Posted January 6, 2005
Electronic gear, particularly digital cameras, flew off the shelves this past holiday season, and you can bet the folks at Energizer and Eveready are popping the corks. You can help put a (tiny) dent in their 2005 revenue forecasts and save yourself a bundle of money by laying out a little more than $20 for the new Sony BCG-34HD4 Super-Quick Worldwide Battery Charger. It used to be that rechargeable batteries were earnestly eco-conscious things to invest in because they were hard to find, didn't last as long as regular batteries, and took forever to recharge. Sony's changed all that with these babies, which not only take just four hours to charge, but last up to four times longer than alkalines. It can charge four AA batteries (included) or two AAA batteries (sold separately) at once. Unlike older chargers from Sony and other manufacturers, this model senses when your batteries are fully charged and then cuts off—which keeps your batteries from baking in the recharger's heat (which shortens battery life). The "Worldwide" function, which auto-adjusts to voltage from 110 to 240 volts, means you can take this charger on your European vacation, too.

Order online at amazon.com, on sale right now (at 52% off list price) for $23.99.

• Buy it online

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• From the Jan 6, 2005 issue of New York