Hasta La Gadget!

It may not be the snazziest thing to ever leave the labs at Oregon Scientific, but it’s still a new take on the average desktop weather station that Ma Earth would certainly appreciate. The sun-powered +ECO Clima Control weather station is equipped with a built-in solar panel and enables users to monitor the current temperature and humidity in up to four locations within the home and outdoors. The device relies on remote wireless sensors, and considering that it can operate for up to three months with just an eight hour charge, even folks under the clouds in Seattle can take advantage. Those interested in bringing one home can do so for $119.99, and if you’re still not convinced of the value proposition here, you can look forward to two more +ECO wares this September. Tap that read link for more information on the both of those.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Oregon Scientific introduces solar-powered +ECO Clima Control weather station originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This is the Solar Vest. If you didn’t know that it was a solar vest, may we draw your attention to the giant, two-inch high letters on the back which spell out “SOLAR VEST”. This is, incredibly, touted on the product site:

In case your friends think this is only an ultra-fashionable vest, the words “SOLAR VEST” in big stitched lettering on the back let them know this is really a high-tech solar battery.

The vest, as you’d expect, is covered in expandable “nerd-pockets”, suitable for all kinds of devices, including the honking great charger and battery pack that comes with it. Also supplied are various tips to hook this charger up to your devices, and the pack will output 5V, 6V, 9V and 12-20V from its 8800mAh battery (roughly equivalent in storage to a nine-cell netbook battery).

It’s easy to scoff, but if you think of this as a replacement for a be-pocketed photo vest, only with added charging power, then it comes out looking a lot better, and at €100 ($140) it is actually quite a deal, considering I paid around that for just a netbook battery. Available now, possibly not washable, and with the following endorsement from the FAQ page:

Are chicks attracted to this solar vest?

Like moths to a light bulb.

Product page [Chinavasion via Geeky Gadgets. Thanks, Roland!]

We’ve been hearing about the Samsung Blue Earth — an eco-phone, if you will — since way back at MWC. Now CNET‘s finally gotten its hands on one at CommunicAsia in Singapore, and we have to say that we’re pretty intrigued with what we’re seeing. The back of the phone is covered with a solar panel, and Samsung says that one hour of sunning time for the mobile equals about 10 minutes of talk time. The handset also has a built-in pedometer to count steps for the Eco Walk carbon footprint app — certainly something prospective buyers of the Blue Earth might be interested in. We still don’t know full specs, pricing or availability for the phone, but we’ll let you know when we do. Hit the read link for a video.

Filed under: Cellphones

Samsung Blue Earth finally gets a hands-on treatment originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What with the wooden flashlight and now this solar-powered radio, it’s quickly turning into eco-Wednesday. I almost bought one of these little gizmos at the weekend, but shied away as the boutique gift-store price was way more than the $25 you US residents can buy it for.

The Kikkerland radio can run off the Sun, but there’s also a crank to juice things on cloudier days. The product specs say that one minute of cranking gives half an hour of radio-play, and it will run for seven hours when fully charged. What they don’t say is that to achieve that full charge, you have to leave it in sunlight for the better part of a day (yes, I read the details on gadget boxes even on my days off). Still, for outdoor use it’s perfect, and the styling makes it look like a prop from the Jetsons. It tunes to AM and FM, and there’s a headphone jack, but sadly no line-in.

Product page [USeful Things via Red Ferret]

Timely, no? Just a month after Sharp aided in producing the planet’s first waterproof solar cellphone, the aforementioned outfit has just announced the industry’s thinnest solar module for handsets. Checking in at just 0.8 millimeters thick, the LR0GC02 shouldn’t take up too much space on your daughter’s great-granddaughter’s smartphone, and while Sharp isn’t handing over too many details just yet, we figure it’ll pretty much do what it says. You know — charge the handset it’s integrated into whenever sunlight is available. As for when we’ll see these in cellphones everywhere? Take a wild guess, tree-hugger.

[Via Akihabara News]

Filed under: Cellphones, Displays

Sharp slings out industry’s thinnest solar modules for cellphones originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 May 2009 10:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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