Gadgets: Energizer battery charger is 'smart'
In the 1960's family television series "The Addams Family," Uncle Fester used to put a light bulb in his mouth and it illuminated, demonstrating ability to generate power. These days this would come in very handy with the never-ending portable electronic gadgets we all carry.
A power solution for tech heads wanting reusable power is the new Energizer Smart Charger.
The charger not only charges rechargeable AA and AAA batteries, but it also has an LCD display showing the amount of time remaining until a full charge is achieved, along with a gauge showing how much of a charge the batteries have.
Another smart feature is a bad battery alert on the display, which lets users know that a battery can't be charged because its life cycle is used up. It also alerts if the battery is a disposable and can't be recharged.
The batteries are charged in slow and safe cycle, which translates into longer life and many more charging cycles for the batteries.
Energizer rates their NiMH batteries with the ability to be charged up to 250 times.
The Smart Charger is ENERGY STAR certified and uses microprocessor circuitry to monitor specific battery parameters while charging.
This includes things such as voltage, temperature and state of charge, which help determine when to terminate the charge.
Details: energizer.com, $19.99 for the kit, which includes four AA rechargeable batteries
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Protection is also a great thing for many of these gadgets. Most everything these days has an LCD screen and many are touch screens.
ScreenGuardz Privacy Film does a great job of protecting these high priced screens along with providing privacy protection from prying eyes.
Devices such as the iPhone, BlackBerry and the new iPad are often used for private applications such as banking or other financial applications.
With a privacy screen, the device is not only protected from dirt and scratches, but it also eliminates the potential for wandering eyes from either side of you seeing what is on the screen.
The directions, which are printed on the package, are as simple as the applying it: clean your screen and apply the protector.
All you do is peel off the backing from the protector and press down the film from side to side using the included squeegee card.
After I applied a sample to my BlackBerry, I found it to be as clear as the device was before it was applied. Even after using it now for several months, it's held up nice and hasn't peeled off.
Users can get the product for any device at www.screenguardz.com. If your gadget isn't listed, custom cuts are no extra cost.
Prices range from device to device, with the ScreenGuardz for the Apple iPhone costing $9.99 and the iPad version going for $19.95.
Details: screenguardz.com
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ICON has announced the Modus 1, a long-lasting LED flashlight.
The pocket-sized device (4-inches long) has an ergonomic design and powers on/off with the simple push of a button on the bottom.
It also features a dual-output LED flashlight, which includes an Internal Reflection (TIR) lens to shine the light at high lumen output of 50 or a low of 6. This translates to a runtime of 3 and 70 hours respectively.
It has two output lighting levels for precision lighting. With a modern, ergonomic design, Modus has a durable polymer body with a flexible open-architecture grip.
Also included are O-ring seals for a water resistant body, but remember: water resistant is not waterproof.
The ergonomic design includes a rugged and flexible polymer body, which makes for a comfortable grip. Pressing the power button several times will switch the output levels.
A single AA battery will power the Modus 1. The Modus 2 is also available and is powered by a pair of the AA's.
The Modus 2 is a few inches longer and has a dual output of 100/10 lumens for a run time of 3/72 hours.
Details: myiconlight.com, Modus 1 is $29.99 and Modus 2 is $36.99
(c) 2010, Gregg Ellman.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
