Oh! Gizmo

By Chris Scott Barr

I’m a gamer, which means I like to pump as much juice as I can out of my computer. Overclocking means more heat, which I combat by using a liquid cooling system. Liquid cooling isn’t all that uncommon in high-end computers, however, it’s practically unheard of for light bulbs. Until now, that is.

This small LED bulb uses liquid-cooling so that it can provide full 360-degree lighting. It consumes only 4 Watts of power, while still giving off the same amount of light as a traditional 25 Watt bulb. Sure, it’s not the brightest in the world, but it would be great for small desk lamps and such. Each bulb will set you back $35 and is rated for up to 35,000 hours. You know you want to get one, just to say you have a liquid-cooled bulb.

[ EternalLEDs ] VIA [ CoolestGadgets ]

By Chris Scott Barr

When you’re out playing golf, you usually have two options for getting around. Either you drive around a cart, or just walk your happy self all over the course. If you’re committed to living a “green” lifestyle, then you’ll probably pass up the golf cart. Of course if you don’t want to spend your entire afternoon walking, you could try using this Bicycle Golf Caddy.

This rather simple device hooks up to just about any bike, and carries your clubs along behind you. It seems rather simple to setup, and even collapses to make storage easier. At $200 it’s a bit pricey, but now when you’re getting beat on the course, you can remind your friends that at least you’re not destroying the environment my driving around some electric cart all day.

[ Clean Air Gardening ] VIA [ BoingBoing ]

By Andrew Liszewski

You may think you’re being eco-friendly by shutting off your TV whenever you leave the room, but don’t forget about the peripherals you have connected like DVD players, receivers and gaming consoles which may still be drawing power even when in standby mode. The TV TrickleStar does the remembering for you though, and will automatically switch on or switch off all peripheral devices whenever your TV is turned on or off using “inbuilt current sensing circuitry.” It’s just $34.95 available from the TrickleStar online store, and it seems like one of those investments that will be worth it in the long run.

[ TV TrickleSaver ] VIA [ GoNintendo ]

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 ]