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Continue reading Devotec rolls out updated Solar Sound 2 Bluetooth speaker

Devotec rolls out updated Solar Sound 2 Bluetooth speaker originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 May 2010 05:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fireflies in a jar are a wonderful childhood memory for many of us. Not surprisingly, it’s one of the things that Tom Padula missed when he moved from the Midwest to Silicon Valley nearly two decades ago.

So in the spirit of Silicon Valley, Padula decided to create electronic fireflies: lightweight, inexpensive, solar-powered bugs. At night, the fireflies flash a light on and off for about two hours, then switch off to recharge in the next day’s sunlight.

“I built about 20 and hung them in the backyard, on branches and bushes,” says Padula. “Bliss.”

About the size of a quarter, the electronic fireflies have a rechargeable battery pack. The batteries are charged each day by six tiny solar cells. At dusk, they come alive with a fading on-and-off pattern.

“The slightest breeze moves them around, and the motion combined with the light is mesmerizing,” says Padula, who will be selling his digital lightning bugs for $10 apiece at the fifth annual Maker Faire Bay Area, which will be held this coming Saturday and Sunday, May 22 and 23, in San Mateo, California. The annual event, put on by O’Reilly Media, is a celebration of DIY culture, arts and crafts, and will likely draw more than 70,000 attendees, organizers say.

Padula’s fireflies weigh 0.2 ounces (7 grams) and are attached to an 18-inch monofilament line. Six solar panels charge NiMH batteries, and a microcontroller drives the LED. The units are dipped in epoxy for weather resistance.

“All the real work happens in the code, from determining ambient light level, to controlling the LED intensity and keeping track of how long the pattern has been active so as to turn off after two hours, like real fireflies do,” says Padula.

Originally, Padula assembled each device by hand but now contracts it to a shop in Nevada.

Padula says he initially created the electronic fireflies for his enjoyment but after encouragement from friends and family, he hopes to make a business out of it.

See below for a closer look at the firefly.

Photos: Leslie Dunscomb

Oh sure, we’ve seen quite a few solar chargers in our day, but rarely do we get the chance to actually use one for the weekend. A new outfit by the name of Kiwi Choice gave us such an opportunity recently, and today it’s officially launching the U-Powered USB portable solar charger. Put simply, this here device folds out into a tri-pointed thingamajig with a trio of solar panels ready and willing to catch sunlight and store it within. The impatient among us can also juice it up via USB or AC adapter, with a full charge taking at least four hours. The device boasts a power capacity of 2,000mAh, and there’s also a magnet for storing it underneath your vehicle’s seat or dashboard. Oh, and there’s even a LED flashlight on the front in case of emergency.

The company ships the device with 11 different tips, one of which plays nice with Apple’s dock connector. We tested it out on a few obvious candidates, and while it had no issue juicing up our iPhone 3G, the in-house iPad saw the dreaded “Not Charging” logo appear moments after it was connected. The bundle also includes an AC plug and an in-car cigarette adapter for times when the solar charger is pooped, but unfortunately, neither of those options would charge the iPad, either. We will say, however, that it managed to charge every other handheld we had just fine, and while the build quality wasn’t exactly world class, it’s suitable for tossing in the car and having around when energy is needed. It’s available today for $49.99 if you’re interested.

Kiwi Choice launches U-Powered USB portable solar charger originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 May 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This traditionally-shaped camcorder may not be ergonomically friendly, but it is environmentally friendly — ostensibly, anyway. It’s the HDV-T900 from Jetyo, a 720p30 model that records to SDHC memory cards through what appears to be a fixed zoom lens (its specs promise only an 8x digital zoom). The thing that makes this a conversation piece is the solar cell on the backside of the three-inch LCD display. It’s hardly encouraging that the company’s site doesn’t say anything about how quickly it recharges the 4 AA batteries used for power, or indeed how long those batteries can power the thing in the first place. But, the site does say the current from the solar cell is 120mA, so we can do the math. Assuming you’re using something like 2,500mAh AA rechargeable cells, you’re looking at about 25 hours of sunlight to recharge one battery and there are, of course, four used here. Hey, sounds like a good excuse to extend your vacation to us.

Jetyo’s HDV-T900 solar-powered camcorder will capture only your brightest holiday memories originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 25 Apr 2010 02:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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All eyes in the design world have been focused this week on the Milan Design Fair 2010 – the biggest and most important design event in the world. Inhabitat scouts have been combing the fair, looking for the latest and greatest innovations in future-forward design. We’ve spotted a number of ingenious lighting innovations, such as this OLED chandelier from iconic British design Tom Dixon, and a beautiful recyclable pendant lamp inspired by origami. We basked in the gazpacho glare of an incredible table lamp powered completely by tomatoes, and we flipped out over an interactive wooden light wall inspired by the Japanese art of origami. We were also wowed by Yves Béhar’s latest foray into fancy chandelier design, with a collection of shimmering paper chandeliers that adorned the Swarovski Crystal Palace.

The past week was also awash in H2O tech as researchers unveiled fresh new ways to keep us hydrated and produce clean power. One team of MIT researchers successfully harnessed viruses to split molecules of water to create hydrogen fuel, while another team unveiled a stamp-sized water purifying chip that can be lined up in arrays to generate 15 liters of water per hour. Meanwhile, Mexican artist Gilberto Esparza took a different tact to water purification altogether: he’s created a group of robotic “nomad plants” that harvest sludge from polluted rivers and use it as an energy source.

We also saw several advances in wearable technology that could improve your game and keep you wired throughout the day. Three engineering students from Northeastern University have developed a “data-logging” compression shirt that helps baseball pitchers avoid torn ligaments, and designer Jennifer Darmour has created a “social-networking garment” that allows you to connect with your virtual audience with every move you make!

We also covered several remarkable transportation developments, starting with DARPA’s plans to build a futuristic flying transformer car. Speaking of high-flying transportation, we caught wind of a prototype high speed solar airship that could one day offer an emission-free method of hauling cargo across the US. Finally, South Africa is getting set to jump on the high speed rail “train” as it announced it is working on a new rail network that will cut transit times in twain, improve economic development, and modernize the country.

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: lights, water, action originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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