charging

XtremeMac has taken the wraps off an interesting little $80 accessory called the InCharge Home BT that adds Bluetooth streaming capabilities to any speaker or audio device with a line input.

As you can see from the image, it also acts a USB charger and comes with USB to 30-pin connector for iOS devices (it won't charge the iPad, however) and a 3.5mm jack cable. What you can't see from the picture is that the unit plugs into the wall.

If you're looking for something like this for your car, fear not, there's also the … Read more

After an initial delay, the Samsung Droid Charge will finally be available from Verizon Wireless this Saturday for $299.99 with a two-year contract.

The Droid Charge is Verizon's second LTE 4G smartphone and features a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus touch screen, mobile hot-spot capabilities, and an 8-megapixel camera. The Android 2.2 device also comes with a 32GB microSD card and offers decent battery life.

You can read more about the smartphone in our full review of the Samsung Droid Charge, but anyone already planning to pick one up this weekend? … Read more

One of the first questions that comes up whenever we're discussing electric vehicles is, "Where am I going to charge the darn thing?" The new PlugShare app for iPhone (along with the network of users behind it) aims to help EV owners to charge in some pretty unorthodox places--for example, other people's driveways.

After downloading and installing the PlugShare app, you are presented with a Google Map filled with icons indicating user-submitted locations where EV drivers can plug in. There are separate categories for basic household plugs, privately owned J1772 charging stations, and public and commercial charging points.

You can elect to share your own outlet or charging point with PlugShare's other users, expanding the charging network. However, sharing an outlet is not a required condition for accessing PlugShare's network via the app. And you don't need to be an EV owner to try it out and, if you're feeling generous, to start sharing your electricity with your friendly neighborhood electric vehicle owners.

PlugShare is a free download in the Apple App Store. An Android version is said to be coming soon. … Read more

Verizon customers looking to pick up a Samsung Droid Charge today will be disappointed to hear that carrier has delayed the launch of its newest 4G smartphone.

CNET has confirmed with Verizon that the Droid Charge will not be available today as previously announced, and, unfortunately, the carrier did not have any more information on when it would go on sale.

No reason for the delay was given, though some suspect that it may have to do with yesterday's LTE outage. More details are expected soon, however, and company spokeswoman Brenda Raney said that customers have the option of … Read more

Charging your hybrid or electric car may someday become as simple as pulling into the driveway.

Toyota Motor has invested in and has signed an agreement with WiTricity to collaborate on a wireless automotive charger that doesn't need any point of contact to charge a car's battery, Toyota said yesterday.

WiTricity has developed technology that could eventually enable a plug-in electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle to be charged by simply parking the vehicle in the vicinity of a car charger embedded with a special device.

The Mass.-based company has already been developing the technology for consumer electronics … Read more

After suffering a network outage that affected its customers for most of yesterday, Verizon Wireless announced via Twitter that its 4G LTE network is back up and running.

The carrier acknowledged on Wednesday that it had determined the cause of the service interruption, but did not provide further explanation today as to what caused the outage.

When asked for more specifics, Verizon spokesperson Brenda Raney told CNET in an e-mail, "Our 4G LTE network is up and running. Our network engineers and vendors quickly identified the issue and solved it."

Raney went on to say that HTC Thunderbolt … Read more

Our favorites from the New York auto show; BMW, Google, and the U.S. make electric car moves this week; Chevy recalls the Cruze after one very high-profile screwup; and we take a spin the electric Smart car.

• CNET's New York auto show roundup

• Download BMW Evolve app to see if an electric car is right for you

• U.S./Google map of places to fuel your alternative energy car

• PSCars.com graphical all-car configurator

• 2011 Chevy Cruze loses steering wheel, let's hold our horses.… Read more

Suzuki's Kizashi is a solidly performing midsize sedan. It produces a reasonable amount of power. It's not terribly efficient, but also not particularly inefficient. There's not much to complain about when it comes to the Kizashi, but not much room for praise either. At the 2011 New York auto show, Suzuki pushed its lovably meh sedan in two very different directions with two very different Kizashi concepts.

The Kizashi EcoCharge concept aims to increase fuel efficiency by as much as 25 percent over the standard Kizashi Sport. It starts by reducing its gasoline engine displacement from 2.… Read more

Remember the Samsung 4G LTE smartphone that was announced at CES 2011 for Verizon Wireless? Well, it's finally got a new name (thank goodness) and a release date and pricing.

Verizon Wireless revealed today that the Samsung Droid Charge will be available on April 28 for--brace yourselves--$299.99 with a two-year contract. The 4G-capable Droid Charge will ship running Android 2.2 and features a 1GHz Hummingbird processor, mobile hot-spot capabilities, and a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus touch screen, which has 50 percent more subpixels than the original Super AMOLED touch screens (read: improved outdoor visibility and … Read more