Here's something different: disposable batteries that could help reduce the mountains of e-waste that people create every day. Energizer has unveiled EcoAdvanced, the first high-performance alkaline battery to be made partly from recycled cells. About 4 percent of the new power pack comes from old batteries turned into an "active ingredient" (Energizer is keeping this hush-hush), giving you a long-lasting energy source without having to lean quite so much on fresh material.
If you want your smartphone to last longer without carrying flammable gas in your pocket, there may possibly, conceivably be new battery tech coming soon (maybe). Yep, we're skeptical after many a disappointing "breakthrough," but an MIT spinoff company called SolidEnergy claims it has developed a new type of lithium-ion battery that can store more energy and still survive hundreds of charging cycles. It resorted to a method that's been tried before: replacing the usual graphite electrodes with lithium metal. Previous attempts failed, however, because such electrodes react with the battery's electrolyte, forming "dendrites" that cause tiny problems like explosions.
It's been a few years since I actually needed to use a pair of gaming headphones. After a ton of research (not to mention some scrimping and saving), I have a proper 5.1-channel surround sound setup for all of my entertainment needs. But when my Onkyo A/V receiver had to go in for a warranty repair recently, my Klipsch Quintets and Synergy subwoofer went quiet. Not only did this offer my neighbors a reprieve from explosions at 3:30 AM, but it also gave me a chance to test out Klipsch's first foray into the crowded entry-level gaming headset market, the KG-200.
You've probably heard no end of hype for 4K video on TVs and computers, and now it's about to invade your phone... at least, so long as ARM has its way. The company just took the wraps off of Cortex-A72, a processor reference design that promises a huge boost to computing power, especially when graphics come into play. Thanks to updates that include optimizations for an efficient 16-nanometer chipmaking process, 30 percent more memory performance and an 80 percent speedier graphics core (the Mali-T880), the A72 is about 3.5 times more powerful than ARM's earlier Cortex-A15. That's beefy enough to record 4K video at an extra-smooth 120 frames per second -- many current smartphones only manage 30FPS at best. You should get "console-class" gaming, too, and there's a promise of Google Now-style natural voice commands that don't depend on a distant server to interpret what you're saying.
A bill that would've effectively ended the US government's current mass phone surveillance program was killed by the Senate back in November. But today, President Obama announced his own limits on the NSA's monitoring of foreigners. The agency will only be able to keep info it collects through electronic surveillance of non-citizens that doesn't pertain to national security for five years. Of course, the director of national security can grant an extension if circumstances warrant one. What's more, gag orders on the FBI's national security letters seeking information from companies will now expire after three years, but again, extensions are an option should the need arise.
So Club Nintendo is closing down in just a few months, and you've got a huge stockpile of Coins. What's a gamer to do? Well, Nintendo is helping members of its soon-to-be-dead loyalty program spend their accrued currency by adding 117 Wii U, 3DS and Wii titles to the rewards catalog. Pricing varies drastically between games, starting at 150 Coins for Super Mario Land and other 3DS virtual console titles and ranging all the way up to 850 Coins for Wii Party U. There are some seriously great games to be had in the promotion, which runs through June 30th. You can browse all the titles on offer over at Club Nintendo.
Pebble was one of the first smartwatch makers to find success (it chalked up its millionth sale late last year), but there's no question that it's facing a lot of pressure. Between Android Wear and the impending Apple Watch, it's not clear that inexpensive e-paper watches have a healthy future. However, the fledgling wearable firm thinks it has a couple of aces up its sleeve. The company's Eric Migicovsky tells The Verge that 2015 Pebble watches will use a new interface "framework" (designed by the former webOS TV team) that gets away from the more app-centric models you see from Apple and Google. Apps will still play an important role -- they just won't be the centerpiece.
Is Chinese giant Alibaba investing $10 million into California-based game console maker OUYA? That report remains unconfirmed, but OUYA did confirm this morning that Alibaba is getting the OUYA game library on its YunOS platform. Sorry, the what platform? It's essentially a version of Android that was created by Alibaba, intended to compete with Android in China. So does that mean OUYA is heading to smartphones in China? Not quite.
If you own a new car, there's a good chance that it features some form of keyless security. Whether it helps unlock your car or lets you start it with the push of a button, it makes driving all that bit easier. That's unless it's the reason your car gets stolen. Police forces all over the UK are reporting a rise in keyless car thefts, but a new report released by the Metropolitan Police today suggests that it now accounts for over a quarter of all vehicle thefts across London.
The UK's House of Commons overwhelmingly voted in favor of a law that would allow scientists to genetically engineer babies from the DNA of three people. Before your mind wanders to some of the more... salacious possibilities, the technique -- a spin on traditional in vitro fertilization -- is meant to help women with mitochondrial disease have families without fear of passing the illness down.
We've been fond of the UE Boom since its arrival in 2013 and I've personally logged dozens of hours biking to its respectable 360-degree audio output. There is, however, only so much sound you can p...
Wish your Android device's lock screen was a bit more scenic? Microsoft's Garage team has you covered with Picturesque, then. It pulls the daily image from Bing's homepage and throws it to your phon...
