All posts tagged: charging

My new favorite headphones for swimming come bundled in a unique charging accessory

My new favorite headphones for swimming come bundled in a unique charging accessory

Published by skeptic

ZDNET’s key takeaways The Zygo Z2 headset is available for $329 You can stream all your subscription music, the headset stays firmly in place, coaching is available for a small fee, and audio quality is good in the water The headset range doesn’t support open water swimming, your phone and transmitter need to be near the pool, and the headset only works with the paired transmitter. One significant challenge to enjoying music while you swim is finding non-DRM MP3 files to load onto the internal storage of the headset, since most people today use one of the popular music streaming services. Zygo has solved that problem with its new Zygo Z2 headset, which allows you to stream audio content from your smartphone to the headset. I have been swimming with it in Colorado for the past week. Also: My favorite bone conduction headphones have 3 invaluable safety features Bone conduction headphones are my preferred type of headset for running because my ears stay open, increasing my level of safety and awareness. Bone conduction technology is also …

Get a 9 Scosche multi-device charging dock for just right now

Get a $199 Scosche multi-device charging dock for just $39 right now

Published by skeptic

Popular Science started writing about technology more than 150 years ago. There was no such thing as “gadget writing” when we published our first issue in 1872, but if there was, our mission to demystify the world of innovation for everyday readers means we would have been all over it. Here in the present, PopSci is fully committed to helping readers navigate the increasingly intimidating array of devices on the market right now. Our writers and editors have combined decades of experience covering and reviewing consumer electronics. We each have our own obsessive specialties—from high-end audio to video games to cameras and beyond—but when we’re reviewing devices outside of our immediate wheelhouses, we do our best to seek out trustworthy voices and opinions to help guide people to the very best recommendations. We know we don’t know everything, but we’re excited to live through the analysis paralysis that internet shopping can spur so readers don’t have to. Find out more about our product evaluation process. Source link

Trump to shut down all 8,000 EV charging ports at federal govt buildings

Trump to shut down all 8,000 EV charging ports at federal govt buildings

Published by skeptic

Photo by Kindel Media on Pexels.com The Trump administration is shutting down EV chargers at all federal government buildings and is also expected to sell off the General Services Administration‘s (GSA) newly bought EVs. GSA, which manages all federal government-owned buildings, also operates the federal buildings’ EV chargers. Federally owned EVs and federal employee-owned personal EVs are charged on those 8,000 charging ports. The Verge reports it’s been told by a source that plans will be officially announced internally next week, and it’s seen an email that GSA has already sent to regional offices about the plans: “As GSA has worked to align with the current administration, we have received direction that all GSA-owned charging stations are not mission-critical.” The GSA is working on the timing of canceling current network contracts that keep the EV chargers operational. Once those contracts are canceled, the stations will be taken out of service and “turned off at the breaker,” the email reads. Other chargers will be turned off starting next week. “Neither Government Owned Vehicles nor Privately Owned Vehicles …

How to Change Your iPhone’s Charging Sound

How to Change Your iPhone’s Charging Sound

Published by skeptic

Apple offers many customization options for its devices, including three different ways to change your iPhone’s default charging sound. Change the Charging Sound on Your iPhone There are three methods you can use to change your iPhone’s charging sound. You can choose to use a whole song, a part of a song, or text that Siri will say every time you charge your iPhone. These tips work no matter how you charge your iPhone. Before we begin, it’s important to note that you cannot literally change your iPhone’s charging sound. The new sound is just another sound that plays after the default sound. However, if you continue reading, we’ll show you a shortcut to mute the default sound so that all you hear when you plug and unplug your phone is your custom sound. To change the charging sound on iOS, you’ll need to use the built-in Shortcuts app. There are many handy iPhone automations you can create in the Shortcuts app, and changing the plug-in sound of your iPhone is just one of them. …

This charging block was featured at CES because it’s that awesome

This charging block was featured at CES because it’s that awesome

Published by skeptic

What charging block are you currently using to power your phone and laptop? Most likely, it’s the one that came with it or something random that you pulled out of your drawer. And here’s a secret: it might be why your devices are charging so slowly. Have you ever heard of GaN chargers? No worries if you haven’t—they’re pretty new to us, too. The term Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology refers to a new era of more compact and powerful chargers. This 100W Omega GaN charger was named a CES Innovation Awards Honoree in 2021, and now you can save 49 percent. Here’s why it’s so cool It might be hard to understand why we’re getting excited over a charging block, but we have a few good reasons: It has two 100W USB-C ports and a USB-A port supporting 22.5W When you’re charging three devices simultaneously, it doesn’t get hot Your purchase includes EU, UK, and AU travel adapters You probably hear a lot about different charging speeds but don’t realize just how convenient 100W fast …

EVgo secures .25bn to expand fast EV charging across US

EVgo secures $1.25bn to expand fast EV charging across US

Published by skeptic

In a significant boost to the nation’s electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) has announced a $1.25bn loan guarantee to EVgo Swift Borrower LLC. This major initiative aims to deploy around 7,500 high-powered fast EV charging stations at approximately 1,100 locations across the United States over the next five years. By enabling drivers to charge their vehicles quickly and conveniently, this technology is vital to addressing range anxiety and supporting widespread EV adoption. Revolutionising EV charging accessibility The first wave of deployments will feature state-of-the-art 350kW direct current (DC) fast chargers. These units can charge two vehicles simultaneously, offering an 80% battery recharge in just 20 minutes, depending on the EV model and battery conditions. Such advancements address a critical barrier to EV adoption: the lack of reliable and fast EV charging options. This initiative also incorporates dynamic power-sharing technology, which maximises charging efficiency by redistributing unused power between vehicles. The rollout will include advanced features like Autocharge+, simplifying the payment process by enabling users to plug in and …

Universal Plug-and-Charge for EV Charging Stations Is Set to Launch in 2025

Universal Plug-and-Charge for EV Charging Stations Is Set to Launch in 2025

Published by skeptic

To fill a car with gas, you generally just need a credit card or cash. To charge an EV at a DC fast-charging station, you need any number of things to work—a credit card reader, an app for that charger’s network, a touchscreen that’s working—and they’re all a little different. That situation could change next year if a new “universal Plug and Charge” initiative from SAE International, a group of EV carmakers and chargers, moves ahead and gains ground. Launching in early 2025, the network could make charging an EV actually easier than gassing up: Plug in, let the car and charger figure out the payment details over a cloud connection, and go. Some car and charging network combinations already offer such a system through a patchwork of individual deals, as listed at Inside EVs. Teslas have always offered a plug-and-charge experience, given the tight integration between its Superchargers and vehicles. Now Tesla will join the plug-and-charge movement proper, allowing Teslas to have a roughly similar experience at other stations. The Electric Vehicle Public Key …

Budget airlines face crackdown on charging for hand luggage

Budget airlines face crackdown on charging for hand luggage

Published by Sam

Budget airlines in the EU are facing a crackdown on hand luggage fees after a court issued €150 million (£128 million) in fines over the practice. Four airlines have been penalised by Spain for “abusive practices” towards their passengers, including charging extra for carry-on baggage and guaranteeing seats next to family and friends. Ryanair, EasyJet and Spain’s Vueling and Volotea were all fined by the country’s consumer rights ministry yesterday. The fines will be seen as a challenge to budget airlines’ business models, which hinge on charging rock-bottom fees for tickets and adding supplements for things such as larger carry-on bags. Flag-carrier airlines tend to include these in their fares, arguing their generally higher prices are simpler for consumers to understand. The ruling has caused a wave of potential lawsuits across the bloc that could result in add-on fees being banned on EU-registered airlines. Test Achats, a Belgian consumer campaign group, said on Friday that it had filed a complaint with the country’s authorities “against several airlines which charge extra prices for reasonably sized hand …

After Firing Entire Supercharger Team, Elon Musk Reverses Course and Says He’ll Be Spending 0 Million on Growing the Charging Network

After Firing Entire Supercharger Team, Elon Musk Reverses Course and Says He’ll Be Spending $500 Million on Growing the Charging Network

Published by skeptic

Good luck with that. Hard Charging After firing senior director of EV charging Rebecca Tinucci along with her entire 500-person team last month, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has reversed course, claiming the company is still committed to spending “well over” half a billion dollars to grow its flagship network of Superchargers. “That’s just on new sites and expansions, not counting operations costs, which are much higher,” he added. (He’d earlier said Tesla “still plans to grow the Supercharger network, just at a slower pace for new locations.”) As expected, Musk didn’t go into detail about his considerable change in tune. The mercurial CEO got major flack — including from some of his most ardent supporters — for tanking a facet of the company that greatly sets it apart from its competitors in the US. And should we really take him by his latest word? The company is in crisis mode and Musk is seemingly keen on controlling the narrative to reassure spooked investors. Damage Incorporated The EV maker’s operations were thrown into chaos last month, …

Analysis-Tesla’s EV Charging Team Layoffs Threaten to Slow Biden’s Program to Electrify Highways

Analysis-Tesla’s EV Charging Team Layoffs Threaten to Slow Biden’s Program to Electrify Highways

Published by skeptic

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Elon Musk’s decision to gut Tesla’s electric-vehicle charging team is scrambling plans for rolling out new fast-charging stations and may delay President Joe Biden’s efforts to electrify U.S. highways. Last year, the Biden administration announced rules for an ambitious plan to expand the country’s charging infrastructure and jump-start EV adoption. Under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, the government is doling out $5 billion to states over five years to build 500,000 EV chargers. EV market leader Tesla, which also operates the largest network of fast chargers – called Superchargers – in the U.S. and is the biggest winner so far of those federal funds, was seen as a crucial part of that plan. Since news of Tesla’s abrupt EV charging layoffs surfaced, however, executives at charging companies say they have been receiving phone calls from landlords looking for a new partner for their private charging projects after Tesla pulled out. Now, the charging companies are preparing for Tesla to pull out of the federal program. That, they say, could …