Green Gadgets

By Cat Schwartz
June 1, 2010

Going green is red hot and can be done in almost every area of your life, including your gadgetry. I've complied a handful of tech that, if used, would help contribute to making the world a much healthier place for, among others, my four-year-old son, Jack.

New Iqua Sun Solar Bluetooth Wireless Headset (buy it now price, $39.29) I'm one of "those people" who sports their Bluetooth earpiece even when they're not on the phone, but before you call me a geek, I'll have you know what I NEVER have to charge my device, ever. It's solar powered. You see, although you don't need a wall plug it comes with one, and once fully charged you will never have to plug it in again.

New Solar Powered Bluetooth Car Kit Speaker w/Name Display (buy it now price, $59.99) Another option is a solar powered speaker that clips onto your visor and allows you to make and recieve calls. Because of it's sun-drenched home it stays charged all the time.

New Hydrogen Powered H2Go Fuel Cell R/C Car & Solar Power (buy it now price, $79.99) If we can teach our kids at a young age about alternative power sources then they're more likely to call upon them as they become adults. This fuel cell powered remote controlled car is the perfect introduction for anyone, young or old, into the world of Hydrogen powered vehicles. The car comes with equipment that uses solar power and water to make enough energy to zip around.

New EasyBloom Plant Sensor Soil Environment Analyzer (buy it now price, $40) This is straight up one of the coolest devices I've seen out there and it can help each us green our environment one thumb at a time. This flower shaped environment sensing device is multi talented in three very cool ways. First, sink the stem into the a patch of vacant soil or prop up on any empty bookshelf in the house over a 24hr period. Pick it out of the ground and insert its USB connection into your computer. The EasyBloom website will appear then present you with every plant, veggie, shrub or tree that will thrive in that area. Next, if you see your plants are unhappy once they've bloomed, plant the gadget for another 24 hours in that area. When back in your computer, it will tell you why your buds are duds. Last but not least, if you're not sure if a plant needs H20, pop 'er in and a chirp will notify you if you a drink is needed

New Solio Magnesium Edition Universal Solar Hybrid Charger (buy it now price, $139.99) Solio Magnesium Edition $199- The amount of energy the sun produces should never be underestimated and should always be taken advantage of. This is a gadget charger that is powered by solar energy. Leave the Solio in the sun for just one hour and it will power your cell phone for 25 minutes of talk time or rock your iPod for an hour. In addition to its everyday usefulness, this emergency power solution will hold a charge an entire year so you're set when the lights are out. The magnesium edition is compatible with the whole iGo line of products providing you with access to connectors to just about any gadget on the market.

17" Aluminum Apple Macbook Pro (from $769.99) This family of laptops is considered the "greenest" notebook that has ever existed. To begin, the aluminum and glass enclosure is 100% recyclable and there is no mercury anywhere on the machine. Under the roof this baby runs on 1/4 the amount of power it takes to light a light bulb. The packaging is made from recycled material and is 41 percent smaller than before, and Apple even offers free recycling of your old PC or Mac at Apple Retail Store. Bonus props for Apple for becoming green, the iPod is another great example of a green product—when you bring your old iPod to an Apple Retail Store for free recycling, they'll give you a 10% discount on the purchase of a new iPod.

Toshiba Regza 55" Full 1080p Cinema Series LED HDTV (buy it now price, $2,203.94) This TV is one of the most energy efficient TVs out there and it's pretty darn cool how it works. The TV offers a new feature called Autoview that detects the amount of light in a room then adjusts the picture brightness accordingly. This adjustment makes a TV that actually knows how and when to save energy while still displaying a great picture.

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