As we turn toward rechargeable batteries to power more and more of our gadgets, including electric vehicles, our first question is always "How much use will I get from a charge?" But manufacturers wrestle with additional parameters, including time required to recharge, number of charge cycles before the battery wears out, and safety of the battery. Toshiba is showing off a prototype Super Charge Ion Battery (SCiB) that excels in those areas. Its SCiB, as demonstrated at CEATEC 2008 in a Dynabook laptop, recharges to 90% of capacity in only 10 minutes, can take over 5000 recharge cycles (compared to about 500 for lithium-ion), and unlike lithium-ion batteries doesn't risk explosion if crushed. No news yet on Toshiba's big market plans, but SCiBs have already found a place in industrial uses, and should appear in various makers' electric bicycles from next year.
More info (English): http://tiny.cc/nxj0z

Product recalls and other goofs:

Who: Fuji Film
What: Battery chargers (BC-50) with lot numbers WCAA and WCAB, for the FinePix F100fd and F50fd cameras
Why: Breakage
What to do: Call 0120-611-277 in Japan
More info (Japanese):
http://fujifilm.jp/important/20080919/

Who: Apple Computer
What: USB power adapter for iPhone 3G, in North America, Japan, and several Latin American countries
Why: Prongs can break off in power outlet
What to do: Follow online instructions
More info (English):
http://www.apple.com/support/usbadapter/exchangeprogram/?sr=hotnews

Name: Thanko USB Nandemo Charger 2
Category: battery charger
Price: JPY1480
Release date in Japan: September 5, 2008

Thanko's "USB Nandemo [Anything] Charger 2" offers to consolidate your gadget charging needs - mobile phones, digital cameras, and PDAs - into one USB-powered unit. Not via a hydra-like nest of power connectors to fit any device, but via a universal charger that morphs to fit a variety of device batteries.

It's actually pretty simple. The Charger draws power from a USB cable connected to your PC. The base is essentially a big plastic clip, with two metal contacts whose distance is adjustable. Take out your device's battery, place it on the base, adjust the contacts so they touch the battery's points of contact, and let the clip hold things in place while for a 5V recharge.

It's a nifty idea, though with drawbacks. The device has to be one with a removable battery (so no iPhones/iPods), and the battery has to have two side-by-side metal contact points (generally, that means the flat batteries in mobile phones, and some cameras, PDAs, and game machines). Removing your phone's battery for a recharge is a bit more of a hassle than using its regular recharger. Further, you need to have a PC handy to supply power, or a wall outlet-to-USB connector. All in all, unless you really have the need to power a variety of battery types, it may be easier to just make sure you take your gadgets' normal rechargers with you on travels.

Still, it can be handy at times to have an extra means of charging on hand. For those wearing down the phone battery often, the following may be even better: the USB Nandemo Charger mini. It's similar to the above but plugs itself directly into a USB port without a cable (like a USB drive), and is intended only for 3.6/3.7V batteries (generally phone batteries). The upside: it's a tiny keychain, easy to always have on hand. Cheaper, too, at JPY980.

More info (Japanese):
http://thanko.jp/usbcharger2/