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Battery Collector Gets Your Batteries Out of the Junk Drawer

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Even people with above-average organization skills sometimes have a rough time keeping track of full batteries. Somewhere in your house, you likely have a junk drawer. And in that junk drawer is doubtless no less than 10 batteries of varied remaining energy levels.

The Battery Collector is an all-in-one solution to battery organization and level testing. Shelf slots offering a variety of battery sizes act as your AAs new home. A battery meter on top of the organizer allows you to test the batteries remaining energy levels. So much more effective than sticking the battery on your tongue and hoping for a tingle.

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Battery Salt and Pepper Cell Shaker: Now Alkaline Free!

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Created with stainless steel and glass, Antrepo created this awesome set of salt and pepper shaker, designed to look like a pair of D batteries. A clever commenter referred to the product as “A Salt and Battery.” Get it?

You know those batteries with the power level meter on them? You know, the ones where you have to squeeze the two points until your fingers fall off, just so you can tell that your down to your last five minutes of battery? Well these shakers have something like that going on. A clear window lets you see how much condiment you have left, no finger pressure required. Antrepo is currently shopping around for a manufacturer to make this shit happen. (more…)

Under The Hood: 17-Inch Macbook Pro

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Goddamn would you look at the size of this thing. Two gigantic fans that look like they belong on the latest GeForce card and a battery that can be used to fend off potential attackers. iFixIt, a company that regularly goes inside brand new Macs to get a closer look at them, cracked open a brand-spankin’ new 17-inch unibody Macbook Pro. You know, the one you can’t remove the battery from.

Well apparently, you can remove the battery. It’s just going to require a lot of effort and void your warranty – as if you didn’t see that one coming. iFixIt says it’ll sell replacement batteries for the Macbook Pro, which is good to know considering Apple wants to charge you $180 to install and replace your old one.

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Originals: Path Finding Bot

My buddy Peter Wang made this path finding robot using a PIC16F876 chip. The interface is done with WinPic software uploaded via serial port. The robot detects obstacles in its path, moves towards them and then avoids them by going around them or by going in the opposite direction. It’s run by four AA batteries which power three motors and a 9V battery to power the chip. A motion sensor attached to a servo allows the sensor to scan both 90 degrees left and right. Bumpers made from switches allow the bot to detect collisions and thus avoid disastrous crashes. We’re using it to chase my dog around the house as I write this.

The reviveLITE Charges Apple Gadgets While Lighting The Way

I always find myself stubbing my toe when navigating through my room in the dark. It hurts like hell. If only I had this nightlight/charger for my iPhone. With the $40 dollar reviveLITE, I’d not only be rejuvenating my iPhone’s battery, but I’d also be saving my toenails from an otherwise gruesome deformity after colliding with an unforeseen object.

Developed by Scosche Industries, this charger is not just exclusive to the iPhone, it will also charge iPods as well. This is where I say goodbye to stubbed toes and hello to freshly charged Apple gadgets. It comes in both black and white. So, even if you were the only one who purchased the special edition U2 iPod, you still can have a nightlight/charger to match.

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The YETI Is No Myth

Few things in this world possess the security that an apelike creature from the Himalayan region provides. Yet, if you can’t find the abominable snowman you can always name your portable security device after it. The difference? This yeti is no myth and it just might save your hide when everything goes SNAFU.

Enter the YETI Portable Security System YT-100. This handy device is a fully self contained rechargeable battery with motion and bump sensors, 110 dB siren and high intensity flashing lights to scare off any actual yetis interested in mating with this thing. The most notable feature is its Bluetooth capability. With the YETI, you can set it up so that if the alarm trips your Bluetooth equipped cell phone will ring, notifying you of the intrusion even if you’re miles away. For $250, your security is assured. I wish I could say the same thing about the abominable snowman.

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New MSI Wind Netbooks Are All About The Juice

Word of MSI’s latest line of Wind netbooks has surfaced. Attempting to beat out its netbook competitors in battery life, MSI has unveiled the Wind U110, U115 and U120. The U110 and U115 stress battery longevity,  with a 6-cell battery that comes standard, an upgraded Intel Atom processor that uses 20% less power and a hybrid storage device that also uses less power, these latest netbooks hope to come close to a seven hour battery life.

As for the U120, it holds the same features as the original U100 except with 3G added in to the equation. Internet anytime, anywhere? So much for the competition.

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Hacked: Sony PSP 3000

Sony has gone on the record saying that the piracy is affecting PSP game sales. That’s a givein; if it’s free, take it. This time around, a peripheral manufacturer called Datel has cracked the PSP 3000 by forcing it into service mode. Datel did some silicon hacking on a chip level to find out how it could force the PSP to run arbitrary code. You’ll be able to buy a battery called LITE BLUE TOOL battery that will enable service mode on PSP 2000 and 3000s, including yours. It’ll be a measly $30 when it hits North America later this month.

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Fuel Cell Stickers, No Outlet Required

Can you imagine charging your cellphone without plugging it into an outlet? No, I’m not talking about those plug and charge kits you can purchase for select phones, I’m talking about fuel cell stickers. Just slap ‘em on the back of your phone and considered it charged.

The Swedish-based company myFC is trying to expedite the act of charging cellphones by creating this alternative eco-friendly method. It’s a flexible .11 inch thick, .2 ounce charger that provides .9 watts of power at .5 volts. While it might not be as nifty as a jacket that charges your gadgets, it’s certainly more convenient. Slap one on your face and see what happens.

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MSI Wind Hits Best Buy

The holiday season is upon us and pretty soon, Black Friday is going to roll around. Why not convince your loved one to go wait overnight in a line for a deal on an MSI Wind? The ultra-hackable netbook is now on sale at Best Buy for just $350 and the specs are updated quite nicely. You’ll score a whopping 120GB hard drive and a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, as well as WiFi and a built-in 1.3-megapixel camera. 1GB of RAM tops it off. The 3-cell battery kind of sucks, but you can easily buy a bigger, longer battery for about $100.

It’s awesome that you can walk into a Best Buy and purchase a netbook, finally. Too bad it’s Best Buy.

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