I’ve had the good fortune to review a new eco-friendly mobile phone by Sony Ericsson. The Sony Ericsson Elm looks like just any other full-featured mobile phone, but has a whole raft of eco-friendly features. Features include use of recycled plastics, electronic manual on the phone, no hazardous chemicals, minimised packaging and water-based paints.

In terms of appearance, the Elm is a compact and attractive phone with a black plastic front, and a metallic rear. The large screen is bright and easy to read. I’d suggest you want a screen protector for the screen, as I get the impression that it might scratch easily. The buttons on the phone are perfect for us chaps with large fingers. The buttons do make a subtle click when pressed (tactile feedback is what I miss with the iPhone). Therefore I was typing out a text message really quickly.

I’ve never owned a Sony Ericsson phone, but I found the menus to be very intuitive and I was whizzing around the phone within a few seconds (without reading the instructions!). It became quite clear that to fully appreciate the phone, that you will need a contact/PAYG service where you have data. Many of the applications need internet access, such as Facebook, Twitter, Google Maps, etc.

The digital camera is pretty impressive. At a resolution of 5 megapixels, it’s pretty reasonable for a phone camera. However, I found the sharpness of the image and auto focus to be exceptionally excellent. Autofocus is one of those things with phone cameras that are generally a little rough around the edges, but this phone solves that problem.

In terms of green features, it’s good to see a phone avoiding hazardous materials like lead and mercury. What I did particularly like is the Walk Mate Eco application, which is essentially a pedometer. So when you go for a walk, the application can tell you how far you’ve walked. The application also tells you how much carbon dioxide you’ve saved by walking. If you’re the kind of person who likes to beat high scores in a game, then the pedometer application will push you to walk more and more!

So all in, the Sony Ericsson Elm is a decent looking and practical mobile phone. I think there’s a lot more to come in terms of eco-friendly features in the future, but I think that the Elm is a big step in the right direction.

Source: Sony Ericsson

Want to buy this gadget? Check out the Eco-Friendly Mobile Phone – Sony Ericsson Elm article on EnviroGadget to see the lowest prices for this gadget.

© 2008 to 2011 EnviroGadget.com. You can now keep up with the latest eco-gadgets on the EnviroGadget Facebook page. Why not help us to spread the word?

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Emergency Solar Charger - Charging iPhone

As the name suggests, the Emergency Solar Charger for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch is a compact little solar-powered battery and charger, which can be used to charge up your iPod Touch or iPhone in an emergency. The charger contains a battery which is charged up via the solar panel. When you need the extra power, you just connect the charger to the iPhone. The charger will automatically charge the iPhone, giving it roughly 20% of charge.

Charging the Solar Charger

How It Works

You can charge up the charger using solar energy (so leaving it out on a sunny dashboard or windowsill) or you can charge it up via USB using the Apple USB cable (which could be via the PC, mains adapter, or via a car adapter). For the purposes of testing, I typically used the USB cable, as the charger was charged within just 2 hours. It takes a couple of days to charge the charger in sunlight, so really, you want to place the charger in strong sunlight when you’re not using it. That ensures you always have the emergency charge when you need it.

Once the charger is charged up, you just connect it to an iPhone or iPod Charger and it starts charging straight away. It takes about 20 minutes to charge up the iPhone or iPod to about 20%. If your device is completely dead when you start charging, then the charger charges the device up to around 16 to 18% (due to the power consumption when first switching on the iPod Touch or iPhone).

Emergency Solar Charger - on it's own

Feature Suggestions

The charger is very simple, it does exactly what it says on the tin. However, there are a couple of things that I suggest as minor improvements. Firstly, sometimes you need to wiggle the plug on the charger to get it to be recognised by the iPhone or iPod. I suspect there’s a microscopic difference in the connectors which means the charger is not always recognised as a charging device.

Secondly, it’d be good if there was an indicator to show how fully charged the charger is. Just a few small LEDs or a small LCD display to show if the charger is empty, half-full or fully charged. Currently, there’s no way to know how charged the charger is. Some attention here would be appreciated.

Conclusion

The Emergency Solar Charger for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch is a genuinely useful little gadget. I can imagine that it’s going to come in very useful when out and about with no power source! And costing just $5.51, it’s not going to break the bank either! Thanks to Budget Gadgets for sending me the charger to review.

Want to buy this gadget? Check out the Emergency Solar Charger for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch article on EnviroGadget to see the lowest prices for this gadget.

© 2008 to 2011 EnviroGadget.com. You can now keep up with the latest eco-gadgets on the EnviroGadget Facebook page. Why not help us to spread the word?

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Solar Sound 2 - via Bluetooth to iPhone

Devotec Industries have been kind enough to send me their latest creation to review – namely the Devotec Solar Sound 2, which is a solar-powered speaker that plays music from your computer or phone via Bluetooth.

The quality of sound from the speakers is exceptionally good, despite the relatively small size of the speakers. What’s more, is if you receive a call on your mobile phone whilst using the speakers, you can use the speakers as a handsfree kit too!

What’s comes in the box?

Solar Sound 2 - What's in the Box

In the box, there are the speakers (measuring 165mm x 58mm 58mm), a retracting male 3.5mm stereo plug to male 3.5mm stereo plug, a retracting mini male USB plug to standard male USB plug, a protective case for the speakers, a mains adapter for the USB cable, plus full instructions.

The instructions I was particularly impressed with, as they’re really detailed and explain how all of the features of the speakers work (rather than letting you guess like some instruction manuals). I was up and running within just a couple of minutes.

The speaker case

Solar Sound 2 Speaker Case

The speaker case is a fabric case with a zip for the speakers. There’s also a little pocket on the side for one of the cables. It’s a shame that only one of the retracting cables can fit into the case, it would have been nice if both could fit. The case will protect the speakers from getting scratched. Perhaps something for the future is a molded case that protects the speakers from knocks too.

How I tested the Solar Sound 2

I tested the speakers with both a mobile phone and my laptop to test the audio quality. So if you don’t want to use Bluetooth, then you can just use the 3.5mm extension lead (although you can’t use the handsfree function if using the audio cable). These are the combinations I tried:

• Speakers to iPhone – via Bluetooth
• Speakers to iPhone – via 3.5mm extension lead (in headphone socket)
• Speakers to Mac Powerbook – via Bluetooth (as Headphones)
• Speakers to Mac Powerbook – via Bluetooth (as a Headset)
• Speakers to Mac Powerbook – via 3.5mm extension lead (in headphone socket)

Audio Quality

Solar Sound 2 - via Bluetooth to iPhone

Overall, the quality of the sound is excellent. The speakers don’t sound particularly ‘tinny’, although at higher volumes, you did start to notice a lack of bass. The Bluetooth range is very impressive, and I achieved pretty much 10 metres indoors from one side of the house to the other.

I did notice that when connected to a Mac Powerbook, the sounds was muffled in ‘Headset’ mode, presumably for saving bandwidth for the microphone aspect. However, when connected in ‘Headphone’ mode, the quality sounded identical to what I got when I connected the audio cable. With the iPhone, using Bluetooth and the cable sounded equal in audio quality to me.

I tested the speakers with Spotify, iTunes and internet radio. The quality was excellent with all of them. Essentially, if your phone or laptop chucks out any sound, then the speakers will work!

When receiving a call, the speakers automatically fades out the music, and you hear your ringtone on the speakers. When you answer the call, you can speak into the microphone on the front of the speakers, just as you would with any other handsfree speaker kit. A very useful feature, just in case a call does come in!

Using the Speakers

The speakers themselves are pretty solid and feel really well made. The on/off switch is a latching push button switch, so it’s easy to check if the speaker is switched on or not. On the front panel, the volume up/down and mute/unmute buttons light up when they are touched. Interestingly, the front buttons are capacitive, which means they work just like an iPhone touch screen – using touch rather than pressure.

Holding the volume buttons for more than 2 seconds is meant to skip a track when you use Bluetooth. However, when I tried this, nothing happened. The volume controls work absolutely fine when adjusting volume though. However, this is a feature I’d never use anyway.

When I wasn’t using the speakers, I just left them on a sunlit windowsill to charge up. I’ve not managed to drain the batteries yet, even with several hours usage. The specifications say that the speakers should work for between 5 to 20 hours depending on how you use it. The speaker is designed to be powered from solar power, so the speakers will switch over power source automatically depending on sunlight.

Solar Sound 2 - Rear Connections

If you want to charge up the speakers relatively quickly, you can charge them using the USB cable and the mains adapter which should take up to 5 hours. You can also charge up the speakers using a computer via the USB port. The logo on the front of the speakers change from a red light to a green light when it’s fully charged.

Conclusion

In summary, the Solar Sound 2 offers a practical solution for wireless music. This gadget is perfect for listening to music on the beach, outside when dining al-fresco, on picnics, or even in the bathroom! The speakers are really simple to use, even when using Bluetooth. I was up and running within a few minutes, with music blasting out of the speakers whist I was sat downstairs, with the music being played upstairs! So it’s easy-to-use, practical, delivers on all counts of it’s specification (apart from the skip track buttons), and constructed to a very high standard.

In my opinion, it’s a top-notch gadget. Well worth buying if you love your music outdoors! Thanks again to Devotec Industries for giving me the opportunity to review the Solar Sound 2.

The Devotec Solar Sound 2 is yours for just £73.98 including delivery if you’re in the UK, just $105.98 including shipping in the US, and €89.98 including shipping anywhere in Europe.

Want to buy this gadget? Check out the Devotec Solar Sound 2 – Solar-powered Bluetooth Speakers article on EnviroGadget to see the lowest prices for this gadget.

© 2008 to 2011 EnviroGadget.com. You can now keep up with the latest eco-gadgets on the EnviroGadget Facebook page. Why not help us to spread the word?

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Book Light - Standing Up

The Solar-Powered Book Light gadget was sent to me to review by Useful Things who specialise in practical and inexpensive gadgets for the home, office and for traveling. Essentially the gadget is a compact LED light for reading your book at night, which charges up during the day via its solar panel.

The book light does feature a robust clip on the rear to allow it to be clipped to a page on a book. However, from using the gadget, it was hard to get the perfect angle with the bendable light when it was clipped on to the book. I found that it was much better when the light was free-standing on a nearby surface. What was surprising was how bright the light was, it really was bright enough to light up the entire page.

Book Light - Folded Up

I’ve not managed to run down the battery yet, and that’s using the light for an hour each night, and leaving the light in a bright place (but not direct sunlight). So the solar panel is clearly effective and perfectly suited for its application. The LED light is switched on my clicking the little button in the corner. The switch makes a good solid click when you press it, so you know you’ve switched it on properly.

The only small limitation with the solar-powered book light is that the bendable part of the light doesn’t stay in position as well as you might hope. It behaves a little more like plastic than it does metal, as in it bends itself back a little bit. Apart from that, it’s a very practical little light, and surprisingly effective given how little it costs. I definitely recommend the solar book light!

The Solar-Powered Book Light is available for just $11.95 plus shipping, which starts from $4.99. Thank you to Useful Things once again for allowing me to review the gadget.

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

© 2008 to 2011 EnviroGadget.com. You can now keep up with the latest eco-gadgets on the EnviroGadget Facebook page. Why not help us to spread the word?

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Proporta were kind enough to send me a Recycled Leather Eco iPhone Case, designed for the latest iPhone 3GS model. The case uses completely sustainable materials, and includes a natural hessian lining in addition to the recycled leather for the outer casing.

The iPhone clips into the case into the two plastic arms on either side of the case. I found that these were sufficient to hold the phone in place. The added lip at the bottom of the case is just to stop the iPhone from slipping out at the bottom.

iPhone Case with Bamboo Panel

Interestingly, part of the case is a small panel of laser-cut bamboo, which slides into the front pocket of the case to provide your case with a very study screen protector. The bamboo will help protect the screen from impact when in your bag or pocket.

Closed iPhone Case

Once the bamboo panel has been inserted into the pocket, the case just flaps down. In the photo, you’ll see that it hovers over the phone a little. I imagine with a little wear, the flap of the case will fit snugly over the iPhone anyway.

There’s nothing to hold the flap of the case down, which is ideal for someone like me where I don’t want to faff about with taking the phone out of its case when I want to use it. However, I did find that the flap was a little odd when making a call, therefore it made more sense to take the phone out of the case when making a call.

The Recycled Leather Eco iPhone Case is available for £29.95 directly from Proporta, plus a small delivery fee. It’s a very nice case, and definitely feels well-made, especially given it’s eco-credentials. However, for nearly £30, I feel that the case is a little expensive. I’d expect the price to be £15 or so for something like this.

Thanks to Proporta for sending me the sample!

Want to buy this gadget? Check out the Proporta Hessian and Recycled Leather Eco-Friendly iPhone 3GS Case article on EnviroGadget to see the lowest prices for this gadget.

© 2008 to 2011 EnviroGadget.com. You can now keep up with the latest eco-gadgets on the EnviroGadget Facebook page. Why not help us to spread the word?

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iPhone 3GS Case Hessian Pouch

This is the 2nd iPhone case by Proporta that I’m reviewing (see the 1st review – a Recycled Leather and Hessian iPhone Case), which is a mobile phone pouch for the iPhone 3GS made from hessian fibre. Your iPhone just slides into the case like a little sock. Simple, but effective.

Hessian Pouch iPhone Case with Bamboo Insert

This case also comes with a laser-cut bamboo sheet that’s designed to protect the screen of the iPhone by slipping into the pocket of the pouch. The bamboo doesn’t add any weight to the case really, but the case does feel appreciably more robust once the bamboo sheet is installed. You just need to slip the phone out of the case when you want to use the phone.

So in terms of being eco-friendly, the case is made from sustainable hessian fibre (fibre from a vegetable plant) as well as sustainable bamboo for the screen protector. The only slightly negative aspect was that the case came in a plastic bag, although it was recyclable! It’s a really nice case, and is my favourite out of the two cases that I reviewed.

The case is available directly from Proporta for £19.95 plus delivery. Again, I felt that this was a little expensive, and I would have expected the case to cost around £14 to £16.

Thanks again to Proporta for the sample to review.

Want to buy this gadget? Check out the Proporta Hessian iPhone 3GS Pouch Case article on EnviroGadget to see the lowest prices for this gadget.

© 2008 to 2011 EnviroGadget.com. You can now keep up with the latest eco-gadgets on the EnviroGadget Facebook page. Why not help us to spread the word?

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3. Emergency Solar Charger for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch

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)

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 2011 EnviroGadget.com. You can now keep up with the latest eco-gadgets on the EnviroGadget Facebook page. Why not help us to spread the word?

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