Sony announced Monday it will sell a large power pack to run home appliances when the electricity goes out.
The boxy device sits just over a foot (35 centimeters) high and can run a 40-inch LCD TV for about two and a half hours or charge a smartphone 30 times, according to the company. The "Home Energy Server" will initially launch in Japan next month, with a target price of 150,000 yen (US$2,000), and will eventually be sold internationally as well.
Power outages are an ongoing concern in Japan nearly six months after a massive earthquake and tsunami devastated a large swathe of the country's eastern seaboard, leaving 20,000 dead or missing. The twin disasters knocked out power in many areas, triggering meltdowns at a key nuclear reactor as well as safety shutdowns at others. Power companies have implemented rolling blackouts when demand for electricity outstrips supply.
