For those who prefer not to mess with tiny earpieces, but want hand’s free phone conversations in the car, Schosche presents a great option: a solar powered, bluetooth speaker phone that suctions to your windshield or can be clipped on to the car’s visor. Receiving positive reviews from CNET and others, the wireless solCHAT speaker produces solid volume levels, clear conversation and features voice-announce caller ID so you never have to take your eyes off the road.
While the phone’s battery power offers 12 hours of talk time, the solar panel augments its lifespan each time you park your car in the sun. However, should you hit a cloudy week, a USB charger and car adapter are included. $62
Images courtesy of Sigg
If you are in the market for an eco-friendly, BPA-free water bottle, choose the only one that can claim to be the world’s toughest: Sigg.
A product of Switzerland, these 100% leach-free bottles withstood a barrage of golf balls launched by a 100-lb. cannon in a Backpacker magazine test (it destroyed all other leading brands), proving that they are nearly indestructible; Sigg owners in Europe have been using the same bottle for ten to twenty years. An added plus: the bottles’ special inner coating is residue and bacteria-resistant, meaning that the morning’s coffee won’t taste like yesterday’s Gatorade, and that you can count on whatever you’re quaffing to be clean.
Sigg is a corporation with independent spark; thirty freelance artists create the attractive bottle designs each year (there are one hundred to choose from), and the company gives 1% of their profits to environmental causes. From $17.99.
(Photo courtesy of Sort of Coal)
We know coal is becoming less popular these days, but while its merits as a national energy source may be debatable, its power as a refrigerator deodorizer is not. Chuck the two-year-old Arm & Hammer box and upgrade to Sort of Coal’s Kuro Cube. The cube utilizes the power of compressed “white charcoal” to absorb moisture and purify fridge air naturally – and without chemicals – by absorbing bad gasses. The result: less odor and food stays fresh longer. The Kuro Cube can last years through occasional exposure to sunlight (to dry it out thoroughly) and is organic, recyclable and C02 friendly.
Data protection has been getting a lot of press lately, and for good reason. What could be worse than having all your personal information lifted by a hacker, or by someone who happens to pick up the flimsy flash drive you forgot to grab on your way out of the coffee shop?
Cue IronKey, a super-secure flash drive that uses military-grade encryption to protect files, online activity and personal identity, packaged in a waterproof, tamperproof casing.
Once in the drive, data can only be accessed through password entry and worms, viruses and malware cannot disable it. Plus, users can opt for an upgraded service which allows for anonymous web browsing via a portable version of Firexfox maintained on the drive.
IronKey is surprisingly simple to use; like other, less secure flash drives, it utilizes drag-and-drop and plug and play technologies – and starts at $79.
