| China BAK shares jump on HP announcement
Shares of China BAK Battery Inc. jumped sharply in afternoon trading Tuesday after the maker of laptop and electronic device batteries said it is working on a deal with tech giant Hewlett-Packard Co. China BAK said late Monday it signed a nonbinding letter of intent with HP that may lead to a supply agreement. The companies agreed to work toward a deal in which China BAK would supply HP with lithium ion battery cells for its notebook computers. "We are encouraged by this announcement and believe it removes substantial uncertainty regarding the company's growth outlook," wrote Roth Capital Partners analyst Mark Tobin in a note to investors. He kept a "Hold" rating on China BAK and raised his target price to $5 from $3.50. The analyst expects the contract will be finalized in the first quarter of 2008.
Strange case of the exploding AAA cell
We've got used to stories of batteries in laptops and handhelds exploding or otherwise malfunctioning dangerously. Nokia is the latest company to be hit, as we reported yesterday. But how about the humble general-purpose AA and AAA cells selling in their tens of millions? Judging from my experience, when a remote control exploded in my lap on a very hot evening recently, it seems that you can't fully trust them either. It was not a loud explosion, just a sharp crack that blew the lid off of the battery compartment. The top of one the three triple-As inside was gaping open, spilling noxious liquid all over the remote control. The device was not damaged but the battery might easily have been installed in a child's toy, with results that could have been rather less trivial.
iPhone does neat stuff, but it's just a $500 toy for now
"I'm watching a guy play a George Harrison tune on a ukulele," my husband said. I had left him in our home office with a new iPhone for two minutes, and this was the result. I can't say I blame him. Much of the time I had the review unit, I watched YouTube. The phone has an icon conveniently positioned on its main menu -- tap the touch-screen twice and you can be the 55 millionth viewer to see that dude in "Evolution of Dance." The gadget's sharp-looking screen (3.5 inches wide) is a seductive pleasure. Which brings me to the bottom line -- the iPhone is a $500 toy. It does some useful things, and may be the closest a cellphone comes to a laptop-like experience. But it's no replacement -- yet -- for a smart phone like a BlackBerry.
A new webcam for vloggers
Social Networking
I know I should probably lighten up a bit, but I see Web 2.0 sites such as YouTube and MySpace as clever ways to get schnooks like me to generate free content for the corporate media. And many technology companies these days are cashing-in on the social networking craze by tweaking some of their existing products. As a result, it is conceivable that consumers will be lured into buying social networking devices, which are little more than repackaged mobile phones. At least Sony's new, pocket-sized Net-sharing CAM is thoughtfully designed for aspiring Web moviemakers. The camera (about $200) automatically records video in MPEG-4 format for the Web, and it has a button you can push to tag those videos you plan to upload. Sony's CAM comes loaded with software that recognizes the tagged-for-upload videos, and posts them when you make a USB connection to your PC.
The View from Cherokee Ridge
It was Nov. 25, 1863. Veteran Confederate troops were lined up along the river south of town, and although Union troops held Knoxville, the Confederates had the town almost completely surrounded. Captain William Parker's 6th Virginia Artillery Battery had four guns set up on the bluffs that are now home to the Cherokee Heights Condominiums. The troops of the 45th Pennsylvania Regiment had dug into their rifle pits near the mouth of Third Creek on the north side of the river and they could see the smoke rising from the forests as the artillery shells began to fire on the Union troops stationed on Armstrong's Hill. If the Confederates were able to take the cliffs on the south side of the river, they could've safely shelled Fort Sanders from afar, and attacked Knoxville from the north and the south.
Scientists abuzz over paper battery
US researchers say they have invented a super lightweight, flexible, biodegradable battery in the form of a piece of paper in a development that is sure to create a buzz among makers of consumer electronics. By harnessing the power of nanotechnology among other things, the researchers figured out how to shrink, reinvent and otherwise repackage the components of a regular lithium-ion battery in a sheet of cellulose paper. An early prototype of the device, just big enough to be held between thumb and forefinger, kicks out 2.5 volts, enough juice to power a small fan, or illuminate a light, and its inventors say the battery can be easily scaled up to provide enough power to run any number of electronic gadgets. "You can stack one sheet on top of another to boost the power output,'' said Robert Linhardt, a biology and chemistry professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, and a member of the project's team.
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