Hasta La Gadget!

Barcelona — Amid the megapixels madness of its camera-phone announcements, Samsung has shown us another vision of the future — the Blue Earth. The phone is an environmental champion, made from recycled water bottles and powered by a solar panel on the back.

And that’s about all we know. Like the Mona Lisa, the only handset at the Mobile World Congress show is behind glass (which is why we’ve used the official product shot), and Samsung is being not exactly cagey but a little thrifty with the details. We do know that the phone will have a touch screen and also a distinctly gimmicky pedometer, which measures how far you have walked and then tells you how much CO2 you haved saved by not driving.

This is just annoying, and exactly the sort of thing smug Prius owners would like. It reminds me of the kind of vegan who eats wholemeal pasta — a form of self flagellation designed only to telegraph their pious intentions to us less morally aware mortals.

Still, the intention is good, and the phone has another few eco-tricks up its recycled sleeves. There is an energy saving mode which will lower the backlight levels and switch off Bluetooth — useful when charging via the Sun. That solar panel is also claimed to provide enough juice to keep the phone going indefinitely. For those of us who live in less clear-skied climes (I’m looking at you, Britain) it looks like Samsung will provide a separate charger. Low-powered, of course.

Best of all, it will be a real phone, available in real shops in the second half of this year.

Watermarks is a kind of science project with an artistic bent. The project uses high-powered projectors to throw killjoy warnings onto the walls in public spaces. These warnings consist of a straight line indicating the level of sea or river should global warming really kick in, along with a scary message about the extremes of weather ("strong winds!")

The main reason we’re interested is the use of projectors, but sadly the only detail we’re given is that they will be "digital". Watermarks has yet to begin, but artist Chris Bodle will be starting off in Bristol, England — a curiously appropriate choice of location. First, the Bristol Channel (that’s the body of water, not a TV station) has one of the highest tides in the world, the sea rushing miles distant at low tide.

Second, it’s England. Many Brits silently welcome global warming as an antidote to the nation’s notoriously poor weather ("Summer fell on a Tuesday this year"). The trouble is that one of the first changes would be the shift of the Gulf Stream, the sea feature that brings warm water to the island all year round. Scratch that and England would have Canadian winters. Shiver!

Project page [Watermarks via Style Crave. Thanks, Mike!]

Honda’s new 5-passenger “Insight” hybrid just went on sale in Japan. The ¥1,890,000 (about $20,750) hatchback’s 1.3l i-VTEC engine with Integrated Motor Assist features Honda’s new Ecological Assist system that helps correct your wasteful driving habits. Eco Assist features an ECON mode (via dashboard button) that adjusts the engine output to conserve energy and increases regenerative recharging during deceleration. It also features Guidance and Scoring modes that adjust the background color of the speedometer and presents more (or less) leaves on the dashboard multi-information display to reflect your current level of fuel efficiency. The idea is simple: as your driving “improves” both your bank account and the environment will benefit. The Insight is expected to make its way to your local amber waves of grain or purple mountain majesty dealership in April, Europe in March. Skip ahead to 1:40 in the video posted after the break for the full Eco Assist rundown.

Continue reading Video: Honda Insight’s Eco Assist nags like a backseat hippie

Filed under: Transportation

Video: Honda Insight’s Eco Assist nags like a backseat hippie originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 08:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sometimes the simplest technology is the best. The Watercone, a solar-powered water purifier, is a testament to that.

The cone-shaped device turns salty or dirty water into up to 1.7 liters of fresh water in a matter of hours, according to Watercone.

Here’s how it works: You pour the bad water into a black pan, and then you screw on a cone. The black pan absorbs sunlight and heats up the water. Then, the evaporated water condensates into droplets on the cone’s inner wall, and the droplets drop into a circular trough at the inner case of the cone. After a few hours, you can unscrew the cap, tip the cone upside down and empty out the clean water into a receptacle.

The Watercone is due out this summer, and it should cost no more than $30. This will be a tremendous help for poorer, developing countries.

Check out a video of the Watercone in action below the jump.

Product Page [Watercone via RedFerret]

Photo: Watercone 

The human pedal power of six stationary bicycles has built up enough power in less than a month to light up the New Year’s Eve ‘2009’ sign tonight in New York’s Times Square.

According to Jenna Wortham over at the New York Times, battery maker Duracell built a ‘power lodge’ featuring bikes rigged by electrical generators. In the last few weeks, tourists have hopped on the bikes and used the considerable power of accumulative locomotion (with spinning wheels) to charge the main batteries providing the power for the sign.

It is estimated that it took 140,000 people more than 250 hours of pedaling to store up enough power to only last about fifteen minutes, immediately following the drop of the ball.

The large sign features 608 halogen bulbs that need 7.25 kilowatt-hours of electricity for full power.

Apparently, opening up free public access to the bikes led to some unusual results. A group of old ladies used the bikes as a public exercise space and spun away their remaining calories for 20 minutes every day.

The government of the city of New York is making a big deal about their local green initiatives and tried to shoehorn as much electricity savings into their New Year’s celebration as they could. According to Jenna, the famous lighted crystal ball, which is made out of 32,256 LEDs, consumes 20% less power than last year’s magic-hour ball.

Photo: Duracell/Stuart Ransom, NYT