Apple had a couple of new patent applications published by the USPTO today (spotted by AppleInsider), including one detailing how internal fans could be made to fit mobile devices to help dissipate heat, and another for headphones that become speakers for when listening goes from private to shared scenarios, which even describes how in-ear models could work that way. The patent for internal fans… → Read More
Apple was granted a couple of interesting patents today (spotted by AppleInsider), including one for multitouch surfaces embedded in devices that appear and disappear as needed, as well as a new cooling apparatus design that can redirect air to where it’s needed most within a device. One is just a twist on tech Apple already uses, and the other is something that could address warm lap issues… → Read More
A Raleigh, North Carolina-based maker of thermoelectric coolers and generators, Phononic Devices, closed a $10 million series B investment from Venrock and Oak Investment Partners, the companies revealed today.
Often explained as “solid-state heat pumps,” thermoelectric technology (a.k.a. thermoelectrics) can capture wasted heat, and convert it into power. They can also displace heat and… → Read More
Do you know where Hungary is? No? Not a problem, let’s leave it that way. Until now there were no Hungarian products for computers – or none of them worth mentioning. → Read More
In systems where both energy limitations and heat flow are major considerations, passive cooling has been an increasingly popular solution, though not always the best one. Heatsinks are often just not enough to do the job, but as they become more sophisticated they are closing the performance gap with active heat reduction like fans or piping. Celsia has made the heatsink into something more… → Read More
The Thermaltake Xpressar RCS100 is basically a mini-fridge PC case, keeping the insides at a cool 50 to 70 degrees. How is this possible? I have no idea, except that it’s “the world’s first DC inverter-type micro refrigeration cooling system,” according to the Inquirer. Also, it looks pretty clean inside — not as many tubes and whatnot as a typical water-cooled… → Read More
Chips these days are pretty much flat. And I’m not talking about tortilla chips. They call those silicon things wafers for a reason: all those little gates and channels are lying flat in a single layer. Chipmakers know that you can stack chips on top of each other and multiply your computing power due to the decreased distance the signal has to travel (I’m kind of at the edge of my… → Read More
Thermaltake has launched a fanless laptop cooling pad called the iXoft that can be folded and rolled up for easy transport. Made of sodium sulfate decahydrate, or Na2SO4.10H2O for chemistry nerds (that’s right, I have no clue what I’m talking about), the pad uses Thermaltake’s Heat Shift technology, which consists of inner material that exhibits cold and solid properties when not… → Read More
We love gadgets that solve two problems at the same time. We call that “convergence,” and it’s a wonderful thing. It’s especially interesting when a gadget solves not just two, but three problems. Meet Inland’s Aluminum Notebook Cooling Fan Pad with All-in-One Card Reader and USB Hub. It’s quite a title, but it’s quite a nifty piece of hardware, and it… → Read More
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