Alaska Airlines passengers will now be able to use their tablets, book readers, and cellphones all the way from the gate to thousands of feet in the air.
Starting Nov. 9, passengers will be able to use their electronic devices on board the plane, and even use WiFi, at 10,000 feet in the air. Alaska Airlines will start flying its first aircraft with 110-volt and USB power outlets at every seat next month. Most of the fleet will be equipped by the end of 2014.
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Question:Â Would you take a slimmer seat cushion (thus less space) to gain USB power?
If your answer is yes, then Alaska Airlines has you covered.
Alaska announced last week that the new seats, manufactured by German company Recaro Aircraft Seating, will also include 110-volt socket AND USB power outlets on the seat back in front of every passenger. To date, the company has installed the slim seats with USB sockets on seven new planes and plans to have them on 75% of its fleet of 125 planes by the end of 2014.
Initial response from customers
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Smartronix has a USB power monitor and it’s ideal for those who want to regulate what power is coming from a USB device. Most notably would be the ability to test power from a suspect defective drive or gadget. With so many useless USB toys made in cheap factories over seas, one can get a product which plays havoc with your system. Most problems always come from power.
Granted the power meter probably takes more juice then any USB power gadget your testing, but again, this is designed for the hobbyist or guy troubleshooting some gear.
This is also a good device to test products which claim to fall into the USB-IF specification for a USB device, something like this USB power meter could help prove your case against an overseas supplier who’s not fessing up to their poor quality work. (can you tell we’ve ran into this problem on multiple occasions !)
Too bad it doesn’t measure calories, otherwise we’d find out just how hard that USB humping dog is really working.
Smartronix webstore, vai Gadgeteer.
Features:
USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 compatible
Large, easy to read LCD
Folding Stand
Auto Power-Down
Peak Hold
Measures current in either direction (Host>Device or Device>Host
Batteries and USB Cable included
Specifications:
Maximum Voltage Reading +/- 19.99 Volts
Voltage Reading Accuracy: +/- 0.1 volt from -10V to 10V; 5% from 10.01V to 19.99V; 5% from -10.01V to -19.99V
Maximum Current Reading +/- 1999 mA
Current Reading Accuracy: +/- 2mA from -500mA to 500mA; 5% from 501mA to 1999mA; 5% from -501mA to -1999mA
Brando is reselling [because they don’t actually make anything] a 5 socket USB power brick. The power block will supply a total of 11,000 mAh of Output, with not much of any port having significant Watts.
It is probably a good product for a trickle charge to several devices or a quick charge to one or two, so if you’re far away from that car charger, wall charger, or solar charger the USB power brick would be a nice edition.
The USB power brick sells for $60 USD + shipping of a couple dollars
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The USB-IF released the Power Delivery [PD] specification for USB 3.0. In addition, the 2.0 forum approved it too.
Because we are talking about 100watts over USB there is some risk associated with introducing such a spec. The USB-IF said the power can be sent, both ways, intelligently where power ramps up or down upon delivery. The spec includes an intelligent check of both the cable and the other end’s capability to insure nothing goes up in flames.
If you stop and think about this, if a typical laptop has three USB sockets, what kind of power brick would you need to power the laptop plus 300watts of power, assuming all sockets are requesting a full load. Maybe the power brick will end up being bigger and heavier then the laptop {grin}.
For a very interesting read on the entire PD report,
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Biolite Stove is portable camping stove which converts boiling water into energy to charge your portable devices. I like the symmetry already!
The Biolite Stove is no bigger then a large jug of water. It can hold up to 1 liter of water and can boil that same amount of water in [about] 4.5 minutes.
The fire power, as they say, ranges between 3.4kw and 5.5kw and will charge at a continuous flow 2W @ 5volts or peak of 4W @ 5volts. Peak power flow depends on the BTUs of the fire while it’s going…you know, the hottest the fire will get, the most energy it will create as the water is boiling at the highest rate.
The Biolite Stove will charge anything via USB. As to the efficiency of that charging process, nothing to say it’s fast or slow, but conceptually
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The Joy Factory has a smaller version of their popular Zip charging station, but looks just as cool.
The ZipMini Touch-n-Go™ charging station is the next step in the evolution of mobile device power. Now you can take a call or check your e-mail without having to manually disconnect cables. Your device reconnects itself when you move it back near the charging station. This sleek little powerhouse charges up to four devices at once, eliminates cord clutter, and looks great doing it.
Touch-n-go™ is a revolutionary combination of a magnetized base unit paired with magnetized 3-inch mini-cables knows as “zip tails.†The zip tails pop immediately into place on the charging station via the built-in magnets, and safely snap off when you move your device.
The only problem I have with this solution is finding additional 30 pin connectors since I have four iPhones to charge. In addition, TheJoyFactory doesn’t give specifics about charging times with multiple devices, so a good chance you’ll get a trickle charge to the iPad while have several other devices connected at the same time.
Purchase price for the ZipMini
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USB devices and ports are now the most ubiquitous item one can related to a computer product other then maybe the VGA connector or Ethernet port. With that said, it’s now the mainstream bus used to power and recharge most computer devices and gadgets. However, just because it will charge of USB doesn’t mean it’s all that easy and efficient. There is a lot more into charging via USB then you’d ever imagine.
With some devices you get a fast charge. With other devices you get a slow charge. So what’s the deal?
In most cases when you see a slow charging device it means the manufacturer made a digital signature that is compatible with the power charger which came with the device. Any other USB port used to charge the product simply isn’t as efficient…and that’s by design!
This post is just an appetizer for all the dirty little secrets related to USB charging devices, to get a little deeper into the details click over to
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The tech world is changing for the better. We are seeing longer lasting batteries, devices which require less juice and smarter power management. Good example is the PowerUSB Bar.
This power bar will automatically shut down the devices it’s powering based on time of day or clock settings. For example, why power that laser printer when everyone is away from work? Better to power off the printer between 6pm and 7am, right? The PowerUSB Bar can do just that.
The PowerUSB Basic empowers you to put your old devices on a diet by programming when to shut off power to them. It looks like a standard 4 port power strip but 3 of the for outlets are programmable. The last outlet is always on so it’s reserved for the PC. And there’s also a 6 ft USB cord coming out of the power strip. Attach printers, chargers, speakers or external drives and let the PowerUSB Bar govern their power consumption.
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Now that USB is becoming the standard charging bus for all portable electronic devices [at least in UK], we can truly embrace the wall mount USB charger.
This slick looking wall mount uses one DC outlet from your wall and extends it to the face plate along with two USB charging ports. The two ports can charge one iPad or two iPhones. Of course it will accommodate other USB based devices like Android, tablets etc.
It would have been nice to see some additional logic inside which would send enough current for 4 or 6 devices. I also think if you are going to eliminate one complete wall socket, might as well offer more USB ports.
RCA is selling the charger for $20 retail.
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These iPhones run out of juice so quickly. I’m not saying it’s a battery issue, I’m saying the devices are so adictive I use them all day long and drain the battery. From getting directions, to checking status updates, to email, facetime and photo shots, it’s in constent use.
I’ve definitely spent extra money getting Apple 30 pin cables for charging at both home and work. Caseinity has solved the consumer problem of over spending with the cord-on-board product. The product is simple as you can see from this image.
The product is a case with the USB to 30-pin connector attached to the underside of the case. Now we don’t see a width dimension of the picture, but it must be at least 7mm thick to handle the USB connector.
What I like most about this product is the
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Looking to for a simple DIY project for a school report or class event, this USB charger is it! Or if you’re just looking to try your hand with some simple electronic wiring to see if you have what it takes.
Well, using some off-the-shelf times, a battery and the simple schematics below you can have a great USB charge for just about any USB product.
The full tutorial is at Instructables, and I’ve also seen a couple good comments in their thread, like:
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Alaska Airlines passengers will now be able to use their tablets, book readers, and cellphones all the way from the gate to thousands of feet in the air.
Starting Nov. 9, passengers will be able to use their electronic devices on board the plane, and even use WiFi, at 10,000 feet in the air. Alaska Airlines will start flying its first aircraft with 110-volt and USB power outlets at every seat next month. Most of the fleet will be equipped by the end of 2014.
Continue Reading
Alaska announced last week that the new seats, manufactured by German company Recaro Aircraft Seating, will also include 110-volt socket AND USB power outlets on the seat back in front of every passenger. To date, the company has installed the slim seats with USB sockets on seven new planes and plans to have them on 75% of its fleet of 125 planes by the end of 2014.
Initial response from customers
Smartronix has a USB power monitor and it’s ideal for those who want to regulate what power is coming from a USB device. Most notably would be the ability to test power from a suspect defective drive or gadget. With so many useless USB toys made in cheap factories over seas, one can get a product which plays havoc with your system. Most problems always come from power.
Granted the power meter probably takes more juice then any USB power gadget your testing, but again, this is designed for the hobbyist or guy troubleshooting some gear.
This is also a good device to test products which claim to fall into the USB-IF specification for a USB device, something like this USB power meter could help prove your case against an overseas supplier who’s not fessing up to their poor quality work. (can you tell we’ve ran into this problem on multiple occasions !)
Too bad it doesn’t measure calories, otherwise we’d find out just how hard that 
The 
If you stop and think about this, if a typical laptop has three USB sockets, what kind of power brick would you need to power the laptop plus 300watts of power, assuming all sockets are requesting a full load. Maybe the power brick will end up being bigger and heavier then the laptop {grin}.
For a very interesting read on the entire PD report,
The fire power, as they say, ranges between 3.4kw and 5.5kw and will charge at a continuous flow 2W @ 5volts or peak of 4W @ 5volts. Peak power flow depends on the BTUs of the fire while it’s going…you know, the hottest the fire will get, the most energy it will create as the water is boiling at the highest rate.
The Biolite Stove will charge anything via USB. As to the efficiency of that charging process, nothing to say it’s fast or slow, but conceptually
Touch-n-go™ is a revolutionary combination of a magnetized base unit paired with magnetized 3-inch mini-cables knows as “zip tails.†The zip tails pop immediately into place on the charging station via the built-in magnets, and safely snap off when you move your device.
The only problem I have with this solution is finding additional 30 pin connectors since I have four iPhones to charge. In addition, TheJoyFactory doesn’t give specifics about charging times with multiple devices, so a good chance you’ll get a trickle charge to the iPad while have several other devices connected at the same time.
Purchase price for the ZipMini
This post is just an appetizer for all the dirty little secrets related to USB charging devices, to get a little deeper into the details click over to
This power bar will automatically shut down the devices it’s powering based on time of day or clock settings. For example, why power that laser printer when everyone is away from work? Better to power off the printer between 6pm and 7am, right? The PowerUSB Bar can do just that.
The PowerUSB Basic empowers you to put your old devices on a diet by programming when to shut off power to them. It looks like a standard 4 port power strip but 3 of the for outlets are programmable. The last outlet is always on so it’s reserved for the PC. And there’s also a 6 ft USB cord coming out of the power strip. Attach printers, chargers, speakers or external drives and let the PowerUSB Bar govern their power consumption.
RCA is selling the charger for $20 retail.
The product is a case with the USB to 30-pin connector attached to the underside of the case. Now we don’t see a width dimension of the picture, but it must be at least 7mm thick to handle the USB connector.
What I like most about this product is the
Well, using some off-the-shelf times, a battery and the simple schematics below you can have a great USB charge for just about any USB product.
The full tutorial is at