Specially modified lithium battery withstands –80°C, supports cold chain

A long-life 3.6-V lithium thionyl chloride cell delivers continuous around-the-clock power for 20+ years in temperatures as low as –80°C. Currently employed in dataloggers and sensors, these batteries support the requirements of the cold chain, including foods, medical supplies, and medical samples that are frozen or packed in dry ice. Batteries modified for the cold chain are available in 1/2AA, 2/3AA, AA, C, D, and DD cylindrical cells, as well as in wafer cells and battery packs. The development of a long-life lithium battery designed for the cold chain prevents system failure caused by extremely cold temperatures that can compromise system performance and data integrity.
The lithium thionyl chloride cells use a nonaqueous electrolyte that can withstand temperatures down to –55°C, which suits dataloggers. Cells modified to withstand –80°C temperatures target sensors that require high capacity, high energy density, and extremely long life in cold environments. These batteries feature twice the energy density of other battery chemistries, have a glass-to-metal hermetical seal (not a crimped elastomer gasket), and are ISO-9001 certified and UL recognized. (Contact 516-621-4980 for pricing and availability.) Learn more about Tadiran Electronic Industries, Inc.

Java design tool adds extended graphics

Version 5.3 of the PERC Ultra tool for embedded and real-time Java development supports AWT/Swing graphics libraries.
Programs that have been implemented with Java Enterprise Edition (J2EE) libraries, but are now required to move to embedded targets where Java Standard Edition (J2SE) is more appropriate, can use the extended graphics libraries. The AWT/Swing libraries for embedded platforms gives 2D/3D graphics developers the immediate availability of hundreds of downloadable community projects. (License, from $25,000 based on projected volume — available now.) Aonix North America, San Diego, CASales 858-457-2700nfo@aoniix.comhttp://www.aonix.com

Memo to RIM: BlackBerry Name Confusion Bad News for Buyers

New BlackBerry smartphones certainly won't be in short supply this upcoming holiday season; BlackBerry-maker RIM has unveiled two new devices in the last week alone. But the company's not doing customers any favors by assigning confusing product names and model-numbers to its wide array of devices

Thu, October 22, 2009 — CIO — The majority of BlackBerry smartphones shipped in the past few years carried one of Research In Motion's (RIM) crafty device "brand names" like Pearl, Curve, Bold or Storm. That's because the company wisely realized somewhere along the line that its product portfolio was rapidly outgrowing its past model-number-based smartphone-naming conventions.

Innovation: 100-mpg car contest under starters orders

Innovation is our new column that highlights the latest emerging technological ideas and where they may lead.
Last night in California a list of 111 teams was announced – one of which may hold the key to motoring's green future. They are the registered entrants to the Progressive Auto X Prize, a contest that will award prizes totalling $10 million for vehicles that can go 100 miles on the energy equivalent to that in a gallon of fuel.
Notable by their absence were the world's largest car manufacturers – bar Indian firm Tata – who don't seem interested in taking part. The list is varied spanning slick Californian start-ups with electric cars, to less-refined backyard efforts still finalising their designs.
See a gallery of some of the vehicles entered into the Auto X Prize
But you can be sure that the auto giants will be closely watching the progress of entrants through the design judging and performance testing phases planned for this year, as well as the race events scheduled to start in 2010. The contest offers a chance for smaller players to shake up an industry long dominated by giant, established firms set in their ways.

Screens of Android

Screens of Android 2.0 update revealed


Google has kept their mouths tightly shut this time round for their next update for Android (codenamed “Eclair”, version number 2.0). But this hasn’t stopped the BGR guys from having a good look at what the new update will be like and what benefits Android users will soon be able to see. The Boy Genius Report got their hands on a Moto Sholes running 2.0, see a nice list of highlights on the new functions you’d expect to see in Android 2.0 below… Read the rest of this entry »