Feature: Why Don't We See More Solar Stuff?

Thanks in part to guys like David Suzuki and Al Gore, environmental issues are getting a lot more attention these days than they used to get. This is a good thing, because we only have one planet and we have to learn to take better care of it. There are a number of different things that you can do to pitch in, like bringing a reusable cloth bag to the grocery store and riding your bike instead of hopping in the car. Our fascination with gadgets and technology can also go quite a bit greener. Where there are accessories like the Solio Hybrid Charger on the market, I find it surprising that similar technology is not more widely used and integrated into many of the electronics that we use on a daily basis. Solar-powered calculators have been around for a very long time, but why aren't solar-powered cell phones and other items more prevalent? I can't imagine that it would be a matter of cost. Going to my local dollar store, I find an abundance of solar-powered calculators that cost a buck. In this way, the solar panel (and the accompany technology to use the generated energy) cannot cost more than a dollar. Yes, I know that cell phones, portable game machines, and laptops use a lot more power than a simple calculator, but I'm sure a panel or two can help. It's very unlikely that a powerful smartphone like a BlackBerry or an iPhone can run exclusively on solar power, but it can certainly get a bit of a boost from the solar panel. If you're going to wear the phone on your hip, place it on the dashboard of your car, or hold it up to your ear, you're giving the handset an opportunity to soak up some of the sun's rays. There are some iPhone cases out there that have solar panels and I think this is a great idea, but wouldn't it be better if the solar panel was integrated into the handset itself. Instead of that plain black or white plastic back, Apple could place a solar panel on there. The same can be said about smartphones from Samsung, Motorola, HTC... just about anyone. And why stop there? All things portable have an opportunity to generate some "free" electricity by plopping in a solar panel. Take the Nintendo DS and DSi, for example. Instead of a plain outer flap, wouldn't it be simply brilliant if the cover had an integrated solar panel? Even if this gives you an extra hour or two of battery life, that's an extra hour or two that don't need tethering to a wall outlet. Also shown above is a solar laptop bag from Eclipse. The idea is that you can place your notebook PC into this bag, plug in the appropriate inner cable, and the outer solar panel will continually feed power to your laptop as you run between classes at school, dash through airport security, or just take your lunchtime stroll through town. You're going to have that bag dangling next to your hip anyhow, so why not take advantage of the free sunshine? We only have one Earth. It's easy to turn our attention to automakers and tell them to create more fuel-efficient vehicles. It's easy for us to turn to industry and tell them to get rid of those smokestacks. It's easy to say that someone else needs to do something about it, but building a greener planet starts right at home. I just want electronics manufacturers to consider alternative sources of power that are more efficient. People want to go green, but they want it to be an easy transition. You won't even notice the big solar panel on the back of your MacBook, but Mother Earth will. Via

BlackBerry Curve 8900 Javelin In Stock at Rogers, Ready to Go

Not a fan of the BlackBerry Pearl Flip? Not digging the BlackBerry Bold? Rogers is pushing yet another phone from the Research in Motion collection and it is now ready to satiate your appetite for email on the go. The BlackBerry Curve 8900, which was codenamed the BlackBerry Javelin for some time, has apparently arrived at Sales Central for Rogers Wireless so the Canadian GSM provider has initiated the process of filling the retail channels with this latest 'berry. The best part, perhaps, is that the Curve 8900 brings the similar good looks that you find with the Bold, but without the bold price. If you sign up for a qualifying three-year contract (voice and data) with Rogers Wireless, you'll be able to pick up the BlackBerry Curve 8900 Javelin for just $179.99. You'll also notice that this phone has been equipped with Wi-Fi and all the necessary configurations have been done to let you use the Curve 8900 for UMA service. Opting out of the three-year contract for something shorter, you can expect to pay $499.99 with a two-year agreement or $549 on a month-to-month basis. No press release has been issued just yet, but the insider ninjas say that the Curve 8900 is ready to go. Too bad it doesn't have 3G like the Bold. Via BGR

Telus BlackBerry Storm Priced at $300 by Best Buy

To my knowledge, Telus isn't quite ready to shower the people of Canada with the BlackBerry Storm just yet, but that hasn't stopped Best Buy from advertising the highly anticipated touchscreen smartphone. Further still, Best Buy has even attached some pricing to the Storm, despite having no official confirmation from Telus as to how much this thing should cost. Yes, everyone wants to get their hands on the BlackBerry Storm just to see what all the hype is about, even though some early reviews of other versions (Verizon, Vodafone, etc.) have had a couple of mixed responses. Some people love the innovative touchscreen, whereas others aren't so pleased about some of the operating system glitches and bugs. In any case, as you can see through the provided image here, Best Buy wants to sell the Telus-branded BlackBerry Storm to you for $299.99 with a qualifying three-year contract. We've also noticed an outright price for $649.99, which is actually a little lower than the going gray market price on eBay for the Vodafone or Verizon versions. Should we be buying into Best Buy's pricing of the Telus BlackBerry Storm? Maybe, maybe not, but we'll find out soon, because the touchy-feely smartphone is currently slated with an estimated release date of December 18. That's less than three weeks away and RIM fanatics simply cannot wait. Via mobilesyrup.com

New Smartphone Data Value Packs from Rogers

Just because it happens to be a holiday weekend in the United States doesn't mean tha it is a slow news day up here in Canada. In fact, Rogers has just dropped a rather major bomb on us and many iPhone owners couldn't be happier.

As you recall, Rogers (and Fido) recently issued a couple of new data plans that were largely geared toward the iPhone 3G owners in the audience, though anyone with a smartphone could jump onto them as well. If you missed out on the $30/6GB plan, you could choose between $25 for 500MB of $30 for 1GB a month. Want better value? Ted Rogers is apparently listening.

Announced earlier today were two new data value packs that not only include some data for your mobile surfing needs, but also the essentials that you would normally add using extra value packs.

$20 Value Pack
- 10,000 Text Messages
- 10,000 Multimedia Messages
- Caller ID
- Visual Voicemail
- Who Called
- Unlimited Blackberry Internet Service (BIS): Email/Instant Messaging Only

$30 Data Value Pack
- 10,000 Text Messages
- 10,000 Multimedia Messages
- Caller ID
- Visual Voicemail
- Who Called
- 500MB of data: BIS, Windows Mobile, or iPhone

That's a lot of text messaging! The first plan is being geared toward BlackBerry users who only need communication, whereas the $30 plan is appropriate for any smartphone. If you're using less than 500MB a month, the $30 pack sounds like a pretty good deal to me. In essence, you get all those text messages, caller ID, and voicemail for an extra five bucks.

These value packs are not yet advertised on the Rogers website, but you can call in to add them to your plan. Do note that they require a three-year agreement as well with an ECF of $100. Depending on who you get, you might even be able to swing an additional $10 credit.

I hope that with the rumored launch of BlackBerry on Fido next month that the pooch gets a taste of these packs as well.

Via iphoneincanada.ca

Rogers Wireless Launches Nokia E71 at $99 with Contract

I've been in the market for a new cell phone for a little while now and one of the handsets that I've been considering is the Nokia E71. I haven't lived with a Symbian phone before, but I really like some of the features found in this particular smartphone. As it turns out, I can nab this handset for a lot less money than once expected. Although it hasn't been posted to the official website just yet, it seems that the Nokia E71 smartphone is available now through Rogers Wireless for just $99. Not surprisingly, you'll need to sign a new three-year service agreement with Rogers to take advantage of this significantly reduced price and you'll need to subscribe to a voice-and-data plan of at least $45 a month. When John from MobileSyrup first called into the Rogers customer service line, he was told that the phone would be $349.99 with a three-year plan, $374.99 on a two-year plan, and $524.99 on a one-year plan, but when he asked about a "promo" price, he was informed of the much more attractive $99 price tag. How did they manage to reduce the price by $250 by just asking about a promo? If you're not into contracts and would prefer to nab this Symbian smartphone outright, Rogers will happily sell it to you for $749.99. I don't know about you, but if I was avoiding contracts, wouldn't it make more sense to find the unlocked E71-2 NAM through a number of online retailers for about $500 instead? Via mobilesyrup.com

Samsung Launches Smartphones for BizBees in Europe

Well, aren't you a busy bee, running in between meetings and firing innumerable emails to your clients? Samsung knows that you work hard for your money and that's why they've got a brand that acknowledges your very existence. If you live and work in Europe, that is. To better cater to business and enterprise customers, Samsung is set to create a new business smartphone brand in Europe called BizBee. As you can imagine, this name is derived from the age-old "busy bee" term, as well as "biz" meaning business. Pretty clever? That's debatable. The BizBee brand is targeted toward the busy executive, "who requires a business mobile that offers optimum performance, 24/7, from any location." The branding is meant to drive more attention toward the business-end of Samsung's business, because I guess most people associate the cell phone brand with slim music phones and fashionable handsets. All phones that will fall under the BizBee umbrella will need to satisfy certain business-oriented criteria, like all-in-one connectivity, heavy email integration, and a full QWERTY keyboard. The Samsung i780 (also known as the Epix) will be the first advertised BizBee phone. Samsung plans on using the slogan "This is my office" in 10 European countries. I'm not so sure that the BizBee name is such a bright idea, seeing how there is already another heavily business-oriented brand that is known as BB (BlackBerry). Via intomobile.com