Oh! Gizmo

By Evan Ackerman

Trees are nice to look at, and I guess they’re good for shade, if you’re one of those people who goes outside… But when is the last time one of them actually came in handy in this digital world? The Helios Power Tree is one tree my gadgets and I would be happy to stretch out under, since it’s got a bunch of USB power ports in the roots. The “leaves” of the tree are made of little solar cells, all of which are wired into the branches, down the trunk, and into a big battery at the base. The battery lights up the tree with LEDs, and will charge whatever is plugged into it. The Helios is made out of sustainable materials, and is designed to be placed in urban parks as a useful piece of public art.

[ Helios Tree ] VIA [ DVICE ]

By Evan Ackerman

Have a Nalgene bottle? No? What’s the matter, you’re not cool and hip and sporty? You should totally get one, if for no other reason than you’ll need it to get this solar powered LED lamp cap to do what it’s supposed to. The LightCap 200 weighs only 2.6 oz, and the four super bright white LEDs inside will shine down through your water bottle (it works on anything with a 2.25″ mouth) and turn it into a lantern. The LEDs are solar powered, and the waterproof cap has both a switch and an ambient light sensor. There’s no information on charge times, but it looks to be a pretty effective lamp.

It comes in either black or clear plastic and costs a reasonable $20.

[ LightCap 200 ] VIA [ Likecool ]

By Luke Anderson

I’ve always thought about getting a hybrid car, as it would would save some cash, in addition to saving the environment. Unfortunately a new car just isn’t in my current budget. If I did have a hybrid, I would definitely consider an add-on like one of these SEV Solar Roof Modules.

This solar panel fits on all 2004-2006 Toyota Prius models and will keep your car going for an extra 20 miles each day just by catching some rays. No word on price just yet, but the company claims that it will pay for itself withing 2-3 years.

[ SolarElectricVehicles ] VIA [ RedFerret ]

By Evan Ackerman

Solar power is definitely the new sexy when it comes to renewable sources of energy. The Solio solar charger combines form and function and is designed to charge just about any gadget you own, and look good while doing it.

Read the full extra-special Earth Day review, after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

By Luke Anderson

When I go camping, I really do my best to leave the gadgets at home. Unfortunately that’s not always an option for everyone. However, if you still want to “rough it” while bringing along your tech, you’re going to need power. Sure, you can plug everything into your car and charge it that way, but that wastes gas. These cool solar panels from PowerFilm look like an excellent solution.

I had the opportunity to check out some of their various Foldable Solar Chargers, my favorite being the small AA battery charger. While he didn’t have the latest one there, the newer ones will allow you to plug in USB devices (which is handy since most mobile devices can recharge via USB) and recharge them while relaxing in the sun.

The small F15-300 has a total of four panels and can charge up to four AA batteries. On average, if you have good sunlight, you’ll be able to recharge your gadgets or batteries just as quickly as if you were plugged into a power outlet. One of these smaller models will run you around $75.

By Andrew Liszewski

Here’s an interesting alternative to traditional solar panels which can take up a lot of space and require the installation of special mounting structures. GROW, which was created by the Brooklyn based sustainable design group SMIT (Sustainably Minded Interactive Technology) is actually a large collection of small, leaf like solar cells which can be used to cover a building just like growing ivy will over time. Except of course the GROW leaves are made from 100% recyclable polyethylene covered with thin film photovoltaic modules encapsulated in Tefzel.

The solar leaves need to be wired together in order to collect the energy they produce, but the system is extremely flexible allowing it to be installed on a building no matter what shape it is. It’s also extremely easy to maintain since replacing a single leaf when it fails doesn’t require you to take down the entire installation. And most importantly since the leaves are thin and flexible they actually flutter in the breeze and have the appearance of real ivy, making them aesthetically pleasing. I don’t think anyone is opposed to having solar panels on their home, but it’s ideas like this that make the technology more accessible and easier for a homeowner to implement.

[ SMIT's GROW ] VIA [ Inhabitat ]

By Luke Anderson

One of my favorite things about my job is the fact that I don’t have to worry about keeping my facial hair perfectly trimmed or gone. I keep it trimmed and looking neat, but I don’t carry around a razor to nip that 5-o’clock shadow in the bud. Unfortunately there are people out there that must keep their face smooth all the time, so for those guys, here’s a razor that will keep you smooth without sucking up any juice from your power outlet.

While I can’t be sure how long it will take to charge (or how long a charge will last) it’s a good thought for a device that will only be used a few minutes at a time. It’s pretty thin, so you can slip it in your pocket and head to the men’s room when you feel a bit stubbly. It’s a bit pricey though, coming it at just under $70.

[ Ecotopia ] VIA [ UberGizmo ]

By Andrew Liszewski

What’s this? A third-party handheld Nintendo emulator that doesn’t look like a piece of crap? I’m shocked! Of course while the name, Solar MP4, seems to keep with the tradition of crappy knock-offs, this little device actually has some impressive features. Besides being able to play MP4 videos up to 320×240 in size on its 3.5 inch TFT screen, it also has built-in emulators for NES, GameBoy and GameBoy Color games. It of course requires you to use ROMS loaded via an SD card, but anyone already interested in classic gaming emulation will know where to find those. It can even function as an e-Book reader with the ability to read aloud any text file as long as it’s written in English or Chinese.

The other obvious feature of the Solar MP4 is the clamshell design which opens to reveal a set of solar panels. Not only can they be used to charge the unit itself (they claim you’ll never need to plug it in) but a USB jack allows you to plug in and recharge other devices too.

Chinavision has it for $123.32, but it’s one of those ‘the more you buy, the cheaper it gets’ schemes.

[ Solar MP4 ] VIA [ ALBOTAS ]

By Luke Anderson

Mobile products are generally limited by three factors: size, power and battery life. There’s not much that the end-user can do to change the power or size (except to make it larger) of their mobile device of choice, however, battery life is something that can be worked on. In the case of the Sony PSP, you can now find all of the power you’ll ever need just by walking out on a sunny day.

While this new battery may offer you extra power without plugging into a wall, I’m not so sure that I’d get too excited about it. First, it looks bulky; this means that it’s going to likely make your PSP a little more uncomfortable to play, and it’s going to be a little more of a burden to carry around. Now this is all fine and dandy, since you’re never going to have to worry about a dead battery, right?

Looking at the device you’ll notice that it’s going to mount to the bottom of your PSP. This also means that your solar panels will be facing down while you’re playing. Unless you like playing upside down, or you feel like carrying a mirror to reflect the necessary rays, you’re not going to get a lot of extra power from this bulky unit. Even at around $30, I’m not so sure that it’s worth it.

[ DealExtreme ] VIA [ UberGizmo ]