Dell Streak 10 Pro finally launches in China

Dell Streak 10 Pro finally launches in China

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After some pictures of it leaked yesterday, Dell has finally launched its third Android-powered tablet in China. The Dell Streak 10 Pro joins the Streak 5 and Streak 7 in Dell’s portfolio and excitingly adds the world Pro to its name for no apparent reason.

The Dell Streak 10 Pro, is, in terms of specs, your average run of the mill Android Honeycomb 10.1-inch tablet. It has a 10.1-inch 1280×800 touchscreen with Gorilla Glass, a dual-core 1 GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, 1 GB of RAM, 16 GB of storage space, an SD card slot, a 5-megapixel rear camera and a secondary front-facing 2-megapixel camera, dual-band Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. It runs Android 3.1 Honeycomb and weighs 727 g. Dell claims up to 12 hours of battery as dell W0465 battery, dell Inspiron 2000 battery, dell Latitude LS battery, dell 2834T battery, dell 4834T battery, dell Inspiron 1520 battery, dell Inspiron 1521 battery, Dell Inspiron 1720 battery, dell Inspiron 1525 battery, dell Inspiron 1526 batterylife, but we all know how realistic computer manufacturers’ estimates about battery life usually are (except Apple in recent years), so make of that what you wish.

The Dell Streak 10 Pro enables both work and play by using the Dell Divide application, which delivers a clear balance between your personal and professional information. In work mode, you can access the corporate network and apps, and in personal mode you can do all the personal stuff people do on tablets. All without worrying that your employer may have access to your personal photos, for instance, and without compromising access to any sensitive work data. Your personal and professional stuff is kept safe, secure and, most importantly, separate from one another.

An interesting experiment, this. As is the fact that the tablet launches in China first, and Dell isn’t yet sure if it will also sell it elsewhere. It plans to wait and see how things go on the Chinese market first, then make up its mind about global availability based on what it’s learned in China.

Of course, we’ve seen the Streak 10 Pro many times before, even earlier this week when we heard that the launch was imminent. The Dell Streak 10 Pro will become available online at Dell, and in Dell-authorized retail channels (which can be found in more than 2,000 cities) in the country in the next couple of weeks.

The Dell Streak 10 Pro costs RMB 3,699, which amounts to approximately $575 or €403 at today’s exchange rates. However, Dell has a special offer for those of you who order a Streak 10 Pro today. If you choose to do that, you’ll only pay RMB 2,999 for the tablet, so just $466 or €327.

The Best Tech Gear for the Road

The Best Tech Gear for the Road

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Laptop bag or backpack: You’ll need something to carry all your gadgetalia. Checkpoint-friendly bags let you zoom through airport security without having to remove your laptop--just open the bag, place it on the conveyor belt, and let the TSA’s X-ray machines do the rest. I’m a fan of light, easy-to-carry backpacks, like the one shown here from Targus.

Laptop: Weight and size are typically Dell 312-0058 battery a traveler’s most pressing concerns. A solid netbook addresses both issues, giving you all the computer you need without hurting your back. Compact components also mean that the machine has less room for parts to wiggle around, which means there’s less to break while you’re trekking around India. Based Dell 8U443 battery on durability, price, and weight/size, I’m partial to Asus Eee netbooks and Dell netbooks in the Mini 10 line.

Ethernet cable: Many hotels have ethernet jacks that allow you to bypass all of the potential flakiness of so many wireless connections. Many airports (hint, hint: JFK) don’t advertise that they too have their fair share of jacks hiding around certain terminals, opening up the possibility of free Internet via wire. A handy little retractable ethernet cable could be just what you need.

Portable battery: Need to use a backup battery Dell Latitude X200 battery during the day? Have to recharge your phone when it’s out of juice? The i.Sound Portable Power Max can charge up to five USB devices at one time, even when you have no access to a plug.

USB drive: Keep all of your important digital documents and files in a separate USB drive (16GB should cover you) in case your laptop's hard drive dies on the road. You should encrypt passport scans, client documents, and the like to protect yourself even further. On USB drives you can also carry around portable operating systems, which give you a safe Dell Latitude X200 battery virtual environment in many Internet cafés.

E-reader: You certainly don’t want to schlep around a bagful of books, which is why e-readers are such perfect traveling companions. These days I like the Nook Color.

Bluetooth headset: You’ll want to consider both sound quality and comfort when you’re selecting a headset. You probably already have one, but if not (or if you’re considering an upgrade), take a look at PCWorld's comparison of eight top Bluetooth headset models.

Stereo audio cable: Many rental cars these dell 312-0625 battery days have 'Aux' outlets that let you plug your iPod or other portable music player directly into the radio. Buy a cable at any Radio Shack or online, and save yourself from fumbling for new radio stations as you’re driving. You’ll be able to listen to what you know you’ll enjoy--without increasing your chances of an accident.

Microfiber cloth: The world is a dusty place; unless you regularly clean your dell 0XR693 battery devices, they’ll accumulate grime quickly, increasing the chance that a rogue dust particle will ruin your best gadgets. A proper microfiber cloth and cleaning solution (less than 3 ounces, of course) are the only things you should use to wipe down your sensitive screens

All-in-one plug adapter: Rather than wasting your time looking up outlet types or taking the risk of forgetting an outlet adapter altogether, throw one of these dell XR693 battery in your bag and leave it there. It will cover you for plugging in just about anywhere in the world. I’ve had success with the inexpensive, if unimaginatively named, International Adaptor All-in-One, while the $30 iGo Dual USB Charger and World Adapter (shown here) has the same functionality and throws in two USB ports for good measure.

USB light: A lightweight, LED light illuminates your e-reader or laptop--it's a useful accessory, since you’ll never know what kind of lighting conditions you’ll encounter. The $6 Flex Light by Manhattan draws very little power and dell RN873 battery coils up to take minimal space.

Alfa USB wireless adapter USB wireless antenna: Improve your wireless reach and snag all of those Wi-Fi connections that are just out of range with an extender, such as the Alfa USB wireless adapter shown here.

USB travel charger adapter: Chances are, your laptop doesn’t have more than a few USB ports. These adapters let you plug in your USB-charged devices directly into a wall socket. Another benefit: faster charge times. One adapter from Eforcity (not shown), priced at about $2, is hard to beat.

Individual power adapters: Why do you need these if you already have an all-in-one adapter? Because sometimes you’ll need to plug in more than one device. Also, many dell GW240 battery wall sockets aren’t completely firm, and individual adapters are usually light enough to prevent your charger from continually falling out of the outlet. Lenmar’s five-piece adapter set (not shown) is just $11.

Portable power strip Portable travel strip: You’ll often need more outlets than your hotel room offers, so it makes sense to bring a few of your own along. This diminutive Outlets to Go Power Strip from Monster Cable has three AC outlets, plus a USB port for charging your electronics.

Unlocked mobile phone: Though unlocking a phone will typically break your manufacturer’s warranty, a locked phone means you’ll pay for roaming charges internationally. An unlocked phone allows you to swap out any old SIM card around the world, saving you considerable money for talking and browsing the Web anywhere.

Four-legged Octopus USB multiport hub: This four-legged beastie Dell HP297 battery from Octopus Design turns one USB port into four, since you can never have enough.

Extra SD Card for your camera: SD Cards, like all other storage devices, have a limited life span, and like many electronic devices they tend to go bad at the worst possible time. An extra, emergency card will set you back about $10 to $20, but it could save you the nightmare of missing wonderful opportunities to catch, say, a sunset in Fiji.

2011 Kia Optima Hybrid

2011 Kia Optima Hybrid

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Nanoose Bay, B.C. ? Quick, name the fastest-growing auto company in Canada. The revamped General Motors with its suddenly resurgent product line and the creditable Cruze compact? Nope. Ford and the fawning headlines it garners continuously as the only American automaker not to succumb to a bailout? Nah. How about Volkswagen with its Hp F3172A battery suddenly cheap, cheap, cheap Jetta and Passat? Almost.

Well, at least the last one is pretty close. Riding the back of the new $15,875 Jetta, VW is tearing apart the market, its 17.2% growth from last year a result of its new-found ambition to Hp F2299A battery take the Japanese head on. But the real winner is Kia. While Hyundai, its sibling, has been justifiably garnering headlines for its expansion, Kia Canada’s sales have been growing like wild weeds, up an astounding 24.9% so far this year compared with an already surging 2010.

Naysayers will point out that Kia Compaq Presario NX9000 battery still sells less than 100,000 units annually, making it one of the smaller mainstream players in the Canadian market. Of course, the Japanese automakers, much to their chagrin, used to ignore Hyundai’s progress for much the same reason.

If the new Optima Hybrid is any indication, everyone had better Compaq Presario NX9010 battery start looking in their rear-view mirrors. Essentially using the same powertrain as the Sonata Hybrid, the newest Optima is powered by a 166-horsepower, Atkinson-cycle, 2.4-litre four-cylinder mated to a 40-hp electric motor and connected, unusually, to a traditional six-speed automatic transmission (actually replacing the torque converter).

According to Kia, the total power output, when the two are working in Compaq Presario 2500 battery
(compaq 2500 battery) perfect harmony, is 206 hp and 195 pound-feet of torque. The unique (for a hybrid) powertrain arrangement — i.e., one not using a continuously variable transmission à la Ford Fusion and Toyota Prius — makes the Optima a more pleasurable, or at least more familiar, experience. There’s none of the CVT’s drone and awkward flashes of rpm. Indeed, except for the almost requisite ecoweenie dashboard graphics displaying the Hybrid’s greenness, there’s little in this Optima’s comportment that tells you it’s been electrified. Considering the driving experience of some past hybrids, that’s high praise.

And the Optima Hybrid delivers on many of its miserly promises. At an admittedly dawdling pace of 100 kilometres an hour, I averaged about 6.8 litres per 100 kilometres (the official ratings are 5.6 L/100 km in the city and 4.9 on the highway) along picturesque Vancouver Island’s byways. That’s as good as any comparably sized hybrid and better than any conventionally fuelled sedan, although it still can’t match the VW Passat TDI’s 5.0 L/100 km that’s averaged at a steady 110 km/h. The Optima, however, would probably out-sip the oil-burning VW in the city, at least if driven appropriately. As well, Kia brags that the Optima can be driven on electric power alone up to 100 km/h, though only for a few minutes since the lithium-ion polymer battery Compaq Presario 2100 battery
(compaq 2100 battery) stores only about six kilowatt-hours of energy.

However, Kia’s estimation that the 166-pony gasoline engine and the 40-hp electric motor combine for a total of 206 horses seems a tad optimistic. For the figure to be accurate, both engines would have to peak at the same rpm, an unlikely scenario. Usually, the total horsepower a hybrid powertrain puts out is less than the sum of Hp 319411-001 battery its individual parts. I suspect a more appropriate number might be 185 or 190 hp. That said, it’s more than enough and, other than a little hunting from the six-speed automatic while climbing hills, the Optima’s comportment is great.

That same great-with-a-small-exception also captures the essence of the Optima’s handling. For instance, body roll is well contained for a family sedan. The ride, too, is excellent, even over roads proving that B.C. pavement can be as unruly as Ontario’s. The electrically boosted steering is a little heavy, perhaps the result of the Hp F4812A battery Hybrid’s 1,583-kilogram curb weight — or maybe simple tuning. Asian manufacturers have taken criticism of their overboosted steering to heart, but the pendulum may have swung too far the other way.

Where Kia truly excels is in the Optima Hybrid’s styling. The snazziest of any Hp F4809A battery sedan emanating from Asia, the Optima’s shape is more fastbacked than the Sonata. I also appreciate some of the design cues penned by famed stylist Peter Schreyer, such as the windshield top frame, which matches the lines of the front grille. Throw in a bunch of aerodynamic fettles — skirts, spoilers, etc. — that are genuinely attractive and you have perhaps the prettiest car in its segment. Only the designed-to-be-aerodynamic wheels let down the plot.

The interior, too, is impressive. Stylish and well appointed, the Optima feels like a premium product, befitting a price tag that starts at $30,595. This is a figure that, while hardly exorbitant, is not the bargain basement that used to be a South Korean automaker’s chief calling card. The leatherette/cloth seats are stylish and coddling, the air conditioning controls simple and stylish and the gauge set excellent. There’s also plenty of room fore and (especially) aft.

The base car comes with a UVO (short for “your voice”) infotainment system. Made by Hp F4098A battery Microsoft, think of UVO as son of Sync (Ford’s infotainment system). I can’t tell you if it’s better than the Ford system — which is subject of many consumer complaints — because, even though it is both powerful and colourful, it seems awfully complicated for a simple mega-cretin like me. My more computer-literate 27-year-old son, no doubt, could plow through all the submenus in a nanosecond, but, then, he couldn’t even afford the Optima’s button-infested steering wheel.

Nonetheless, as loyal readers are aware, I’m not a big fan of hybrids. That said, were I thinking of buying one, the Kia Optima would be near the top of my list.

HP launches TouchPad tablet with webOS

HP launches TouchPad tablet with webOS

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HP has chosen the release of its entry into the tablet market, the TouchPad, to launch its new operating system, webOS.

With its roots in technology acquired when HP purchased Palm in April last year, webOS will eventually be rolled out across HP’s entire device spectrum, although the general manager, Paul Boshoff, gives no indication how long this may take.

"This is a very important first start for HP in this space,” Boshoff says.

"It is important that we get it right.”

The operating system is predicated on making it more efficient for users to access and combine information across a wide variety of applications.

For example, webOS can combine the user’s contact lists from different email applications into one place, allowing the user to manage several accounts from one page. Likewise things like photos in social media sites.

webOS also offers ‘true multitasking’, allowing users to stack web pages like ‘cards’, and group apps according to their subject matter, like piles of paper on a desk.

Another handy feature is what HP calls Just Type, which is a search function that searches for a word and offers a selection of apps depending on what the user may be trying to do.

HP says its webOS app store features thousands of applications, including all the standard apps such as Facebook.

As for the tablet itself, while it may seem the market is getting crowded, Boshoff says saturation point is still a long way off.

"We expect the tablet market to grow between four and six times in the next few years,” Boshoff says, "so we don’t worry when people say the market is saturated.”

The TouchPad should be a competitive entry, arriving just a month after the Motorola Xoom. Available in wi-fi only, the TouchPad is priced to match the iPad 2 at $799 for a 16GB model and $949 for 32GB.

Boshoff says the battery as Hp Pavilion ZT1000 battery,Hp Pavilion XZ200 battery, Hp Pavilion ZT1100 battery, Hp Omnibook XT1000 battery, Hp Omnibook XT1500 battery, Hp F2019 battery, Hp F2019A battery, Hp F2019B battery, Hp OmniBook 6000 battery, Hp F1739A battery, life is an impressive 8 hours running intensive applications, or up to four days just playing music.

The battery charges automatically when the TouchPad is left on the TouchStone stand (sold separately).

Fuel cells rescued by batteries

Fuel cells rescued by batteries

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(Nanowerk News) Fuel cells were originally considered to be replacements for internal combustion engines used in traditional vehicles and replacements for traction batteries used in pure electric vehicles. Unfortunately, they have proved woefully incapable of efficiently and economically supporting the frequent load changes of vehicle traction. Many of them had a troublesome start up time and problems of life and reliability as well. Thus building ever larger fuel cells was pursued from about 1991 to 2001 but it ended in tears.

After that, better batteries, notably NiMH then Li-ion Hp 367759-001 battery were able to take over even more of the work of traction. It has been feasible to trial smaller fuel cells in the hope of achieving an affordable fuel cell range extender for hybrid vehicles that can perform the easier task of providing constant power and less of it. Both the improved power density and the improved energy density of the newer batteries come to the rescue. Commercial success is still elusive, unless we count one off; Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (UAVs), Unmanned Air Vehicles (AUVs), and military land vehicles, that have been deployed for something more than a trial. All the same, there is reason to believe that commercial success of volume production of traction fuel cells for vehicles will be achieved in due course as they Compaq PP2100 battery are perfected as range extenders, not primary power. In this new role, they will be providing only kilowatts to tens of kilowatts of power in the main, just like their rivals the simplified gas turbine and piston engine range extenders that are designed-to-purpose. The history of trials of fuel cells in buses is illustrated below. They peaked at around 300 kW but we show the broad trend of the largest and smallest ones.



Now let us look at the next twenty years. The hybrid vehicle is evolving to become more like a pure electric vehicle. The battery is doing more of the work and the conventional engine is doing less of Hp DP390A battery the work, this increasingly involving no direct drive of the wheels but just the function of charging the battery when going along. Nevertheless, that does not mean that the hybrid will end up with the huge batteries holding hundreds of kWh that we see in the larger pure electric vehicles today. This will be resisted because batteries are still the Achilles heel of electric vehicles in limiting price reduction, performance and life. Although this will be eased by the planned threefold reduction in lithium-ion traction battery cost over the decade and probably greater reduction in price due to oversupply, that is not enough to prevent batteries being a limiting factor.

We shall therefore see fast charging to the vehicle - frequent top up becoming feasible - reducing the necessary size of battery even as all-electric range of a hybrid increases Hp HSTNN-UB02 battery in response to strident demands for users. (They can save a great deal of money by using electricity whenever possible and be greener). An increasing variety of energy harvesting and use of supercapacitors in the vehicle will also reduce the size of traction battery that is needed, compared with what it would otherwise be. In other words, traction batteries in hybrid vehicles will get bigger but nothing like as big as those in today's pure electric vehicles that they increasingly emulate in having high energy density to get longer all-electric range. The days of hybrid vehicle batteries Hp F2024B battery optimising primarily power density and cycle life are ending as this becomes a given and attention turns to all-electric range. Over the next decade, this all-electric range of hybrids will treble from today's 80 kilometers or so in the best on-road hybrid vehicles in volume production.

Evolution of lower power range extenders is matched to higher energy storage/ energy density batteries becoming affordable and energy harvesting increasingly being of assistance, though not on demand like a range extender. We have mentioned this earlier but here we look in more detail, one scenario for large vehicles Hp HSTNN-DB02 battery being shown below.

The three generations of lithium-ion battery Hp 346970-001 battery that will achieve this are shown below with three generations of lithium-ion battery with technical features that are sometimes problematical. In actual applications, prudent manufacture and assembly of cells and optimised battery management systems almost always ensure a very high level of safety with the exception of certain examples in China where serious incidents have occurred, including with badly assembled second generation cells. Currently, there is no such thing as an inherently safe lithium-ion traction battery cell.

Most hybrids today use an off-the-shelf diesel or gasoline engine not designed for this purpose but with some modest modification to optimise performance in this application. Thanks to those better batteries Hp Omnibook XE3 battery, range extenders now work at fairly constant torque and revolutions when they revolve, as with a piston or turbine motor, or fairly constant power output if they generate electricity directly as is the case with a fuel cell range extender. With current and imminent technology, the traction battery in the vehicle that powers the electric traction motor copes well with power surges and instant start up requirements, so even the notorious warm up time of some fuel cells can increasingly be tolerated. An off-the-shelf conventional internal combustion engine designed for nearly instant warm up, huge surges of power and so on is therefore over designed for today's range extender purposes and this comes with Hp F2024A battery being over- expensive, over-polluting and over noisy and vibrating. Users really notice these things being eliminated. For example, 15% more passengers use the new electric buses in Amsterdam, citing the gentler, quieter ride.

In short, fuel cells and lithium-ion traction batteries will increasingly be seen working together in driving land, sea and air vehicles. Their relationship is changing but they have much in common. For example, third generation lithium-ion batteries are often solid state, employ printing technology and allied nanotechnology, capabilities also brought to bear in the newer fuel cells. The world's largest event on printed electronics and electrics will once again cover this. This year's Printed Electronics and Photovoltaics USA 2011 will take place in Santa Clara, CA on November 30 and December 1. This event covers all the Hp Omnibook XE battery applications, technologies and opportunities. Printed Electronics USA is an ideal opportunity for you to learn how this technology can enhance your business and witness printed electronics in action.

Those wanting the latest on energy harvesting should attend the world's leading conference on this subject, "Energy Harvesting and Storage" in Boston, USA on 15-16 November

Batteries are recharged

Batteries are recharged

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Vacation is never a bad thing.

The time away allowed me to recharge my batteries as Compaq Presario R3000 battery(Compaq r3000 battery), Compaq Presario X6000 battery, Hp Pavilion ZV5000 battery(Hp zv5000 battery), Hp Pavilion ZV6000 battery(Hp zv6000 battery), Hp Pavilion DV1000 battery(Hp dv1000 battery), Hp PF723A battery, Hp PM579A battery for the work that lies ahead.

In between my wife's shopping sprees and my 4-year-old son reverting to caveman days and using our home as a litter box, I was able to keep an eye on the happenings in sports.

The big news is the NFL owners and players finally settled their labor dispute.

The players accepted the owners' proposal, and the 2011 NFL season is back on track.

The disappointing thing to me is the length of time it took for the deal to get done.

I've said all along that all the two sides are doing is splitting money, $9 billion to be exact.

I know both sides wanted certain concessions and there were sticking points, but this deal could've been done months ago.

Both sides want us to think this 11th-hour decision saved the 2011 NFL season.

The season was never in jeopardy, and the lockout was nothing more than a dog-and-pony show.

During my vacation I watched the Southeastern Conference Football Media Days.

Naturally, the talk focused on the upcoming college football season, but there were other issues.

LSU coach Les Miles danced around questions about purchasing Willie Lyles' service in providing videos of high-school players. Miles actually isn't allowed to answer questions on the subject as the matter is being investigated.

Auburn coach Gene Chizik was asked questions concerning former quarterback Cam Newton's recruitment. Auburn won the 2010 national championship, and I thought the line of questioning would surround playing the 2011 season as defending champions.

That wasn't the case. Chizik looked puzzled answering questions on a player that is no longer in his program. Also, the NCAA has yet to bring up any sanctions on Auburn due to Newton's recruitment, so Chizik had little to say.

I did watch a couple of boxing matches and a little baseball, but that was it for me last week.

I did accomplish one other sports-related item during my vacation.

I finally started my own Facebook page.

I know this is not a big deal, and I am probably the last dinosaur when it comes to social media.

I have been exposed to Facebook through work, but I finally decided to take the plunge.

On my Facebook page, I hope to enhance my coverage of our local sports teams with comments, pictures and whatever interests me at an event.

I will also launch a Twitter account, and work that into my sports coverage. All of this is being done to give you, the reader, a little extra each week.

Today, NFL training camps open up and next week, college and high school teams follow suit.

It was fun to have week off, but now that we have an entire football season to look forward to. The fun is just beginning.

A Battery You Can See Through

A Battery You Can See Through

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Researchers at Stanford University have made fully transparent batteries, the last missing component needed to make transparent displays and other electronic devices.

Stanford materials science professor Yi Cui, who led the work, says a tremendous amount of research goes into making batteries Hp pavillion zx5000 battery
(Hp zx5000 battery) store more energy for longer, but little attention has been paid to making them "more beautiful, and fancier."

Researchers have previously made transparent variations on other major classes of electronics, including transistors and the components used to control displays, but not yet batteries. "And if you can't make the battery transparent, you can't make the gadget transparent," says Cui.

Some battery components are easier to make Compaq Presario V2000 battery
(compaq v2000 battery) using transparent materials than others. The electrodes are the tricky part, says Cui. One way to make a transparent electrode is to make it very thin, on the order of about 100 nanometers thick. But a thin electrode typically can't store enough energy to be useful.



Another approach is to make the electrode in the form of a pattern that has features smaller than the naked eye can see. As long as there is enough total electrode material in the battery compaq Presario M2000 battery
(compaq m2000 battery), this type of electrode can still store a significant amount of energy. Cui designed a mesh electrode where all the lines of the mesh are on the order of 50 micrometers, effectively invisible, and the squares inside the mesh contain no battery materials.

Fabrication is also tricky, since the usual methods for making components at this resolution require harsh chemical processes that damage battery materials. The Stanford group instead used a relatively simple method to make the transparent mesh electrodes, which are held together inside a clear, squishy polymer called PDMS.

They start by using lithography to make a mold on a silicon wafer. Then they pour liquid PDMS over the mold, cure the polymer to solidify it, and peel it off the Hp Pavilion ZE2000 battery
(Hp ze2000 battery) mold. The PDMS sheet is then engraved with a grid of narrow channels. Next they drip a solution of electrode materials onto the surface of the PDMS. Capillary action pulls the materials in until they have filled all the channels to create the mesh. The researchers used standard lithium-ion battery materials to make their electrodes.

To make the complete battery, they sandwich a clear gel electrolyte between the two electrodes, and put it all inside a protective plastic wrapping. The Stanford researchers created prototypes, and used them to power an LED whose light can be seen through the battery itself.

Cui says these batteries should, in theory, be able to store about half as much energy as an equivalent-sized opaque battery, because there is a trade-off between energy density and transparency. They can lay down a thicker mesh of electrode materials to store more energy, but that means less light will get through.

So far, his lab's prototypes can store 20 watt-hours per liter, about as much energy as a nickel-cadmium battery Hp Pavilion DV4000 battery
(Hp dv4000 battery), but Cui expects to improve this by an order of magnitude, in part by reducing the thickness of the polymer substrate, and by making the trenches that hold the electrode materials deeper.

Another way to store more energy without sacrificing transparency would be to stack multiple cells on top of one another in such a way that the grid of the electrodes lined up, allowing light to pass through. So far, the group has made electrodes that are about an inch across, but Cui says they could be made much larger, and the material could simply be cut to the desired size.

Johnson Controls gets close look at batteries

Johnson Controls gets close look at batteries

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Glendale - An offshoot of medical imaging technology is being deployed to help scientists and engineers at Johnson Controls Inc. build a better battery for hybrid and electric vehicles.

On an oversized computer screen next to a new CT scanner in Johnson Controls' newly renovated battery lab, an image of a large cylindrical object is visible. It's an enlarged image of a lithium-ion hybrid vehicle battery as Hp PP2200 battery

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(Hp dv2000 battery),
Hp HSTNN-LB31 battery,
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Hp 417066-001 battery

Hp F4486B battery,
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Hp Pavilion ZD7000 battery,
Hp PP2182D battery that is less than 6 inches tall.

"This is really important stuff for us because, if you want to understand what's going on inside a (battery) cell, you've got to tear it apart. And in tearing it apart, you've actually started destroying part of what you're trying to understand," said Craig Rigby, vice president of global product engineering for Johnson Controls' power solutions business.

New CT scanning and X-ray equipment at the Johnson Controls battery technology lab was installed as part of a renovation and expansion of the lab that is funded in part by the federal stimulus package.

"This gives us some ability to get some insight as to what's going on inside - to look at the structure, look at the connections inside the cell, without disrupting it or damaging it in any way. This is very important for us to help understand how our technology works, how it performs, how it ages," Rigby said.

The analytical lab is one component of a 46,000-square-foot battery technology lab and expanded testing facility that Johnson Controls opened Tuesday at its power solutions headquarters office at Florist and Green Bay avenues in Glendale.

The project was supported with a portion of a $299 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant that Johnson Controls won two years ago to support its work to help the United States develop an advanced-battery development and manufacturing industry. The company is matching the federal funding, for a total investment of nearly $600 million.

The investment has created jobs for 60 engineers, scientists and technicians here, said Alex Molinaroli, president of the power solutions business.

The stimulus matching funding is also supporting the opening of a new Johnson Controls battery factory in Holland, Mich., which will produce the lithium-ion battery packs that are developed and tested in Glendale. That factory, which is ramping up production, now employs 75 people, with plans to add another 225.

Known for making Diehards, Johnson Controls is the world's leading manufacturer of lead-acid batteries. But it has shifted over the past five years to accelerate its investments in next-generation battery technologies that reduce use of oil and cut tailpipe emissions of greenhouse gases.

As more and more electric cars and hybrids hit the road, the advanced battery market is expected to grow with it, tripling between now and 2020, according to Johnson Controls.

The company completed a renovation of its battery technology laboratory last year. Last month, it completed a 50% expansion of the adjacent testing facility, to 9,000 square feet, that includes oversized machines that conduct life-cycle testing of batteries and full battery packs, seeing how they perform at extreme cold and hot temperatures.

The company said its facility is the largest energy storage technical center in North America.

Factors to consider when buying a UPS

Factors to consider when buying a UPS

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As you select a UPS, consider functionality and features as well as long-term durability. Resilience, management and monitoring, bypass control, and maintenance and output are the key components to compare for your organization's particular needs.

Resilience. A UPS is typically a reliable device, but it can become a single point of failure that affects multiple servers connected to it. If each server is virtualized and hosts multiple virtual machines (VMs), the potential for workload disruption can be enormous. So any evaluation of data center UPS systems should take resilience options Hp 398876-001 battery into account.

One option is to select a UPS that supports multiple power inputs, allowing two different sources to power the UPS unit. If one utility line fails, power from the other line can run the load and keep the UPS charged.

Another approach is to select UPS systems that Hp 396008-001 battery support parallel operation. Not only does this allow for greater runtime, but if other batteries in parallel fail, UPS power will still be available. This is termed +1 redundant because two UPS systems are running in parallel. If multiple UPS systems can be configured in parallel, it’s generally called an N+1 architecture, where N devices supply the required load and +1 ensures that load demands are met if one UPS should fail. For example, the Tripp Lite SU40KX UPS supports both 1+1 and N+1 configurations.

Still, experts recommend a careful assessment of UPS stability as load conditions change. “Particularly if you are installing a redundant UPS, step-function stability would be another important criterion to examine,” said Robert McFarlane, an analyst at Shen Milsom & Wilke, a technology consulting and design firm in New York. “When the entire load is suddenly thrown onto the remaining UPS, it has to reach stability very quickly.”

Many data center managers prefer to Hp 395789-001 battery use parallel operation to scale up UPS capacity. McFarlane advises against purchasing an oversized UPS to accommodate future growth, citing that this method is inefficient (if all of the UPS unit’s capacity isn‘t needed), can waste capital and is not environmentally friendly.

Many servers are built with redundant power supplies. Using a strategy sometimes called 2N redundancy can give you additional resilience if you connect each of the server’s redundant power supplies to a different UPS. Budget-conscious organizations may connect one supply directly to line power and a second supply to a UPS.

Management and monitoring. Don’t forget the Hp HSTNN-DB20 battery importance of UPS manageability. Although USB and RS-232 (serial port) connectivity may be suitable for small installations, data center UPS systems should include IP connectivity to allow remote management across an Ethernet LAN—the same mechanism that supports remote server, storage and other systems management in the data center. The HV Series from Controlled Power Co., for example, supplies three IP-type controllers offering a variety of communication features.

Good management tools allow you to monitor your equipment from anywhere and receive alerts if something goes wrong. “You should also be able to direct critical information to your [building management system],”McFarlane said.

Facilities personnel are also responsible for Hp Pavilion dv8000 battery
(Hp dv8000 battery) power distribution, which includes UPSes, so integrating the building management system wherever possible is important. If a UPS problem arises, the system will alert both IT and the facilities team.

An application or a Web/SNMP interface typically monitors and manages the UPS, and allows the administrator to track factors like UPS temperature, power, available runtime, current load (in kVA or watts) and battery condition. The admin should then be able to remotely control operations such as controlled shutdowns and restarts.

Experts note that the level of information and control that UPS management software allows can be a serious security flaw for careless organizations. “It should be possible to disable remote control of anything in the data center and just get operational readouts,” McFarlane said. “Anything you can access and control remotely could also be accessed and controlled by a hacker or disgruntled former employee.”

Bypass control capabilities. The choice of which Hp pavilion dv6000 battery
(Hp dv6000 battery) UPS unit works best for your data center must extend beyond basic design and transformer use. A bypass control capability that allows the UPS to be completely removed from the power-distribution system is a feature that’s often overlooked.

This may seem counterintuitive for an online UPS design, but the feature can prevent a defective UPS from causing a power outage that extends downtime. In addition, the ability to “bypass” a UPS allows field maintenance and repair without disruption to the load. For example, the 30 kVA APC Smart-UPS VT on page 8 is one system that supports automatic internal bypass.

Without such a bypass, McFarlane said, you could find yourself “in the embarrassing position of having to explain why utility power is still on, but your expensive UPS has become a roadblock between Hp 342661-001 battery [utility power] and your data center, causing everything to do a hard crash.”

Maintenance and output. Maintenance and repair are certainly major concerns for UPS deployments, particularly for batteries that eventually wear and fail. When shopping for a UPS, think about what will happen once its batteries die. For example, field-replaceable batteries allow technicians to easily upgrade or replace batteries (often with no tools). Selecting a UPS with hot-swappable batteries allows technicians to replace old or damaged batteries without having to take the entire UPS out of service first.

As UPS systems evolve and gain intelligence, they are getting more adept at Hp 345027-001 battery controlling how output power is delivered to the load. For example, a UPS with controlled output groups lets the UPS first shut down less-important loads such as print servers, allowing more runtime for important loads like a SQL Server.

Output groups also allow administrators to cycle power to one group to reboot a troublesome server without having to reboot everything attached to the UPS. Conversely, the UPS can use controlled output groups to sequence the startup of servers so that more important equipment starts first.

Another feature appearing in some Hp PP2182L battery UPS systems allows the unit to turn off power to a load that is in standby or otherwise “sleeping.” This feature might be useful in a virtual server environment where you can migrate active loads to fewer servers, and the UPS can shut down those idle servers to save even more power.

Choosing UPS systems for the data center

Choosing UPS systems for the data center

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An uninterruptible power supply is the linchpin of the data center backup chain, providing vital protection against power disruptions that would interfere with workloads or even cripple server hardware. Selecting the right uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for deployment can be a tricky proposition. One size does not fit all, and the UPS unit’s characteristics and performance must meet the demands of modern computing equipment. Management isn’t as simple as just matching the UPS to a load or achieving an acceptable runtime.

Today’s UPS systems offer a wealth of maintenance and management features that ensure long, reliable operation. UPS choices are vast, with a bewildering spectrum of features to choose from, but a UPS must deliver adequate power to run the load long enough to restore utility power, also called runtime, or to fully shut down. Load power is Hp PB991A battery measured in watts (W) or, more accurately, volt-amperes (VA); UPS systems range from just a few hundred VA up to massive 800 kVA behemoths.

Getting started

This buying guide outlines the most important features of enterprise-class UPS systems in the 10 kVA to 50 kVA range, which is ideal for small to midsized data center deployments, and such UPSes Hp PB994A battery are quite quite common in many businesses and branch-office scenarios. Table 1 (shown at the end of this guide) shows a variety of midsized UPSes. The vendors in these two tables offer products in the 10 kVA to 50 kVA range with some outside that range.

The goal of this guide is not to recommend specific products, but to provide a representative cross-section of products that you can use as a starting point for your own evaluation process. As part of that process, you should talk with each manufacturer, see which optional features best address your particular needs, and find actual UPS users who can give first-hand insight into the systems and how they’re supported. Only then can you make an informed buying recommendation for your organization.

Choosing the right UPS type

There are basically three approaches to Hp PB992A battery UPS design: standby, line-interactive and online. Enterprises rarely use standby and line-interactive UPSes because of long switch-over times and load problems. Online UPSes can be quite large and are preferred for use in most enterprise data centers.

Rather than switching a battery stack in or out, an online uninterruptible power supply always uses batteries to operate the load and continually charges the batteries from line voltage. Thus, it is constantly converting AC into battery DC and then converting battery DC into AC for the load, earning it the moniker “double-conversion UPS.”When input voltage fails, it simply drops out, and batteries continue to power the system without disruption—there is no switching delay to Hp 337607-003 battery interrupt vital servers.The other benefit for a data center is that load servers are completely isolated from the line AC, so “dirty” power—power from a backup data center generator—is effectively filtered before powering the load.

It’s also important to consider transformer and transformerless UPS designs. Traditional online UPS systems create AC from the DC battery, but they use step-up transformers to multiply low-voltage AC from the inverter to a higher voltage level that is suitable for the load (such as 120 volts AC to power a 1U server). Transformer-based UPS Hp 337607-001 battery systems can range from modest 8 kVA to huge 800 kVA systems. They also provide a level of electrical isolation between the UPS and the load, further protecting the output from spikes and transients.

By comparison, transformerless UPS designs replace the bulk and expense of a traditional transformer with high-power transistor circuits that create a high-voltage DC output first (perhaps as high as Hp Pavilion ZT3000 battery 700 Vdc to 800 Vdc), which is then inverted to an AC output for the load. A transformerless UPS can generally support a sizable midrange UPS of up to 120 kVA. Eliminating a large transformer also increases power efficiency. In Table 1, the Liebert APMUPS is a transformerless online UPS.

Two additional options

A typical standby UPS runs the load directly from incoming utility Hp EX942AA battery power. When the system detects a power disruption, the standby UPS takes over the load and provides power froman internal battery stack.

AC power is created from a DC/AC inverter circuit. The switchover time, however, can be as long as 25milliseconds.Under the heavy load of a server rack or blade chassis, that’s simply not fast enough to prevent power disruptions. A standby UPS is often a point solution used to protect single PCs or servers at an administrator’s desk or auxiliary server closet.

The line-interactive UPS switches similarly to the way it switches in the standby design, but it includes a multi-tap, variable-voltage transformer that can buck or boost the output voltage in response to fluctuations in input voltage. For example, if the line voltage sags below an acceptable level, also called a brownout, the UPS automatically switches transformer taps to compensate and preserve AC voltage

levels to the load. This prevents the UPS from switching to the battery stack unnecessarily. As with a standby UPS, a line-interactive UPS is rare in enterprise data centers, though it may also be used as Hp EV087AA battery point protection for almost any single PC or server.

Flywheels vs. batteries

Flywheel backups are increasingly popular as a data center backup power option, but there are important differences between flywheels and battery backups. Flywheel backups work by spinning a physical flywheel at a high rate of speed.When power fails, the flywheel continues to spin—effectively becoming a generator that produces voltage to power loads.

However, a flywheel will start slowing as soon as Hp Pavilion dv9000 battery
(Hp dv9000 battery) power is lost, so it only provides power for a short period of time compared with batteries. Flywheels are most often used during brief power disruptions. Since flywheels are generally inadequate backup power sources on their own, they may be used with backup generators or conventional UPS systems.

“The flywheel will keep the batteries from being exercised during short power anomalies, thereby extending their life, mainly on VRLA installations,” said Robert McFarlane, an analyst at Shen Milsom & Wilke. McFarlane also suggests using flywheels to start backup generators, adding that dead batteries are to blame for many stalled generators.

Hands on: Smartphone round up

Hands on: Smartphone round up

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Lifestyle Tech | 25 Jul 2011 : This month we had a veritable cornucopia of smart phones to play with. We had the Samsung Galaxy S II (GS2), the LG Optimus Black (OB), the HTC Desire S (DS) and Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc (XA).

For comparison, we have the Goggle Nexus S (GNS), by Samsung, supplied by Vodafone.

Now, where to begin? Well, the OB is an interesting device in that it is a Sony VGP-BPS2 battery compact, light and nicely designed Android device from a manufacturer with a growing footprint in Ireland. Known more so for its consumer devices, LG is now making a range of high end Android devices.

The OB has a model number of P970 and sports a 1 GHz Cortex-A8 processor, a PowerVR SGX530 graphics chip (GPU) and the TI OMAP 3630 chipset. The screen is 800 x 480 pixels and 102mm, with Gorilla Glass and the Optimus 2.0 and Gesture 2.0 user interface (UI) overlays. Internal storage is 2GB, but expandable to 32GB via MicroSD with 512MB of RAM. All of this Sony PCGA-BP71 battery sounds very impressive and the overall impression is very close to that of the Desire S. The OB offers a complete range of apps for social media, basic productivity and a few others besides. The only real drawback is that the version of Android shipped is 2.2.2, which is a little behind the curve, as most other devices here were on some variant of 2.3, with the GNS having been updated to 2.3.4.

Screen play

The OB display was vibrant, with excellent colour reproduction, and worked well Sony PCGA-BP4V battery in bright sunlight. Build quality is very good, even if the OB goes for the rather understated look.

The HTC Desire S is somewhat smaller handset than most others here, it matches the OB for resolution but is 94mm in size. Its dimensions are 115 x 59.8 x 11.6mm, making it noticeably smaller than the others. Its build quality Sony PCGA-BP2V battery seems a little better as it uses what could be best described as a monocoque, with the aluminium body giving it most of its strength.

The Sony Ericsson (SE) XPeria Arc is the current flagship and has one of the most heavily overlaid instances of Android. With TimeScape and MediaScape, first seen on the X10 series, SE has created a slick and pleasing to the eye set of applications for aggregating all media and social activity for the user. As an approach, you'll love it or hate it, but it works and well, with significant improvements from first iterations.

Vive le difference

The big differentiator for the XA is its screen and its multimedia Sony PCGA-BP2T battery performance in general. Getting the Mobile Bravia processing engine, as seen on high end Sony televisions, the XA performs like a high end display, but integration with Sony TVs could be better. The screen itself is 854 x 480 pixels and 107mm in size. Build quality is very good and the device feels solid in the hand, apart from a somewhat flimsy battery cover, which looks like it could easily become scuffed and worn.

Despite being only a single core processor, the XE perform as well in all benchmarks, but cannot match the sheer processing power available to the Galaxy S II.

Cinema

The GS2 sports a massive screen which dominates the front of the Sony PCGA-BP2S battery device. At 109mm, it is the biggest on test, with 800 x 480 resolution. Although it is bigger than that on the XA, it is slightly lower resolution. The GS2 also boasts a dual core processor, the 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor. Samsung has said that no special coding is required by applications to take advantage of the dual core, as this is all done at the operating system level. When processor load on the first core comes up to about 70%, the second core kicks in to keep performance high. However, this does have the expected effect on battery life. That said, with reasonable usage, it will last a full day, but do not expect to get far without nightly charging.

All these cameras boast a 5 or 8MP camera, with forward facing Sony PCGA-BP2R battery cameras too. All have the usual bells and whistles one might expect from high end Android devices in terms of sensors, connectivity and media, so what differentiates them, especially with respect to our reference GNS? Well, not a lot.

One device

The busy person who wants to have just as single device in their pocket could get away with any of these devices, happily. But, if you have particular penchant for say multimedia, or photos, then the Xperia Arc Sony PCGA-BP2NY battery beats everything else hands down, and may even trump the GS2 for battery life while doing it. If out and out power and boasting about your benchmark scores are what you like, then nothing really can compare to the dual core punch.

If you are one device person, but don't like the bulk of the likes of the XE and the GS2, which are, it has to be said, pushing the bounds of pocket comfort, then the DS, or the OB are perfect candidates, particularly if you like your devices ready loaded with apps for common usage.

As regards criticisms, there's little Sony PCGA-BP2NX battery to complain about with any of these. An update of the OB is likely soon, and the relative size of the devices is a matter of taste. This goes for the overlays too, whether you want the full fat LG/HTC approach, the transformative Sony Ericsson approach or the more vanilla GNS approach. It has to be said the 2.3.3 implementation on the XA does look a little dated in terms of its icons, despite being bang up to date.

Winner

If one had to pick a winner from the bunch, it would have to come down to Sony PCGA-BP1N battery the Samsung Galaxy S II for its future proofing performance, with the Xperia Arc a very close second for its unparalleled media capabilities. In joint second would be the Desire S and Optimus Black for being very complete offerings all of which have the wonderful flexibility of Android underneath.

The Galaxy S II is widely available, as is the LG Optimus Black. The HTC Desire S is available from 3 Ireland on either bill pay or pay as you go. The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc is available from Three, Vodafone and 02.

New Macbook Air vs. Sony Vaio Z 2011

New Macbook Air vs. Sony Vaio Z 2011

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Sony and Apple have been long-time rivals in the premium consumer-electronics world, with both manufactures setting trends and making fashion statements while pushing the boundaries of technology

The companies clash once again with two flagship products in the Sony PCG-Z505 battery category that pushes the envelope of form and function: the ultraportable class notebook computer.

Apple's Macbook Air has defined avant-garde since its introduction in 2008. The Sony PCG-V505 battery latest iteration follows that tradition, sporting a sleek thin aluminum frame, a full-sized keyboard and screen, with no moving parts.

Not to be outdone, Sony also introduced the latest to its Vaio Z line, its answer to the Macbook Air and every other ultraportable this July. Featuring a carbon fiber and aluminum body and hardware typically reserved for desktops, Sony aims for brains as well as beauty.

Aesthetics

The first Macbook Air boasted being the "world's thinnest" laptop at Sony PCG-R505 battery the time of introduction. In fact, Apple CEO Steve Jobs took shots at Sony's then flagship Vaio TZ, saying "the thickest parts of the Macbook Air is thinner than the thinnest part of the Sony." In 2011, that distinction is no longer true.

Sony's new Z is not only thinner than the MBA, its even lighter, beating it out by 0.3 pounds. Apple's offering is a wedge shaped design however, so as the chassis tapers towards the front it becomes much thinner.

The Sony features a carbon-fiber lid familiar to Sony VGP-BPS9 battery,
Sony VGP-BPS10 battery Z users of the past, but boasts an aluminum body time around, giving the unit two exotic materials, but perhaps lacking the uniformity of the MBA.

For MBA users, the body is identical to the previous 2010 model.

Conclusion: With both having their own allure, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Mobility

With both units weighing less than 3 pounds, both are effortlessly easy to carry around. Both also have identical battery life. For your typical consumer there isn't much difference here. But for a mobile professional the Sony VGP-BPS8 battery nuance speaks loud.

The Vaio Z has optional wireless wide-area network capability, letting users logon to cellular networks, for instance, to access Internet virtually anywhere. More over, Vaio users can purchase a "sheet battery" that attaches to the bottom of the unit surging battery life up to an unprecedented 15 hours -- more than 50 percent longer than the energy sipping iPad.

The hardware inside the Vaio Z can tend to run hot, however and the dual-fans on the bottom can make for a toasty lap and a loud notebook, depending on what tasks are running. This may not make for polite Sony VGP-BPS5 battery company depending on the setting.

In comparison, the Macbook Air runs cool and quiet for the most part. One area where the MBA stands out is the ingenious speaker technology. Utilizing a sonically optimized enclosure, the Macbook gets loud and sounds good for its size, whereas the Sony's speakers are some of the worst on the market.

Conclusion: Typical consumers can get enough done on the road with either, but forSony VGP-BPS3 battery the more demanding, performance based mobile professional, the Vaio Z wins.

Performance

Both the Macbook Air and the Vaio Z are built on top of Intel's Sandy Bridge architecture, giving them both the latest processor technology, among other things. But they differ in one very important detail.

The Macbook Air uses a low-voltage version of Intel's i5 processor. This is typical for ultraportable notebooks and is par for the course. But through the miracle of modern engineering, Sony was able to squeeze a full-powered i5 or i7 processor into the diminutive body.

As noted above, this makes for a slightly hotter, noisier experience, but the performance rivals that of desktop computers. Simply put, there's no faster ultraportable, and this Z would give even some desktops a run for Sony VGP-BPL2 battery their money.

That CPU also gives the Z better graphics capabilities. But they don't stop there. Sony throws in a special "Power Media Dock" that integrates a CD-Rom with an external graphics card, letting users run high-end graphics applications across up to three monitors -- including the built-in display.

Both units come with solid-state storage, making them durable and fast. Sony however deploys something called "Raid 0," which essentially stores data across two separate drives, making reading and writing theoretically twice as fast.

Conclusion: The Vaio Z wins hands-down in performance. From processing, to graphics -- and even the screen packs more pixels than the MBA's already first-class display (and an optional full HD screen), there is no comparison.

All-in-all

When the Macbook Air was first introduced in 2008, Jobs said that Sony and other Sony VGP-BPS2A battery manufacturers made too many "compromises" as they sought to make something light and portable.

With the arrival of the flagship machines from both manufacturers, it would appear that Apple is now making compromises.

With the Sony Z users can basically get a desktop replacement that weighs under 3 pounds and is the lightest notebook on the market. (The award for thinnest goes to the Samsung 9 series).

The drawback is you'll have to pay for it. The Sony can cost up to three times the Macbook Air in certain configurations, but for those with demanding requirements that need the best in mobile computing, the Sony Vaio Z is IBT's choice.

EnerSol pushing new battery technology

EnerSol pushing new battery technology

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A Portland-based battery developer is rolling out a new technology and letting power customers kick the tires. EnerSol Energy Systems Solutions' push to find early adopters to put lithium titanate batteries to the test is part of an increased focus on grid storage and electric vehicles.

The three-man company focuses on consulting and product development in batteries Toshiba Tecra 8000 Battery and energy systems for electric vehicles, grid storage, and portable devices. It posts annual revenues of less than $500,000 and has partnerships among battery suppliers and manufacturers worldwide.

Now reaching out to energy companies, utilities, hospitals, cellular phone companies, IT server rooms and fire stations, EnerSol is looking for partners interested in developing and testing lithium titanate batteries as a Toshiba Satellite A75 Battery back-up power supply for use in large scale energy storage applications or for use in semi trucks and other larger, commercial scale vehicles that can accommodate its size.

The company has a particular interest in testing the technology as a backup to renewable energy generators like wind and solar farms. Batteries can store excess power while generation is high and demand low. They can also help mitigate Toshiba Satellite A70 Battery the stress of mass consumer power use during peak hours and give operators greater flexibility in power sales.

EnerSol’s product comes forward as observers predict the market for grid storage is poised to balloon. The market was pegged at $5.6 billion in 2010 in a report from GTM Research, and the company speculated the market would grow to $9.6 billion by 2015.

Positioning for market-share in grid storage is a key objective for EnerSol and other battery makers.

Batteries are just one of the technologies being eyed for large-scale grid storage, along with Toshiba Satellite A100 Battery fly wheels, compressed air, hydrogen, pumped water, thermal and superconducting magnetic energy systems.

In a game where costs and lifespan limit solutions, the objective is on to find affordable technologies that will last. Among battery makers, there is stiff competition to prove out the best technology.

EnerSol president Doug Morris said the company’s recent demonstration project is designed to Toshiba Satellite A10 Battery show customers what lithium titanate can do.

A modified lithium-ion battery — lithium ion batteries are used in cell phones, laptops and most consumer and portable electronic products — the battery uses an electrochemical version of lithium ion, lithium titanate, instead of carbon, making for fast recharging and high currents.

The battery itself is supplied by suppliers Toshiba and PHET and developed for grid and vehicle uses by EnerSol.

Morris said the result is a battery that charges 5 to 10 times faster than lithium-ion batteries and lasts beyond 25,000 charging cycles, or about 10 to 20 times longer than lithium iron phosphate batteries Toshiba Portege 4000 Battery (used in power tools and cars).

Though lithium ion batteries are cheapest to build, at 60 cents or less per watt-hour, their short life cycle means they would need constant replacement if assembled for grid storage. That makes lithium titanate competitive at $1.15 per watt-hour, Morris said, given its long life span.

Spying opportunity, EnerSol has developed three table-top, 20 amp-hour, 12 volt demonstration batteries Toshiba PA3591U-1BRS Battery valued at $30,000 to lure beta trials.

“What we’re really hoping for is to get enough interest in the demo so that people can test the technology,” said Morris. “It’s great to tell people about a new technology, but when you can actually give them one to test and try they say, ‘Oh, I get it,’ and can talk about what they want to do with it.”

The demo is a piece of where the EnerSol vision could lead. The batteries can be built small, like the tabletop unit, or assembled in packs that fill multiple trailers, storing multiple kilowatts per trailer. They are controlled by a simple, menu-driven software and control module developed by Denmark-based vehicle-battery developer Lithium Balance, for which Morris is involved in developing a U.S.-based headquarters. The package is a slimmed-down version of Lithium Balance’s robust system that’s used in its electric vehicle batteries to balance the charge and temperatures across cells in a battery Toshiba PA3506U-1BRS Batterypack through a system that interfaces with a PC computer.

Morris, whose career stretches 30 years in the battery world, much of it developing technology for Motorola, said battery development was previously focused elsewhere, fine-tuning different chemistries for particular functions. Lithium ion batteries Toshiba PA2487U Battery , for example, were established as a best fit for portable devices like cell phones and computers for their long-lasting charge, he said. And lithium phosphate batteries were deemed most suitable for electric vehicles for their safety performance.

“Now, with storage… people are trying to figure out what the best chemistry is,” Morris said.

Mobile tech tops list of cool back-to-school supplies

Mobile tech tops list of cool back-to-school supplies

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NEW YORK — What’s on top of the school supply list this year? It isn’t T-shirts and tennis shoes. It’s the other T, for mobile tech.

Kids as young as elementary age are looking for smartphone upgrades, while the college set is sussing out the explosion in tablets, said Craig Johnson, president of the retail consulting and research firm Customer Growth Partners in New Canaan, Conn.

“The single most important thing is the acceleration of technology for Toshiba Satellite 2100 Battery back to school. Kids don’t get excited about a new lunch box these days, or a new backpack. Cool means technology,” he said.

That means e-readers with high functionality like highlighting, underlining, pagination and touchscreens. “All of the features are out now or in the process of coming out,” he said.

The new Nook has a six-inch touchscreen and crisp, clear print for reading in bright light, tech Toshiba Satellite A65 Battery analyst Andrea Smith told reporters at a recent Consumer Electronics Association trade show. It also indicates how many pages to the end of a chapter and has received praise for long battery life.

Back-to-school tech also means tablets. Once hallowed Apple ground, Toshiba Satellite A60-662 Battery iPad 2 competitors are everywhere this season. Apple’s still the big kid but Android technology is in pursuit. Some of the new tablets run Adobe Flash software, which Apple doesn’t have.

In addition to the iPad 2, Smith suggests the 10-inch Toshiba Thrive for Toshiba Satellite 1900 Battery back to school. It runs on Android, has two USB ports and an SD card reader. The new TouchPad by Hewlett-Packard, she said, runs on webOS, has a 9.7-inch screen and touts easy multitasking among open apps.

For analyst Natali Morris, iPad 2 “really is the only tablet on the market that Toshiba Tecra 9100 Battery kids are coveting,” though she added that some Android technology is good for note-taking and syncing.

Tablets are cool, but are they practical for actual schoolwork? That might have everything to do with the popularity of bluetooth-enabled keyboard add-ons, including the new one Smith and Morris like from Logitech with a case that easily turns into a tablet stand. Toshiba has a keyboard, too, also sold separately.

Morris’ picks for student laptops: MacBook Air with an 11- or Toshiba Tecra 9000 Battery 14-inch screen. They weigh as little as 2.3 pounds and boot up in about five seconds, she said at the CEA line shows in June. Those features are good for students moving from class to class.

Going head to head with MacBook Air for PC-prone students is the sleek new Samsung Series 9, Morris said. It’s light, boots Windows in 20 seconds and offers 160-degree viewing for group work.

Christine Mallon, vice president of retail marketing for Staples, agrees that Toshiba Tecra 8100 Battery mobile tech is leading the back-to-school drive.

Flash drives shaped like animals — safari to farm — have taken off, she said. Also look for Tony Hawk-branded skateboard drives this year.

Read more: The Paducah Sun - Mobile tech tops list of cool back to school supplies

Performance and battery Life

Performance and battery Life

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Software

Describing what Android 3.1 brings to the table is an article unto itself, so I won't dive into it here, but suffice it to say that Honeycomb is still a lovely, functional, stylish operating system that's steadily improving and unfortunately doesn't (yet) have the app support it needs. Gmail, Google Maps, Google Books and YouTube are all fairly fantastic, as is Honeycomb's Calendar and Gallery, the revamped Google Music is pretty neat, and should you visit the Android Market you'll find a handful of cool stuff. TweetComb is a handsome tablet Twitter solution, IMDB and Movies by Flixster both get you your local showtimes, trailers Toshiba PA3084U-1BRS Battery and info in a very pleasing fashion, Pulse has a fantastic UI for browsing news from the comfort of your couch, and both Google Earth and Google Body are definitely worth checking out. In addition to these, Toshiba bundles a variety of software with the Thrive:

?App Place is Toshiba's very own app store, which could theoretically help you find tablet-friendly apps, but is presently not worth your time -- it holds a grand total of 38 apps at the moment, and feels like a slimy pitchman at the time of this writing. Most apps charge a hefty monthly fee, though each includes a 14- or 30-day free trial. Oh, and when you sign up for an account, "Yes, contact me with offers and updates" is checked by default.

?Start Place is Toshiba's visual news reader, which provides Toshiba PA3729U-1BRS Battery Associated Press stories in a visually pleasing manner, but rather slowly -- it gave me Sunday's news on Wednesday, and Wednesday's news on Thursday morning.

?Book Place is an additional e-reader bookstore (powered by Blio) that's fairly ugly and slow. It does let you search for free e-books, but otherwise I'd never use it over the included Google Books. Toshiba's done the reader a disservice by leaving this on the front page and relegating Google's version to the app drawer.

?File Manager is actually quite useful, letting you quickly and Toshiba PA3399U-1BRS Battery easily browse and transfer files between attached USB drives, SD cards and the Thrive's internal storage. I wasn't pleased with the attached image viewer, though -- it lets you "pinch to zoom" on your photos, but you're actually only enlarging the pixels of a low-res thumbnail.

?Silver Creek's Backgammon, Solitare, Hearts, Spades and Euchre are included, in case traditional card games and board games are your thing.

?Toshiba also includes a variety of trial apps, including Kapersky Tablet Security, LogMeIn Ignition (a remote desktop service), PrinterShare, Mog Music and Need for Speed: Shift, the last of which amusingly (read: not at all amusingly) launches App Place in an attempt to have you immediately purchase it.

?There's also the Swype tablet keyboard, which actually isn't enabled by Toshiba PA3395U-1BRS Battery default -- you'll have to dig through the settings menu if you'd like to type with one-finger gestures.

Performance and battery Life

With the same basic Tegra 2 internals as all its compatriots in the Android tablet space, you'd expect the Thrive to perform similarly, and you'd mostly be right. I found Toshiba's device just as speedy as a Galaxy Tab 10.1 when using apps, playing games and navigating the Honeycomb UI. (With Android 3.1 on board, I felt it was actually a touch more responsive and better at playing back 720p Flash video content than devices without.) That said, the Thrive lags behind the competition in three important ways. First, it doesn't seem to be quite as stable as its comrades, as I noticed a variety of annoying app and browser crashes, and notably those Force Closes Toshiba PA3250U-1BRS Battery occurred even with just the stock selection of apps on board. Second, despite the Thrive's considerable girth, battery life is actually somewhat worse.

Toshiba promises up to 11 hours of use on the Thrive's removable 2030mAh battery, but I'm afraid I didn't get nearly that -- using our brand-new battery test, which which cycles through a series of websites and high resolution images with brightness set at 65 percent, the Thrive petered out at five hours and 28 minutes. That's actually not horrible, and the Thrive lasted the entirety of a day with far more sporadic use, but the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 managed over an hour of extra runtime in the very same test, despite its incredible slimness. Of course, if you've got $90 and the tenacity to use your Thrive as a battery charger, you can Toshiba PA3356U-1BRS Battery always purchase an additional removable battery pack, but the extra cost makes it an unlikely proposition.

Third and most importantly, the Thrive has a terrible bug as of today. Many users are reporting -- and we can confirm on our review units -- that the slate will randomly fail to wake up after going to sleep. This frequently meant that if I was in the middle of a browsing session or a game and put the Thrive down for a while, it wouldn't power back on, and I'd need to do a hard reset or pull the battery to use the Thrive once more. That doesn't seem to be the only issue with the Thrive's sleep mode, either, as Toshiba PA3291U-1BRS Battery I noticed that Google Music would often fail to cycle to the next song with the screen off. Now, Toshiba representatives are readily acknowledging the sleep issues, and promised us that they'll be fixed soon -- "We are aggressively working to implement a fix that resolves this issue and will push an update as soon as possible," wrote one -- but this is a quality assurance failure of serious proportions. We're very surprised that Toshiba would let the Thrive ship without more rigorous testing, particularly when it's throwing around terms like "finished innovation" to advertise the product.

Quite frankly, the resume-from-sleep issue is nasty enough that we couldn't possibly Toshiba PA3506U-1BRS Batteryrecommend the Thrive until Toshiba sorts that out, but even should the company fix it promptly, you might be better off spending your money elsewhere. Forgetting the full-size ports and considerable girth for a moment, the main thing that distinguishes the Thrive from competitors is how thoroughly average it is -- when every other major tablet manufacturer has put their best foot forward, the Thrive offers merely an average experience. That might be fine if Toshiba undercut the competition on price, but the entry-level Thrive (which comes with only 8GB of flash storage!) is still $429. Meanwhile, the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, which is superior in almost every way, costs only $400, and you can nab theToshiba PA3591U-1BRS Battery Acer Iconia Tab A500 for the same price, which comes with a USB port and a superior multimedia experience even as it suffers slightly in terms of battery life. If your desire for full-size HDMI ports and SD card slots is insatiable, we sympathize, as those are definitely features we want on our slates as well, but we'll wait for a more smartly designed tablet to integrate those ports before we lay our money on the table.

Toshiba Thrive review

Toshiba Thrive review

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of the Toshiba Laptop Battery   First post by: www.laptop-battery-stores.com

If you've seen one Honeycomb tablet, you might well imagine you'd seen them all -- most every current Android slate boasts a 10.1-inch, 1280 x 800 screen, a dual-core 1GHz Tegra 2 chip, 1GB of RAM, and a small chunk of flash storage. Toshiba's Thrive doesn't buck that trend, and in fact, it's actually the second Toshiba tablet with those specs, following the failed Folio 100 the company introduced in the UK late last year. That's not to say this slate doesn't differentiate from the competition, though. With full-size HDMI, USB and SD card slots, you can attach peripherals, transfer media and mirror the Thrive's display on your HDTV without carting exotic cables or docks around... but at .62 inches thick, the Toshiba Thrive is the chunkiest Honeycomb tablet in town. Are the ports worth the Toshiba PA2487U Battery girth? Are there other worries you should know about? Read on for the full rundown.

Look and feel

even at $429 for the least expensive 8GB model, the Thrive isn't the cheapest Honeycomb slate in town, but it certainly looks and feels like the cheapest when you start to tote it around. Rough plastic seams, flimsy port covers and squishy, hard-to-press buttons and switches are what you'll be dealing with when you're not touching the ultra-glossy, fingerprint magnet of a display, which also happens to have a very noticable air gap between the capacitive digitizer and the actual screen. Meanwhile, the Toshiba PA3107U-1BRS Battery textured rear cover is nice and grippy, but still easily discolored by finger oils. It also doesn't fit as solidly as I'd like -- when you pick the Thrive up and give it a squeeze, you can feel it give slightly.

Also, as I alluded to earlier, the Thrive's as bulky as Toshiba PA3383U-1BRS Battery they come. At 10.75 x 6.97 x 0.62 inches, it's as wide as an Asus Eee Pad Transformer, as tall as an Acer Iconia Tab A500 and practically as thick as the iPad 2 and Galaxy Tab 10.1 combined. It's portly enough that I had considerable trouble reaching the middle keys on the virtual keyboard with my thumbs while grasping the unit from either end, but again, you're getting a considerable array of connectivity for your troubles. In addition to power and a four-pole 3.5mm headset jack, the right side cover hides full-size USB 2.0 and HDMI ports, as well as mini-USB.

Wireless USB mice and thumbdrives were detected instantly, and I had no Toshiba PA3384U-1BRS Battery trouble transfering files to the device from a connected Windows PC. What's more, there's a full-size SD card slot on the top edge, a boon for photographers, as you can pop your card right out of your camera and transfer your photos for tablet viewing. (Unfortunately, external storage doesn't seem to be recognized by the Honeycomb Gallery, so you will have to copy files over before comfortably browsing images... and there's no way to compensate for overscan when using the HDMI-out, so you may lose part of your 720p image when viewing Toshiba PA3285U-1BRS Battery on a 1080p television.) The top edge also plays host to three status LEDs (power / sleep, battery and Wi-Fi connectivity) and the slate's only physical controls -- a power toggle, volume rocker, and a orientation lock switch. There's actually a very similar-looking switch on the left side of the unit, with a lock symbol as well, but that's not the orientation lock; it's a latch for the removable back cover.

Yes, just like most Android phones you've probably seen, and totally unlike every Android tablet we've used, the Thrive has a removable panel, and a user-replaceable battery inside. Even unlatched, it's not exactly easy to take off, requiring you to pry Toshiba PA3191U-1BRS Battery around the seams, but there's no denying the value of being able to swap cells for some additional runtime or replace an aging battery. It's a bit of a shame, however, that Toshiba's charging $90 for additional battery packs. Speaking of factory options, there are a couple of other intriguing ones on tap -- $60 buys you an HDMI / charging dock that also adds two USB ports, theoretically allowing you to attach your monitor, mouse, keyboard and external storage at the same, and $20 lets you personalize the Thrive by attaching an alternatively colored back cover. I'm rather fond of the "Lavender Bliss," myself.

I understand that there were many reasons to dislike Toshiba's Folio 100, but Toshiba PA3166U-1BRS Battery the terrible screen was chief among them: low pixel density, poor viewing angles, no multitouch... you get the idea. Thankfully, the Thrive doesn't have any of these issues. The display is moderately bright and readable from any angle so long as glare doesn't get in the way, and responds to touch as quickly as any of its Honeycomb peers, though still well behind the likes of Apple's iPad 2. Unfortunately, those welcome qualities don't make up for the fact that the actual images on the screen are relatively dull -- the Thrive's screen just isn't as crisp, and to the trained eye individual pixels are often noticible. I liked it a good bit better than the screen on the Xoom, but it doesn't hold a candle to those housed in the Galaxy Tab 10.1, Eee Pad Transformer or Iconia Tab A500... and that about sums up my experience with Toshiba PA3331U-1BRS Battery the tablet's speakers as well. The Thrive has stereo speakers on the bottom edge of the unit, and while they're honestly not the worst we've heard -- tinny, but relatively full -- they're fairly quiet and all of the Thrive's immediate peers generate soundscapes that are much richer. Toshiba does let you tweak a host of audio settings in the menu, though, including bass, treble and some automatic equalizers.

Taking pictures by holding up a giant rectangle is as silly an idea as it was the first Toshiba PA3098U-1BRS Battery time we reviewed a tablet with cameras, but they do come in handy for video chat and the odd snapshot, and interestingly enough the Thrive's cameras don't appear to be as hilariously bad as those on some of the slates we've reviewed before. The 2 megapixel front-facing imager is as grainy as you'd expect, but the 5 megapixel rear autofocus camera actually takes some pretty decent shots during the day, well-lit and with fairly accurate, pleasing colors. I didn't get the chance to test video recording yet, but watch this space and I'll let you know how that goes. The cameras are definitely in a terrible place, though. Since they're bundled into a silver module on the left edge of the unit, it's easy to obscure the rear with your hand while shooting, and the front's position makes no sense at all, as you can never look at the camera and your onscreen partner simultaneously during a video call.