duracell
Latest
Wireless charging's smaller players unite as the AirFuel Alliance
The wireless charging world can usually be reduced to two factions: the Qi standard... and then everyone else. However, those frequently neglected alternatives are now rallying around a common banner. Meet the AirFuel Alliance, the new name for the recent union between the Alliance for Wireless Power and the Power Matters Alliance. The name is a bit silly (fuel isn't exactly electric, folks), but it'll give Intel, Samsung and the 193 other member companies a clearer way to represent their "inclusive" approach to wire-free power.
Engadget Daily: Holiday Gift Guide, Amazon's Hachette deal and more!
It'll soon be time to wrap those presents, so to help with with the burden of holiday shopping, our latest Gift Guide offers ideas for the tech-savvy folks you're buying for. Read on for the rest of our news highlights from the last 24 hours, including the Microsoft Band review, another day in the Taylor Swift/Spotify saga, Amazon's truce with Hachette and more.
Warren Buffett's company is buying Duracell for $6.4 billion
Last month, Procter & Gamble decided that it wanted out of the battery game, and was selling Duracell to the highest bidder. Today, a surprising figure has emerged as the buyer: America's richest man, Warren Buffett. According to the release, Berkshire Hathaway (Buffett's company) will spend around $1.7 billion in cash and will swap stock worth around $4.7 billion in order to own the power outfit. After all, as devices with built-in, rechargeable batteries rise in prominence, the need to buy expensive AAAs from the store is decreasing. Still, Buffett's got a track record of making savvy investments - so perhaps this is time for a corporate reinvention that P&G couldn't, or didn't want to, implement.
Procter & Gamble plans to spin-off Duracell
Consumer product megacorp Proctor & Gamble has just announced that it'll spin-off Duracell into its own separate company. The announcement comes as part of a move to pare down brands and focus on the 70 to 80 most profitable. Though P&G said that the Duracell has "attractive operating profit margins... and cash generation," it saw its growth prospects as limited. While Duracell will most likely be spun off as a new company, it could be divested or sold off, depending on which option brings the largest return. Anyway, you know your company might be too big when the world's most famous battery brand just ain't cutting it. [Image credit: Getty Images]
Duracell Powermat adding mesh network, scaleable power to its wireless charging plates
Duracell Powermat is announcing a pair of new features to encourage sales of its wireless charging gear. The first is "Mesh Network," a set of controls that let multiple hotspots be centrally monitored -- so if you're stealing all the juice in the Wall St. Starbucks, central office can cut you off. On the upside, those same network features will enable you to find another charging hotspot on your smartphone, including Madison Square Garden and Jay-Z's 40/40 club. The second feature is that the latest mats will be able to vary the power on offer between 5 and 50 watts, making them capable of recharging smartphones, tablets and (potentially) Ultrabooks. Now all we have to do is work out how to power all of our electronics without arousing the suspicions of Jay-Z -- we'd hate to add a 100th problem to his worry list.
Duracell Powermat announces 24-Hour Power System, we go hands-on (video)
Since Duracell and Powermat formed their wireless charging alliance late last year, we've seen the Powermat debut at CES and heard quite a bit about the company's vision for future battery tech. Today the company is unveiling a new charging system which, while not drastically different from the Powermat we've seen before, bundles a few useful products together. In addition to a Powermat for charging the iPhone or iPhone 4, the 24-Hour Power System includes a phone case (necessary for juicing a phone on the Powermat) and a portable backup battery with both microUSB and Apple connectors. The whole package will set you back $100, and it's available online and in NYC stores starting today. Though the system currently only supports the iPhone, the company says it will add compatibility with "an array of other leading smartphones" by this fall. Check out our hands-on demo with Duracell Powermat CEO Ron Rabinowitz below. %Gallery-157374%
Duracell Powermat WiCC could bring wireless charging to any smartphone, we go hands-on (video)
Powermat may have a bright future, but the company's products to date have been expensive, slightly clunky and a generally imperfect solution for bringing wireless power to mobile devices. That could all change with WiCC. The Wireless Charging Card (WiCC) is an IEEE Power Matters Alliance (PMA) standard, with the potential to integrate Duracell Powermat technology within every mobile gadget. The incredibly thin device resembles those wafer-like SmartMedia cards once used in early digital cameras, with a similar form factor, but significantly more practicality. Each WiCC includes all the PowerMat circuitry found in the company's charging cases, while also doubling as an NFC antenna. The card's success is of course contingent on cooperation from device manufacturers, who will need to add a slim connector above the battery leads, including two for power, two for NFC and two for data -- an app will monitor charging. Powermat reps say that such a connector would cost pennies to implement, however, making it a potentially easy sell.Powermat President Daniel Schreiber sees this as a major breakthrough for the smartphone industry, saying "we're going to do for wireless power what the memory card did for storage in mobile phones." We had a chance to take a look at a mock-up of the wireless card at MWC, which was resting just above the battery in a Samsung Galaxy S II. Because the phone's battery is slightly recessed, both the card and battery fit below the device's original backplate -- the WiCC lies flush with the phone's camera lens. Overall, we think there's some serious potential here, assuming device manufacturers are game to come on board. Still, don't expect to see these hitting stores anytime this year -- the company expects its other products to come to market long before the Wireless Charging Card. So for now, jump past the break to take a closer look, but don't make any plans to toss that power adapter just yet.
The Engadget Interview: Duracell President Stassi Anastassov on future battery tech (video)
It's 2012, and we're connected to the web every second of every day. And then, near the end of each daily cycle, it all stops. "My battery is dead." Is it really your battery that's become depleted? Of course it's not, though it certainly feels as though it might as well be. Stassi Anastassov experiences that daily setback just like you and I and the rest of the world. But the Duracell President and long-time Procter and Gamble executive is in a position to find a way around it, and that's exactly what he plans to do. We sat down with Anastassov in our New York City office to chat about the past, present and future of battery tech, and we even had a chance to meet the Duracell Bunny (yes, that furry hare was property of the "Trusted Everywhere" company long before it made its move to Energizer). So how does P&G plan to transform the portable power industry, and what's that Duracell Powermat joint venture all about? You'll find the answers to those questions and more in our interview just past the break.
Duracell Powermat hands-on (video)
Back in September, as you may recall, Duracell struck a joint venture with Powermat, as part of an effort to "advance and globalize wireless charging." At CES this week, the two companies are putting the fruits of their partnership on full display, and we were lucky enough to get a sneak peek at their latest inductive innovation. The basic idea behind the initiative is to bring wireless charging platforms to a variety of environs, including desk drawers, toy boxes and even sports arenas. In fact, Duracell Powermat are already planning to install their circular grommets (pictured above) at various locations across Madison Square Garden, allowing concertgoers and Knick fans to inductively charge their smartphones directly on a bartop. This system, however, isn't limited to the smartphone realm -- something Duracell Powermat was quick to point out, with a prototype desk drawer and toy chest, both of which are capable of wirelessly charging a wide range of devices. The companies have also developed software capable of monitoring the progress of a device's battery charge, which they displayed, in prototype form, on a tablet at their booth. Unfortunately, there's no sign that we can expect to see this technology appear in actual products anytime soon, but we were told to "stay tuned." In the meantime, check out the gallery below for some more images, and be sure to head past the break for our hands-on video. Mat Smith contributed to this report.
Powermat and Duracell forming joint venture to 'globalize wireless charging'
Duracell has been in the wireless charging business for quite a while now with its myGrid devices, but it's about to make a fairly drastic change of course. Its parent company, Proctor & Gamble, announced today with Powermat that the two companies intend to form a new joint venture in an effort to "advance and globalize wireless charging." That new venture will be called Duracell Powermat, and it's expected to begin operation early next year. As a result of the new arrangement, P&G also intends to make an equity investment in Powermat, although there's no word yet on how the deal will affect everyone's favorite pun-based superhero, Power Matt. The official press release is after the break.
Duracell myGrid USB Charger gives your Kindle 100 extra hours of life for $35
While Energizer's moving forward with its newfound Qi partnership, its bunny-less arch rival seems content right where it's at. Duracell's WildCharge-based myGrid charging mat, which was actually introduced over a year ago, is finally gaining a second good reason to purchase one: the myGrid USB Charger. The nugget you see above is a rechargeable Li-ion battery with a USB output, and according to Duracell, there's enough juice in there to extend the life of most smartphones by four hours and the life of most e-readers (Kindle included) by up to 100 hours. It's available today at CVS, Walmart, Target and Amazon for $34.99, and that does indeed include both mini-USB and micro-USB adapters. The full release awaits your eyes after the break.
Microsoft announces InstaLoad battery technology: never insert a battery the wrong way again
Microsoft has certainly had some ups and downs with its products over the years, but we're pretty sure the company's new InstaLoad technology falls somewhere between a home run and the best thing it's ever done. It promises to do nothing short of redefine the way you insert batteries, and let you shove 'em into devices without any regard for positive or negative polarity. That's apparently possible thanks to a patented battery contact design, which Microsoft says "simply works," and is compatible with a whole range of battery sizes (both standard and rechargeable). What's more, Microsoft is now already licensing the technology to third party device suppliers, and is even offering a royalty-free license for suppliers and manufacturers of accessibility products. Still no word on when the first devices using the technology will be available, but Microsoft already counts Duracell and flashlight-manufacturer AE Light among its partners. Head on past the break for the complete press release.
Times Square New Year's Eve ball drop brought to you by... some furiously pedaling tourists
Hey, if you're in New York City and bored on New Year's Eve, well, maybe you feel like working? Duracell's set up its Smart Power Lab in the heart of Manhattan, along with several Power Rovers, which are stationery bikes that generate renewable energy when pedaled. You see where this is going, right? That energy is being stored up and harnessed by Duracell to power the ball we watch drop every year, which boasts about 9,500 LEDs. Fun times, if you're not averse to the freezing cold, the screaming crowds, the garbage, and the awful music. Or you could always do what we do, and stay home in your jammies watching Twin Peaks -- but it's really up to you. Either way, we're glad to see the ball is no longer powered by Dick Clark's rage. There's one more shot after the break.
Duracell announces myGrid wireless charger, WildCharge feels a little KIRFed
No, someone didn't just Photoshop the Duracell logo on a WildCharge pad -- this actually is the newest product from the ubiquitous battery maker. Available this October, myGrid kits (including charger and one power sleeve) will be available for Nokia, Motorola, and Blackberry handsets, as well as the many flavors of Apple's iPhone and iPod touch. No price yet, but you'll know as soon as we do. Update: Of course, this is probably the product of some sort of licensing deal -- but you'd think someone at WildCharge or Duracell would have mentioned it, right? [Via PhoneMag]
Duracell FM transmitter, extended battery combo for iPod Video
Already available for the iPod nano, Battery-Biz is rolling out their Duracell PowerFM line to the iPod Video, complete with FM transmitter, extended battery, and bonus protective silicon case. The extended battery more than doubles the iPod's run-time while powering the FM transmitter, with unlimited channel selection. It also replicates the iPod's dock connector, so you can still use all those other accessories without unplugging your 'Pod. No date yet (they're saying end of Q1, early Q2) but expect a retail price of $79.99.
