Now a team at MIT, headed by Marin Soljacic has found a way to make wireless electricity, AKA WiTricity, a reality. Much like Tesla’s original idea, Soljacic created a pad that contains a powered coil that creates a magnetic field. In turn this magnetic field induces a current to flow through a secondary coil (any portable device like a phone or BlackBerry). This electricity then charges the device’s rechargeable battery. Everything is done wirelessly and in some cases a battery may not even be necessary!

One of the benefits of using magnetic resonance is that biological organisms are invisible to and unaffected by magnetic field. In essence, the receiving coil “tunes” to match the powered coil in order to charge. And because its based off of resonance, the WiTricity is fairly omnipresent so long as it is located in the general area of the appliances. WiTricity is also highly efficient over various ranges and can exceed 90% for certain applications. It is designed to work with variety of products and systems and can handle a wide range of power levels. Not only that but it also comes in a variety of shapes and sizes and can be built directly into the product, eliminating the need for a an external power source.

The first announcement of a WiTricity partner product is expected toward the end of 2010.

[via WiTricity]

So what happens when your iPhone or iPod Touch is only the 8GB version or your WiFi device only supports storage of up to 16GB, you’re sick of listening to the same old tunes or watching the same old videos, and you’re stuck in a wireless deadzone? You turn on your AirStash and stream away.

AirStash is a new device that allows you to stream and share your media from your pocket, glove compartment, hair bun — just about anywhere, really, with no need for anything but an SD card (with a capacity up to 32GB) and a WiFi-enabled device equipped with a web browser. When powered on, AirStash creates a wireless 802.11 b/g network that allows data stored on the inserted SD card to be shared with any available wireless device. Essentially, it acts like a wireless media server. And security needn’t be an issue, as WPA2 encryption can be enabled.

The device can be used like a USB card reader for transfer of data to SD cards if necessary, and is therefore a little larger than the typical thumb drive at 3.6″ H x 1.9″ W x 0.5″ D, but once a loaded SD card is inserted, the AirStash has a dedicated recessed power button (to prevent accidental enabling) and runs on a rechargeable lithium-ion battery (recharging is done through the USB port) that, according to Engadget, provides five hours of continuous data streaming.

AirStash supports streaming of a plethora of different data, audio and video file formats; just head over to the official website for all the specifications.

So if you find yourself suffering from on-the-go data storage fatigue, the $99.99 AirStash may be just what you need to uplift your storage capacity, along with your spirits.

If that iPad thing isn’t working out for you, there’s still the nook. Remember that little guy? He’s the Barnes & Noble e-reader, which the company says is now available in stores.

The retailer had been teasing patrons last fall with a sneak peek, but finally made the nook available in stores starting Wednesday, February 10. It’s also available at nook.com.

B&N seems to think that the eReader will be a hot item for Valentine’s Day. In fact, they plan to offer exclusive holiday-themed online content, such as Kevin Zraly’s column “Read Between the Wines” (get it?) and a tasty red velvet cupcake recipe from Anne Byrn, the Cake Mix Doctor.

However, they haven’t said anything about how many they plan to ship out, just stating that “the majority of its stores” would get the product to sell. This could be a dealbreaker for your sweetie, since the company quickly burned through its online stash over Christmas.

Aside from downloading eBooks, magazines and newspapers, the nook offers free in-store Wi-Fi and other content. It also has 2GB of storage for 1,500 eBooks, a nifty 3.5-inch color touchscreen, an the Android OS. What could be more romantic?

Before you head out into the cold, use Barnes & Noble’s nook In-Store Locator to make sure your store has stock.

The Wi-Fire uses a powerful directional antenna, highly sensitive receiver and proprietary software (which is included) to find and enhance normal Wi-Fi signals. Now we are not saying that just because you will be able to find and connect to a range of wireless connections that you should do so willy nilly but, with this product and an open network or with the help of the guys over at Whisher you will be equipped to do so.

Right out of the box the Wi-Fire delivered. We installed the simple to use software, plugged in the directional antenna, and instantly we were able to see 6 new connections that were previously undetectable with our regular Linksys USB adapters. In addition to our new found networks our own network signal went from 85% to a full 100% once we properly aligned the antenna.

If you live in an area with a lot of open Wi-Fi networks or have a large area to cover with your own network the guys over at hField are definitely on to something with the Wi-Fire. With an MSRP of just $79 you should seriously consider the Wi-Fire the next time you are in the market for a new wireless adapter.