batteries

Apple is offering a $45 credit to Canadian owners of older versions of its popular iPod, a move that strikes of deva ju over a similar settlement agreement reached in 2005 with U.S.-based iPod owners.

Under the proposed settlement, as reported in the Montreal-based Gazette newspaper, Apple Canada plans to offer a $45 credit to iPod owners who purchased their music players before June 24, 2005. The credit can be used at Apple's online retail store.

The settlement is over allegations that the iPod batteries failed after three hours in-between charges, compared with its advertised claims of … Read more

The U.S. Department of Transportation issued a ruling today that will let passengers carry approved methanol fuel cells and up to two spare fuel cartridges in their carry-on bags.

Since fuel cells for phones and other devices won't likely hit the market until next year, the ruling technically doesn't affect anyone. That is, except for people like Peng Lim, CEO of MTI Micro Fuel Cells, who travels the country showing off prototypes of fuel cells for cameras and phones. (Peng's got a great collection of toys. See video here.)

Still, the ruling helps clear the way for the industry and consumer acceptance. … Read more

The idea of personal planes may conjure up dark visions of Blade Runner, but the first batch of two-seater aircraft to fly on electricity rather than fossil fuels could reach more than a dozen buyers by year's end.

And if some fans of experimental air travel have their way, that's a step closer to a gridlock-free future when relatively ordinary folks will hop to work in small, carbon-neutral planes.

A cozy crowd of several dozen engineers, venture capitalists, and members of clean-tech companies plotted the potential at the Electric Aircraft Symposium held Saturday in San Francisco, sponsored by … Read more

Panasonic's OxyRide AA batteries had barely made their debut, and they've already been overtaken in the endless race for the longest-lasting and most durable battery.

Newcomer Evolta, derived from the words "evolution" and "voltage," is due out in Japan later this month with a worldwide rollout later in the year. Also from the Panasonic stable, it claims to be the first of its kind and will be officially certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as "the world's longest-lasting AA alkaline battery." In numbers that we can understand, that's … Read more

The "Automower Solar Hybrid" it's not, but this manually operated mower is nonetheless claiming to do its part for the environment by running on electricity instead of gasoline.

Neuton makes a line of emission-free push mowers that are powered by 24-volt batteries and run for 45 to 60 minutes on a charge, according to Uncrate. They could be a decent alternative for those Nervous Nellie homeowners who eschew robo-mowers for fear that they'll be stolen.

Perhaps its most unusual mowing characteristic, however, is that it's silent. Which will be a disappointment to surly teenagers protesting … Read more

Most of the expert advice on extending the life of your notebook computer's battery boils down to common sense: turn off devices you don't need (CD drive, wireless adapter, Bluetooth, etc.); don't run AutoCAD and other graphics-intensive apps; don't run more apps than you need; turn down the brightness of your display (most laptops do this automatically); and set your system to hibernate after a shorter period of inactivity.

Quick aside: Lately whenever my notebook goes into hibernate mode I lose my wireless-network connection. I often have to restart the machine to get it to recognize … Read more

Lithium-ion batteries. They do blow up good.

Peter Roth at Sandia National Labs is conducting research on the durability and reliability of lithium-ion batteries, which are expected to power plug-in hybrids and electric cars in the future. Lithium-ion batteries store more energy than conventional batteries--six times as much as lead acid and two to three times as much as nickel metal hydride batteries, according to Sandia. However, lithium-ion cells can have unfortunate side effects.

Namely, an internal short circuit can lead to fire and a nasty explosion. In 2006, Sony had to conduct a multimillion-dollar battery recall because some had … Read more

Have trouble finding an extra or replacement battery for your laptop? Both Dell and HP say they are experiencing a laptop battery shortage after a March 3 fire knocked out a major supplier of the batteries.

Besides Dell and HP, the fire that gutted a plant owned by South Korea's second-largest battery maker, LG Chem, is also affecting Asus, maker of the popular Eee PC laptop.

"We sell battery packs. The prices of those battery packs for people ordering extra batteries have gone up," Dell spokesman Jess Blackburn told Reuters. "The industry is experiencing battery supply … Read more

The world doesn't exactly have a burning need for another MP3 player, but that obviously didn't stop Panasonic from making one. But the company did seem to recognize that it was going to have to do something different to get more than a passing glance from a jaded Japanese market.

So it chose to focus on battery life and noise cancellation, according to Akihabara News, claiming 100 hours of continuous play on one charge and 83 percent elimination of ambient noise. The SV-SD870N is the latest installment of the "D-snap" line of media players, which share … Read more