PMA: Better Batteries, USB Bridge
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In photo land, a new gizmo extreme white balancing than the traditional white paper. David Becker's PMA coverage continues in Gadget Lab.
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Advances in lithium polymer technology could put an end to exploding power sources. A side benefit: smaller, cooler gadgets. In Gear Factor.
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Americans and Europeans will soon be able to buy a more powerful battery that promises enough juice for twice as many digital pictures as regular batteries.
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Portable Media Center -- a new, Microsoft-conceived handheld device that presents video, photos and music -- would be a decent idea if there weren't such things as lampposts. Or street signs. Or trees. Or other cars. -Rob Pegoraro
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The one-time World Class Product of the Year PDA gets a much-needed upgrade.
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When $100 buys a pocket-sized gadget that can store decades' worth of appointments -- and $200 gets you one that also serves as a digital photo album and MP3 player -- why would anybody spend up to $500 on a new Palm or Pocket PC handheld? -Rob Pegoraro
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Taiwanese company, trying to up its market share, unveils tiny NanoBook, plus hardware for smart phones.Photos: Via's little mobos
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Plextor has come out with its Mini Digital HDTV Receiver, which connects to a laptopâs USB port.
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The world's highest capacity flash-memory MP3 player -- for now
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A new entry in the already-crowded mobile removable media space is a welcome addition, because it supports a truly universal standard: USB.
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But it's all a Dell plot, say high-end rivals. The Storage Bridge Bay (SBB) working group (www.sbb.org) is to release version one of the SBB spec next week. This defines standard electromechanics for the controller modules that go into stuff such as disk arrays.â¦
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Devices to power to PDAs, cell phones, and laptops could be available next year.
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(InfoWorld) - Sony Corp. will conduct its own replacement program to address overheating problems that have hit some notebook batteries. The company is planning a worldwide program to replace battery packs that use certain Sony lithium-ion cells, according to a brief statement issued Thursday. It is discussing the plan with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and will also work with governments in other countries. More details will come soon, Sony said. The planned replacement program will address the cells involved inÂ Dell Inc. andÂ Apple Computer Inc. recalls earlier this year, said Sony spokesman David Yang. It will reach other vendors that used those batteries. Sony is already talking to some manufacturers and will work with the system vendors on possible recalls, he said. The affected cells were made between January 2004 and February 2006, Yang said. The announcement came the same day that a fourth notebook vendor,Â Lenovo Group Ltd., recalled Sony-based battery packsÂ used in its products. A recall by Toshiba Corp. followed Dell's and Apple's actions. Sony has helped support notebook makers' recalls but has not yet initiated a program itself. The recalls have been one more embarrassment for consumer electronics and media giant, which has suffered a number of pratfalls in recent years. In the case of the lithium-ion cells involved in this replacement program, microscopic metal particles in the battery cells can come into contact with other parts of the cell and cause a short circuit, Sony said in its statement. The battery normally powers off at that point, but "under certain rare conditions" the short circuit may lead to overheating and fire, the company said.
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I bought myself a neat toy the other week: a Creative Nomad MuVo MP3 player. It's about the size of a Zippo lighter and it plugs into my PC's USB port. I drag and drop my music files (actually audiobooks) onto it and then I can listen for hours.
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The Tungsten T5 and the Axim X50v provide impressive extras for PDA fans who want more.
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Companies like Microsoft and Google have committed to improving the power efficiency of equipment they make and use.
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With the advent of electric cars and plug-in hybrids, the humble car battery is now taking center stage in new research.