This lightweight jacket is made from recycled materials. Featuring ‘Tux’ the linux penguin used as the logo for Linux it is bound to appeal to all open source eco enthusiasts.

The Linux logo of ‘Tux’ the penguin is recognisable to all (or at least all that matter to those who know him!) and the ideals of open source software mesh well with being eco-friendly. The jacket comes in sizes ranging from small to large for men (which equates to medium to extra large in women) and is made from a polyester that has been fabricated from 100% recycled materials.

This polyester makes the coat light weight and water resistant, with its partial mesh venting in the upper back of  jacket the coat is suitable in all weathers keeping you dry and warm while preventing you from getting too hot. The black jacket has reflective piping on it both at the front and at the back, which helps reflect light to allow you to been seen at night. The jacket has a zipper closure to it and has pockets located towards the bottom of it. It also has inside port access for portable electronic items such as mobile phones and MP3 players.

Both the Men’s Jacket and the Ladies Jacket are available for $29.99 each.

	Sneaky Green Uses for Everyday Things Book A book that features 40 different projects for using everyday objects in an eco-friendly way. (read more…)
	Solar Powered Glowing Plant Pot A plant pot with a difference. The pot charges during the day and emits a gentle glow in the evening! (read more…)
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	AeroPonics Accelerated Indoor Garden Gadget An indoor plant growing kit where all your plants grow super-fast! Available in the UK and US. (read more…)

Want to buy this gadget? Check out the Recycled Jacket Featuring ‘Tux’ The Linux Penguin article on EnviroGadget to see the lowest prices for this gadget.

© 2008 to 2010 EnviroGadget.com. You can follow EnviroGadget on Twitter here!

Today I have the privilege of reviewing a stunning piece of eco-friendly gadgetry, namely the Infinit IV2.1 Solar Charger Backpack.

The backpack features a large 2.4W solar panel, neatly integrated on the front of the bag. The solar panel is used to charge up an internal battery, which can then be used to charge up your mobile phone, GPS navigation gadgets, the iPhone, the iPod, and devices that charge up via a mini USB socket.

Initial Impressions

When I opened the box, my first impression was, “wow, this looks really nice”! I was pleasantly surprised at just how big the solar panel is, which is about the size of a paper-back book. The fabric of the backpack is a high quality and tough material, and you can just tell that the whole product is well made.

What’s Included?

Infinit Rucksack IV2.1 with Accessories

After hunting around the internal pockets in the bag, these are all the accessories that come with the bag.

• The backpack itself
• An elasticated waterproof sack to cover your bag
• A removable rechargeable battery (2200mAh capacity)
• 8 adaptors (for charging different gadgets)
• A retractable USB cable
• An AC adaptor plug (for charging up the battery)
• An instruction booklet

Basic Construction

Straps and Back Support

The bag is roughly the size of a standard rucksack, with padded shoulder straps, a padded handle, padded back support and a reinforced base. With all this padding, the bag is very comfortable to wear for a few hours. There are lots of little pockets within the bag, which are fantastic for organising your stuff. There’s a small pocket on the front of the bag behind the solar panel, which is large enough for a mobile phone or MP3 player.

Main Section - Laptop Pocket (Before)

Laptop Pocket with Laptop Secured

Then there’s a middle section which houses the battery and accessories, covered by a protective red netting. Most of the small pockets are in the middle section of the bag. Finally, there’s the main section of the bag, which is by far the largest area for storing your stuff. There’s a large flexible pocket inside the main section which is perfect for holding your laptop securely. I’d expect the back can handle up to a 15″ display without any difficulty.

At the top of the main section, there’s a small elasticated pocket that’s designed to hold an MP3 player or other music player. You can thread through your headphones using the headphone port and keep your MP3 player out of sight and completely dry.

Since the bottom of the main section of the bag has a reinforced base (a firm bit of padding basically), then you’ll notice that heavy books or laptops don’t poke out of the bottom of the bag. This helps the bag to retain it’s structure and will definitely reduce the strain on your back.

Charging up a gadget

Battery Charging an iPod Touch

The battery is removable from the bag, since the solar panel has a standard mini USB cable that just plugs into the battery when you want to charge it up. Being able to take out the battery is very useful, as it gives you some freedom of where and when you charge up your gadgets.

The battery features some intelligent electronics which handles all of the charging stuff for you. Using the iPod adaptor and the retractable cable, I just plugged the battery into my iPod Touch, and the battery automatically started charging up my iPod for me! The iPod was at around 66% when I started charging it up, and it took about 30 minutes to charge the iPod to 100%. Of course, that will vary from gadget to gadget.

During the charging phase, the four blue LED lights on the battery indicate what charge remains in the battery. Each LED corresponds to roughly 25% of energy remaining in the battery. Once the battery had finished charging my iPod Touch, only 2 LEDs were lighting up, which indicates that battery capacity was between 20% and 50%.

Charging up the battery again

Charging up the battery with the solar panel

Charging up the battery again is very simple. You just connect the battery to the solar panel, and leave the solar panel in direct sunlight. When the battery is flat, it takes up to 10 hours for the battery to charge to full capacity again. Therefore you might want to use the AC charger if you need a full battery quickly. The blue LEDs on the battery will all light up when the battery is fully charged, so there’s no need to guess when the battery is ready.

Conclusions

The bag is very well designed and constructed, and it has clearly been created to be practical as well as desirable. The automatic charger within the battery pack takes all of the hassle out of figuring out how to charge your gadgets, it’s really a matter of just plugging in your gadgets and the battery handles the rest.

My only concern is that the bag looks slightly conspicuous with the solar panel on the front. That means it might get some unwanted attention from opportunistic thieves, who might work out that there are likely to be some valuable gadgets inside. My suggestion is that you don’t let the bag out of your sight!

However, that aside, this is a bag that I am proud to own and one that’s practical from a gadget charging perspective. For me, the real winning feature of the bag is the sturdy construction for carrying a laptop safely. Back strain is not fun, but this bag makes it a real pleasure to carry a laptop.

Thank you to Infinit for giving me the opportunity to review such a top class product!

Product Page: Infinit IV2.1 Backpack, priced at £89.99 including VAT (UK taxes)

	AeroPonics Accelerated Indoor Garden Gadget An indoor plant growing kit where all your plants grow super-fast! Available in the UK and US. (read more…)
	Frosted Scroll Solar-Powered Lantern An attractive solar-powered lamp for gardens, patios and conservatories. (read more…)
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	Dynamo Torch and Windmill Generator Eco Toys Fun eco-friendly toys for the kids using a dynamos to teach children the basics of energy generator. Prices start at $9.95. (read more…)

Want to buy this gadget? Check out the Infinit IV2.1 Solar Charger Backpack Review article on EnviroGadget to see the lowest prices for this gadget.

© 2008 to 2010 EnviroGadget.com. You can follow EnviroGadget on Twitter here!

The Sunny Bags are the creations of Stefan Ponsold, who runs a company called SunnyBag based in Austria. The bags are a dark brown or black cowskin-leather, designed as a shoulder-bag for laptops and paperwork. The unique aspect of this bag is that it includes a 3 Watt solar panel with a 1600mAh LI-Ion battery pack. The high power solar panel allows the internal battery to be charged, even with cloudy and overcast days.

The Sunny Bags come with a range of adaptors to charge your portable gadgets, including the iPhone, iPod, most mobile phone models and USB. With the battery, the bag weighs approximately 1.4kg (or 3lb) and measures 42cm x 32cm x 8cm. The Business Pro model of the bags are able to comfortably house a 15.4″ laptop computer.

Prices start at €165.83 plus shipping fees. SunnyBag will happily ship their bags to the EU and internationally.

	Solar Powered Glowing Plant Pot A plant pot with a difference. The pot charges during the day and emits a gentle glow in the evening! (read more…)
	NIX X10A Energy Saving Digital Photo Frame A digital photo frame which uses a motion detector to save energy by only switching on when people are around to look at it. (read more…)
	AeroPonics Accelerated Indoor Garden Gadget An indoor plant growing kit where all your plants grow super-fast! Available in the UK and US. (read more…)
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	Solar-Powered Garden Insect Theatre Watch the insects in the garden using this environmentally friendly and educational insect theatre. (read more…)

Want to buy this gadget? Check out the SunnyBag Leather Bags with 3 Watt Solar Panel article on EnviroGadget to see the lowest prices for this gadget.

© 2008 to 2010 EnviroGadget.com. You can follow EnviroGadget on Twitter here!

Konarka Industries have partnered with German retailer Neuber to create lightweight Energy Sun-Bags, which are fitted with a 1.4W solar panel that can charge most portable gadgets that need a charging power supply up to 5V at 600mA. The Sun-Bags can charge the usual gadgets, such as MP3 players, cameras, phones, games consoles, etc.

The Sun Bags are claimed to be the lightest on the market, weighing only 500 grams (1lb), including the solar panel, battery and all of the charging cables. The bags are available in 37 colors with optional custom printing, which is particularly useful for branding the bags with a company logo.

Prices start at around €120, which is currently around $180 USD due to currency fluctuations.

	NIX X10A Energy Saving Digital Photo Frame A digital photo frame which uses a motion detector to save energy by only switching on when people are around to look at it. (read more…)
	Solar Powered Glowing Plant Pot A plant pot with a difference. The pot charges during the day and emits a gentle glow in the evening! (read more…)
	Sneaky Green Uses for Everyday Things Book A book that features 40 different projects for using everyday objects in an eco-friendly way. (read more…)
	AeroPonics Accelerated Indoor Garden Gadget An indoor plant growing kit where all your plants grow super-fast! Available in the UK and US. (read more…)
	Solar-Powered Garden Insect Theatre Watch the insects in the garden using this environmentally friendly and educational insect theatre. (read more…)

Want to buy this gadget? Check out the Neuber Lightweight Solar Panel Bags article on EnviroGadget to see the lowest prices for this gadget.

© 2008 to 2010 EnviroGadget.com. You can follow EnviroGadget on Twitter here!

I recently received a 2C Solar Cap to review, and I must say that I was very impressed with it. You’d expect it to be a silly gadget without any real purpose… but actually, it works perfectly for map reading at night. If you’re out hiking or camping, you usually need both hands free to do something, such as pitching a tent, cooking, or map reading. The 2C Solar Cap perfectly angles the bright white LED lights in front of you, making the cap very practical.

The cap is really well made, using a quality baseball cap, and a robust waterproofing for housing the electronics. There are 2 bright white LEDs, a large solar panel on the top of the cap, and a solid on/off switch to turn the lights on and off. The cap is as comfortable as any other good quality baseball cap. It certainly doesn’t feel like a low quality cap with a solar panel stuck on top.

Now you need to read the instructions for the other light modes, but there is also an SOS attention-getting mode, as well as the ability to adjust the brightness of the lights. For the SOS mode, you just push the on/off button twice. The lights rapidly flash in such a way that would easily grab someone’s attention. For the dimmer mode, you just push and hold the on/off button until the light dims to the brightness you want. Really easy, and really simple.

I really like the 2C Solar Cap, and although it costs $34.99, I can see why it’s worth that much. This is not a cheap or pointless eco gadget. The solar cap has genuine functionality, and I can see that it would be really useful when I’m camping. If you’re in the UK, you can get it for £29.99 from Solar Light Cap directly.

Thank you to Solar Light Cap for sending me one to review! It was a fun gadget to play with!

	Dynamo Torch and Windmill Generator Eco Toys Fun eco-friendly toys for the kids using a dynamos to teach children the basics of energy generator. Prices start at $9.95. (read more…)
	Solar Powered Glowing Plant Pot A plant pot with a difference. The pot charges during the day and emits a gentle glow in the evening! (read more…)
	Sneaky Green Uses for Everyday Things Book A book that features 40 different projects for using everyday objects in an eco-friendly way. (read more…)
	NIX X10A Energy Saving Digital Photo Frame A digital photo frame which uses a motion detector to save energy by only switching on when people are around to look at it. (read more…)
	AeroPonics Accelerated Indoor Garden Gadget An indoor plant growing kit where all your plants grow super-fast! Available in the UK and US. (read more…)

Want to buy this gadget? Check out the 2C Solar-Powered Baseball Cap article on EnviroGadget to see the lowest prices for this gadget.

© 2008 to 2010 EnviroGadget.com. You can follow EnviroGadget on Twitter here!

The Black Hills Solar Charger Rucksack is a spacious and lightweight 25 litre backpack that features a solar powered charger built into it. The Black Hills Solar Backpack uses sunlight to trickle-charge the internal Lithium battery. The charger can then be used to charge all of your gadgets, such as MP3 players, mobile phones, PDAs, etc.

The solar panel on the backpack delivers a maximum output of 6V at 120mA, and the battery delivers a maximum output of 3.7V at 800mA. In strong sunlight, it takes around 10 to 14 hours to fully charge the internal battery. However, if you want to top up the internal battery, you can do so with the provided USB cable or AC adaptor. Using the USB or AC alternative, you can charge the internal battery in just 2 hours.

The backpack will fully charge most devices in around 2-3 hours. The bag comes with 17 essential adaptors, which covers the majority of gadgets. The bag also features a headphone port, presumably so that you can keep your music play in your bag and plug your headphones in from outside the bag.

The Black Hills Solar Charger Rucksack costs around £49, with free delivery in the UK. Looks like this bag is a great combination of quality and features, and it easily beats other solar-charger bags that I’ve seen!

Source: Eco Travel Gadgets

	Solar Powered Glowing Plant Pot A plant pot with a difference. The pot charges during the day and emits a gentle glow in the evening! (read more…)
	NIX X10A Energy Saving Digital Photo Frame A digital photo frame which uses a motion detector to save energy by only switching on when people are around to look at it. (read more…)
	Frosted Scroll Solar-Powered Lantern An attractive solar-powered lamp for gardens, patios and conservatories. (read more…)
	AeroPonics Accelerated Indoor Garden Gadget An indoor plant growing kit where all your plants grow super-fast! Available in the UK and US. (read more…)
	Dynamo Torch and Windmill Generator Eco Toys Fun eco-friendly toys for the kids using a dynamos to teach children the basics of energy generator. Prices start at $9.95. (read more…)

Want to buy this gadget? Check out the Black Hills Solar Charger BackPack article on EnviroGadget to see the lowest prices for this gadget.

© 2008 to 2010 EnviroGadget.com. You can follow EnviroGadget on Twitter here!

Of all the places to have a solar panel, a jacket is not exactly my first choice. The solar ski jacket features a neoprene collar with solar panels stitched into them. The solar panels can then be used to charge mobile phones, ipods, and any other usb-connected devices.

The jacket has re-inforced shoulder panels ideal for carrying ski equipment, fully taped seams to water-proof the jacket, detachable hood, and a few other fancy features. The solar panels are capable of charging devices needing a 5-6V input voltage.

And here’s the best bit, it costs $1,350. Hmmm, completely negating the benefit of the green gadget angle! I think it’s a premium clothing line so that you look like you’re eco-friendly. If you’re looking for cheap clothes, then forget this jacket.

Source: OhGizmo!

	NIX X10A Energy Saving Digital Photo Frame A digital photo frame which uses a motion detector to save energy by only switching on when people are around to look at it. (read more…)
	Sneaky Green Uses for Everyday Things Book A book that features 40 different projects for using everyday objects in an eco-friendly way. (read more…)
	Dynamo Torch and Windmill Generator Eco Toys Fun eco-friendly toys for the kids using a dynamos to teach children the basics of energy generator. Prices start at $9.95. (read more…)
	Solar-Powered Garden Insect Theatre Watch the insects in the garden using this environmentally friendly and educational insect theatre. (read more…)
	Solar Powered Glowing Plant Pot A plant pot with a difference. The pot charges during the day and emits a gentle glow in the evening! (read more…)

Want to buy this gadget? Check out the Solar Ski Jacket – Eco-Friendly, Stylish and Pricey article on EnviroGadget to see the lowest prices for this gadget.

© 2008 to 2010 EnviroGadget.com. You can follow EnviroGadget on Twitter here!

Researchers at the Iowa State University have invented a green gadget, a solar-powered necktie, in the process of inventing fabric that integrates photovoltaic thin film cells both physically and aesthetically into wearable clothing. In terms of aesthetics, it’s a hard job, as solar cells are usually a distinct blue-ish colour and grid-pattern.

The Iowa State University team have come up with an idea to use digital textile printing to print fabric that matches the pattern style of the component (i.e. the the solar cells). Essentially using a print that camouflages the component in the clothing. However, the pattern used for the camouflage is of questionable taste. In their example, the solar tie is able to charge a mobile phone. In my opinion, it doesn’t look that attractive!

Source: Talk2MyShirt via The Raw Feed

	AeroPonics Accelerated Indoor Garden Gadget An indoor plant growing kit where all your plants grow super-fast! Available in the UK and US. (read more…)
	Dynamo Torch and Windmill Generator Eco Toys Fun eco-friendly toys for the kids using a dynamos to teach children the basics of energy generator. Prices start at $9.95. (read more…)
	Solar-Powered Garden Insect Theatre Watch the insects in the garden using this environmentally friendly and educational insect theatre. (read more…)
	Solar Powered Glowing Plant Pot A plant pot with a difference. The pot charges during the day and emits a gentle glow in the evening! (read more…)
	Frosted Scroll Solar-Powered Lantern An attractive solar-powered lamp for gardens, patios and conservatories. (read more…)

Want to buy this gadget? Check out the Solar-Powered Neck-Tie article on EnviroGadget to see the lowest prices for this gadget.

© 2008 to 2010 EnviroGadget.com. You can follow EnviroGadget on Twitter here!

The Profolio Solar Bag is an example of a green gadget, one of many solar-enabled clothing products that are reaching the market. The solar attaché bag has room for a 17inch laptop and a variety of gadgets using its many internal pockets. The solar panel can produce up to 6.3Watts of electricity to charge up your devices, but strangely is no good for charging your laptop!

The manufacturers claim that the solar panel needs to be four times larger to be able to power a laptop. I don’t think we’ll see solar-powered laptop charging bags for a while then, at least until we’ve got more efficient solar cells. The solar bag will, however, charge a number of small gadgets, such as PDAs, games consoles, mobile phones, digital cameras, MP3 players or simply rechargeable batteries.

The bag is waterproof, hard wearing, strong and practical. I look forward to seeing future models that include a rolled up solar cell for charging a laptop too! The Profolio Solar Bag is currently available for sale for just under $300.

Source: Alternative Consumer

	AeroPonics Accelerated Indoor Garden Gadget An indoor plant growing kit where all your plants grow super-fast! Available in the UK and US. (read more…)
	NIX X10A Energy Saving Digital Photo Frame A digital photo frame which uses a motion detector to save energy by only switching on when people are around to look at it. (read more…)
	Solar-Powered Garden Insect Theatre Watch the insects in the garden using this environmentally friendly and educational insect theatre. (read more…)
	Frosted Scroll Solar-Powered Lantern An attractive solar-powered lamp for gardens, patios and conservatories. (read more…)
	Dynamo Torch and Windmill Generator Eco Toys Fun eco-friendly toys for the kids using a dynamos to teach children the basics of energy generator. Prices start at $9.95. (read more…)

Want to buy this gadget? Check out the Profolio Solar Bag – Charging On The Move article on EnviroGadget to see the lowest prices for this gadget.

© 2008 to 2010 EnviroGadget.com. You can follow EnviroGadget on Twitter here!

Sometimes inventors create strange devices in the name of the environment. The solar underwear is supposedly designed to show that you can generate electricity from virtually any clothing. The underwear generates electricity for a mini electric bulletin board to display messages.

The vast majority of red-blooded men will simply not notice the message board if faced with such a lady in the solar brasserie. It does go to show though, that this eco friendly technology could be added to a range of clothing, using flexible solar panels to power the growing number of personal gadgets we carry these days!

Source: UberGizmo

	Dynamo Torch and Windmill Generator Eco Toys Fun eco-friendly toys for the kids using a dynamos to teach children the basics of energy generator. Prices start at $9.95. (read more…)
	Solar Powered Glowing Plant Pot A plant pot with a difference. The pot charges during the day and emits a gentle glow in the evening! (read more…)
	Sneaky Green Uses for Everyday Things Book A book that features 40 different projects for using everyday objects in an eco-friendly way. (read more…)
	Solar-Powered Garden Insect Theatre Watch the insects in the garden using this environmentally friendly and educational insect theatre. (read more…)
	NIX X10A Energy Saving Digital Photo Frame A digital photo frame which uses a motion detector to save energy by only switching on when people are around to look at it. (read more…)

Want to buy this gadget? Check out the Japanese Ingenuity – Brasserie Solar Panels article on EnviroGadget to see the lowest prices for this gadget.

© 2008 to 2010 EnviroGadget.com. You can follow EnviroGadget on Twitter here!