Kanye West Won't Face Criminal Charges in Teen Battery Case

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After paying big money to the teen he allegedly pummeled at a chiropractor’s office in Beverly Hills, Calif., it appears that Kanye West won’t be charged criminally for the assault.

According to the Associated Press, the Los Angeles County prosecutor rejected the case because Yeezy reached a civil settlement with the young man and there were no significant injuries to report.

West reportedly paid the 19-year-old victim $250,000 in order to settle the case.

The prosecutor’s evaluation report also revealed that there were conflicting eyewitness statements about how many times West punched the victim, who was uncooperative when prosecutors tried to speak to him about the incident.

As we previously reported, West got into a physical altercation with the young man after he allegedly hurled a racial epithet at Kim Kardashian.

West was not arrested, and his attorney Blair Berk had no comment on the prosecutor’s decision.

Next: Vote Kanye West's 'Yeezus' for Hip-Hop Album of the Year

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Gadgetwise: A Waterproof Phone With Battery Stamina

The Sony Xperia Z phone is tougher than it looks.

The phone is waterproof — in water up to three feet deep for a half-hour, according to Sony — but it looks like a standard smartphone, lacking the macho armoring of most devices built to withstand the elements.

The phone uses an Android operating system and is powered by a quad core Snapdragon chip, which, at least on paper, isn’t as fast as the chips in some competing phones. But the chip is snappy nonetheless.

The device is on the larger side, with a 5-inch, 1920 x 1080p HD screen. Sony makes much of its access to Bravia TV technology, but the screen is not definitively better than an Apple Retina or Samsung Amoled screen.

The phone also has a 13-megapixel camera with High Dynamic Range capability, which means that in a sunlit room, it should capture details from the shadows without having the window look like a glowing rectangle. In practice, its photos weren’t clearly better than those from the aforementioned competitors.

The Z has NFC capability, so it can trade information with other NFC devices with a touch. Sony has cleverly marked the NFC spot on the back of the phone, so you’re not reduced to rubbing your phone all over some other device hoping to connect, as is often required with NFC.

A battery “stamina” mode shuts down background operations while the phone is sleeping. You can designate which apps should keep running, so you can still get alerts.

With the Android Jellybean 4.2 operating system, it of course connects to the full suite of Google goodies, including Web backup to contacts and your calendar, as well as easy access to Google Plus, Google Maps, YouTube and the Chrome browser.

The Xperia Z is available through T-Mobile for $100 upfront with 24 monthly payments of $20, for a total of $580.

Gadgetwise Blog: Q&A: Saving the Phone’s Battery Power

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Gadgetwise Blog: The Tarot Sees a Full Battery in Your Future

The Powerocks Tarot auxiliary battery is the size of a stack of credit cards.

Backup batteries usually trumpet their capacity, but capacity results in size: they are sometimes as large as a paperback book. The Powerocks Tarot, though, trumpets its size, because it’s just about the same as a stack of credit cards.

Its capacity isn’t bad either. At 1500 milliamp hours (mAh), it should be enough to top up an empty iPhone.

In a test, the Tarot filled a completely drained iPhone to 65 percent capacity in nearly an hour. It filled the high-capacity battery of a discharged Motorola RAZR Maxx HD to 39 percent. That’s impressive, considering that Motorola’s big auxiliary battery, the 4000 mAh P4000, filled the same phone to 89 percent.

Although Powerocks claims the Tarot is small enough to fit in a wallet, it had better be a big wallet. While the perimeter measurements are about the same as a credit card, it’s about as thick as a stack of 10 credit cards.

There is nothing fancy about the case, although it is available in black, silver or pink. It has four L.E.D. lights that show battery level. A red L.E.D. turns blue to let you know when the Tarot is done charging.

The battery comes with a cable that has a standard size USB on one end and a Micro USB connector on the other. It doesn’t come with a charger, but you can plug it into a computer or, in all probability, the one that comes with your phone.

The Tarot is available from Powerocks online for $35.

Gadgetwise: A Big Swig of Extra Battery Power

There is not a lot that sets auxiliary batteries apart. A few more amps here, a few more USB plugs there, and that’s about it.

Digital Treasures, though, has taken the trouble to gussy up the basic battery, putting 13,000 mAh of lithium-ion power into what appears to be a flask.

Called the Power Flask, the case has a flask’s distinctive curve, for discreet pocket storage, and leather trim with red stitching. The end caps are chromelike polished aluminum.

The Power Flask, which retails for $90, has two USB ports, one supporting 1 amp charging for phones, and a second supporting 2.5 amp charging for tablets.

You can charge more low-demand devices at a time, though; two phones can be put into the 2.5-amp slot using an included Y cable, and another can be charged from the 1-amp slot for a total of three devices at once. The flask also comes with two 30-pin adapters. If you’re using a Lightning connector, you will have to supply your own.

The flask has blue LEDs to indicate the charge level and twin white LEDs on the top that work as a flashlight.

App Smart: Apps Help Extend the Battery Life of Devices

Thanks to my job, I experience more battery angst than most people, so I have tried some battery life apps. You may too. But unlike other types of apps, you need to be wary with these.

Apple’s tight control of iOS means battery apps on the App Store, even popular ones like Battery Life Pro All-in-One (free on iTunes), cannot automatically control an iPhone or iPad’s real-time battery consumption. This is because of Apple’s own systems for protecting battery life and app security. That said, there are some supposed best practices you can follow to keep your iDevice’s battery healthy. And there are ways you can manually adjust your phone.

Battery Doctor Pro is one of the best-designed battery advice apps ($1 on iTunes). Its main page has a graph showing current battery charge and a grid of icons that activate submenus. The “status” submenu lists estimates of how much talk time your battery offers at that moment, how much video playback and so on. The “inspection” submenu offers a list of actions to help extend battery life — like disabling Wi-Fi. Some of these actions are accompanied with tips on how to carry them out. These are the really useful parts of the app, which teach you about your phone.

Another useful feature is the “maintain” submenu, which guides you through a process said to increase the performance of lithium batteries. This involves letting the battery run down to less than 20 percent charge, then charging it to 100 percent and letting it remain on charge for a while.

Battery Doctor Pro has a long list of other options, like a selection of themes — monitoring the device, keeping track of charges — but really these are just useless frills. For example, it may be interesting to use the “monitor” to see what code your phone is running, but it will not be of immediate use in extending battery life.

Battery Boost Magic (free on iTunes) is a very similar app, with a slightly flashier interface, and its battery life tips section may be more easily accessible for iDevice beginners. Essentially, however, this app works in the same way as Battery Doctor Pro. If you are really into these apps, Battery Life Pro All-in-One has a very flashy interface, although it too works the same way.

Android device owners face a different situation. Android apps can get access directly to some settings in the device to help preserve battery life without the user’s having to dive into them manually. But the more open design of Android itself presents a problem, because some apps can run in ways that really do eat up battery life.

The 2X Battery — Battery Saver app (free) is perhaps one of the more straightforward battery life apps for Android. It indicates how long a battery has left until it runs out and also offers alerts about whether power-hungry systems like GPS are turned on. Tapping these alerts takes you directly to Android’s settings so you can turn off services to save battery life. The app also has different modes, so it can automatically control a device’s behavior — turning Wi-Fi off for long intervals at night, for example, on the premise that you are not using the device while asleep.

Easy Battery Saver (free) is another good battery app. Its best feature is its main dashboard, which reports on current battery status and allows one-tap access to turn off or adjust Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, mobile data and screen brightness. Like 2X Battery, this app has different power-saving modes that try to minimize power-gulping activities like getting access to wireless networks. The app also shows graphically which apps seem to be using the most power. This data may prompt you to turn off an especially power-hungry app you may have forgotten is running, like a live wallpaper app.

The problem with these apps is that the next time you pick up your Android device, you might find you have turned off the very function you need. For example, you may have selected low screen brightness to save battery life, but suddenly find you need to read the screen in a brightly lighted room. Thus you may have to jump in and out of your battery saver apps to adjust their settings.

My advice would be to concentrate on free versions of these different apps on iOS or Android. Try them for a while to see if they help, or at least teach you good habits. But do not panic about battery apps; you bought your phone to use it, after all.

Quick Calls

YouSendIt, the popular cloud file-sharing service, has introduced an exclusive Windows Phone 8 app on the Nokia Lumia 920 and 820. The app has all the usual YouSendIt tricks about syncing and sharing files, and users can share files directly between phones using NFC. ... Etsy, the online store for handmade crafts, has finally released a dedicated Android app (free on Google Play) to help you shop among its wares.

Cee Lo Accused of Sexual Battery Singer Denies Wrongdoing

Cee Lo Green is the target of an LAPD sexual battery investigation, TMZ has learned … but  the singer is adamant he did NOTHING wrong. 

Law enforcement sources tell us … a woman recently filed a police report with the LAPD, accusing "The Voice" judge – real name Thomas DeCarlo Callaway – of a sexual assault. 

Our sources say detectives have already visited a restaurant in Downtown Los Angeles in connection with the case and questioned several employees, including the manager.   We do not know if the alleged incident occurred at the restaurant.

The LAPD is mum on the identity of the alleged victim, when and where the incident allegedly occurred, and what Cee Lo allegedly did.

Cee Lo tells TMZ he categorically denies ANY wrongdoing. In fact, the singer says he hasn't been to the restaurant in question in 3 months … and insists, "Nothing ever happened there or anywhere else."

We also spoke with a source who is constantly with Cee Lo … who tells us, "I have never seen Cee Lo act in a physical way toward anybody."

The investigation is in its infancy … no charges have been filed and the case has not been referred to prosecutors.

Gadgetwise Blog: Lost Phones Flares as the Battery Dies

Many smartphones and tablets have some kind of tracking software that allows owners to find lost or stolen gear – as long as the device’s battery is charged.

But it’s a common scenario for the battery die before they can find it.

A mobile security software suite called Lookout offers a solution to that problem with an app called Signal Flare. When a battery is about to die, Signal Flare sends its location to Lookout. You can go to the Web site to find where the phone was when it shut down.

This week Signal Flare is being added to the free Lookout app for Apple products. It has been available for Android devices for some time.

The Apple and free Android versions are very similar. They protect devices from attacks, they back-up contacts and locate lost phones both through Signal Flare and through an app called Scream, which causes the phone to emit a loud siren sound while the screen flashes.

A premium version of Lookout for Android adds protective browsing that guards the phone from unsafe Web sites, locks and wipes out the phone’s data remotely, provides a “privacy adviser” that tells you what information various apps access, and back-ups your photographs. The cost is $3 a month or $30 a year.

The product can manage a mix of devices, so a household with both Apple and Android products can manage them from a single account.

Gadgetwise Blog: Q&A: Cranking Up the Battery

How long do you have to wind one of those hand-cranked battery chargers to power up a cellphone battery?

The promotional copy for many hand-crank chargers tends to use general estimates like “every minute of winding gives you two to three minutes of talk time.” Results can vary based on the fact that there are many types of cellphones and many types of batteries with different capacity ratings.

The chargers themselves can create different amounts of power when you crank them, and winding speed may factor in as well. To get a better idea of how long you have to crank to charge up your phone’s battery, try visiting the manufacturer’s specifications page or online manual to see if each particular hand-crank charger has more detailed information.

When shopping around, check out the product’s reviews and make sure you can return it if you find it does not meet your needs. You should also check that the charger you are interested in works with your phone, as some require cables or connections that are not included with the charger.

Chargers that use solar energy are another alternative source of power when you do not have electricity around. Some solar-energy chargers designed for specific phones do list more precise usage times, like Eton’s Mobius Solar Charger for the iPhone 4, which claims one hour of solar charge supplies 25 minutes of talk time or 20 minutes of Internet use — providing the intensity of the sun is sufficient along with “other variables.”

Be skeptical.

Battery Maker A123 Systems Files for Bankruptcy

The company’s bankruptcy filing was unexpected, since it struck a deal in August to sell a majority stake to a Chinese auto parts manufacturer. That agreement, with the Wanxiang Group, provided an apparent lifeline to the company. But A123, which has received federal grant money, said the Wanxiang deal was never completed, and on Monday, it failed to make a debt payment due on $75 million it had borrowed from Wanxiang.

In announcing its bankruptcy filing, A123 said it had agreed to sell its automotive assets and factories to Johnson Controls, another American battery producer that has benefited from federal assistance, in a deal it valued at $125 million.

A123, based in Waltham, Mass., was once considered one of the most promising grant recipients under the administration’s $2 billion stimulus program for electric car development. The Department of Energy awarded the company a $249 million grant to establish battery manufacturing operations in Michigan, although A123 had received only about $132 million of the grant before its bankruptcy.

The company’s failure may well become a political football in the presidential campaign, in which energy policy has been a leading topic. The Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, has repeatedly criticized President Obama for his heavy spending on green-energy programs, including a $528 million loan to Solyndra, a solar module maker that went bankrupt last year.

“A123’s bankruptcy is yet another failure for the president’s disastrous strategy of gambling away billions of taxpayer dollars on a strategy of government-led growth that simply does not work,” said Andrea Saul, Mr. Romney’s press secretary, in a statement on Tuesday.

The Energy Department defended the federal grant to A123 as one of many bipartisan efforts to support American manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries for electric cars. A department official, Dan Leistikow, said in a blog post that the administration had awarded $2 billion in grants to 29 companies involved in the electrification of vehicles, creating thousands of jobs.

A123 has used about $132 million of its grant to date, plus another $6 million given in 2007 by the Bush administration, said Mr. Leistikow, the agency’s director of public affairs. Michigan has also given A123 a $9 million grant, plus various tax breaks.

Mr. Leistikow said the federal money would not be wasted because A123’s two Michigan factories would now be operated by Johnson Controls.

“In an emerging industry, it’s very common to see some firms consolidate with others as the industry grows and matures,” he said.

The department previously gave Johnson Controls, based in Wisconsin, its own $299 million federal grant for an electric-car battery project.

The Solyndra bankruptcy, which became the subject of Congressional hearings, stoked concerns about oversight of government-backed energy programs.

Another battery manufacturer that received federal help, Ener1, went bankrupt in January. It had approval for $118.5 million in grants from the Energy Department but had received only about half of that when it entered bankruptcy.

A123 was a centerpiece of the government’s electric-vehicle program, opening two factories in Michigan and securing contracts to supply batteries to automakers including General Motors and the start-up firm Fisker Automotive.

But its financial stability has been in question for more than a year. The company suffered a major setback when it had to recall defective batteries in Fisker cars. And despite orders from carmakers, A123 could not generate sufficient revenue or profit from the slowly growing market for electric vehicles.

In August, A123 surprised industry experts by agreeing to sell up to 80 percent of the company to the American arm of the Wanxiang Group, China’s largest auto parts manufacturer.

Political opponents of the Wanxiang deal asserted that the Chinese company would get access to technology and products made possible by the support of American taxpayers.

One of the critics, Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, said the sale of A123’s factories to Johnson Controls was “something positive” because it kept the company’s assets out of Chinese hands.

But Mr. Grassley and Senator John Thune, Republican from South Dakota, criticized the Energy Department, saying it ignored warning signs that A123 was faltering.

“The bankruptcy raises the prospect that the taxpayers will get little or no return on their investment in A123 and will lose millions of dollars,” Mr. Grassley said.

The Energy Department countered that A123’s employees and customers would be absorbed by a larger, stronger competitor in Johnson Controls.

“A123’s manufacturing facilities and technology will continue to be a vital part of America’s advanced battery industry,” said Mr. Leistikow.

Wanxiang, which has its United States headquarters outside Chicago, pledged in August to invest up to $465 million in A123, but the deal fell apart for undisclosed reasons.

“We determined not to move forward with the previously announced Wanxiang agreement as a result of unanticipated and significant challenges to its completion,” said David Vieau, A123’s chief executive, in a statement.

Instead, the company found a new suitor in Johnson Controls, which analysts say is now in position to be the dominant American battery manufacturer.

A123 said filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection would ease the sale of its automotive assets to Johnson Controls. The deal includes Michigan plants in the Detroit suburbs in Livonia and Romulus, as well as A123’s equity interest in battery facilities in China.

Johnson Controls said it would provide $72.5 million in financing for A123’s reorganization in bankruptcy.

“We believe that A123’s automotive capabilities are a good complement to our existing portfolio and will further advance Johnson Controls’ position as a market leader in this industry,” said Alex Molinaroli, head of the power systems unit of Johnson Controls.

Brian Johnson, an analyst with Barclays Capital, said in a research note that the deal would help Johnson Controls become “the U.S.-based player” in the market for lithium-ion batteries.

A123 has also received “significant interest” for its remaining assets, primarily its electric-grid technology and products for commercial and government entities, said Mr. Vieau, the company’s chief executive

Whether Wanxiang will bid on those assets during bankruptcy is not known. The head of the Chinese firm’s United States operations, Pin Ni, said in an e-mail on Tuesday, “Our interest and commitment has not changed” regarding A123.

Matthew L. Wald reported from Washington.

Battery Maker A123 Systems Files for Bankruptcy

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