You don’t want a plain old, dull charger for your hip new iPhone, do you? Of course not! You need this snazzy bright red Solar Energy Charger, which can also be juiced up via the AC adapter. Think how cool it will look soaking up the sun on the table at your favorite outdoor café. Available from Senyx at Amazon
Phonophone II from CharlesandMarie.com $500.00
The Phonophone II is not only a wonderfully designed object but also a great device that can transform your iPod’s earplugs into a mini-amplified speaker – without having to plug it in, insert batteries or sit waiting for the sun. All you have to do is hook up your iPod earphones to the adapter, and natural science will do the rest. The horned shape of the ceramic phonophone will capture and emit the music throughout the room (as long as the room is pretty small and no other competing sounds anyway)
We applaud the desire to save electricity but in this case the amount of power it takes to run an amplifier and speaker is extremely low, so the real appeal is its novelty and coolness factor. For me, at $500 there are quite a few items higher up on my coolness generating gadget wish list. But for the person who has everything or for rich iPod fanatics this might be a great addition to their desk. Then you can start looking for a tiny ceramic Jack Russell dog to sit listening next to it.
Apple’s new MacBook Pro 15″ laptops replace LCD with new mercury-free LED backlit monitor.
Apple begins their transition to using LED (Light-emitting diode) instead of LCD screens. Today most LCD screens are lit with a type of fluorescent bulb (called cold cathode fluorescent backlights) that contains mercury. LED bulbs don’t contain mercury, and also provide a more even light. The LED backlit screens are also more energy efficient and is reported to increase the battery-life by an extra 30-60 minutes over older models. IPods currently use this technology and Apple has revealed their plan to have these LED monitors replace all their LCD monitors eventually. However, at the present time larger screens are more expensive and problematic to manufacture so we may have to wait awhile, currently only the newest 15″ MacBook Pro model has the LED offering, the 17″ model still has the conventional LCD screen.
There has been increased concern recently over mercury in landfills from LCD screens and the many other mercury containing products such as fluorescent lights, batteries, electrical switches, barometers, thermometers, some toys with lights and older latex paints. The mercury in our landfills have the potential to evaporate into the air or leach into the groundwater. After mercury is buried in the landfill, it can be converted by the landfill bacteria into a more toxic form, called organic or methylated mercury. This mercury can be a potent neurotoxin that can affect the brain, liver and kidneys, and cause developmental disorders in children. Young children and developing fetuses are especially at risk.
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Where will the iPhone eventually go?
As you probably know Apple recently announced the launch of its new iPhone that neatly combines several gadgets into one sexy touchscreen device. After watching Steve Jobs presentation at Macworld in San Francisco. I responded like most gadget freaks, I want one, Now! Never mind, that I barely use the majority of functions on the cell phone I already have, Never mind, that I think the incessant cell phone chatter in public a blight on our society, and never mind that I’m concerned about the growing concerns over toxic cell phone ewaste. It just looks too cool to worry about anything else but when can I get it! But after the glow faded and reality sank in, I did a bit of research and found that first of all the overall cost of an iphone would be around $1,936.00 after you’ve paid all the plans, etc. Ouch!
But what about the cost to society? According to recyclemycellphone.org;
“There are more than 500 million used cell phones in the US sitting on shelves or in our landfills, and another 130 million will be added this year alone. The problem is growing at a rate of more than 2 million phones per week!
The controversy over whether the Ipod is on good terms with Mother Earth or not still rages on so we thought we could look at just how earth friendly is the Ipod.
One aspect of Ipod greenery is that with over 70 million Ipods playing downloaded digital tunes, you remove a significant number of CD’s out of production. Digital 1’s and 0’s seem better than polycarbonate plastic and other CD chemicals eventually winding up in a landfill but what about the Ipod itself. With cooler Ipods coming out every few months – eventually the Ipod will wind up becoming eWaste when the owner gives in to Ipod envy? Another consideration is that the Ipod batteries seem difficult and expensive to replace, yet defenders of the Ipod at roughlydrafted.com say the iPod’s battery lasts for years; when it is replaced, the work is either done by professionals who know to recycle it, or by tech savvy consumers. A replacement iPod battery costs from $8.50 to $23.99, and full replacement service by Apple can cost as much as $65.00, including postage.
Some critics of the Ipod have implied the Ipods that are returned to Apple for recycling wind up in deadly overseas sweatshop recyclers or are recycled by prison labor. Steve Jobs has publicly denied this.
See this comprehensive article from RoughlyDrafted.com that makes a strong case in defending apple.
