Best Portable Chargers for your Smartphones

It is frustrating to run out of battery when you are on a business trip or on a trek camp. Now-a-days smartphone are comes with high-end hardware and highly developed operating system which needs extra power for longer run, but the problem lies due to the fact that battery technology never evolved with the phase of gadgets technology and therefore these high-end devices always runs out of juice often.

Portable charger is a must have accessory if you are a heavy gadget users. These chargers provides a convenient way to power up your portable devices like smartphones, tablet, Bluetooth headset, MP3 Player and lots more. Have a look at these five best power chargers which are worth a buy.

1. Sony CP-A2L

The Sony CP-A2L charger comes with a smooth edges design and can charge many gadgets let it be smartphone, iPad, iPod, walkman or Sony’s portable gaming console. The charger comes with a larger 4000mAh capacity Lithium-ion battery, which is capable of charging a smartphone twice a day. The charger is equipped with USB ports for charging two different devices simultaneously. This portable charger is available for 1990.

2. Nokia DC-11

The Nokia DC-11 portable charger is especially made for Nokia handsets which have Nokia’s standard 2 mm charging port. The charger has two charging ports, micro USB port along with 2 mm charging port.

The charger comes with Lithium-Ion 1500 mAh battery and can charge two devices at a time. It also has LED indicator for charging status and using micro USB charging port you can even charge other micro USB compatible gadgets. The charger is just 11 mm thick allowing you to carry in your pocket anytime. It has a price tag of 2400.

3. iBall Portable Power Charger

The iBall Portable Power Charger is a multi-purpose charger which comes with 8 different charging ports like micro USB, mini USB, Nokia 2 mm, MP3 Player, iPhone, iPod, Ericsson port and Samsung charging ports.

The device features huge 5000 mAh battery capacity, built in Auto power saving, retractable USB cable and has an easy to carry portable design. This multi-purpose charger is affordable too costing only 2499.

4. Cooler Master Choiix

The Cooler Master (CM) Choiix has a stylish and portable design. It is compatible with wide range of smartphones and tablets. The charger has a bigger 5600 mAh Lithium-Ion battery which helps you to charge your gadget two or three times a day.

The charger has four LED indicators which show the remaining battery life and has some cool features like charge protection, over discharge, protection and over current protection. This fully loaded portable charger costs 3680.

5. Genius Universal Power Pack ECO-U600

The Genius Universal Power Pack ECO-U600 offers two USB ports for charging two different devices simultaneously. The charger is compatible with a wide range of smartphone and tablets. The charger comes with a heavy 6800 mAh Lithium-ion battery and is compatible with Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, BlackBerry, Apple and HTC smartphones and tablets as well. It is a bit pricy

costing 4750.

Recharge your Phone With a Spoon of Water

“PowerTrekk” a new recharge system developed by Signa Chemistry along with Stockholm‘s myFC produces electricity with a spoon of water which can be used to recharge your phone, GPS devices, iPod/mp3 or camera when you are far away from power outlets. This system doesn’t use sunlight; you just need a tablespoon of water to make it working. Unlike solar chargers PowerTrekk is light weight and generates power more quickly and reliably. More over it doesn’t need clear water, so you can use any type of water whether it is from a stream or a pool, hard water or soft water it really doesn’t matter.

PowerTrekk acts both as a portable battery pack and a fuel cell which makes it a 2-in-1 solution. This 2-in-1 portable charger is the first one to use Mobile-H₂ technology (Mobile-H₂ cartridge called a PowerPukk) in addition to a Li-ion battery pack. These PowerPukk fuel packs are offered in three forms; 5-pack Tube, 10-pack Tube and 24 ct Tray.

When the PowerPukk is placed inside the PowerTrekk and a tablespoon of water is added to the core part of PowerPukk, then the device’s Proton Exchange Membrane starts to convert the hydrogen into electricity. It can generate an output of 5V, 1000 mA and can store the power in its Li-ion battery if not used right away.

Björn Westerholm, CEO of myFC says “PowerTrekk is one renewable solution where millions of phone users lack easy access to a reliable supply of electricity for charging, especially outdoors and with the PowerTrekk if the internal battery/buffer is full it will charge more than 2 smartphones or 15 iPods.”

The company Signa has major plans based on this system and is determined to see this system working in electric bikes and cars. The company also sees an opportunity in rural parts of the world where there is lack of power supply now and this system can be used as an alternative source. Future of this system seems quite bright as the whole world is trying to find alternatives for power sources along with go green motto.

PowerTrekk comes in three colors;green, red and yellow and is expected to reach the stores by May having a price range of $200 to $250 and the replacement tins (PowerPukk) will cost $4. We expect to see PowerTrekk soon in Indian and hopefully at an affordable price as it will be a boon to Indian villages, but for now the there is no information about its availability or cost in Indian market.

Related articles

• PowerTrekk Offers Unlimited Water-Based Gadget Power – Mashable (mashable.com)
• CES 2012: Using water (or beer) to recharge your mobile devices (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Harness the power of water while on the go with SiGNa Chemistry’s PowerTrekk (digitaltrends.com)
• Now you can recharge your cell phone with pee (chron.com)

Technologies That were Banned

Every country is thriving to get higher pace of technology, each one of them desires to be the leader of innovation. But it is very much possible that some technologies may become threat to government itself and pose serious concern to its internal, external security, these calls for scrutiny over these modern technologies.

 Keeping some of the ongoing threats in mind, several countries have taken a bolder step to ban some of the technologies. Here are few of the countries and the technologies.

  Israel bans iPad

In April 2010, the anger of tech lovers went on its peak in Israel, as the much talked about iPad became inaccessible for them. The Communications Ministry announced that it was imposing a blanket ban on the import of Apple’s new tablet computer, the iPad, citing incompatibility with the European Wi-Fi standard, which is used in Israel. For this reason, several such computers have been confiscated by customs officials at Ben-Gurion Airport. The public went furious as the ban was only revealed when several of the devices were confiscated by customs officials.

 Pakistan Bans Facebook

In the year 2010, following a court’s order Pakistan officially blocked Facebook for offensive content.

A country with over 2.3 million Facebook users is temporarily restricted from its use due to a Facebook group called “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day.” Cartoon sketches of Prophet Muhammad were considered as an act of blasphemy by Muslims and this Facebook page incurred huge criticism from several Muslims.

Facebook has a history of allowing controversial groups to develop a presence on their site. From death of Obama to Holocaust denial groups, Facebook consist of groups that is considered offensive by most.

UAE and Saudi Arabia banned Blackberry

On August 2010, two Gulf States, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia announced bans on some functions of the mobile phone amid national security concerns. Users of the BlackBerry in the UAE were barred from accessing email, web browsing and instant messaging from October 2010.

 The concern of both the countries came as they were unable to keep tabs on instant messaging and this affected almost half a million users.

Germany bans Galaxy Tab 10.1

Upholding Apple’s injunction request in the legal battle between the tech giants Apple and Samsung, German court banned the sales of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1.
Judge Johanna Brueckner-Hoffman ruled to pull the 10.1-inch tablet from German shelves, saying the device’s “smooth, simple area” copies Apple’s iPad design.

 Greece barred Google street view

In 2009, Greece restricted the Google’s drivers running in the country to mount their camera for Google street view,highlighting a growing fear among Greeks of the threat posed by new technologies. Athens’s data protection agency barred the search engine saying Google has to provide “additional information” and concrete guarantees that the service was not an invasion of personal privacy before expanding the programme to Greece.

U.S. ban iPod

iPod player are a huge companion for marathon runners, but the U.S. Track and Field competitions banned the use of iPods and headphones to avoid competitive advantage to runners. The organizers defended its ban saying that runners must focus on the marathon and not on the music.

Cuba baned cell phones

Cuba’s government had limited access to mobile phones and other products and services deemed to be luxuries in an attempt to preserve the relative economic equality that is a hallmark of life on the Communist led island.
Cubans and foreigners holding key government posts had been allowed to have cell phones since the technology first appeared in Cuba in 1991.
A major government restriction was changed since the 76-year-old Castro took over as leader of the island nation from his older brother Fidel Castro as he lifted the age old ban on April 2008.

India bans Chinese phones and gadgets

Chinese products have been doing a great business in the Indian Market as it comes in low coast but with all kinds of features. India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has issued a directive that calls for the banning of the import of mobile phones made by Chinese manufacturers. The move comes after the Indian Home Ministry expressed concerns regarding the proliferation of Chinese handsets in India. They were worried about the spyware and malware threat that these handsets posed. The ministry was also worried that these phones will offer intelligence agencies from China, access to telecom networks in India.

 Australia bans laser pointers

Australia banned laser point’s way back in 2008. The state has officially banned high-powered laser pointers specifically classifying them as ‘prohibited weapons.’ Anyone found carrying such a laser pointer in public without the Australian equivalent of a Firearms Certificate will be guilty of an offence punishable by up to fourteen years imprisonment.

UK bans Plasma TV

UK has banned energy-guzzling flatscreen plasma televisions as part of the battle against climate change.

Related articles

• Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 banned from sale in Germany (news.cnet.com)
• Apple wins: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 banned in Germany (somobile.co.uk)
• Samsung fires back at Apple in Australia, report says (news.cnet.com)
• German court bans Galaxy Tab 10.1: looks too much like iPad (arstechnica.com)
• Samsung-Apple patent lawsuit tally hits 21, and counting (go.theregister.com)
• Germany: You’re Banned Forever Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (techland.time.com)
• Samsung loses appeal against Galaxy Tab ban (telegraph.co.uk)
• Apple gets permanent injunction on Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Germany (digitaltrends.com)
• Pakistan seeks to block Facebook again over “Draw Mohammad Day” group (thenextweb.com)
• Egypt Bans Picking & Export of Palm Leaves Needed to Celebrate Jewish Holiday of Sukkot (americandefenseleague.wordpress.com)

What Steve Jobs Got Wrong?

Steve Jobs personality reflects Apple in itself; he is the key person behind the persona created by Apple and its innovations. He created a whole new era with the introduction of iPhones and iPad, which are a rave in the society today. He is even responsible to give entertainment a whole new platform with Apple’s iPod, but the question is, did he always get it right from the beginning of his career. The answer is no, he had gone through his share of downfall and flops before arriving to the level of success that we all witness now.

His success has been cherished by the whole world with a loud applause and it is known to all. However his failures got wrapped up under his success stories, let’s go through the products that taught Steve tough lessons of business and failed to achieve its targeted hype.

1. Apple III

In the year 1981, Apple released its next version to Apple II and named it as Apple III with an intention to revive the success of Apple II, however things did not seem to turn out as expected. Apple III ran twice as fast as the Apple II and has twice as much memory – 128k of RAM. It is also the first Apple computer to have a built-in floppy drive, a Shugart 143k 5.25-inch floppy drive. The Apple III has 4 internal expansion slots that are compatible with Apple II cards, and also has Apple II Plus emulation built-in. The whole process was build under the supervision of Steve Jobs. It was available at an introductory price of $7,800.

2. Lisa

In the year 1983 Steve designed Apple Lisa, first commercial computer with a GUI, or Graphical User Interface, however it could not impact the market as predicted. Due to its high price and little availability of software applications this product failed to click.

3. Next Computers

Next computers were Steve’s nurtured child which took off in the year 1989. After his showdown with then Apple CEO and his resignation “Next Computers” was founded in the year 1985. NeXT introduced the first NeXT Computer in 1988, the sales of the NeXT computers was relatively limited, with estimates of about 50,000 units shipped in total. However ultimately Apple purchased NeXT on December 20, 1996 for $429 million and 1.5 million shares of Apple stock which marked Steve’s re entry to the company.

 

4. Puck mouse

Apple’s puck mouse was released in the year 1998 with high hopes, but it lined up as another failure into Steve’s kitty. This was one big project for Steve after his much hype return to Apple. Although initially Puck mouse got overwhelmed response it lost its charm in a very short span of time and could not yield it big in the giant tech world.

 

5. The cube

The cube was offered at a price of introductory price of $1799 in year 2000. The Power Mac G4 Cube was a small form factor Macintosh personal computer from Apple by using the innovation from Next computers but its high price resisted its technology to boom. The diminutive 8″ x 8″ x 8″ cube, suspended in a 10″ tall Acrylic (PMMA) enclosure, housed a PowerPC G4 processor running at 450 or 500 megahertz, and had an unconventional vertical slot-loading DVD-ROM or CD-RW drive.

 

6. iTunes Phone

iTunes phone emerged in the market in the year 2005. It had the capacity to hold only 100 songs, above that the transferring process was also heavily time consuming; downloading was a big fuss in the device.

 

7. Apple TV

In the year 2007, Apple set its footprints and it was the result of Steve hunger for new innovation and creativity. It was a small box that connected to a TV and to a Mac in the home. A tiny remote allowed the owner to play music and movies from the PC on the TV. The set up and use was hugely complicated. Movies purchased from iTunes were low resolution and looked fuzzy on HDTV sets.

 

Related articles

• 7 products Steve Jobs got wrong (msnbc.msn.com)
• Insanely Great (openitstrategies.com)
• Tim Cook, Steve Jobs’ Alter-Ego? (pisupat.com)

The Journey of Apple’s Showman

There was a time when hearing the word Apple brought into picture the fruit, but today when we hear Apple, the smartphone and Steve Jobs comes into picture. Such is the power of Apple of Steve Jobs, which has transformed its meaning.

Jobs once said, “If there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know.” Stepping down from his post as the CEO of Apple, he has created a big vacuum for the company and the entire technology industry too. Let us glance through the journey of Jobs – taking Apple from a garage startup to a billion dollar business.

An American business mogul, Steven Paul “Steve” Jobs was born on February 24, 1955, and was adopted by Paul and Clara. He is the co-founder, chairman on the board and the former CEO of Apple. He always had distinguished ideas much ahead of the time, which the world did not readily accept. Jobs always said “Have patience and wait until the world changes its mind and accepts your idea.”

After graduating from high school, Jobs enrolled in Reed College in Portland. However, he dropped out after attending only one semester. But, he still continued auditing classes at Reed. Jobs used to sleep on the floor of his friend’s rooms, return Coke bottles for food money and grab weekly free meals at the Hare Krishna temple. Jobs later stated that if he had never dropped the single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts.

Back home in 1974, Jobs started attending meetings of the Homebrew Computer Club with his friend Wozniak and later took a technician’s job at Atari who manufactured video games,just to save money for a spiritual retreat to India. He returned from India as a Buddhist along with Daniel Kottke, with his head shaved and wearing traditional Indian clothing. Later, he resumed his job at Atari.

Apple came to life in 1976 when Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne co-founded the company in a garage. With expansion of Apple, the company looked in for an experienced executive thus appointing Mike Scott as the CEO. Jobs introduced the Macintosh in 1984 in Apple’s annual shareholders meeting, which became the first commercially successful small computer with a graphical user interface. The development of Mac was eventually taken over by Jobs from Jef Raskin.

Jobs founded NeXT Computer around 1985. He marketed the products to the scientific and academic fields due to the innovative, experimental new technologies it incorporated. NeXT Mail was one of the first to support universally visible, clickable embedded graphics and audio within e-mail. With the announcement of Apple to buy NeXT for $429 million in 1996, Jobs was back into the company. After taking charge as the CEO of Apple in 1997, Jobs took several intricate decisions like termination of a number of projects. He also changed the licensing program for Macintosh clones, making it too costly for the manufacturers to continue making machines. Under his guidance, the sales of Apple increased significantly with the introduction of iMac. Jobs brought into picture appealing designs and powerful branding which played an important role in the success of Apple.

In recent years, the company sprouted in to various digital appliances. Jobs brought in innovative products in the market with the introduction of iPod, iTunes Stores, iPhone and finally iPad. The world finally started accepting his concept and thoughts and realized that just a machine doing the job is not enough; you require a machine that matches your style statement along with high-performance thus providing you every possible technology in your hand.

But, with Steve Jobs resigning from his post and Tim Cook taking over, the question stands that what’s next in and for Apple and what’s next for the world of technology. Time will only answer the question. Michael Gartenberg, Research Director at Gartner, an information technology research and advisory company, says, “While this marks the end of an era for Apple, it’s important to remember the there’s more to Apple than any one person, even Steve Jobs. Continuing as chairman Mr. Jobs will continue to leave his mark on both the company and products even as he transfers the reigns to Mr. Cook.”

 Whatever may be the case, the world is going to miss the charismatic man, who with his great vision, technology expertise and vivid talents mesmerized the world. Let us wait and watch the further journey of Apple.

 

Asia’s first orthopedic surgery with IPod touch performed

The first commercial orthopedic (knee replacement) surgery in Asia with the aid of iPod Touch was performed by Arun Mullaji of Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai. The surgery was performed in collaboration with the orthopedic implant company Smith & Nephew.

Gulab Singvi, 75, of Prabhadevi, Mumbai underwent a knee replacement surgery with this pioneering technique. The patient could walk the same day the surgery was conducted.
The Dash Technology was developed by Smith & Nephew to assist surgeons to perform transplants easily, with more accuracy, and quickly. The DASH Smart Instrument System establishes a wireless connection between iPod touch and camera that emits infrared beam. The iPod Touch is, in turn, connected to small instruments that are positioned by the surgeon by reading the data in the iPod’s high resolution screen for precisely cutting the bone and placing a new joint. All the instructions are loaded on the iPod itself for the surgeons to understand.

“Proper alignment, balance and exact placements of the components are important in replacement surgeries”, said Mullaji, leading surgeon, Breach Candy Hospital and Lilavathi Hospital.

The next 25-30 years could see a 600 percent increase in the number of revision surgeries due to malalignment and instability, Mullaji revealed. Dash Technology promises to heighten the success rate of the primary surgery, leaving no space for revision surgeries, he added.

Meanwhile, Smith and Nephew with Mullaji as a partner, plans to expand its technology to reach out to more patients, by making it more easily available to leading surgeons across the world.

Frandsen, director, Global Surgical Navigation of Smith & Nephew said Smith & Nephew initially hopes to allow hospital to use this device for proving real time usability.

The DASH technology is approved by CE, the European medical authorizing body. The technology will soon be available in 35 hospitals from around the world. 10 hospitals in U.K., 10 in U.S., and five in India will be equipped with its set up this year itself.