Turning air into water?
Remember those sweltering summer days when the air was so muggy you could practically drink it? A new home appliance is promising to make that possible by converting outdoor air into nearly 13 quarts of fresh water every day.
Originally envisioned as an antidote to the shortage of clean drinking water in the world, the WaterMill has the look of a futuristic air conditioner and the ability to condense, filter and sterilize water for about 3 cents per quart.
At $1,299, the 45-pound device doesn’t come cheap, and it is neither the first nor the biggest machine to enter the fast-growing field of atmospheric water generators. But by targeting individual households with a self-cleaning, environmentally friendly alternative to bottled water, Kelowna, British Columbia-based Element 4 is hoping its WaterMill will become the new must-have appliance of 2009.
Originally envisioned as an antidote to the shortage of clean drinking water in the world, the WaterMill has the look of a futuristic air conditioner and the ability to condense, filter and sterilize water for about 3 cents per quart.
At $1,299, the 45-pound device doesn’t come cheap, and it is neither the first nor the biggest machine to enter the fast-growing field of atmospheric water generators. But by targeting individual households with a self-cleaning, environmentally friendly alternative to bottled water, Kelowna, British Columbia-based Element 4 is hoping its WaterMill will become the new must-have appliance of 2009.
“The idea is making this thing intelligent,” said Jonathan Ritchey, inventor of the original WaterMill prototype and president of Element Four. “So what happens is the machine knows where it is. If you put it in a rainforest, it will sample that environment every three minutes, and it will adapt.” Ditto for a desert. That adaptation, he said during a November preview at Manhattan’s WIRED Store, is critical for energy efficiency.
Cooling the machine’s condensation chamber to just below the dew point, or the temperature at which the air becomes saturated with water vapor and begins to condense, is central to the process.
“If I have a dumb machine, it might bring the air down to just three degrees above dew point and I wouldn’t get any water,” Ritchey said.
“If I take the air way below the dew point, I’m using what’s called latent heat. It’s sort of like taking an ice cube and trying to freeze it some more. You’re just wasting your energy.”
The unit’s activated carbon filter offers another feature not found on most appliances.
“We’ve actually designed a system that knows when the filter is spent and will tell you, the consumer, ‘Time to change the filter, time to change the filter,’ Ritchey said. “And then if you don’t, we’ve got it dummy-proofed. It will shut itself down. Either you change the filter, and it makes pure water, or it doesn’t make water at all.”
“If I have a dumb machine, it might bring the air down to just three degrees above dew point and I wouldn’t get any water,” Ritchey said.
“If I take the air way below the dew point, I’m using what’s called latent heat. It’s sort of like taking an ice cube and trying to freeze it some more. You’re just wasting your energy.”
The unit’s activated carbon filter offers another feature not found on most appliances.
“We’ve actually designed a system that knows when the filter is spent and will tell you, the consumer, ‘Time to change the filter, time to change the filter,’ Ritchey said. “And then if you don’t, we’ve got it dummy-proofed. It will shut itself down. Either you change the filter, and it makes pure water, or it doesn’t make water at all.”
A cloud hangs over BlackBerry Storm
After nearly two weeks on the market, the much-anticipated BlackBerry Storm has lived up to its name, with longtime BlackBerry loyalists frustrated by the smartphone's bugginess, sluggishness and user unfriendliness with its three touchscreen keyboards.
Their rants are shared at several phone and BlackBerry-related Web sites, including Research In Motion's own community support forums,where customers are finding empathy but little in the way of answers from the company that makes the legendary line of business-class phones equipped with e-mail and Web browsing.
"Having used many other Research In Motion devices, I can't remember a device being released with so many bugs," said Allen Nogee, In-Stat Research's principal analyst for wireless technology and infrastructure.
Their rants are shared at several phone and BlackBerry-related Web sites, including Research In Motion's own community support forums,where customers are finding empathy but little in the way of answers from the company that makes the legendary line of business-class phones equipped with e-mail and Web browsing.
"Having used many other Research In Motion devices, I can't remember a device being released with so many bugs," said Allen Nogee, In-Stat Research's principal analyst for wireless technology and infrastructure.
The Storm has been the buzz of the BlackBerry world for much of the year. Its release date was pushed back at least once, from September to November. Perhaps it should have been pushed back more.
"There is no doubt that this device was rushed to market to make the Christmas selling season," said Nogee. "Unfortunately, the decision was made to ship this device with bugs and fix them later, rather than to fix them first, and then sell the device."
That may be so. There are Web postings about software fixes that are on the way to deal with both the Storm's hardware and its operating system.
Little word from RIMSo far, RIM has not commented on the problems of its first all-touchscreen BlackBerry, considered a strong competitor to Apple's touchscreen iPhone.
Verizon Wireless, the exclusive carrier of the device in the United States, has said little, except how well sales have gone. The company, like most, doesn't publicly share sales figures.
When the Storm was released Nov. 21, there were lines of customers outside many Verizon Wireless stores around the country, with the same kind of excitement consumers felt about the iPhone's release.
"This is the fastest-selling device we've had to date," said Nancy Starker, a Verizon Wireless spokeswoman.
She referred questions about the phone's performance to RIM, but did say, "As with any phone, there are constant tweaks that are made and pushed to the phone" via the carrier's wireless network.
On its Web site yesterday, Verizon Wireless said it will be Dec. 15 before new Storms are available to be shipped. Some speculate that the delay is to give RIM time to make the needed software and firmware updates to the phone.
The Storm costs $199.99 after committing to a two-year contract with Verizon Wireless and mailing in a $50 rebate.
"There is no doubt that this device was rushed to market to make the Christmas selling season," said Nogee. "Unfortunately, the decision was made to ship this device with bugs and fix them later, rather than to fix them first, and then sell the device."
That may be so. There are Web postings about software fixes that are on the way to deal with both the Storm's hardware and its operating system.
Little word from RIMSo far, RIM has not commented on the problems of its first all-touchscreen BlackBerry, considered a strong competitor to Apple's touchscreen iPhone.
Verizon Wireless, the exclusive carrier of the device in the United States, has said little, except how well sales have gone. The company, like most, doesn't publicly share sales figures.
When the Storm was released Nov. 21, there were lines of customers outside many Verizon Wireless stores around the country, with the same kind of excitement consumers felt about the iPhone's release.
"This is the fastest-selling device we've had to date," said Nancy Starker, a Verizon Wireless spokeswoman.
She referred questions about the phone's performance to RIM, but did say, "As with any phone, there are constant tweaks that are made and pushed to the phone" via the carrier's wireless network.
On its Web site yesterday, Verizon Wireless said it will be Dec. 15 before new Storms are available to be shipped. Some speculate that the delay is to give RIM time to make the needed software and firmware updates to the phone.
The Storm costs $199.99 after committing to a two-year contract with Verizon Wireless and mailing in a $50 rebate.
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