Solar

Chromebooks land at more retail stores

CNET Update is charging up:

In this episode of Update:

- Before you buy that cheap Chromebook at Walmart, learn if you can live with it.

- Don't be surprised if your kid starts using a Surface RT tablet at school.

- Chip in for the new group Amazon Birthday Gift on Facebook.

- Avoid a Z10 security breach with the latest BlackBerry 10.1 update.

- Watch how AT&T's solar charging stations work in New York City.

CNET Update delivers the tech news you need in under three minutes. Watch Bridget Carey every afternoon for … Read more

AT&T solar stations offer quick recharge in New York

AT&T is deploying solar-powered charging stations to help keep smartphones and other mobile gadgets juiced up in parks throughout New York.

The 25 stations, which each feature a microUSB, iPhone 4, and iPhone 5 plugs, as well as USB ports for other devices, are being set up in various parks this summer and offer a free recharge. They can be found this week in Riverside Park on the west side of Manhattan, in Union Square, and in Brooklyn Bridge Park, with more locations to come this summer.

The Street Charge project, which is still in its trial phase, … Read more

Solar-powered plane heads to Washington

The solar-powered Solar Impulse is on its way to the nation's capital -- with a slight layover in Cincinnati.

The plane took off from Lambert-St.Louis International Airport early Friday morning with Solar Impulse co-founder and CEO André Borschberg at the controls. But before heading all the way to Washington, the Solar Impulse will make a pit stop at Cincinnati Municipal Lunken Airport to avoid "challenging weather."

"The flight will be split in two because strong cross and head winds would slow the aircraft and make it impossible for the pilot to reach the nation'… Read more

NASA to blastoff solar satellite to gather images of the sun

Despite Earthlings depending on the sun for survival, there's a lot that scientists still don't know about our solar system's star. NASA is looking to change this.

The U.S. space agency is launching a solar satellite called the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) on June 26 to get a closer look at the sun's lower atmosphere. This part of the atmosphere is important because it is where most of the sun's ultraviolet emissions are generated, which are known to impact Earth's climate and the near-Earth space environment, according to NASA.

"IRIS data … Read more

Solar-powered plane completes third leg of flight across America

The solar-powered Solar Impulse is another leg closer to completing its mission across America.

Flown by Solar Impulse co-founder and Chairman Bertrand Piccard, the plane landed smoothly at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport at 1:28 a.m. local time Tuesday.

Taking to the skies on Monday morning from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Piccard -- and the plane -- stayed in the air for 21 hours and 21 minutes, marking his longest flight to date.

The landing in St. Louis also saw the debut of an inflatable mobile hangar, which will be the aircraft's home until it takes off … Read more

Solar Impulse flies 957 miles to set world record

The solar-powered Solar Impulse plane has set a world's record, and its journey across America still has a few more legs to go.

Flying the second and longest leg of the journey, pilot Andre Borschberg landed the plane in Dallas/Fort Worth on Thursday, achieving a record for the longest distance flown by a solar-powered aircraft. The 1,541 kilometers (957 miles or 832 nautical miles) beat the previous record of 1,116 kilometers (602 nautical miles) held by Borschberg when he flew the Solar Impulse from Switzerland to Spain in May 2012.

Borschberg, the CEO and co-founder of … Read more

Nook becomes a more tempting tablet

CNET Update gives the Nook a second look:

In this edition of Update:

- The Nook gets more attractive with full access to the Google Play store. (Put a Kindle app on a Nook? Madness!)

- Acer gets creative with its latest Windows 8 laptop, the Acer Aspire R7. (Touchpad above the keyboard? More madness!)

- The first solar-powered aircraft begins its long journey across the U.S.

- Learn to add an event to your Google calendar from inside an e-mail.

- Hotmail users must face the music and move on to Outlook.com.

- Staples puts 3D printing … Read more

Shine on: Solar Impulse plane begins journey across America

Following a bicycle down the runway at Moffett Field in Mountain View, Calif., a solar-powered airplane took off on a coast-to-coast voyage across the U.S. this morning to promote the message of clean technology.

Piloted by Swiss aviator Bertrand Piccard, the Solar Impulse HB-SIA set off for Phoenix, Ariz., on the first leg of its Across America journey that will also take the slender craft to Dallas, St. Louis, Washington, D.C., and finally New York in early July.

The goal is to go from one end of the country to the other without using a drop of fuel. … Read more

Crave Ep. 118: Memory foam chair expands when hot

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A Belgian artist has invented a memory foam chair that expands when heated up. Plus, we take a look at a $1,500 solar-powered scooter and try on the Predator Helmet. All that and more on this week's super-futuristic episode of Crave. … Read more

Solar Electric Scooter takes a shine to green transport

Electric scooters are being positioned as eco-friendly alternatives to traveling everywhere in your car. What could make an electric scooter even more green? How about a built-in solar panel? The Solar Electric Scooter does just what its name suggests: gives you a lift with an assist from the sun.

We've seen sleeker scooters (like the MUV-e) and weirder scooters (like the ZeitEco). The Solar Electric Scooter's claim to fame is right underfoot where the solar panel is built into the vehicle.… Read more