Scientists can make laptop batteries from ink and paper
Alexandra | 5:15 am | January 19, 2010 | Laptop News
Scientists from Stanford University used nanotechnology to create ultra-lightweight, flexible batteries and supercapacitors from ordinary paper. They just covered a sheet of paper with ink comprising carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires. And as a result they got a new storage device that can be used for production of innovative power supplies (laptop batteries, chargers for mobile phones, electric vehicles, etc.).
Capacitors can hold their charge for smaller period of time compared to batteries, but they can also be charged much faster. Professor Yi Cui (Stanford researcher) claims that used nanomaterials contain structures with a very small diameter, allowing ink to attach to fibrous paper. So it makes the paper batteries resistant to wear. Moreover, they can be recharged about 40,000 times (it’s incommensurably more than corresponding characteristics of lithium-ion batteries).
Yi Cui tried to create an analogous storage device form plastic earlier. But his new study shows that paper-based solution has greater prospects. This battery can be crumpled, placed into liquids (even acidic solutions!) without any damage to its performance.
Calculations show that paper with a kilogram of ink can power a 40-watt bulb for about an hour. It’s not an impressive result, but you should take into account that scientists are running their first experiments now. Be sure, after a couple of years your laptop battery will be much thinner and lighter in weight, allowing you to enjoy liаe without chargers and AC adapters for days, not hours.
Cool USB gizmos – little friends for your laptop
Alexandra | 6:10 pm | November 30, 2009 | USB Stuff
Tiny mouse
Those who like mobility and don’t want to carry extra load will certainly appreciate surprising compactness and ease of the Super Slim USB optical mouse. It measures just 45 x 64 x 14 mm, and its weight is 28 grams. The mouse easily fits in your hand, while having very high resolution (1800 dpi). It works on most of surfaces, providing precise positioning. You can choose one of two models – white or black one.
High-speed scanner
The Neatdesk Scanner developed by the Neat company allows to work with most of the documents. It has three loading trays for different paper formats. The smallest one is designed for business cards, the second tray accepts cheques, and the biggest one works with the A4 paper size.
You can download up to 10 cards and 10 cheques at the same time, just press the button, and then all the documents will be scanned one by one. If you have a pack of A4 documents, you can load up to 50 sheets and they will be scanned automatically thanks to the document feeder. The maximum resolution is 600 dpi. The data can be exported to Outlook and Excel.
Special Neatdesk software allows you to automate scanning process. Just put the scanner near your laptop and enjoy a new film while this useful gadget is doing its work.
Desktop Vacuum Cleaner
A USB-powered miniature vacuum cleaner was designed expressly for fans of funny USB-toys. Despite its tiny size, it can manage its task. Use it to clean up crumbs and dust from the surface of your desk and laptop keyboard. Surely, this little helper means more power consumption for your battery, but having a spotlessly clean desk may well be worth it. 
A warm touch of bamboo
You are certainly tired of plastic that surrounds you everywhere. Do you want something natural? So you should pay your attention to Micro Innovations’ USB wooden keyboard and mouse that were made of bamboo for those who like “real” things. Quite unconventional, yet full of character.
Pedal Charger – Use Laptop without Battery
Alexandra | 1:06 am | November 14, 2009 | Concept Laptops, Laptop News, USB Stuff
Sometimes technologies of the past help us to go in the future. Let’s take the first pedal powered machine for XO laptops as an example. Akmal Waak and Mike Dawson, technicians working for OLPC (the One Laptop Per Child Association, Inc.) in Afghanistan, have designed such a mechanism to charge XO laptops. Of course, it is made not just for fun or health improvement, this new prototype has noble mission, it allows to use OLPC gadgets in countryside and rural areas beyond the power grid.
Developers claim that their human power machine can be used without any difficulties even by children of 3rd and 4th graders. Users can run laptop and at the same time charge it, moreover it requires no additional batteries or special adapters.
Аbout 2,500 laptops were delivered in Kabul, Herat and Jalalabad schools. Now specialists of OLPC Afghanistan’s deployment analyze impact of these educational innovations and plan to create a new pedal charger of smaller size to provide more comfort and mobility.
Such mechanisms can be helpful not only in developing and least developed countries, but also in advanced economies. Why not? Among other kinds of energy given by sun’s rays or wind we can rely on simple pedal power. And some producers have already done it. So a company from China has put on the market its Рedal Powered LED Spotlight Combo Contraption, new charger for gadgets with a USB port.
