Finally, some sensible advice on prolonging batteries! I know that batteries will lose their ability to hold a charge no matter what, but that doesn’t mean you can take steps to make it last for a few extra charge cycles.
Slate’s Farhad Manjoo recently interviewed Isidor Buchmann, the CEO of battery-testing equipment manufacturer Cadex Electronics, about characteristics of contemporary gadget batteries and how to use them to your advantage. Note that the tips below only apply to Lithium-Ion batteries, the most popular type used in gadget today:
Keep Your Batteries Away From Heat. Heat lessens a battery’s lifespan, and unfortunately many gadgets …read more

You most likely use plug splitters to plug your entire gadget arsenal into one wall socket anyway, so let’s hope Rozetkus gets around to mass-producing its 3-month old 3D power socket design, which basically calls for five sockets to compact into one when not needed.

Simple mechanics, simple engineering, maximum usability. Pull the whole assembly out of the wall to reveal four hidden sockets, push it back in when you only need to power one gadget. Chances are out the 3D power socket will remain out, especially given the geek’s natural laziness and the demanding nature of workstations. But I’m sure …read more

As US military contractors work to miniaturize pain beam technology into hand held units, the current emplacement-worthy version has apparently found some business. Raytheon, a developer of the Active Denial System (ADS), recently announced deals with a US ally, and one unnamed law enforcement agency “possibly” based in the US. The ally will purchase four ADS units (model name: Silent Guardian), will the agency will settle for one.
The ADS emplacement definitely won’t fit in anyone’s pocket—a truck is required to move this baby around—but the granddaddy of pain beams also works like the promised hand held versions: by directing 94-GHz …read more

Anyone who’s tried walking barefoot on asphalt during a sunny day knows that turning roads into solar panels makes sense. Solar Roadways recently received a $100,000 grant from the US Department of Transportation to further develop its Solar Road Panel concept.
The Solar Road Panel is simply the addition of glass, LED lights, and solar panels on top of standard road concrete. It’s meant to replace asphalt, currently used to smoothen out roads for ride comfort and noise reduction.
What makes Solar Roadways’ concept even more interesting are the embedded LED lights, which would allow the road to dynamically change lane markings, …read more

The name “PowrAmid” is cringeworthy, and its shape is unorthodox at best, but there’s a method to the madness: here’s a power “strip” that truly supports multiple power adapters!
Any avid gadget user knows how bulky gadget plugs are nowadays, especially since manufacturers integrate more hardware within the plug itself. (Worst offenders: cell phones, speakers, and Apple laptops without the power cord extender) So it’s hard to maximize a typical power strip, as those bulky plugs rudely violate the personal space of adjacent sockets.
The PowrAmid addresses this problem somewhat by orienting the sockets in a circular fashion, providing some angular clearance …read more