There aren’t too many times that I think about rolling my desk outside, but the SOLo Lounge Table might change all that. Built into the surface of table are solar panels that charge up its internal battery and power your devices. It can connect to a variety of devices and there’s a drawer for storing and charging your gadgets. The SOLo alse features Bluetooth connectivity for system monitoring in addition to the included System Monitor display/device.
This month I’ve been testing out the HYmini, the world’s first personal wind powered charger. At $49 it’s a steal and gives you ‘green cred’ – you know, like ‘street cred’.
What is the HYmini?
HYmini calls it “the first green platform universal/charger device to harness window power and solar power”. In other words, stick this thing into on coming wind, the built-in fan will spin and subsequently charge the internal lithium-ion battery. With the included adapters you can charge a wide variety of devices, but more on that later.
How does it work?
Well, once you’ve got some juice into the built-in battery you simply attach a compatible device and flip the switch from its charging to powering position. A red light will emit conveying that the HYmini is sending juice. Unfortunately, the red light is not an indicator of whether or not the attached device is accepting the charge, as experienced with my iPod Shuffle.
How much wind power do you need and how long does it take to charge the device?
Well, first and foremost let me mention that you can actually charge the HYmini in a number of different ways: wind, solar power (a solar panel is included) and lastly you can plug it into the wall. Plugged in it takes about an hour to charge. Spinning at an average wind speed of 10-15mph it should take about an hour but because the charging LED doesn’t work with wind power it’s hard to say. ASC International, the company behind the HYmini says it’ll take about an hour with reasonable wind power and from what I inferred the solar panel adds a little extra juice, but not ideal for complete charging. The HYmini is effective in wind speeds between 9 – 40mph. After 40mph no additional juice is produced. I didn’t have a chance to stick this thing out the window of a car, but that seems totally impractical given most state laws make this illegal.
What devices are the Hymini compatible with?
It’s compatible with most 5V devices. Unfortunately, it won’t work with the iPhone or iPod Shuffle – a big disappointment for me, as those are my top 2 most used gadgets. I did partially charge both a Napster 1GB MP3 players and my girlfriend’s old school LG flip phone (not on the same charge mind you). Included in the package are a variety of adapters: LG, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, Nokia, mini USB, and Samsung. Because the HYmini’s power output is USB no adapter is needed for the regular iPod, which it apparently works with according to the manufacture.
Is the HYmini heavy?
No, it’s very lightweight. In fact, adding it to my bicycle’s handlebars with the optional bike mount is probably the best way to charge it. Once mounted and riding I didn’t even know it was there. Mounting the bicycle attachment requires no tools and includes an additional attachment for quick on and off removal – the HYmini slides in and out. There’s also an optional armband attachment, but it looks a bit cumbersome (I didn’t test). As for design the HYmini is very compact – about the size of an iPod - and will fit into most bag scenarios (i.e. purses, bags, backpacks, etc). The fan itself is actually made of a malleable like plastic insuring a long life, efficiency and crack or chip free operation. The optional solar panel is slightly larger than an iPhone and is in cased in recycled cardboard – I thought this was packaging upon initial receipt of the device.
What else does the HYmini include?
Because it’s ideal for bikes they’ve built-in two small light emitting LEDs. They don’t emit much ambient light, but a nice safety light for cross street traffic. Also included are the aforementioned adapters and USB power cord. That’s what you get with the HYmini.
What’s your verdict or overall experience?
The HYmini is without a doubt a device of the future. The largest noted drawback was the inability to measure how much the device has been charged via wind or solar power. On the converse, for $49 a pop you really can’t ask for more. It charges most 5V devices, and as previously mentioned I was a little disappointed that it didn’t work with the iPhone, a device that needs regular charging.
Available directly from Hymini for $49. You can pick up the bike mount for $9 more, the solar charger for $25, and the armband for $15.
This tiny little pill sized light bulb from the folks at Luxim, emits ’sun quality light’ (should read spectrum) and at the core of the bulb radiates the same heat level, 6,000 Calvin. That’s 140 lumens per watt - 15 lumens per watt for a regular light bulb and 70 for an LED - and converts most of its energy into actual light, unlike most lights which convert it into heat. How does it accomplish this feat? $40 million in VC funding of course.
Check out the video of it being equated to a 400 watt streetlight after the ‘leap’
Ok, so it’s not a full sized car and worst of all it’s not even remote controlled, but the H Racer and Solar Hydrogen Station let’s you play with hydrogen fuel in your living room. Just add water and watch the solar paneled fueling station convert it to hydrogen fuel. Next, fill the H Racer and it’ll cruise 300 feet on just water!
The modern world wastes gallons and gallons of water. Fortunately, these days folks are catching on. God knows I’ve seen my fair share of waterless urinals. Yeah, it’s a little funky ‘on paper’ but they actually work and they don’t have that horrible urinal cake smell that get’s all up in your mouth. Washup on the other hand, is a conceptual product that reuses the washing machine’s water to flush the toilet. It mounts above the toilet taking full advanatge of the preexisting plumbing and also saves space if you live in a small apartment.
As first glance the Belkin Conserve is just another surge protector. Not so. The device includes 8 outlets. 2 of them are always turned on, like a normal surge protector. The other 6 can be toggled on/off with a wireless switch that can be mounted anywhere. Definitely not ideal for those always on devices (e.g. fridges, DVRs), but a nice option for those with a green conscious who’d like to turn off those energy sucking power packs.
The only thing that makes Brando ’s Solar Powered Key Chain a key chain, is the key ring attachment - come on, it’s almost the same size as the pictured cell phone. Still for $22.00 it ain’t half bad, and it will surely impress the ladies at the beach in need of a quick charge. Keep in mind that it’s more like the Hymini in that it charges the on board battery which is then transferred to your phone’s battery. Comes with a variety of attachments and an A/C adapter for charging at home.
With a purported 700hp, the Lightning GT might be the most powerful all electric vehicle to hit the consumer market. Its body is crafted from carbon fiber and Kevlar, and can hit 0 - 60 in 4 seconds. No word on range, but the package includes a home and optional mobile charging device, anti-lock brakes, traction control, central locking, alarm, electric windows, optional nav and air conditioning. No mention of air bags, though. Hmm, is this another Tesla like rumor gone wrong? A $30,00 deposit will get you in line for the Lightning GT’s second half of ‘08 release.
Daimler Chrysler is set to introduce an automotive first: integration of a lithium-ion battery into a passenger car. Planned for production in the 2009 BlueHYBRID, the lithium-ion technology is possible thanks to 25 patents now held by Daimler. Lithium-ion is more efficient and smaller than current nickel-metal batteries found into today’s hybrids, and require a climate control system for a long service life and max performance. The BlueHYBRID will be the most economical luxury sedan spewing out just 190g/km of CO2, and will achieve roughly 50km per gallon of gas. Far from the VW Diesel Hybrid we saw earlier this week, but a step in the right direction.
Set to be unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show, VW is planning a 70 mpg Rabbit. According to Treehugger, the diesel-electric hybrid is said to spew out just 89 g/km of carbon dioxide compared with Toyota’s Prius 104 g/km. Expect this hybrid setup to emerge in other models such as the Jetta, A3 and more. Not too long ago I wrote about a new Audi hybrid. I wonder if this will supersede that model here in the US?
