American start-ups including Unigrid are developing sodium-ion batteries aiming for fully US-sourced supply chains, unlike lithium-ion batteries where China dominates materials and manufacturing. Unigrid's founder Tan says the company currently sources its sodium-ion cells from China but could shift to US suppliers later. Scientists have raised concerns that chromium-3 used in Unigrid's cathode could form toxic chromium-6 under certain conditions, though Tan and one outside researcher say the risk is manageable and the battery has passed safety certification.
bbc.co.uk
· 2026-09-29
A review of the fourth-generation Apple Watch Ultra reports incremental upgrades over its predecessor, including more accurate health sensors and extended battery life. The reviewer notes the device doesn't introduce a radically new design or feature set but refines existing capabilities.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-29
Tom's Hardware evaluated 13 portable chargers spanning 5,000 mAh single-port units at 22W up to 25,000 mAh multi-port models delivering 220W. Prices ranged from the Cuktech CP12 (10K/20W) at $24.99 to the Anker Prime (A110B) 20K/220W at $129.99, with some units charging fully in four to six hours and others faster. The units differed in included cables, displays versus simple LED indicators, and physical design.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-09-29
Apple's battery diagnostics, found under Settings > Battery > Battery Health, show whether a battery is 'Normal' or 'Significantly Degraded' along with cycle count and maximum capacity relative to when new. Apple considers a battery worn out once capacity falls below 80%, recommending replacement at that point. Additional warning signs include rapid percentage drops, unexpected shutdowns, sluggish performance under heavy use, overheating when idle, and physical battery bulging, the last of which warrants immediate contact with Apple Support.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-28
A new guide addresses common causes of Android phones losing charge quickly, pointing to factors like overly bright displays, apps refreshing in the background, poor charging habits, and power-hungry apps running unchecked. It suggests targeted adjustments—rather than drastic measures like airplane mode or dimming screens unusably low—can meaningfully extend battery life without disrupting daily use.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-28
A writer's iPhone 15 Pro Max has reached 1,000 charge cycles, the threshold Apple designed the device to endure before battery health falls below 80 percent, and it now reports 81 percent health. The phone hasn't triggered iOS's battery service warning, but the owner says daily screen-on time has dropped sharply from over 12 hours when new to barely lasting until evening now.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-28
Researchers led by James Buchen at the University of Delaware have developed an electrochemical carbon-capture device that uses a battery-like setup instead of conventional filters. Hydroxide generated at the cathode reacts with CO2 to form carbonate, which crosses a membrane to the anode where a lower pH reverses the reaction, releasing pure CO2 gas.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-28
Samsung outlines several built-in options for Galaxy users to extend battery life, including keeping software updated, placing rarely used apps into deep sleep via Settings > Battery > Background usage limits, and enabling Power savings to restrict background data use. The guidance also highlights Battery protection, which lets users cap charging between 80 and 95 percent instead of always charging to full.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-28
A 20,000 mAh power bank is a bulky but high-capacity option suited to multi-day trips or heavy device use, such as running a phone as a hotspot or GPS navigator, where outlet access is limited. For lighter needs, smaller 5,000 mAh options from brands like Anker offer a more compact, sometimes magnetic, alternative.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-28
A writer with limited electronics experience took a set of rechargeable bike lights bought ten years ago, which now died within five minutes of a full charge, to a local makerspace to attempt a battery replacement. They cut open the silicone housing, removed screws to access the circuit board, and used a desoldering pump alongside iFixit's guide and advice from friends to detach the old battery from the board.
jvns.ca
· 2026-09-27
Gadget maker Inmo has recalled its Air3 augmented reality glasses after the US Consumer Product Safety Commission warned the left arm can overheat during extended use, posing a burn hazard. Health Canada issued a similar notice, telling consumers to stop use immediately and update firmware to version 3.16 before continuing to wear them. Over 1,600 units, priced between $900 and $1,300, have been sold in the US.
futurism.com
· 2026-09-27
A technical explainer breaks down how to calculate the actual energy stored in a power bank by converting its milliamp-hour (mAh) rating into watt-hours (Wh) using battery voltage, typically 3.7V for lithium-ion cells. It notes that a 10,000 mAh bank stores about 37Wh, while modern MacBook batteries range from roughly 37Wh to 100Wh, meaning smaller power banks may not fully recharge larger laptop batteries.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-27
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