Dec 18th, 2008 · Computer maker Hewlett-Packard next month will offer batteries that could outlast the laptops they power. They're made by Boston Power, the first American company to break into a market dominated by Japanese battery makers. Curt Nickisch reports for member station WBUR.
Nov 21st, 2008 · A rush to build electric cars could also mean a rush to get minerals that are produced in unstable parts of the world. Lithium-ion batteries require large amounts of cobalt, which comes primarily from the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, Tibet and Siberia. Easing dependence on foreign oil could mean increasing dependence on foreign minerals — from even less reliable trading partners than the Persian Gulf states.
Nov 11th, 2008 · NASA has lost contact with the Mars Phoenix probe, and officials say the mission is over. Phoenix landed in the northern polar region of Mars last May. Mission managers knew this day was coming. It's getting to be winter at the Phoenix landing site, and the few hours of daylight aren't enough for the lander's solar panels to recharge the batteries.
Jan 7th, 2008 · The Consumer Electronics Show opens in Las Vegas with some 140,000 people in attendance. They will be able to get a glimpse of the world's biggest TV screen, the smallest computer, and solar batteries. And they'll review lots of things that connect to each other without wires.
Oct 24th, 2007 · The cliché about a catchy song: "It's got a good beat, you can dance to it." But things get more complicated when the beat is all there is to it. Two recent albums put the percussion front and center: Batterie, from Loop 2.4.3, and Global Drum Project, with Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart and tabla master Zakir Hussain.
Aug 14th, 2007 · The next step in hybrids is the electric car. It would be cheaper to drive than a car fueled by gasoline. But the problem is that battery technology hasn't developed to out perform gasoline. Joe White, the Detroit bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal talks with John Ydstie.
Aug 25th, 2006 · Leading computer makers Apple and Dell both announced massive recalls of some laptop computer models recently due to batteries that might catch fire. We hear from an Arizona man whose truck was destroyed by a laptop that caught fire, and talk with the founder of the HowStuffWorks.com Web site about why some batteries can overheat to the point of ignition.
Aug 25th, 2006 · Apple Computer announces it is recalling nearly 2 million notebook computer batteries that could overheat and catch fire. The batteries, like 4 million recalled by Dell, are made by the same supplier, Sony.