It took two reports of batteries causing flames for Hewlett Packard to recall the batteries. The company is taking back 70,000 batteries on its laptops. The laptop models that were affected were in both the HP and the Compaq laptop lines. There’s a total of 18 models that were affected with 9 being HP and 9 begin Compaq models.
So what happened? There were two different cases where the batteries overheated and ruptured. Now overheating just came from normal use of the laptop and battery so there’s no reason that it should have happened if it had been manufactured properly.
The fires caused some minor property damage but no one was injured luckily. Which is surprising because you would think someone would possibly have the laptop on their lap when the overheating occurred. If they didn’t have it on their laps then the real question is where was the laptop? Is it possible that they put the laptop on a blanket or something that contained heat that lead to the overheating? I guess we may never know however you would think that they would have any battery problems solved after all this time. We’ve been using batteries for several years now and laptops have been around for over a decade. So why are we still having such basic problems with things that have been around?
In any case this isn’t the first time HP has been in a battery recall and it probably won’t be the last. While HP sold 32,000 laptops containing the batteries that’s a small number compared to when Sony had their massive battery recall back in 2006. If you’re worried that you may have one of these batteries or laptops you can get a full list of model numbers at the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s website.
Source: CNET

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The population of people using iPhone is fast increasing and as such newer products that support the smart phone are being introduced constantly. One of these products is FastMac;s iV iPhone battery booster. FastMac’s iV iPhone Battery Booster is an all in life battery-life extender device.

The maker of the gadget claims that it extends your iPhone’s battery life to up to 24 hours of straight talk time. It also lengthens your smart phone battery’s audio playback time to up 72 hours. In terms of video playback, using the FastMac’s iV iPhone Battery Booster will give you a total of 21 hours video playtime and 750 hours of standby time. It takes a regular iPhone user to know that these numbers are indeed a great boost to regular iPhone battery life.

FastMac’s iV iPhone Battery booster is rechared thru regular USB ports. An LED light is in display to indicate its current power and it can also serve as a flashlight.

FastMac iV is currently tagged at $80.

Source: PopuTech

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The first prototype of laptop fuel cell made by Panasonic was bigger than the laptop that it is supposed to provide power to – that isn’t the case anymore. The company was able to reduce the size of this power battery by more than 50%.

This is what revealed by the Japanese company after the prototype methanol fuel cell received a warm welcome from green technology enthusiasts. The fuel cell was first shown at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January 2006 and since then; the company did not stop working on the wonder battery.

The new prototype version sports a smaller 270 cubic centimers. This batter can provide power between 10 to 20 watts. According to the company, the battery weighs 320 grams. This battery can provide more than 20 hours of straight power source for any laptop.

The company also boasted their stand alone DMFC or direct methanol fuel cells charger. It has USB power outlets and can provide power for many portable devices such as PSP and iPod.

These new products will be first shown to the public this coming Hydrogen Energy Advanced Technology Exhibition 2008 in Wednesday

Source: PC World

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Toshiba unveiled its new fast-charging SCiB battery in Ceatec exhibition in Chiba, Japan. The battery according to some tech enthusiasts put it is the “future of computer batteries”.

The prototype battery boasts a charging time of slightly more than 10 minutes. Tests on the SCiB, short for Super Charge Ion Batteries indicated that it can recharge 90 percent of its full capacity within 10 minutes. Compared to present lithium-ion batteries, the SCiB drains slower and has higher recharge cycle limit.

Toshiba said that their prototype battery is safer compared to lithium-ion batteries. The company claimed that it will not explode even if it is crushed. Toshiba used a unique thermal stability technology on the battery. This technology prevents the battery from short circuits and overheating, rendering it safe for the gadget and the person using it.

The new battery’s recharge cycle limit is also 10 to 12 times more than that of conventional lithium-ion batteries. Toshiba said that the SCiB can tolerate up to 5,000 to 6,000 recharge cycles. Common lithium-batteries are only good up to 500 recharge cycles.

The prototype battery was attached to a Dynabook laptop during a demo. It was used to show the battery’s fast charging capability.

However, this is not the first SCiB in the world. Last year, a similar battery was introduced for industrial use.

The new battery is still far from making its ways into your computers as Toshiba said that they have no plans of releasing the battery anytime soon.

Source: PC World

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