By: Edward Jackson (Senior Editor)

Leads the Way with One of the First Universal Qi Technology Products to Market!

As consumers rely more heavily than ever on devices such as smartphones and cell phones for everything from texting and talking, to working and shopping, their demand for more power and more convenient charging options has skyrocketed. Energizer, a leader in innovative power solutions that make consumers’ lives easier, recognized this growing need and responded with the introduction of their first inductive charger built with Qi technology, the new universal charging standard developed by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC).

Widely anticipated and considered to be one of the most compelling new developments in charging technology, Qi (pronounced chee) will bring consumers the freedom to charge their smartphones, MP3 players, cameras – any device 5 Watts or less – on a single charging station, regardless of manufacturer.

“We believe that a universal standard is the future of charging, and by leading the way with one of the first Qi products – the Energizer Inductive Charger – we are meeting a clear need for a product that makes charging devices easier by eliminating cords and clutter,” said Jim Olsen, Vice President of Marketing for Energizer North America. “This next generation charger is a natural extension of an innovative product portfolio that brings more freedom for people to live and to work using power that’s reliable and convenient.”

According to market research firm iSuppli, Corp., shipments of electronic products with wireless charging capability are anticipated to increase from 3.6 million units in 2010, to 234.9 million units in 2014. An open, standardized system will create a healthier competitive environment and prompt manufacturers to join forces.* The WPC had this very goal of global compatibility in mind when they formed an international group of more than 55 companies to develop this universal standard.

“The WPC and dedicated members like Energizer have been hard at work developing and testing this universal standard, and we are honored to have a brand with the global reach of Energizer as one of the first to market with a Qi inductive charger,” said Menno Treffers, Chairman of the Wireless Power Consortium. “They are helping to establish and educate about Qi and drive adoption, benefiting consumers and the industry as a whole.”

Designed in cooperation with WPC co-founder ConvenientPower, the first generation of the Energizer Inductive Charger is designed to conveniently charge up to three devices at one time. It features two large inductive charging zones that don’t require locking the device into a precise position, so consumers can simply set down their phone and be sure that it will be charged and ready to go. It also has a USB port so it’s easy to charge an additional device such as a phone, headset, mp3 player, camera or GPS. Two LED charge lights indicate that the device is charging.

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The Energizer Inductive Charger will be introduced with a Qi Sleeve for the iPhone 3GS/3G and a one-time replacement Qi Door for the BlackBerry Curve 8900, so consumers can enjoy the convenience of Qi right away. Soon, consumers can expect to have Qi built right into many of their devices.

“As one of the first to market with a Qi device, we want to make it easy for consumers to experience how easy and convenient it is to charge their devices using this new universal standard,” added Olsen. “We focused on accessories for popular smartphones, but anticipate that it will not be long before manufacturers roll-out devices with Qi built right in.”

The Energizer Inductive Charger will be available at retail this October. Suggested retail price is $89. The removable Qi sleeve for the iPhone 3GS/3G and the Qi door for the BlackBerry Curve 8900 will be sold separately for $34.99 each.

For more information, visit www.energizer.com/inductive, www.energizer.com, http://www.facebook.com/EnergizerBunny, http://www.facebook.com/Energizer.

By: William Armstrong (Contributing Editor)

Everyone understands the importance of keeping your information safe, especially with the risk of identity theft at every turn. That is why it is good to have tools to help keep information safe. iPhone users have had the advantage of mobileMe software for quite some time now, but now Blackberry users have their own option with the arrival of Blackberry Protect.

Blackberry Protect offers a suite of tools to protect Blackberry users on multiple fronts, and is easily managed right from your PC. You are able to back up your contacts, documents and settings on a regular basis to help protect you from data loss due to software or hardware failure, theft or loss. An extra loud ring feature is included, for those times you misplace your Curve around the house. Other awesome features include a lost and found screen, allowing honest citizens the opportunity to return your phone to you. Remote data wipe and a device lock can prevent the less honest among us from gaining access to your sensitive information. And a built in GPS locator lets you keep tabs of where your lost device has been hanging out without you. Of course, this feature only works if your Blackberry is turned on. Once your device is recovered or replaced, you can easily restore all of your backed up information with a push of a button.

The standout feature of Blackberry Protect compared to other similar software is the price. Blackberry Protect is free to Blackberry users, and is being released first as a beta in the next few days.

via Blackberry

GPS Locator will help determine if your phone was stolen or left behind.

By Michael Hunter (Contributing Writer)

Its obviously hotter than T-Mobile thought it would be. While some retail locations sold out in only minutes, T-Mobile as a company sold out in just under 4 hours. This powerful device was removed from T-Mo’s website before nights end on March 24th only to show back up a few days later. Then what?

Yup, it was taken right back down. People are dying to get their hands on this device, and I don’t blame them. I even ordered two of them myself, no clue when I’m going to receive them, but I’m waiting as patiently as I possibly can. I’m not going to lie, I check my email at least 10 times a day looking for shipping confirmation only to be disappointed.

Anyway, my point here comes in the form of a question or questions rather:

Is T-Mobile having issues deciding on exactly what the “HOT” devices are going to be?

Let’s not use the HD2 drought as an example, instead let’s use the BlackBerry Curve 8900. In March of 2009 the 83xx Curve series received a much needed upgrade on T-Mobile’s network. Although it wasn’t a 3G device like AT&T’s BlackBerry Bold 9000, it was still a highly coveted next generation BlackBerry. So highly coveted that T-Mobile released it almost a month early for their business customers, and what happened? Yup! They sold through inventory and barely had any for the customers that make up for a majority of their customer base. Thus making the hunt for the 8900 just like the hunt for the HD2.. an Easter Egg Hunt.

T-Mobile knew this would be a “HOT” device despite Windows Mobile’s reputation. Snapdragon Processor, TV application, rent movies on demand, Barnes and Noble eBook Reader, 6 months of free in-flight WIFI, 4.3 inch capacitive HD screen, whats not to want about this device? So why not have enough inventory to supply the demand? I don’t recall T-Mobile running out of their flagship MyTouch 3G.

So I’m going to check my email now to see if mine shipped, hopefully you all can get your hands on one too.