Duracell Direct Blog

An interesting video on Duracell Daylite LED torch and the technology used in the torch.

Read more about the Daylite LED torch as featured in the previous post, Duracell Daylite – Turn Night into Day.

Watch more videos like this on DuracellDirect YouTube Channel.

Duracell Daylite LED Torch

You probably know that Duracell do a whole range of torches and flashlights.  It was very briefly introduced in a previous post about Duracell Torches titled, Light up your world with a Duracell Torch.  As part of the Smart Power initiative Duracell launched the Daylite torches.

The Daylite series is available as the Daylite, hard-anodized aircraft-grade aluminium construction, featured here and also as the rugged, rubber coated, non-slip, Daylite Tough.  There are plenty of different sizes and versions like the pocket sized torch powered by two CR123 batteries or the larger one which is powered by two D size batteries.

Duracell Daylite Torch

Daylite LED torch incorporates patented TrueBeam optics to produce a smooth, very bright light.  The light is even and consistent with no black spots.  Most torches are affected by this black spot, which can be annoying.  It combines LED technology with precision focus lensing to produce a true beam of bright white light.

The torch is shock and weather resistant.  It also features spot to flood focus, the head swivels to focus or widen the beam.  The LED bulb is rated at 80 lumens (3W).  It is very bright for such a small torch.

Duracell Ultra Bunny Tornado

Duracell Ultra Bunny Sumo Wrestler

Duracell Ultra Bunny Rhino

Following the Duracell Ultra Bunnies commercial, these are the awesome print versions.

The power of millions of Duracell Bunnies in a Duracell Ultra Battery.  You don’t want to stand in the way of these three.

Just like the Bunny, Duracell Ultra Batteries last longer as well.  It is Duracell’s most powerful battery ever.  Find out more about Duracell Ultra batteries.

Source:  AdsofTheWorld.com

Maltese Climbers on top of Mount Cho Oyu

So what does Greg Attard, Marco Cremona and Robert Gatt, the three Maltese Mountain Climbers and the Duracell Bunny have in common?

The answer is, that they are all powered by Duracell batteries.

The three climbers are the first-ever Maltese climbers to successfully reach the summit of Mount Cho Oyu.  For those of you wondering where Mount Cho Oyu is, it is in the Himalayas and is one of the tallest mountains in the world.

They were supplied with rechargeable batteries by Duracell to power the climb and to keep the devices powered in the extreme conditions.

Next year the team is out to tackle the even bigger challenge of Mount Everest.

The Duracell Bunny is way more powerful as it was able to haul up all the other tired bunnies all by itself.  If you don’t believe it check out the video of the mountain climbing Duracell Bunny.

Source:  The Malta Independent

Royal Mail Postal Strike Action - Taped Letterbox

Royal Mail Postal Strike

Don’t despair, beat the Royal Mail postal strike action when ordering on DuracellDirect UK.  All UK orders over £20 in value will be delivered by courier on a Next Day service, at no extra charge, until further notice.

We are proud of the fact that most orders will be un-affected by Royal Mail postal strike action and by providing alternative delivery services to our customers.

Duracell ProPhoto SDHC Flash Memory Card

Duracell ProPhoto Compact Flash Memory Card

Are you a shutterbug? Take loads of photos and are fed up with flash memory cards that are too slow or are un-reliable.  Hindering your productivity.  Well, here’s your answer from Duracell.  High speed, ProPhoto range of flash memory cards.

Following the recent launch of the new look USB flash memory drives, Duracell has also launched high speed flash memory cards called the ProPhoto range.  ProPhoto flash memory cards are available in the highest possible speed class, which is currently Class 6.  These are available in both the SDHC and Compact Flash memory card formats and in capacities of 4GB, 8GB and 16GB.

Duracell ProPhoto flash memory cards optimise recording performance enabling you to capture more high resolution digital images.  The speed capabilities of these cards are optimised for photography and won’t provide any tangible benefit on other devices.  Please remember to check that Class 6 SDHC or Compact Flash memory cards are compatible with your camera and card reader.

Windows 7

Have you ordered your copy of the latest operating system from Microsoft, Windows 7? or are you planning a midnight visit to one of the many shops that are planning to stay open later for the launch?  That’s right, the much anticipated Windows 7 is being launched at the stroke of midnight, tonight, 21st October 2009.

Eventhough, Windows 7 is based on Vista, a lot of the problems and annoyances that have plagued Vista have been fixed.  Issues related to Hardware and software compatibility, memory handling and performance have been addressed and improved upon in this latest version.  Microsoft has made some changes to the overall look and feel but the critical changes are under the hood.  Especially energy efficiency, which seems to have been the mantra of the design and development of Windows 7.

The window memory manager is much improved and only allocates resources to the windows that are visible and full screen.  If you have hundreds of windows open on your laptop, but are minimised then it should not make the laptop crawl to a halt like in Vista.  Windows 7 has reduced the idle power consumption by enabling the hardware to power down when not in use.  This includes the processor, disk drive, memory and network activity.  Background services are only started when required or when triggered by events like when a device is inserted.

Universal External Battery Pack

Other power saving features and improvements are, enhanced processor power management, adaptive display brightness, device power management, low-power audio, bluetooth power improvement and networking power improvement.  Processor power management technologies allows Windows 7 to choose the right processor performance according to the load.  Adaptive display brightness allows the user to customise power saving by dimming the display, not just turning off after 10 minutes of inactivity.  If your laptop hardware has special sensors then this technology can also adjust brightness according to ambient light.

It can be said that with all these features that Windows 7 is certainly a much smarter operating system and ideally suited for laptops and netbooks.  All these power saving features would certainly maximise laptop battery power.  There may be more time to use the laptop between each recharge and less time scrambling for the power adapter and looking for a suitable wall socket.

Did you know that Duracell Direct carry an extensive range of rechargeable laptop battery packs?  Laptop batteries to fit major laptop manufacturers from Acer to Toshiba,  obscure manufacturers like USI and Wistron and even those that may not exist anymore.  If you cant find the correct battery for your laptop or have a lots of different laptops and want a simple, “one-size-fits-all”, solution then a universal external battery pack could be the answer.  Supplied with a range of tips to attach the battery to your laptop.  With a laptop running Windows 7 and an external battery pack providing extra power, run times of more than 9 hours are quite possible.

Duracell Powersource Mini

Duracell Powersource Mini is a handy pocket-sized, rechargeable battery pack for USB powered devices.  It is very similar to the Duracell Pocket Charger, except that the Powersource Mini has an in-built rechargeable Lithium Ion Polymer battery.

The PowerSource Mini has a pivoting arm with a Mini USB connector and is also supplied with USB to Mini USB cable.  This sleek, lightweight product can power a whole range of devices.  You can recharge your BlackBerry, iPod, PSP, Motorola Phones like Razr and Rokr, MP3 players, PDAs and more.

Duracell Powersource Mini

If the Powersource Mini runs out of power, simply recharge it by connecting it to your computer’s USB port, from a wall outlet through a lightweight AC charger or through a vehicle’s 12V DC socket.  All of which are supplied with the Powersource Mini making it very convenient.  Avoiding the need to purchase the cables and chargers separately.

For those of you concerned about safety, it has a number of advanced safety features with protection against overload, high input voltage, over temperature and output short circuit.

Another handy product from Duracell, with an ultra-slim design for maximum portability.   Checkout other handy battery and USB chargers from DuracellDirect.

Don’t throw your batteries, recycle them.  Preventing the chemicals from ending up in landfill sites or our environment, where they take a very long time to decay or dis-integrate.  As new European directive come into force supermarkets like Sainsbury’s and Tesco have joined various schemes to help recycle batteries.  Soon you should be able to take your used, old batteries to special collection/recycle points at these supermarkets and many other locations across UK.  It has to be noted that several such recycling points have been in operation for a number of years, but none easily accessible as Sainsbury’s or Tesco.

Sainsbury’s announced today that it is planning to collect both light bulbs and batteries in-store.  Low-energy light bulbs or CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs) contain small amounts of Mercury.  Sainsbury’s will be the first national retailer to launch collection of both batteries and light bulbs.

Duracell provisionally agreed to join the battery recycling scheme set up by ERP pending approval by the Environment Agency.  This is to help fund and promote battery recycling.

You can also help the environment by switching to use rechargeable batteries, where appropriate.  Duracell Rechargeable Standard, Supreme or Active Charge batteries can be recharged and used hundreds of times instead of the standard non-rechargeable Alkaline batteries.  Using a battery charger these rechargeable NiMH batteries can be used over and over again.  Prolonging the life of the batteries and the devices they power.

Are you having trouble with your iPhone battery life?  Running out of power very quickly and frequently.  Missing all those important phone calls or worse still you are unable to make any calls.

Duracell USB In-Car Charger

Stuck in traffic and getting late for that important client meeting, you decide to pull over and make a quick call to say that you are being delayed.  You fish out your iPhone from your jacket pocket and you are greeted with a blank screen.  Tapping on the screen does not have any effect, now starting to panic you fumble with the power button.  Still, nothing, no response!  All sorts of thoughts pop into your head about facing the client, facing your boss and even losing the client.

Now, a product like the Duracell USB In-Car Charger would be considered a life saver.  This compact device plugs into the car’s 12V socket and is then able to charge most USB powered devices including iPhones, iPods, Blackeberries other smartphones,  mobile phones, PDAs and MP3 players.

Don’t want to give up your beloved iPhone and want to wait until a fix is released, but need to use the phone whilst out and about in the meantime?  The Duracell USB In-Car Charger is ideal, but it would be handy accessory to have in the car as well regardless of whether you have an iPhone or not.

Please drive responsibly, don’t use the phone whilst driving!

Blog Action Day 2009 Climate Change

Duracell Direct is taking part in Blog Action Day, and this year’s chosen topic is climate change. Climate change is greatly affected by our carbon footprint. And our wide use of electronic gadgetry, can contribute to this in ways we may be unaware of.

There are plenty of ways that we can all reduce our own carbon footprint. For battery users, simply using Duracell rechargeable batteries will reduce our carbon footprint each day.  Compared to traditional alkaline batteries, rechargeable batteries are better in durability and performance, and they are also more environmentally friendly, using less resources to manufacture than all the regular batteries they replace. Each Duracell rechargeable battery can be recharged up to 400 times which reduces the cost to both you and the planet.

Environmental friendliness has always been key across the entire life of Duracell rechargeable batteries, from mining to manufacturing, shipping, use and disposal.  Did you realise that for each rechargeable battery in use, 100 or more disposable alkaline batteries are being saved from going to the landfill. Every little helps when it comes to protect our living environment, so please become more environmentally responsible, and make more informed choices when you choose what you consume.

Take a look into a day in the life of the Duracell Bunny.  Always powered up and always on the go.

Unlike all the other bunnies, the Duracell Bunny is powered by Duracell Plus batteries, and always lasts longer, much longer.

Watch more videos like this on our Duracell Direct YouTube channel.

Win a Racing Experience

That’s right, if you are over 18 and a resident in the UK then you can take part in this competition run by Home Cinema Choice magazine, courtesy of Duracell.

Duracell ActiveCharge Batteries

Experience the thrill of a high performance racing car or a rally car for you and a friend.  Take part in high speed laps at various venues including Silverstone, Donington and Mallory Park.  You also get a remote controlled Zero-gravity micro car, a Duracell Mini Charger and rechargeable batteries.  Your friend will receive a Duracell Mini Charger and ActiveCharge cells.

ActiveCharge batteries from Duracell are rechargeable and are supplied pre-charged.  Ready for use, straight out of the pack.  Read more about Duracell ActiveCharge Batteries.

For your chance to win this exciting competition, answer a simple question before 15th November 2009.

Tiny Nuclear Batteries

Scientists at University of Missouri have developed tiny nuclear batteries, the size of a penny.  That’s right, “nuclear”.

These batteries are to be used in specialist applications like Micro/Nano Electromechanical Systems (M/NEMS).  Currently, nuclear batteries are used in space, military applications, underwater systems and even pacemakers.

This new nuclear battery devloped by Professor Jae Kwon produces power from the release of charged particles during radioactive decay process.  It also uses liquid semiconductor to harvest these charged particles.

It is claimed by the scientists that using the right materials could make the batteries even smaller and still get more power efficiency.

However, there are no news on developing nuclear AA or AAA size batteries, just yet.  Until these nuclear batteries are made available from your local store or supermarket why not settle for the Duracell’s “most powerful battery ever”, the Duracell Ultra or the “number one selling battery for everyday use”, the Duracell Plus.

Duracell 16GB USB Flash Memory Drive

Duracell has launched some really cool looking USB Flash Memory Drives and are compatible with both USB 1.1 and 2.0 controllers.

These new cap-less USB drives, follow the same colour scheme as the coppertop alkaline batteries.  They are avialble in 2GB, 4GB, 8GB and 16GB capacities.

The compact, lightweight design and the built in hole for the keyring makes it very handy and not so cumbersome to carry around with your keys.

Duracell Bunnies

OK, they’re not actual Duracell Bunnies, but two of the Duracell promo girls out promoting the new Duracell ActiveCharge batteries.

Clever ActiveCharge batteries are Rechargeable, but come charged and ready to use! Not only that, but they hold power for up to a year without use. So they’re ready to pop in your camera to take that all important photo, even if they’ve been in your camera bag for months.

Source: Harsha MV’s Blog

There are so many different types of batteries, lots of different jargons and enticing brightly coloured packaging.  It all adds to the confusion and questions like, Which one should you choose to use?  Which one is correct?, arise all the time.

So, what’s the difference between Duracell Plus, Ultra and PowerPix batteries?

Duracell Plus is the no 1 selling battery suitable for everyday use and is available in AA, AAA, C, D and 9V sizes.  This is an Alkaline battery incorporating Super Conductive Graphite technology.  It lasts longer than other ordinary alkaline batteries and also makes it a reliable energy source.

Duracell Plus Batteries

Duracell Ultra, used to be known as Ultra M3, is designed to be the most powerful Duracell alkaline in all devices and is also available in AA, AAA, C, D and 9V sizes.  It incorporates High Performance Cathode technology, making it last much longer than ordinary alkaline batteries.  These are the only batteries to have a power check tester on every battery.  So, you can always know how much energy is left in the battery.  Get up to 50 more pictures or 30 more songs, in AA size Ultra batteries compared to ordinary Alkaline batteries.

Duracell Ultra Batteries

Duracell PowerPix batteries are specially designed batteries for use in high drain devices like digital cameras.  These are technologically advanced and different using NiOX / NiOOH chemistry.  These batteries allow you to take up to twice as many photos compared to ordinary Alkaline batteries.  PowerPix batteries are not rechargeable.

Duracell PowerPix Batteries

The PowerPix batteries will work in other devices, but you may not see the same performance as you would with the Ultra batteries.  As the PowerPix batteries are specially designed for digital cameras, you will see much better performance in this area.  These are ideal for users who take more than 80 photos a month.  If you take much more than that, then Duracell Rechargeable batteries would be better value.  Giving you high performance that can be recharged hundreds of times.

Here is another classic commercial from 1983 featuring the Duracell Bunny.

Only the Duracell Bunny powered by a Duracell coppertop battery keeps going, while all others fail.

Watch more videos like this on our Duracell Direct YouTube channel.

Duracell Pocket Charger

Ever been stuck on a train and the MP3 player suddenly stops working?  It is particularly worse when it happens underground, on the Tube, in the middle of your favourite song.  Shattering your inner peace.  You try to keep yourself composed and clam while you actually want to scream and shout, for not charging the MP3 player.  You carry the power cables and adapter with you, but there aren’t any power sockets in the Tube. Well, not yet anyway.

It’s for moments like these that a device like the Duracell Pocket Charger is considered a life saver.

The Duracell Pocket Charger is a handy little device which is supplied with 2 Duracell Ultra Alkaline Batteries, a mini USB cable and an iPod charging cable.

Very easy to use, simply insert the batteries into the charger and you are ready to charge your Blackberry, mobile phone, MP3 players, other devices that can be charged using mini USB and not forgetting iPods.  Get up to an extra 48 hours of music from your iPod Nano using this charger.

This is a convenient charger for charging your mobile devices on the go.

Duracell actually do various other chargers, you can read more about them on a previous post.

No, this is not a hoax and no, it is not the 1st of April either.

Fujifilm FinePix REAL 3D W1

This is the Fujifilm FinePix REAL 3D W1 digital camera, which can capture both still images and movies in 3D.

This digital camera has a groundbreaking image capture system comprised of two Fujinon lenses, two CCD sensors and a newly developed processor (RP Processor 3D) which makes 3D point-and-shoot a reality.  The 2.8 inch LCD monitor on the camera is no ordinary monitor.  Again, this is a newly developed monitor which has a “Light Direction Control” system.  You don’t have to wear those fancy glasses to see the 3D images.

With 10 megapixels, 3X zoom and 3D in a die-cast aluminium frame, this is a neat little digital camera and quite possibly world’s first 3D digital camera.  The camera can take both SD and SDHC flash memory cards and also has a USB port for connecting to your computer or the FinePix REAL 3D Viewer.

The FinePix REAL 3D viewer is a much larger LCD display to view both 2D and 3D images, incorporating the same “Light Direction Control” system.  The viewer also has xD, SD and SDHC media slots.

Finally, 3D has become reality!