

Samsung Mobile on Monday announced that it had installed 50 free charging stations at Newark Liberty International Airport in Terminals A, B, and C.

Each charging station includes four outlets that allow several normal travelers or a huge geek of one to recharge their electronic devices simultaneously. The stations are built to charge devices designed for U.S. voltage--120 volts--and come with a small shelf to hold the gear. Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) of New Jersey is providing electricity for all 50 charging stations at the airport.

Samsung Mobile has already recently installed free charging … Read more

Sun worshippers now have further reason to worship that great big AC main in the sky: the SunTable, which automatically stores backup energy.

Brooklyn designers Devang A. Shah and Mike Low were inspired to make the SunTable since a table has a nice, big surface area perfect for those photovoltaic cells to snag the sun's power.

Less inspiring is the $2,200 sticker price, though for the money, you get a teak and stainless steel table table with an integrated 64W unbreakable solar panel that will still charge if partially covered. We like the idea that you can hose … Read more

The European Union's consumer chief is taking action against dodgy Web sites selling mobile phone ringtones and wallpapers with unscrupulous practices, according to a story by Reuters.

On Thursday, EU Consumer Commissioner Meglena Kuneva launched an investigation into 500 Web sites that sell ringtones, wallpapers, news feeds and video games to consumers. Kuneva believes these Web sites are misleading consumers, notably teenagers, and getting people to spend hundreds of millions of euros on services.

"Far too many people are falling victim to costly surprises from mysterious charges, fees and ringtone subscriptions they learn about for the first time … Read more

I've written before about AT&T Wireless' terrible international roaming rates for the iPhone. Well, imagine my surprise to discover that its roaming rates for its wireless cards is even worse. How much worse? Consider the bill I received from AT&T today:

Yes, that's really $1520.76 for one month's usage of my wireless card. But the shocking thing is that $1450.19 of it came from using the card for under three hours to pull down a total of 96 megabytes of data. That's roughly $15 per megabyte. What a bargain!

Given … Read more

There are several ways one can harness natural energy. In addition to the sun, wind, tides, and geothermal activities, the human body itself is increasingly being used to produce energy charge all sorts of electricity-hungry devices.

Music company Orange and GotWind, a firm specializing in renewable energy, have teamed up to create a device called the Dance Charge. Weighing 180 grams (about 6.3 ounces), you strap it around your arm. Dance Charge then uses the kinetic energy generated by your body in motion to juice up your phone.

It also uses a system of weights and magnets to produce … Read more

Broadcom co-founder and former CEO Henry T. Nicholas III is facing two federal indictments that allege conspiracy and securities fraud related to options backdating, as well as numerous drug violations.

The federal indictments, unsealed on Thursday, include a total of 25 counts against Nicholas. According to an Associated Press report, the charges include conspiracy, securities fraud, false certification of financial reports, filing false statements with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, wire fraud, and conspiracy to distribute and acquire controlled substances.

The indictment also names Broadcom's former chief financial officer, William J. Ruehle, who faces conspiracy, securities fraud, … Read more

AT&T wireless subscribers who were hoodwinked into signing up for recurring charges for ringtones and other content will receive refunds as part of a class action settlement.

Customers will get refunds for charges that appeared on their bills between January 1, 2004, and May 30, 2008, the Associated Press reported Monday.

This is the first nationwide settlement that refunds customers' money from charges for third-party content, the news service reported. Jay Edelson, who filed the claim on behalf of the plaintiffs, has filed similar lawsuits against Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel, and T-Mobile USA.

This latest decision could boost … Read more

Nyko has announced the release of an Xbox 360-compatible charging base, much like the PlayStation 3 one the company debuted almost two months ago.

The Nyko Charge Base 360 comes with two NiMH rechargeable batteries fitted with contact points that allow you to simply drop the controller into the included cradle. The base can charge one battery in 2 hours and two in 4. Nyko says that each full battery charge should net you about 25 hours of play time.

Microsoft offers a Quick Charge Kit for around $30 that only comes with one battery and charges a single pack … Read more

Securities and Exchange Commission regulators on Monday filed civil fraud charges against eight former AOL Time Warner executives over allegations they overstated the Internet company's advertising revenue in excess of $1 billion.

The lawsuits, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, allege John Michael Kelly, former CFO of AOL Time Warner; Steven E. Rindner, a former Business Affairs unit senior executive; Joseph A. Ripp, former CFO of the AOL division; and Mark Wovsaniker, former Accounting and Policy head, created a fraudulent scheme where AOL Time Warner funded its own advertising revenue by giving … Read more