Dell Latitude ST

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of the Dell Ac Adapter   First post by: www.itsbattery.com

Dell-Latitude-ST-a-Windows-tablet.png">Dell is one of the largest laptop manufacturers in the world, and they've recently been trying to get into the mobile game, as well. Their 5 inch Streak smartphone wasn't as successful as they had hoped, and there doesn't seem to be any indication that they'll try to go at it again, but who knows.

Meanwhile, they've also been working their way into the tablets market, and after probably considering going with another Android powered device, they decided to stick with what they do best and release a Windows tablet, running on Intel's x86 Atom CPU, of course. They actually have quite a lot of experience in the area, since they are the manufacturer of the popular Latitude XT convertible tablet, which now spans three generation and is still pretty popular among artists and business professionals.

I'd say that it was just a matter of dropping the keyboard part and releasing it as a tablet, but their new Latitude ST tablet is a great device on its own, and it's a pretty good choice for any business exec or corporation, although Dell is targeting it towards schools and medical institutions as well (at this price, few will want it, though).

The Latitude ST looks pretty standard on the outside - it's a simple tablet with an unassuming black color, much like the Motorola Xoom or the Toshiba Thrive (it has a lot more in common with the latter, except for the chrome accents). It's pretty sturdy thanks to its metal frame and big Gorilla glass on the front (it covers the screen and the borders, as well) - it'll definitely hold up to normal everyday use and even abuse.

The display is a 10.1 inch, 1280×800 pixels unit with Wide View Angle and LED backlight that has an N-Trig digitizer, which supports multi touch and pressure sensitivity, but it has built up quite a negative reputation with HP and Dell customers, mostly because of the bad drivers both companies provide (just like they do for their graphics adapters such as Dell Latitude D600 AC Adapter, Dell Latitude XT AC Adapter, Dell Inspiron 6000 AC Adapter, Dell Inspiron 1501 AC Adapter, Dell inspiron E1505 AC Adapter, Dell inspiron 6400 AC Adapter, Dell studio 17 AC Adapter, Dell Latitude X300 AC Adapter, Dell Latitude LS AC Adapter, Dell Latitude X1 AC Adapter, Dell Inspiron 2000 AC Adapter, Dell Inspiron 1526 AC Adapter and Ricoh internal card readers). Still, if the drivers are good this time around, the digitizer should provide a pretty good experience.

The other hardware is nothing impressive, especially considering that the Latitude XT is much more powerful at about the same price, but I suppose the small overall size warrants the decrease in performance. Intel's Atom Z670 CPU is working inside the new tablet, running at 1.5 GHz, which is enough to run most Windows 7 apps, but obviously, you won't be doing any movie editing on the touch screen anytime soon. The processor is also accompanied by 2 GB of DDR2 RAM and Intel's own Graphics Media Accelerator 600 video adapter, all of which combined consume less than 10 watts of power, which is good news for the tablet - the 30 Watts/hour battery should last about 6-7 hours of use.

The storage space is provided by a fast SSD drive with capacities of up to 128 GB - that's more than enough for a tablet, even if you're storing and editing a lot of documents. The Latitude ST also has a mono speaker, a 3.5mm audio jack, integrated microphone, a 5 megapixels camera on the back (a weird decision for a business tablet) and a 2 megapixels front facing camera that can also shoot 720p videos (excellent for HD video chat, actually). Then there's your usual Wifi, Bluetooth, Broadband adapter with GPS (optional) and a full sized USB and HDMI ports (just like the Thrive).

There's nothing to say about Windows 7 - it's a well-known OS and if you're buying this tablet for $2000+, you know that you need it. While the specs are pretty good, and the Latitude ST is a well-rounded tablet, it doesn't really justify the cost. Sure it may weigh only ~850 grams and be in a tablet form factor, but for the same price you can get a nice Latitude XT2, XT3, or Elitebook 2740p convertibles, which have more power and capabilities. Or you could just get a ViewSonic 10pro if you need a Windows 7 tablet for work.

Nokia Lumia 800 vs Dell Venue Pro

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of the Dell Ac Adapter   First post by: www.itsbattery.com

The Nokia Lumia 800 is currently the most popular Windows Phone 7 smartphone, and with good reason - it has a great design, a very nice selection of hardware features under the hood and it was hyped beyond belief before it was released by Nokia, which has partnered with Microsoft to use their OS on all mainstream smartphones that they will release.

But while the first generation of Windows Phone 7 smartphones had a pretty poor selection of handsets, there was one device that stood out - the Dell Venue Pro, which has a great build quality, nice design, great hardware and a very nice portrait QWERTY keyboard that can rival that of a Blackberry. It's still on sale and it's cheaper than ever, so it makes sense to compare it with the most popular smartphone to see if it's a good choice for a first time Windows Phone 7 user.

Design

Sure, the unibody polycarbonate design of the Nokia Lumia 800 is very attractive, but the Dell Venue Pro is no sore loser and in many ways it's even better than Nokia's flagship. Dell's phone is often overlooked based on the name alone - somehow, "Dell" doesn't inspire confidence in the users' minds, partly because of the poor management of the Dell Streak Android phone, but mostly because their consumer laptops have always been known to break and their consumer customer support is pretty bad, as well (their business laptops and support are top of the line, though).

But the Venue Pro is really something - it has a very high quality build, with a lot of attention to the finish. The front has a thick scratch resistant glass, the back cover has a nice pattern engraved on it, the sides are chromed and the top and bottom have rubber inserts to make opening and closing the keyboard easy. The QWERTY keyboard is great, as well. However, all that makes the phone pretty thick (it's a whole 15 mm thick), which contrasts with the Lumia 800's 12mm sleek design.

Hardware features

Both smartphones have a good selection of features when it comes to the hardware. The Nokia Lumia 800 has a beautiful 3.7 inch, 800×480 pixels AMOLED display with Nokia's own ClearBlack technology (basically a darkened layer over the display), which makes the colors and contrast better. Inside the phone, you'll find all the features that should be present on a modern phone, including Wifi N, Bluetooth, GPS, DLNA, HSPA+ radio, 16 GB of onboard storage space and a great 8 megapixels camera with support for 720p video recording.

The Dell Venue Pro is not bad at all, either - it has a 4.1 inch AMOLED display which looks just as good as Nokia's, but with brighter colors and slightly worse black levels. The Wifi N, Bluetooth and GPS adapters like Dell Inspiron 15 AC Adapter, Dell Inspiron 1545 AC Adapter, Dell Inspiron 1750 AC Adapter, Dell Inspiron 1210 AC Adapter, Dell inspiron 1000 AC Adapter, Dell inspiron 1200 AC Adapter, Dell inspiron 7000 AC Adapter, Dell Inspiron 3500 AC Adapter, Dell Inspiron 9200 AC Adapter, Dell Latitude D620 AC Adapter, Dell Latitude D820 AC Adapter, Dell XPS M1210 AC Adapter are there, as is the HSPA+ radio. The camera is a smaller 5 megapixels unit that also supports 720p video recording, and there's less onboard storage space - 8 GB, however you can upgrade that using a micro SD card (which should not be removed once inserted since Windows Phone 7 uses it as a main drive). That gives the Venue Pro a few points for those who need more storage space.

Performance

Performance wise, the second generation Lumia 800 is faster thanks to its 1.4 GHz Snapdragon processor and Adreno 205 graphics adapter. The Venue Pro only has a 1 GHz processor and the older Adreno 200 GPU. Both phones have the same 512 MB of RAM, though. The difference in performance won't be very visible in everyday use, but the newer games and apps may lag or slow down sometimes on the Dell.

Software

Both smartphones run Windows Phone 7.5 Mango, which they received with an OTA update, and the OS runs great on both smartphones - the animations and transitions are smooth and fast on both handsets. I doubt either of these handsets will get an update to Windows Phone 8, but the Nokia Lumia 800 has the better chance if Microsoft decides that a single core processor and 512 MB is enough for Apollo.

Now, obviously on paper the Nokia Lumia 800 is better, but the Dell Venue Pro is not far behind and the hardware QWERTY keyboard, high build quality and the big AMOLED display are worth considering it. You'll be surprised to see that the Venue Pro is also half the price of the Lumia 800 - that makes it even more attractive, and if you're getting your first Windows Phone 7 handset, you won't be disappointed by the Dell, for sure.

Belkin Travel Power Adapter Review

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of the Asus Ac Adapter   First post by: www.itsbattery.com

Have you ever taken your notebook home from work or school and realized you forgot your power adapter? Or have you ever wished that you could charge your notebook in your car while you're driving, so it had a full battery? Or maybe, like me, you've tried to stuff four different chargers into one bag while you are traveling and ended up misplacing one because there were so many cords and wires.

Well, the Belkin Travel Power Adapter claims to be the solution to all of these problems. I decided to check out the do it all power adaptor like Asus Eee PC 1015PD AC Adapter, Asus B43 AC Adapter, Acer ADP-65JH DB AC Adapter, Acer ADP-60NH AC Adapter, Asus Eee PC 1016 AC Adapter, Asus A6 AC Adapter, Asus U5 AC Adapter, Asus ADP 65JH CB AC Adapter, Asus ADP-36EH AC Adapter, Asus A8 AC Adapter, Asus U5F AC Adapter, Asus Eee PC 1215 AC Adapter to see if it's really useful or if it's just another bulky hassle.

Belkin Travel Power Adapter Specifications

Guaranteed compatibility for PC laptops under 17"

USB Power for iPod, PDA's and other compatible devices

Integrated cord-wrap design

Battery-expandable

Input voltage: 100-240V

Output voltage: 16-24V

Dimensions: 15.2 x 6.6 x 3.2cm

Weight: about 15 oz.

$100,000 connected equipment warranty

Will send free tip if supplied tips do not work

Design and Aesthetics

For USB devices, the adapter must be plugged into a power source for the USB port to be able to charge your device (I know that goes without saying but you never know).

Whether in the car or at home, the adapter worked equally well. I happen to have a Dell - which is the one computer brand that this power adapter will not charge - so I couldn't test how it charged my notebook. I actually got an error message one of the times I plugged the adapter in saying that not only would the adapter not charge my computer but I might not be able to run my notebook normally, although I never had a problem.

Since my Dell was out, we did test the adapter's charging abilities on a compatible computer, my co-worker's Asus R1 Tablet, it took about an hour and half, a little longer than the Asus provided power brick but still decent.

The USB slot worked just fine, and although I don't have many devices that charge via USB port, this adapter could be very handy while in the car or on a plane since it can charge multiple devices.

Also, Belkin has a $100,000 connected equipment warranty. Their policy is that they will repair or replace any equipment (up to $100,000) that is damaged by a surge or a spike in power while properly connected to a power supply.

Conclusion

Belkin's Travel Power Adapter is a great product that you can take with you in the car or use at home. You can charge multiple devices with it and I liked the color much better than a typical solid black. While it is more expensive than getting a simple power brick, it's comparable in price to other multi-use power adapters on the market.

I wouldn't recommend it for Dell notebook owners though. Why spend $120 on a power adapter that won't even charge your computer?

Apple MacBook Pro Full Review

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of the Apple Ac Adapter   First post by: www.itsbattery.com

I recently purchased a 2.0 Ghz Apple MacBook Pro. I stuck with the stock configuration of 512 MB RAM, 80 GB hard drive, 128 MB ATI Radeon X1600. Immediately after buying, I went to Fry's and picked up a 1 GB stick of 667 Mhz RAM to bring the total to 1.5 GB. I have returned three and am on my fourth. This review encompasses experiences from all of the notebooks. The pros and cons are true of all four I have had.

Specifications of the MacBook Pro reviewed

2.0 GHz Intel Core Duo

667MHz frontside bus and main memory

PCI Express architecture

100GB 5400 Serial ATA hard drive

ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256MB memory on 16-lane PCI Express

ExpressCard/34 slot

Dual-link DVI, VGA adapter included such as Apple A1021 AC Adapter, Apple A1222 AC Adapter, Apple M8942 AC Adapter, Apple a1036 AC Adapter, Apple Magsafe AC Adapter, Apple M8942 AC Adapter, Apple A1021 AC Adapter, Apple A1184 AC Adapter, Apple A1172 AC Adapter, Apple A1222 AC Adapter, Apple A1330 AC Adapter, Apple M8482 AC Adapter

One FireWire 400 port, two USB 2.0 ports

Optical digital and analogue audio I/O, built-in microphone and stereo speakers

Slot-loading SuperDrive

Illuminated keyboard, scrolling TrackPad

Built-in AirPort Extreme (802.11g), Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, and Gigabit Ethernet

Mac OS X Tiger with iLife '06, featuring iWeb

This is where the ordeal begins. I purchased my first MacBook Pro at the Apple Store in Las Vegas while on vacation (we have no Apple Store here in Fresno California). I wanted to purchase in store to make it easy to return. Good thing I did!

The first night while checking to make sure everything ran ok, a line of pixels all the way across the middle of the screen turned gray, and would not switch back. That MacBook Pro was promptly returned the next day. I did not really have time to test the new one before I left Las Vegas got home. After playing with this next MacBook Pro for a weekend at home I discovered that it randomly shutdown for no real reason. Hot, cold, on battery, plugged-in -- did not matter. I took that machine back the next weekend to an Apple store in Sacramento, CA. When we arrived I realized my wife had not brought the receipt! It made no difference. Apple willingly switched it out even though it did not exhibit the problem while I was there. I had the third one for nearly 2 weeks before returning it to the San Jose store (we were in the area). There was no specific problem with this one it just seemed to act up a lot. This time we could not find the first 2 receipts, but did have the third. Again, with no fuss they exchanged the notebooks. So, I'm on my fourth MacBook Pro, and have had this one for nearly two weeks problem free! For those that are interested the first three were all week 17 and this one is week 21.

Acer Aspire TimelineX 5830TG-6614

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of the Acer Ac Adapter   First post by: www.itsbattery.com

We've seen several laptops lately that peg the intersection of the desktop replacement and budget categories at around $700. The Acer Aspire TimelineX 5830TG-6614 is a bit steeper at $779.99 list, but don't dismiss it: For one thing, we've seen online resellers offering it for around $750. For another, the 15.6-inch Aspire is loaded with everything from Intel Wireless Display (WiDi) to a discrete Nvidia graphics adapter like Acer Aspire One 521 AC Adapter, Acer Aspire 1551 AC Adapter, Acer Aspire 4551 AC Adapter, Acer Aspire 5251 AC Adapter, Acer TravelMate 8472 AC Adapter, Acer Aspire 7551 AC Adapter, Acer Aspire 1680 AC Adapter, Acer Aspire One AC Adapter, Acer Travelmate 3000 AC Adapter, Acer Travelmate 250 AC Adapter, Acer Aspire 9100 AC Adapter, Acer Travelmate 200 AC Adapter that actually passed our gaming tests at medium resolution and detail settings.

As you might guess from its model number, the Acer 5830TG-6614 is a refreshed version of the Aspire TimelineX 5830TG-6402 ($799.99 direct, 3.5 stars) we tested in August. Besides a $20 price cut and the addition of WiDi 2.0—which beams the notebook's display to an HDTV equipped with an extra-cost ($100 or so) Belkin, D-Link, or Netgear adapter—the changes include slightly faster graphics and processing hardware.

Unchanged from August is the Aspire's handsome cobalt blue aluminum lid with chrome Acer logo and matching blue plastic palm rest; the black chiclet-style keys are framed in a silver aluminum keyboard surround. There's a numeric keypad, with small but dedicated Home, End, PgUp, and PgDn keys, to the right of the primary keys; the touchpad is centered under the latter (actually, under the space bar), so some users perceive it as being too far to the left. I had no complaints myself—I quite enjoyed typing on the laptop, and the touchpad, though a little small compared to some of the jumbo ones you see today, worked smoothly, with comfortable left and right buttons instead of invisible clickpad corners.

Measuring 1.2 by 14.9 by 9.8 inches (HWD) and weighing 5.4 pounds, the 5830TG-6614 has an appealingly angular design. The 15.6-inch widescreen has the same 1,366-by-768 resolution that's ubiquitous in the class—if you want more space, you'll have to either pay for the likes of the Dell XPS 15z ($1,534 direct, 4 stars) or opt for a 17.3-inch system such as the HP Pavilion dv7-6b55dx ($699.99 list, 4 stars). Sufficient for viewing videos in 720p, the display offers a glossy finish and fairly narrow viewing angles. The laptop's audio is a good partner for those videos, with above-average sound from the Dolby Home Theater speakers mounted above the keyboard.

The Aspire strides to the front, however, in graphics tests, thanks to its 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 540M discrete graphics adapter. Running at 1,024-by-768 resolution with medium quality and detail settings, the Acer posted a playable 39.1 frames per second (fps) in Lost Planet 2 and a better-than-playable 58.1fps in Crysis, as well as nearing the impressive 10,000-point mark (9,551) in 3DMark06.

Nvidia's Optimus technology automatically switches from the GeForce adapter to the Core i5 chip's more placid integrated graphics when running visually undemanding applications, which boosts battery life. Indeed, though I'm by nature biased against batteries sealed inside laptop cases so they can't be swapped out, it's hard to criticize the Acer's too much, because it lasted a hardy 9 hours 1 minute in our MobileMark 2007 test—trailing its 5830TG-6402 predecessor (9:57) and the HP Pavilion (9:33), but besting the Asus (7:42) and Lenovo (5:30).

Overall, the Aspire TimelineX 5830TG-6614 comes within a whisker of unseating the Asus U56E-BBL6 as our budget laptop Editors' Choice, the latter clinging to its title by dint of its lower price and removable battery. But if you're looking for an affordable desktop replacement that won't fold when you fire up a few games, the Acer is a strong candidate.

DualShock Grip and Extended Battery

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of the Nikon Battery Grip   First post by: www.itsbattery.com

The PlayStation Vita launched in Japan one month ago along with tons of games and also some accessories, mostly from Sony themselves. However, in the coming months, consumers will start to see third party companies making their own accessories. One peripheral that will surely catch the attention of long time PlayStation fans is the “Assist Grip” by Datel Japan.

Like its name, the purpose of this accessory is to assist gamers in holding the Vita in their hand. “Assist Grip” is unique because it provides a really close feeling of holding a DualShock controller, the same controller design used by Sony for its PlayStation products since PS One era, almost making the product like our concept DualShock 4. Impress Watch reports that the premise behind the accessory holds true with no major complaints about its constructions. Even though most Vita owners have reported no complaints in holding the device itself, it is still nice to have a peripheral that will enable us to duplicate the feeling of playing a Sony home console. The “Assist Grip” such as Canon BG-E2 Battery Grip, Canon BG-E7 Battery Grip, Canon BG-E10 Battery Grip, Nikon D3000 Battery Grip, Nikon D5000 Battery Grip, Nikon MB-D31 Battery Grip, Nikon MB-D51 Battery Grip, Pentax BP-K7 Battery Grip, Sony VG-B50AM Battery Grip, Sony VG-B30AM Battery Grip, Nikon Battery Grip will retail for ¥1,380, which is around $18, when it releases on January 31.

Another peripheral coming for the Vita is USB Portable Power Set made by Sony. This 2,000 mAh device can charge the Vita on the go via USB. This charger can provide an additional three hours, give or take, of gameplay time. Even though this device is made by Sony, it is not made specifically for Vita only, it also works with any USB-based device such as Vita’s competitor Nintendo 3DS. The USB Portable Power Set will set you back around ¥2,980, which is around $39. Release date is unknown at this point.

Both accessories have not been announced for North America just yet, but hopefully they will as we get closer to the Vita’s launch on February 22nd.

Battery Charger Features LCD Readout

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of the Sony Digital Camera Battery   First post by: www.itsbattery.com

Designed for charging 7.2/7.4v digital camera batteries when there is no AC or DC power source available, Promaster's Go! SLR features an internal power supply that reportedly enables a digitacal camera battery such as sony NP-F550 battery, sony NP-FR1 battery, sony NP-FM50 battery, sony NP-FM51 battery, sony NP-F10 battery, sony NP-FE1 battery, Sharp VL-Z900W battery, Canon BP-512 battery, Canon BP-508 battery, sony DSC-T7 battery, Sony NP-68 battery, Sony NP-98 battery to be charged up to five times before it needs to be refreshed.

The Go! SLR can also serve as a stand-alone power supply/charger for USB-powered devices. It features a built-in fuel gauge that lets users know the condition of the internal power unit with the touch of a button.

The Go! SLR is scheduled to become available in January for a $149 suggested retail.

Sakar International is offering consumers “everything they ever wanted in a digital camera battery charger.” The company's new USB/AC/DC 90-minute charger package includes four AA 2400mAh nickel-cadmium batteries that never retain a charging memory, said Sakar.

The device recharges camera batteries using just about any power source available, said the company, either 120-volt house current, AC auto/boat/airplane power, or even a laptop or PC using the built-in USB plug,

Called model CH-5600, Sakar said the product is its most innovative charger, which features an LCD display that tells users how long before charging is complete, and recharges AA or AAA digital camera batteries in 90 minutes or less.

Suggested retail is $39.99, and the charger will be available in May.

Panasonic Debuts Digital Camera Battery

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of the Canon Digital Camera Battery   First post by: www.itsbattery.com

Panasonic is introducing a high performance, long lasting AA nickel-zinc battery specifically designed to power digital cameras.

The company said the newly developed battery like Panasonic CGA-S101A Battery, Olympus Li-10B Battery, Olympus BLM1 Battery, panasonic NV-GS10 battery, panasonic VHS-C Battery, canon EOS 400D Battery, panasonic VW-VBD1E Battery, panasonic VW-VBD1 Battery, Panasonic CGA-S002 Battery, HITACHI DZ-HS300E Battery, Olympus FE-230 Battery, canon MV930 Battery, the first of its kind to be introduced into the United States, is designed to provide longer lasting power than high-drain alkaline batteries.

Panasonic claims its battery powered an average of more than 50 additional shots when compared with Duracell M3 and Energizer E2 batteries.

The number of shots taken when using the Panasonic battery, on average, surpassed those using the Duracell M3 by 27 percent and Energizer E2 by 47 percent, according to Panasonic.

The AA battery, the most widely used power source for digital cameras, said Panasonic, will have an estimated retail range of $5.49 to $5.99 and ship in May.

Digital Cameras Rechargeables Battery biz

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of the Canon Digital Camera Battery   First post by: www.itsbattery.com

Powering digital cameras and other high drain consumer electronics devices, while at the same time ratcheting up the rechargeables that help keep CE hardware on the road, is the one-two punch driving the battery business. A trend toward larger size packages rounds out key initiatives.

Whether alkaline or lithium ion (Li-Ion) types for CE products or nickel metal hydride (NiMH) for rechargeables, batteries are fast becoming one of the most tech influenced accessories categories.

"Batteries such as canon NB-1L battery, canon NB-2L battery, canon BP-511 battery, canon NB-5L battery, canon NB-4L battery, canon NB-5H battery, nikon CR-V3 battery, nikon EN-EL2 battery, Olympus FE-250 battery, Fujifilm NP-40 battery, Samsung VP-MS12 battery, Sharp VR-BL1 battery will continue to follow the growth of technology and the consumer's desire for portability and convenience," said Lou Martire, vice president-trade development at Energizer. "As the demand for power-hungry digital cameras continues to grow, and with the introduction of new toys and devices, so will the demand for batteries [climb]," he said.

This summer, St. Louis-based Energizer will begin significant media support for its Energizer e2 AA 1.5-volt lithium photo battery. Said to be one of a kind, the battery delivers five times the power of an ordinary alkaline battery in digital cameras, according to Energizer. Suggested retail for AA or AAA e2 4-packs is $4.99.

With product performance of its Energizer Max alkaline AA and AAA batteries recently improved, Energizer said these will run up to 40 percent longer than ordinary alkaline batteries in AA and AAA sizes in high drain devices. These two cell sizes make up almost 80 percent of all batteries sold and are used in many of the newest portable devices, said Energizer. Suggested retail for Max AA and AAA 4-packs is $3.99.

In addition, Energizer has begun shipping an improved AA NiMH 1700 mAh product, up from 1600 mAh.

"The popularity of nickel metal hydride rechargeable batteries continues to be driven by wider acceptance of high drain devices such as PDAs and, especially, digital cameras," said Peter Brinkman, vice president for marketing at Maxell. "As we expected, this trend has accelerated in recent months because of the increase in household penetration of digital cameras and because consumers are familiar and comfortable with using rechargeable batteries," said Brinkman.

To help support the growth in rechargeables, Fair Lawn, N.J.-based Maxell is offering consumers packaging that effectively communicates battery chemistry, emphasizes recommended usage and communicates higher capacity availability.

Maxell's newest battery product is its P2001 Recharger/Battery Combination Pack at $24.99 suggested retail. The item includes a smart recharger and four AA NiMH batteries. It automatically detects the amount of charge required for each battery placed in the unit and charges accordingly. It is capable of recharging both nickel cadmium (NiCd) and NiMH batteries, and automatically recognizes either chemistry.

A second key trend shaping the battery business is the "importance of value to sales growth in the alkaline battery category, as represented by larger pack sizes," said Maxell's Brinkman. "Sales growth of the larger pack sizes is being generated by an increase in battery usage overall caused by the popularity and widespread use of battery-driven devices.