Oh! Gizmo

By Evan Ackerman

You don’t generally expect much from a cell phone that costs less than sixty bucks, and with the Samsung E1107, you don’t get much. It’s got a 128 x 128 display, an FM radio, and a built-in flashlight. The reason that you’d buy it is the solar panel the takes up the entire back of the phone, promising up to 10 minutes of call time per hour in the sun. While not the most efficient way of charging your phone, it’s a million times better than an iPhone 3GS at out of power performance, and at least gives you an option for mobile charging.

The other reason to get this phone is that it’s good for the Earth: it helps reduce global warming. Not in the way you’re thinking, that would be too obvious. No, I’m talking about how having a solar panel out in the sun absorbs photons, preventing them from imparting their horrible energy into the ground and making everything just a little bit cooler. If everybody was using solar powered cell phones, not only would we be saving energy charging them, but charging them would actually cool the planet by some fraction of a degree that I’m just going to go ahead and call significant and important! Yay solar power!

So far, the E1107 is available pretty much everywhere except the US. Why must they taunt us so?

[ Newswire ] VIA [ Samsung Hub ]

By Andrew Liszewski

On one hand it’s nice that this funky looking CD player is completely solar powered, but on the other hand, who really uses a CD player any more? The base of the player hides its rechargeable battery, and after leaving the included solar panel out in the sun for about 4 to 5 hours you can expect to get about 10 hours of playtime. And in addition to traditional CDs it will also play MP3 files burned to a data disc, so it’s not completely outdated, but with a price tag of about $137, it’s still a tough sell.

[ Solar CD/MP3 Player ] VIA [ Apartment Therapy Unplugged ]

By Evan Ackerman

When it comes to charging gadgets, the most important criteria has to be versatility. Maybe you’ll find yourself near an outlet. Maybe you’ll find yourself with some AA batteries. Maybe you’ll find yourself drunk. Or maybe you’ll find yourself out in the sun, in which case a solar panel would be just what you need.

This solar panel comes in the form of a 4 port USB hub. Yes, USB ports generally provide their own power, so most of the time, this thing will be under a pile of stuff on your desk and plugged in and the solar panel will be useless. But there’s also a 700 mAh battery in there which charges up from your computer, sun or no sun, and you can then disconnect the hub and carry it around to charge anything with a USB interface. When the battery runs out, you can leave the hub in the sun to recharge it.

The idea of fusing a solar panel with a battery is certainly not a new one, but it’s a great combination… Solar charging is slow and restricted to midday, but adding a battery means you can store up the power and use it anytime. And why the heck not make it into a USB hub? For only $22, there’s pretty much no reason not to get one of these if you’re in need of a couple extra USB ports and a portable charger for your gadgets.

[ USB Fever ] VIA [ Techchee ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Well this seems like a pretty obvious bit of synergy. The Woodway EcoMill is billed as an “all green” treadmill because it uses no external sources of electricity. Instead, the display and the elevation system are actually powered by a battery that’s recharged while the EcoMill is being used.

And even though it isn’t a motorized treadmill (that would involve breaking some of those annoying laws of the universe) it still features a 900 watt eddy-current braking system to regulate the walking or running speed, as well as a near frictionless drive system.

Surprisingly it can support a user up to 800 lbs in weight as long as they limit their activities to just walking (probably not a problem) or 500 lbs if they intend to run. It’s also available in either green or black since it’s important to provide options when you’re charging $8,500.

[ WOODWAY EcoMill ] VIA [ bookofjoe ]

By Andrew Liszewski

In my mind they’re definitely a sound of Summer, but gas-powered mowers are noisy, messy and of course produce harmful emissions just like an automobile. But an electric model that’s tethered to a power cord can be problematic too, particularly if you’ve got a large piece of property to maintain. So the Neuton CE 6 seems like a better alternative since it provides all of the benefits of an electric mower, like being quiet and clean with no engine emissions, without the hassle of a long extension cord trailing behind you. It uses a removable, rechargeable battery with 360 watt-hours of juice that should be good for about 1/3 of an acre, or for about an hour, depending on the grass conditions.

The Neuton’s battery takes about 12 hours to recharge, which could be problematic if you run a landscaping business, but it should be a non-issue for homeowners who only cut their lawns on a weekly basis. Now the Neuton CE 6 will set you back $499, but the rechargeable battery should last for about 5 years, so when you remove the cost of gas, it might be worth it in the long run.

[ Neuton CE 6 Battery-Powered Mower ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]

By Andrew Liszewski

In a move that is expected to save the city almost $12.9 million over the next 10 years, Philadelphia is installing 500 BigBelly trash compacting garbage cans over the next couple of months. While conventional trash cans need to be emptied 19 times a week, the BigBelly receptacles can accept 4 to 8 times as much garbage since it’s being compacted, which means they only need to be emptied about 5 times a week. So instead of the 33 workers that are usually needed to empty trash bins, the city now only needs just 8. And when they’re full, the BigBellys will automatically phone the Philadelphia Streets Department HQ letting them know they’re ready to be emptied.

[ BigBelly Solid Waste Management System ] VIA [ Inhabitat ]

By Evan Ackerman

Is your car missing something? Of course it is, you just don’t know it. There’s no car on the planet that couldn’t be made that much more stupenderrific with the addition of one (or more!) plastic fins with blinking red, blue, and green LED tips. And before you freak out, the LEDs won’t be sapping a jot of your precious horsepower since they’ve got their very own WIND TURBINE. That’s right, all that fabulosomeness and eco-friendly to boot! Just stick them on with double sided tape and you’re good to go. $6, available in either I-wish-I-had-a-sporty-car red or I-can’t-afford-paint-at-all silver.

[ SourcingMap ] VIA [ RGS ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Remember the NoPoPo? It was the water-powered battery from Japan that went out of its way to advertise the fact that it could also be ‘recharged’ using urine. Well the Japan Trend Shop is now selling a compact LED flashlight/lantern that includes one of those NoPoPo batteries.

Since the batteries are only rated at 500mAh and can only be recharged 4 times, the flashlight is better suited for an emergency kit as the NoPoPos will hold a charge for up to 10 years. And if for some reason both water and urine are in scarce supply, the batteries can also be topped off using other liquids like beer or soda. It’s $39, which isn’t exactly a steal, but the NoPoPos are AA sized so when it reaches the end of its lifespan you can always just swap it out with a standard AA battery.

[ Japan Trend Shop - NoPoPo Water-Powered Flashlight Set ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Headed to Glastonbury this year but worried your cellphone’s battery won’t go the mile? (Or kilometer I guess.) Well once again Orange’s got you covered. Last year they provided cellphone recharging services via their Dance Charger and Recharge Pod tent, but this year they’ll be introducing the Power Pump. It’s basically a compact generator that features a turbine driven by a standard air bed foot pump. So in the amount of time it takes to inflate a pillow, you can generate enough power to make a 5-minute call on your cellphone.

Sadly there’s no word on if or when the Power Pump will be available for sale, so let’s hope the idea goes over really well at the festival.

[ PR - Give it some welly! Orange launches the Power Pump charger for Glastonbury 2009 ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]