GE/Sanyo Debuts 5-Unit Battery Charger Line

Las Vegas— In an ongoing effort to teach retailers and consumers more about rechargeable batteries, GE/Sanyo dedicated its convention floor booth here at CES earlier in this month to the theme "Do You Know."

It asked booth visitors: "How many more flashes a nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) battery delivers vs. an alkaline battery in today's digital cameras?" The answer, said GE/Sanyo is 334 shots from its 2300mAh NiMH battery, compared with 17 shots from a 1700mAh alkaline cell.

In support of its promoting rechargeables here, GE/Sanyo has introduced a 5-SKU line of NiMH and nickel cadmium (NiCD) chargers compatible with all digital and electronic devices.

The newest product is a 30-Minute Charger that powers one to four NiMH cells in a half-hour or less. A charge time switch allows for 30 minute or 15 minute charge modes, with a 50 percent charge in 15 minutes and full charge in 30. A 3-color LED light indicates charge modes.

The charger, which has a $39.99 suggested retail, charges two or four AA or AAA 2300mAh cells, GE/Sanyo's highest capacity battery.

A basic Overnight Charger powers two or four AA or AAA NiMH or NiCd batteries, and offers a universal AC plug for worldwide travel use. Suggested retail for the compact unit is $9.99.

A digital Compact Charger from the San Diego-based GE/Sanyo is an ultra compact and lightweight unit designed for the digital camera bag or hand-held video game case. The charger powers two AA or AAA NiMH cells and offers a foldaway universal AC plug for worldwide use. Suggested retail is $19.99 and availability is the first quarter.

The GE/Sanyo 1-Hour Charger powers batteries in 60 minutes and offers a 3-color LED battery capacity indicator that shows the remaining capacity left in the battery. It offers a slim contour design with foldaway plug, and can charge one to four AA or one to two AAA NiMH or NiCd cells. It also can fully charge the new 2300mAh NiMH AA batteries. Suggested retail is $29.99 to $34.99.

The company's 3 in 1 Charger is a multi-functional plug-in charger designed to be a quick source of portable power. As a charger, batteries can be left in the unit, so these are ready when needed. When plugged in, the charger functions as a power-failure light in the event of a blackout. When not charging, the unit functions as a highly efficient LED flashlight. Suggested retail is $19.99 to $24.99, and the product will be available in the first quarter.

New in hands-free headsets from GE/Sanyo is a an ear clip model with a comfortable hinge clip. This ear bud, with an ear lobe clip design, fits eight major phone brands, including Audiovox, Kyocera, Motorola, Nextel, Panasonic, Samsung, Sanyo and GE/Touchpoint phones, which are all listed on the new packaging. Suggested retail is $9.99 to $12.99.

The company also has expanded its line of car chargers, with a Retractable Charger that offers a retractable cord and charges popular cellphone batteries for a suggested $15.99 retail. Another cellphone battery charger offers a pivoting head for auto charging in tight spaces. It includes a three-stage optional battery charging indicator, which notes "dead, 50 percent and full." It has a fixed cord and $15.99 suggested retail.