The Increased Popularity Of Eco Friendly Gadgets
Thomas Pretty asked:
Saving our planet is important, but that doesn’t mean you have to live in a tree and forgo your gadget pleasures. There are plenty of gadgets out there that will help you live a greener life and while most LCD televisions don’t come with a way to turn them off you can get devices to help combat that. Here are some of my favourite ones.
Cranking MP3 player.
With a 1GB capacity and a design that won’t win any red dot awards, the main USP for this new MP3 player is its green credentials. One minute’s worth of cranking will give you playback of 10 minutes – although there is USB charging too for when your arm gets tired. Including shipping, it’ll cost 55 euros, which is around 43 pounds, but consider what you’ll save on batteries.
Husqvarna solar powered automatic lawnmower.
It might set you back a cool 2000 pounds but working autonomously, the lawnmower will cut up to 2300 square metres of grass and can be programmed to come on at certain times or days of the week. Users can define the cutting area by laying a metal wire around the edge of their garden. The auto mower also has sensors in the device so it can avoid garden furniture. Solving the problem of collecting the grass, the motor’s three sharp blades cut the grass short enough as to scatter it back on the lawn. The mower will cut for around 40 minutes, and then charge for 40 minutes in its charging station, however the solar panels on its back mean that on a sunny day the device will be able to stay out cutting for up to 50 percent longer.
Efergy meter.
The Efergy meter is a compact monitor that allows the user to see electricity consumption in real time in your home. Made up of three components: a portable display monitor, a sensor which is clipped around the power cable feeding electricity into the premises, and a transmitter which is connected to the sensor and which sends the information to the monitor the data on the screen of the Efergy meter is refreshed every 5 seconds, so the impact on power usage of turning an electrical appliance on or off can be seen immediately. The Efergy meter costs 44.95.
The Standby Buster.
You want to turn your television off at the main, but the sockets at the back and out of the reach of your arm. The Stanby buster basically gives you a remote for your plug. The easy to use, remote-controlled electrical socket lets you switch off multiple appliances completely rather than leaving them in standby mode – all from a single button press. Sockets are simply plugged into existing power outlets allowing any connected appliances to be switched on and off using the remote control. Standby Buster uses Radio Frequency (RF) rather than Infra-Red (IR) to switch appliances on and off, so it is not impaired by objects in its way.
Moixa USBCELL batteries.
The USBCELL as an environmentally-friendly alternative to normal AA batteries. The top of one side flips up to reveal a USB connector, and the battery simply plugs into an open port. It takes five hours to charge one of the cells if it was fully discharged; each battery has a capacity of 1300 mAH. The USBCELL cost around 12.99 for two AA batteries.
These eco friendly gadgets are becoming increasingly popular as people have a growing environmental conscience.
Saving our planet is important, but that doesn’t mean you have to live in a tree and forgo your gadget pleasures. There are plenty of gadgets out there that will help you live a greener life and while most LCD televisions don’t come with a way to turn them off you can get devices to help combat that. Here are some of my favourite ones.
Cranking MP3 player.
With a 1GB capacity and a design that won’t win any red dot awards, the main USP for this new MP3 player is its green credentials. One minute’s worth of cranking will give you playback of 10 minutes – although there is USB charging too for when your arm gets tired. Including shipping, it’ll cost 55 euros, which is around 43 pounds, but consider what you’ll save on batteries.
Husqvarna solar powered automatic lawnmower.
It might set you back a cool 2000 pounds but working autonomously, the lawnmower will cut up to 2300 square metres of grass and can be programmed to come on at certain times or days of the week. Users can define the cutting area by laying a metal wire around the edge of their garden. The auto mower also has sensors in the device so it can avoid garden furniture. Solving the problem of collecting the grass, the motor’s three sharp blades cut the grass short enough as to scatter it back on the lawn. The mower will cut for around 40 minutes, and then charge for 40 minutes in its charging station, however the solar panels on its back mean that on a sunny day the device will be able to stay out cutting for up to 50 percent longer.
Efergy meter.
The Efergy meter is a compact monitor that allows the user to see electricity consumption in real time in your home. Made up of three components: a portable display monitor, a sensor which is clipped around the power cable feeding electricity into the premises, and a transmitter which is connected to the sensor and which sends the information to the monitor the data on the screen of the Efergy meter is refreshed every 5 seconds, so the impact on power usage of turning an electrical appliance on or off can be seen immediately. The Efergy meter costs 44.95.
The Standby Buster.
You want to turn your television off at the main, but the sockets at the back and out of the reach of your arm. The Stanby buster basically gives you a remote for your plug. The easy to use, remote-controlled electrical socket lets you switch off multiple appliances completely rather than leaving them in standby mode – all from a single button press. Sockets are simply plugged into existing power outlets allowing any connected appliances to be switched on and off using the remote control. Standby Buster uses Radio Frequency (RF) rather than Infra-Red (IR) to switch appliances on and off, so it is not impaired by objects in its way.
Moixa USBCELL batteries.
The USBCELL as an environmentally-friendly alternative to normal AA batteries. The top of one side flips up to reveal a USB connector, and the battery simply plugs into an open port. It takes five hours to charge one of the cells if it was fully discharged; each battery has a capacity of 1300 mAH. The USBCELL cost around 12.99 for two AA batteries.
These eco friendly gadgets are becoming increasingly popular as people have a growing environmental conscience.
The Best New Gadgets For Your Dad
Shaun Parker asked:
When I was growing up the most exciting toys I came across were conkers and marbles. However great these may have been they seem to have been shunted right out of the way with the wealth of gadget toys that are available these days. The range and variety of gadgets on offer is incredible. What’s even more incredible is the level of sophistication that goes into some of these toys.
The level of technology in some of the toys available on the market is phenomenal. Many of these mainstream toys are cheap enough for everyone to own one and they seem to offer greater levels of technology than that which got man to the moon in 1969. Here are a few of the genius ideas I have come across that in my opinion rival the Apollo 11 for ingenuity.
Flying alarm Clock
The flying alarm clock is an ingenious way of making you leap out of bed. When the alarm sounds the alarm clock rises from the platform upon which it is placed and flies around the room. Complete with a helicopter style rotor blade you have to get up and catch it to switch it off. What a brilliant idea! I could well have done with one of these when I was younger and even now. The most amazing thing is that they only sell for around 20 pounds. What a bargain – perfect for a birthday gift.
USB Rocket launcher
USB technology is very recent. You can now buy a number of items that can be run by sticking them into your USB port. One of the most enjoyable of these gadgets is a USB rocket launcher. Equipped with a number of foam darts that can be shot at office work colleagues it is great fun. The rocket launcher sits on your desk and shoots darts out when instructed to do so by the computer. The best thing about this is that it is possible to hijack someone else’s. So if your friend is on the same network as you then you can tap in to their system and aim their darts at them – genius! I used to have to make do with paper darts – not anymore.
Electric paper plane launcher
Speaking of paper planes it is now possible to purchase a paper plane launcher. The products makers claim that the machine can launch planes at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour. Wow – I think. I have to admit that this one is a bit of a puzzler to me and I have to admit I have not forked out the money to buy one. It sounds like the mother of all paper cut inducing machines. But fun nevertheless. I bet you could really achieve some distance for your plane with one of these. In my day we had to make use of our own throwing skill.
Motorised strap on skates
Yes that’s right motorised skates do actually exist! You can buy a pair of them, and you’ll definitely want two (unless you only have one leg), for around 100 pounds. There has surely never been a product that is more likely to kill as many people as these will.
Nevertheless it is a great concept – despite being bloody scary. Called the iShoes critics have called them the fastest trip to casualty you will ever make. I for one will definitely be trying these out though. They work with batteries that apparently last for up to 7 miles in one charge. The wheels on these skates are much bigger than those that are fixed to traditional skates. In my day we had to settle for riding around in a shopping trolley with a wonky wheel.
When I was growing up the most exciting toys I came across were conkers and marbles. However great these may have been they seem to have been shunted right out of the way with the wealth of gadget toys that are available these days. The range and variety of gadgets on offer is incredible. What’s even more incredible is the level of sophistication that goes into some of these toys.
The level of technology in some of the toys available on the market is phenomenal. Many of these mainstream toys are cheap enough for everyone to own one and they seem to offer greater levels of technology than that which got man to the moon in 1969. Here are a few of the genius ideas I have come across that in my opinion rival the Apollo 11 for ingenuity.
Flying alarm Clock
The flying alarm clock is an ingenious way of making you leap out of bed. When the alarm sounds the alarm clock rises from the platform upon which it is placed and flies around the room. Complete with a helicopter style rotor blade you have to get up and catch it to switch it off. What a brilliant idea! I could well have done with one of these when I was younger and even now. The most amazing thing is that they only sell for around 20 pounds. What a bargain – perfect for a birthday gift.
USB Rocket launcher
USB technology is very recent. You can now buy a number of items that can be run by sticking them into your USB port. One of the most enjoyable of these gadgets is a USB rocket launcher. Equipped with a number of foam darts that can be shot at office work colleagues it is great fun. The rocket launcher sits on your desk and shoots darts out when instructed to do so by the computer. The best thing about this is that it is possible to hijack someone else’s. So if your friend is on the same network as you then you can tap in to their system and aim their darts at them – genius! I used to have to make do with paper darts – not anymore.
Electric paper plane launcher
Speaking of paper planes it is now possible to purchase a paper plane launcher. The products makers claim that the machine can launch planes at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour. Wow – I think. I have to admit that this one is a bit of a puzzler to me and I have to admit I have not forked out the money to buy one. It sounds like the mother of all paper cut inducing machines. But fun nevertheless. I bet you could really achieve some distance for your plane with one of these. In my day we had to make use of our own throwing skill.
Motorised strap on skates
Yes that’s right motorised skates do actually exist! You can buy a pair of them, and you’ll definitely want two (unless you only have one leg), for around 100 pounds. There has surely never been a product that is more likely to kill as many people as these will.
Nevertheless it is a great concept – despite being bloody scary. Called the iShoes critics have called them the fastest trip to casualty you will ever make. I for one will definitely be trying these out though. They work with batteries that apparently last for up to 7 miles in one charge. The wheels on these skates are much bigger than those that are fixed to traditional skates. In my day we had to settle for riding around in a shopping trolley with a wonky wheel.
Spy Kite with Digital Camera for Kids
“Our new Spy Kite is the first kite to include a digital camera. Activate the camera with the remote controller and take photos from up to 25 metres high”
Eolo Spy Kite. Sure you could attach a cheap digital camera to a kite with some sort of shutter release but let’s be honest- you’re not going to. However, buying a spy kite kit complete with digital camera and remote control shutter release and easy to transfer software… that’s much easier. How cool would it be to be able to take some pictures from 75 feet up in the air? Unfortunately for you, my aerial photography fan, the spy kite is available in the UK only right now.
Hitch Safe Lets You Store Valuables Safely in your Trailer Hitch
The HitchSafe Key Vault Hitch Safe lets you store valuables in your Trailer Hitch, where no one will expect valuables. Basically, it puts a combination locked safe into your car or truck’s trailer hitch. Maybe you want to keep a spare set of keys in there, or some candy, or whatever.
Remember those magnetic key holder things from the 80’s ye olden days that let you hide a key under your car in a magnetic case? Great idea for locking your stuff in your car and not having to take your keys with you, not really secure though. Now there’s Hitch Safe, a secure and secret place to stash your valuables and keys in your car.
The Hitch Safe slides into the trailer hitch receiver after you have removed the tow ball attachment. The safe is secured with two bolts that hold the safe into the hitch and prevent it being removed unless it’s unlocked. The safe is made of coated metal and the dials are chrome so it won’t rust. The safe is large enough to hold cash, car keys or even credit cards and it’s all secured via a 4 digit code so you don’t need to take your keys with you. Great for bushwalkers, surfers, divers or anyone who keeps locking themselves out of their car.
It also comes with a rubber cover so if you’re not using your trailer you can leave the Hitch Safe in place and it won’t get gunked up with dust. No one likes getting grit in their drawers. Hitch Safe is available from Herrington for US$69.95.
