(Credit:
Novothink)
The greening of homes and gadgets is a growing consumer trend, and many exhibitors will debut their eco-friendly products at CES 2010. Last week, we highlighted the Electronic Houskeeper and the PICOwatt, two devices that monitor in-home energy use. Today allows us to highlight the Surge, an iPhone and iPod Touch case with solar panels.
Solar chargers like Solio are chunky and need to be carried around. But the Surge solar case is sleek, ergonomic, and certified by Apple. Two hours of sun exposure power 30-60 minutes of talk time. The Surge features an LED battery-level indicator.
The charger is manufactured by Novothink, a company that vies to pair solar technology and portable devices. The California-based company is focused on creating solar chargers for devices in high demand, as the mission is to allow consumers to live off the grid easily.
The Surge may seem like a gimmick on the face of it, but it might be a perfect solution for Apple iPhone and iPod owners on the go. Emergency chargers are available, ... Read more
Konarka's solar panel on a Neuber mailbag.
(Credit: Neuber)Konarka Technologies announced this week its Power Plastic flexible solar panels are going to be being used in carrier bags and possibly shade structures in the Middle East and Africa.
The company made a deal to supply its solar panels to German-based carrier manufacturer Neuber for bags that can double as chargers for small electronics like cell phones, digital cameras, and media players. Neuber is currently selling the so-called Energy Sun Bags at around 118 euros ($175) on the Neuber Web site.
Konarka's flexible solar panels in Neuber's range of mailbags are not the first instance of backpacks going solar, but they certainly are one of the first we've noticed in the growing trend in recent months of reasonably-priced solar bags coming on to the consumer market.
While not yet at the product stage, Konarka also announced this week it's partnering with Enviromena Power Systems, a solar project developer in the Middle East and North Africa whose clients include Abu Dhabi's planned green community Masdar City.... Read more
As it does with most trends, Samsung is pursuing eco-friendly cell phones with vigor. It already gave us the Samsung Reclaim, and now we finally have a chance to review the Samsung Blue Earth. Like the Reclaim, the Blue Earth's shell is made from recycled materials--specifically, plastic water bottles--but it goes a giant step further with solar panels on its rear face. The solar panels actually work and can charge the phone in a pinch.
The Blue Earth is also free of harmful materials like polyvinyl chloride, and you can minimize battery use by adjusting the display settings. Outside of being green, the Blue Earth offers a functional feature set, but its small touch screen hampers its usability and there was static during calls. Check out our Blue Earth review for a more detailed look.
In honor of our special guest, Micky Hoogendijk, we cover gadgets with an international flare. You might think that a show as classy as this one might not include any questionable content. You would be wrong.
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EPISODE 158
Giorgio Armani extends designer touch to new mobile
Samsung Blue Earth sees light in Sweden
http://dvice.com/archives/2009/10/lgs-pop-touchsc.php
Dolce Gusto single-cup coffee maker is a beautiful thing
... Read more
Mascotte's messenger bag prototype
(Credit: Mascotte)G24 Innovations has shipped its first flexible solar panels, which are destined for the outside of backpacks and other bags, the company said Wednesday.
The U.K. company's dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) are thin-film photovoltaics that can be manufactured in flexible rolls relatively cheaply. It is a material the U.S. Air Force has been looking into for use in its unmanned aerial vehicles for longer endurance.
G24's DSSC cells, which are designed to create electricity from indoor light as well as outdoor sunlight, will be put into commercial use by the manufacturer Mascotte Industrial Associates.
Solar backpack, duffel
(Credit: G24 Innovations)The Hong Kong-based company is integrating the DSSC panels into a line of backpacks, duffel bags, e-book covers, camera bags, and messenger bags that can then be tapped to recharge items like cell phones or cameras.
Mascotte plans to display its solar bags at this week's Hong Kong Electronics Fair, and the products could be available to consumers as soon as December, ... Read more
Sanyo's Eneloop Portable Solar panel can charge mobile devices on the go.
(Credit: Sanyo)If you plan on walking through the desert with a cell phone anytime soon, you might want to check in with Sanyo before you leave.
Its new Eneloop Portable Solar panels can charge portable devices through a USB connection. They're also relatively compact and a cinch to tote.
Sanyo's stylish Eneloop line of energy products includes a popular brand of rechargeable batteries and a lamp that doubles as a flashlight. Last time we posted about Sanyo's solar panels, they were chic but clunky. The new book-size, business-slick Portable Solar comes in sets of one or two panels (weighing about 8 or 15 ounces), with a handy hook to hang in a window.
(Credit:
Sanyo)
Sounds great, especially if you're keen on saving energy and the environment.
But you'll also have to carry the Eneloop Mobile Booster (2.5 ounces) because it contains the lithium ion battery that stores the solar energy. You then connect ... Read more
Energizer's SP2000 solar charger.
(Credit: Energizer)Through a partnership with XPAL Power, Energizer has expanded its Energi to Go line of portable battery packs in a big way. The newly branded chargers run the gamut from an iPhone 3G/3G S battery sleeve to a couple of solar chargers to a larger lithium ion charger that can juice up to three devices at once, including a laptop.
Most of the chargers include cell tips for various makes and models of cell phones, and you can get free new tips online as future phones come out.
Many of the battery packs are available already under the XPAL brand, but the new packaging should be appearing very soon in stores.
Here's a look at the line and check out the slideshow above: ... Read more
Samsung first announced its eco-friendly Blue Earth phone at the Barcelona-based Mobile World Congress in February. It's been awhile since the announcement, but we finally got to spend a little personal time with the solar-powered handset here at CommunicAsia 2009 in Singapore.
Get ready for some frantic hand action in our, well, hands-on video. Fret not, we were just testing to see how many calories we've burned.
(Source: Crave Asia)
(Credit:
Samsung)
If you're an outdoorsy type, you might never have to worry about your phone running out of juice again.
Samsung announced Wednesday its first solar-powered GSM mobile phone, the E1107, also known by the catchier name Crest Solar. The phone is a dual-band GSM (900MHz and 1800MHz) and can be charged anywhere the sun is shining.
The phone is about the same shape and size as most regular compact cell phones, but with one big difference: on the back it has a solar panel that's capable of providing enough juice for about 5 to 10 minutes of talk time for each hour of charging.
Of course, this depends on how sunny it is. ... Read more
(Credit:
KDDI)
Sunbathers in Japan will have another beach- or pool-friendly keitai (phone) to carry around this summer. Simply known as the Solar Phone SH002, a 10-minute exposure to direct sunlight will yield one minute of talktime or two hours of standby.
Of course, the mileage you get is dependent on factors like the intensity of solar radiation and cloud cover. But you should be able to juice up the battery to 80 percent of its capacity if left outdoors long enough. There's even a Flash animation app that tells you how fast your phone is charging with a growing number of animals onscreen as the radiation gets more intense.
The SH002--available only from KDDI in Japan starting May 29--is waterproof as well. In other words, you won't have to worry if the handset takes an accidental dive. Also interesting are the sports-related applications. You can configure a health and fitness program tailored to your lifestyle, learn to play golf on 2,300 preset courses, and check the number of calories you've ... Read more
