Posts Tagged ‘Battery’
First impressions – on board the Porsche Cayenne Hybrid
February 13th, 2010 | 
Author: With performance – both off the line and through the gears – on par with the 400bhp naturally-aspirated 4.8-litre V8 Cayenne S, the new four wheel drive displays exceptional levels of mechanical refinement without any indication of the complex processes taken by its advanced driveline, which was developed in a joint venture between Porsche’s own Weissach based engineers and their counterparts at Volkswagen’s engineering centre in Braunschweig, Germany.
Porsche Cayenne Hybrid – full details
Step off is typical strong, with the electric motor and its 184lb ft of torque providing primary propulsion from standstill up to speeds of 50km/h or until the energy level of the battery runs low.
The only indication of the introduction of the petrol engine – the same unit used by Audi in the S4 – to the drive process from the passenger seat is when the needle on the rev counter – now placed in the centre of the instrument binnacle as with Porsche’s more sporting models – springs to life.
At loads under 2500rpm, the supercharged 3.0-litre V6 is so well isolated from the cabin its operation is barely audible. Under greater throttle load there is a low level growl as acceleration builds but it is never over bearing.
Out on the motorway the over riding impression is of wind noise around the large exterior mirrors. The decoupling of the clutch at speed occurs seamlessly when the driver backs off from the throttle, allowing the Cayenne S Hybrid to coast at zero revs in a state not dissimilar to a bicycle when it is freewheeling with the engine fully disengaged.
Further to the mechanical aspects of the new Porsche, there has been a wholesale improvement in interior ambiance. The new dashboard, similar in style to that gracing the Panamera, is of a much higher quality than that of the first generation Cayenne.
The question that now remains is: how much will Porsche charge for it?
Kenya: One hour with a bicycle can recharge a mobile phone
Jeremiah Murimi, 24, and Pascal Katana, 22, said they wanted their dynamo-powered “smart charger” to help people without electricity in rural areas.
“We both come from villages and we know the problems,” Mr Murimi told the BBC.
People have to travel great distances to shops where they are charged $2 a time to power their phone, usually from a car battery or solar panel.
“The device is so small you can put it in your pocket with your phone while you are on your bike,” said Mr Murimi.
Posted in Communications | 
Tags: Battery, bbc, blog, blogs, car, Electric, electricity, Mobile, mobile phone, mobile phones, rim | 
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UK: CIOs consider there is no place for iPhone in enterprises
In the latest silicon.com CIO Jury, IT chiefs were asked whether they’re planning to offer Apple’s touchscreen device as part of their range of corporate mobile phones – and the vast majority of IT chiefs said they are not.
Tech chiefs dismissed the iPhone option for a variety of reasons ranging from the fact it’s only available from a single mobile provider, to poor battery life and even a fear of appearing profligate.
Only two of the 12 IT chiefs were willing to give it a vote of corporate confidence.
The iPhone battery life simply doesn’t compare to that of a BlackBerry and speed of use as a mobile email tool still doesn’t compare.
– Gavin Megnauth, director of operations & group IT, Morgan Hunt
However, the remaining 10 members of the CIO Jury are not heading to Cupertino – at least, not yet.
Gavin Megnauth, director of operations & group IT for recruiter Morgan Hunt, said although the iPhone has its attractions there are still big drawbacks to the device.
“While there is clearly some momentum to accept iPhones as a corporate tool we won’t be adopting at this juncture. The iPhone battery life simply doesn’t compare to that of a BlackBerry and speed of use as a mobile email tool still doesn’t compare,” he said.
“Our research suggests that companies adopting the iPhone are the sort of companies where the PDA is an executive status symbol rather than a workhorse to genuinely aid the productivity of staff,” he added.
There are also too many potential iPhone ‘cons’ for David Suthers, CIO of Masterlease: “High cost of ownership, lock-in to O2 and potential abuse of company resources via iTunes would be my main reasons [against it],” he said.
For Rob Neil, head of ICT and customer services at Ashford Borough Council, the main reason to avoid the iPhone is the fact it’s not available from the Council’s corporate mobile telephony provider.
However, he added that there could also be issues around the perception of the device: “Whilst it is undoubtedly a fine email and mobile internet client, with useful GPS apps, I can just see the headlines saying ‘council gives free iPod to staff’.”
Meanwhile Dr Ben Booth, global chief technology officer for Ipsos, believes security is still a bugbear. “The new model boasts lots more consumer-oriented features but (as far as I can see from the press releases) the basic security weaknesses have not been addressed,” he said.
But the iPhone’s charms are clearly hard at work elsewhere. While it’s “not yet” on the menu at ITN, Ian Auger, head of IT & communications, said: “It is becoming more attractive though.”
The Apple mobile is also turning heads at Sodexo – albeit as non-corporate devices. Kevin Fitzpatrick, CIO, Northern Europe, said the company offers BlackBerrys for “enhanced functionality/mobility users” and standard mobiles for the majority of staff but a “large number of colleagues” use iPhones as personal devices. It has no plans to offer corporate iPhones however.
One company already offering iPhones as corporate devices is Harvey Nash. “We already provision the device to senior sales people and see the new version as offering an increased set of capabilities/capacity to widen this pool even further,” Alastair Behenna, CIO at the recruiter, said.
Another iPhone fan is Mike Roberts, IT director of The London Clinic, who spoke up for the iPhone’s Outlook connectivity skills. “We use BlackBerry now and the iPhone offers better connectivity with Outlook,” he said.
When polled about offering the iPhone as a corporate device back in 2007, 11 out of 12 CIO Jury members then said they had no plans to do so, suggesting Apple’s hardware has made a degree of limited progress in infiltrating the business world.
Posted in Communications |
Tags: apple, apps, ash, Battery, blog, blogs, business, Communications, Customer Service, ford, Free, gps, Hardware, headlines, Internet, iphone, Mobile, mobile phone, mobile phones, pda, research, Technology, world |
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Commercial Solar Lighting Components
How does the system catch the sun light? Solar lights have a panel with small cells that are meant to trap the sun’s rays. The panel is large and square and should be directed in a way to capture the most sunlight possible, especially when the sun is strongest in the middle of the day. The panels capture the light and then convert it to electricity. This process then runs an electrical current to the rechargeable battery.
Is the power regulated? Photovoltaic (PV) lights have a few different switches to control the power. One switch is meant to stop the current to the battery once it is fully charged. An overcharged battery will wear out quickly or stop working altogether, so it is very important that a switch regulates the charge, making sure the battery is fully powered but not overpowered. The units also feature a small photo sensor that detects the amount of ambient light available. Once the light drops below a certain point, the light is turned on. This helps to conserve the power during the day and not waste any of the battery’s charge. Some systems even include a manual switch so that the light can be turned on and off by hand. And, some even include a motion sensor so that the light is turned on when someone walks by.
What kind of battery does a system use? Smaller lighting systems use a simple Ni-Cad rechargeable battery, like the ones that can be purchased at any local store. Other, larger models use a bigger battery. These batteries are sort of like a car battery. They include a sealed lead battery that works with an acid or gel. The batteries in a solar lighting system last for a very long time – between five and ten years. But, when they begin to no longer hold a charge, you will notice, for the lighting will become dimmer or last for a short period of time.
What kind of light is in a PV system? The light is almost always an LED or light emitting diode. These lights are a durable and dependable source of luminance. They burn coolly and they use very small amounts of power, meaning the rechargeable battery can easily keep the lights bright. LED lights also stand up well to changing temperatures, moisture and other environmental factors, making them perfect for outdoor lighting. LED lights last a very long time, more than ten times longer than a standard bulb, meaning that they have to be replaced very rarely.
For more information on Solar Lighting, visit our website.
About the Author
Kriss Bergethon is a writer and solar expert from Colorado. Visit his site at Solar Power Panels, Kits, & Systems.
Posted in Cars, Green Fuels |
Tags: Battery, blog, blogs, Electric, electricity, Environment, information, system, Technology |
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Mobile: the classic "Doom" games are now available on the Apple iPhone
Using the accelerometer and the iPhone’s touch screen, “Doom Resurrection” brings players through eight levels of gore-soaked mayhem for a total of five hours of game play, which is likely to last longer than your iPhone’s battery. The game’s plot sounds like the original, but the game itself is an entirely new effort: A space marine must protect earth from an invasion of demons and ghouls that have somehow found their way through a portal on Mars.
“Doom Resurrection” will take full advantage of the latest-gen iPhone and iPod Touch’s graphics capabilities. VentureBeat has id Software clocking the game in at a wow-inducing 30-frames-per-second on the newest iPod Touch, and half that on first-gen models of the iPhone.
In an interview with Macworld, id Software co-founder and CTO John Carmack expressed his high hopes for id’s future with the iPhone. “In general, I am super-excited for the iPhone as a platform for id to be involved in,” Carmack said. He also indicated plans to release a remake of the original “Doom,” as well as “Quake” and “Quake 3″ (what, no “Quake 2″?).
This year’s WWDC focused heavily on the next generation of iPhone games, and the “Doom” series is sure turn Apple into a seriously powerful contender in the gaming market.
