Power, Charging Accessories Bring Efficiency, Savings

By TWICE Staff On Jan 6 2011 - 6:01am

LAS VEGAS — Many attendees of International CES expect this to be the year of the tablet device, and it all started last year with Apple’s introduction of the iPad.

Nine months after its debut, accessories for the iPad and other tablets will be flooding the show floor. Here is a rundown of some of them:

Idapt will be unveiling two new chargers, Idapt Eco and Idapt Wireless, at CES

Idapt Eco has been designed to help reduce the user’s carbon footprint. All of the product’s components have been made with recycled materials and no chemical painting was used during the manufacturing process. The device is said to fit the Energy Star standard and features a system that turns off all electronic components when it is not being used. Like all Idapt products, the Idapt Eco features interchangeable tips that allow the consumer to use the charger for multiple electronic devices.

The company’s Idapt wireless charger can charge up to four different mobile devices — a wireless charge for one device, two devices can be charged using the company’s interchangeable tips, and an additional device can be charged via a USB charging port. An included LED light shows the charging status of the devices.

Pricing and shipping information for both the Idapt Eco and the Idapt Wireless will be available at the show.

Jasco’s GE four-port USB 2.0 charging hub lets users charge up to four devices at once. Features include a dedicated port that delivers a 2.1A charge with an AC adapter, as well as two different charging modes. Blue LED indicators notify users of remaining battery life. Suggested retail is $89.99.

New from Mizco International is the Jump Start Slim, a rechargeable 1,100 mAh smartphone auxiliary battery pack that weighs 2 ounces and retails for $29.95. It is said to provide three additional hours of 3G talk time, seven hours of video playback and 21 hours of audio.

Features include a brushed-metal top and highgloss black back, a three-step LED charge-status display, and a single button for on/off and battery status. It also comes with USB Micro, USB Mini, and DC barrel to USB A female connecting cables.

The Jump Start Flip rechargeable 3300mAh battery pack has an integrated flip stand with grip pad for holding smartphones or MP3 players at an angle for watching video.

Available for the suggested retail of $49.99, the Jump Start Flip is designed to provide consumers with 10 additional hours of 3G talktime, 21 additional hours of video playback and 62 hours of audio playback.

Avance Electronics is introducing the PowerBoost Ultra-Slim battery case, said to deliver up to twice the battery life for the iPhone 4. It has a rechargeable lithium- polymer 1,600 mAh battery that reportedly doubles the iPhone 4’s battery life. Up to an additional 300 hours of standby time, seven hours of 3G talktime, six hours of 3G Internet usage, 10 hours of video playback or 40 hours of audio are provided. It will be available in matte-black and gloss-white finishes this month at a suggested retail of $79.95.

Innex will provide hands-on demonstrations of its ElectroHub — said to be the first wireless induction charger capable of powering six devices at the same time.

Previously, the number of simultaneous charges was limited to the number of charging coils within the induction device. Innex said it spent months developing ElectroHub’s new “broad coil” technology, allowing multiple items to share a single coil, despite different batteries and voltage requirements.

The ElectroHub utilizes custom batteries that can “absorb” an electrical current from the charging surface. The batteries can be purchased separately or included in an ElectroHub bundle. Unique adapters also allow Apple users to recharge their products without the need to replace the interior battery.

The suggested retail is $39.99, and the ElectroHub will be available for live demonstrations at the Innex booth.

Premier Accessory Group will be showing its Clip N’ Charge line of rechargeable power solutions products during CES. The Clip N’ Charge is a line of rechargeable battery holsters and cases that offers protection, carrying solution and backup power for mobile and smartphone devices all in one, the company said. The holsters use a lithium-polymer battery technology that can be recharged and reused hundreds of times, to provide backup battery power on the go for a variety of mobile, smart phones and MP3/iPod players.

ThinkEco is offering its modlet “smart outlet” to consumers fro the first time. The patent-pending modlet monitors appliance-level power use, then automatically disconnects power based on users’ personal schedule of use to save energy, money and CO2 when specific appliances are not needed. Energy consumption is controlled by the modlet’s web-based interface that allows users to see detailed data about their energy consumption, including how much energy individual equipment is consuming. Consumers can also compare their power usage against others in the modlet community. The modlet will retail for $40 when it becomes available later this quarter..

Take Charge, a new start-up based in Davenport, Iowa, is introducing eco-friendly PowerSavers with one-touch timed charging technology that eliminates standby power to appliances and electronics, saving energy, money and battery life, the company said.

The Take Charge PowerSavers are available in three models. The UTC4W offers three timer-controlled outlets in a wall tap unit with one always on outlet. The UTC4S has three timer-controlled outlets with one always on outlet in a strip form with a 2-foot cord. Each product has the three-hour timer and LED indicator lights with one-touch timer start buttons. The UTC8MS offers eight outlets with two alwayson outlets and one master outlet that controls five controlled outlets in a strip form. The control outlet automatically senses power consumption and will turn on/off-connected peripherals.

“If everyone in the United States used a Take Charge PowerSaver, energy savings would translate to a total of over $6 billion dollars annually,” said to Denny Miller, CEO of Take Charge.

Available in the United States in March, the UTC4W and UTC4S will be offered at the suggested retails of $19.95 and $24.95, respectively. The UTC8MS will retail for $29.95.

Watts Clever is showcasing its new Smart battery charger that recharges regular alkaline batteries up to 20 times.

This alkaline battery charger will recharge standard alkaline batteries up to 10 times with average quality batteries and many more times for higher-quality leading-brand batteries, the company said.

The unit can charge AA and AAA batteries, either one size at a time or mixed together.

A full set of safety features are built in, including overcharging protection, overheating protection and battery-type protection. Additionally, the LED lights on the product indicate clearly when charging is completed.

In addition the Smart battery charger can also charge Ni-CD, Ni-MH and RAM batteries safely.

And DreamGear is releasing power accessories, including the Portable Power Max — a 16,000 mAh battery capable of charging five USB powered devices simultaneously. Suggested retail is $129.