battery

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

Cosmos System Care Free is touted as your all-in-one maintenance tool to keep your computer system healthy and clean. Indeed, when you first download the program, you are offered the chance for an immediate scan. However, while this program seems to be wide in scope, the free version only offers to scan your computer for problems; it doesn't fix them.

Cosmos System Care Free took more than 35 minutes to download, extract, and install on a dual processing system. The program scans for security problems including privacy issues, includes a file decryptor and encryptor, and backs up or restores … Read more

I first encountered the MyCharge Peak 6000 at this year's Consumer Electronics Show. Since then it has become my most prized travel accessory. I literally never leave home (for a trip) without it.

Why am I so enamored with something as basic as a mobile charger? Simple: the Peak 6000 does right what every other mobile charger does wrong.

For starters, it packs a 6,000mAh battery, which can recharge an average smartphone three to four times. Even better, you recharge the Peak's battery by plugging the entire unit right into an AC outlet. Its fold-up wall prongs … Read more

We've all heard stories about exploding cell phone and laptop batteries. A person is just walking down the street with his phone in his pocket and next thing he know his pants are ablaze.

The specific culprit batteries that cause such fiery incidents are lithium-ion batteries, which are known to have issues with heat. So, why can't there be chargeable batteries that are immune to overheating? There may be.

The Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has been working on new technology that looks to replace lithium-ion batteries. The lab has designed and tested a … Read more

How serious is Intel about battery life on its next processor? Very.

On Thursday, the world's largest chipmaker hauled out two chip experts to brief journalists on the ways Intel's fourth-generation core processor, aka Haswell, reduces power consumption and boosts battery life.

Intel is claiming a 50 percent improvement in battery life for devices using Haswell compared to the current Ivy Bridge silicon.

The chip will be officially introduced on June 3 and is expected to power future Windows, Apple, and Chrome OS computers.

The information below was provided by Rani N. Borkar, general manager, Intel Architecture Development … Read more

One thing I learned during my recent travels is that you can never have enough juice for your mobile gadgets. For example, if you're relying on your smartphone for GPS navigation in an unfamiliar city, you don't need the added stress of a low or dead battery.

Solution: pack a power pack. Like this one: Tumbletrade.com has a 12,000mAh mobile battery pack for $19.99, shipped. It includes everything you need to charge virtually any mobile device -- tablets included.

Update: Sorry, folks, this sold out almost immediately after I posted. When I ordered, five colors … Read more

After researching a device that draws energy from knee movement, some mechanical engineering students at Rice University decided to see if they could get the same result from another, less intrusive wearable item: a shoe.

With help from the Movement Analysis Laboratory at Shriners Hospital for Children in Houston, the resulting PediPower shoes harness energy from the force of the heel hitting the ground. The prototype -- while admittedly big, unattractive, and impractical to wear 100 percent of the time (think sleeping, showering, etc.) -- demonstrates that the simple act of walking may one day power a wide range of … Read more

With a bigger battery and more efficient processor than its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy S4 promises to at least survive a typical day. But as Jessica Dolcourt mentions, its slightly larger screen and abundance of features demand that added capacity.

Though the S4 (and most other phones) will almost always need a nightly charge, you'll certainly encounter days when you'll do just a little extra streaming, forget your charger at home, or find yourself staring at 15 percent with a long night ahead.

To get the most out of your battery, follow these best practices.

1. Disable superfluous … Read more

Keeping track of the Mac's battery life can be critical, especially if you are working on your Mac without a power source. For comprehensive information on that all-important topic, Battery Time Remaining for Mac allows you to keep track of battery life, temperature, and all things related to your Mac's battery.

Battery Time Remaining for Mac is a free app that displays an estimate of the remaining battery hours right on your menu bar. Installation is just a quick drag-and-drop process and there's an option to set the app to launch automatically every time you turn on … Read more