As we become more and more interested in the environment and the impact we are having on it, so companies are having to gear their products towards this trend. A slew of products are about to enter the so-called green gadget market but how do you feel about these products? Here's a round up of some that caught my eye.
Solar Power
First up is the solar powered mouse. Yes you heard me right. It could save millions of batteries a year from all those wireless mice. But how practical is this product? Do we not need sunlight to charge this beast (Wait I don't sit near a window. I'm on the lower ground floor of my building. I have my hand over my mouse all day. Hmmmm)
Solar powered products are great in some instances and I think this product could be good. I know it can be a pain to remember to redock the wireless mouse at times. Although, part of me does feel like this is a bit gimmicky and simply jumping on the green bandwagon.
Now this is a great idea. Motoroloa have recently patented this solar charged mobile phone based on the fast selling Razr. Ok so this will start out as an expensive option but lots of people don't mind forking out for quality gadgets (can anyone say iPhone). And as the cost of charging the newer phones increases with a phone's complexity, this solar powered phone will be a great option. And it looks kinda cool too.
And the silly. The solar powered bikini for the woman who has it all (sat by her by the pool...and it needs charging NOW). It just looks darned uncomfortable :S
Technology made from wood
As memories of the Morris Minor fade into our collective mushroom growing memories could it be time for a bit of a revival? Could we see a day where computers coated in plastic just seemed so passé...
This bamboo polished mouse given to the organisers of Live Earth looks great and to be honest would look great on most Ikea beech effect wooden desks. I think this is nice, different and unusual. I'm just wondering what the scroll wheel is made from?
You've got the wooden mouse. How about a cardboard coated notebook? Ahem. I'm not sure about this one. I want my laptop to be able to take a few knocks and not go all soggy if a drop of water gets spilled on it. Environmentally friendly yes. Durable maybe not.
Flat packed and made from cardboard. Muji has the answer with these great little speakers. They look pretty good and the sound isn't bad. Totally portable and mostly recyclable this is a great little gift for those with a green heart. And now that Apple is going greener it will even go with your iPod nano.
Products made from gadgets
As the waste mounts up from our disposed tech so some clever and industrious people are recycling some of this waste into "attractive" jewellery. Perhaps the upcoming Sex and the City movie will see the eponymous heroine sporting a 'C' on her right ear and a 'B' on her left from her recycled old G4 powerbook, perhaps even an old piece of motherboard dangling around her neck disguised as a necklace. Now if Gaultier or Westwood are onboard....
Any ideas what this chair has been made from? It is in fact made from recycled Playstation cases and at £99 each is simply a bargain. But they are quite hard to come by at the moment. The reason? Not enough people are throwing away their Playstations (yet).
Going green is certainly a concern for many environmentally aware corporations. Just look at Blackle which demonstrates how much energy Google could save (135,227.251 Watt hours saved at the last count) just by using a black background. Highlighting a company's energy use is one way to instigate change. Awareness is on the increase. Having a smaller carbon footprint is becoming at the foremost of people's concerns. Recently the Lights out London campaign urged Londoner's to switch off their lights for an hour saving a huge amount of energy for the capital whilst raising awareness about these issues. It is only a matter of time that companies will truly cash in on this growing market of consumers and start fighting over their EPEAT rating.
