Heading to a festival this year? Even if you’re not, the Orange Power Pump can be used for all manner of outdoor parties. It’s a foot pump that powers a tiny generator that will in-turn, charge all your gadgets. No electricity required and with a minute or so on the pump, you’ll have enough charge for a 5 minute call. All that and you’re helping out the environment too.
Watch this space for a price and release date but no doubt it will be available in time for all this summer’s festivals, just head towards the Orange stand.
Here at Reevoo we keep an eye on what’s happening in market so we can make sure we’re helping you make the right decisions when you’re buying something. Here’s what’s crossed my desk in the past month or so:
* 3D TV - Manufacturers and broadcasters seem to be serious about pursuing 3D TV technology in the next few years. Panasonic, Philips, and LG all have prototype consumer 3DTVs, while Sky have hinted at launching a sports-only 3DTV service in the next few months. Panasonic and Sky’s version would require special spectacles, but the Philips and LG versions are goggle free.
Here’s a sample of the Philips 3DTV - of course it won’t look 3D on your monitor!
* New iPod Shuffle - Apple suprised us on Wednesday with the launch of a new iPod Shuffle. The Shuffle claims to be the world’s smallest MP3 Player, and the first one that speaks. Critics have noted that it’s now even harder to replace Apple’s notoriously bad headphones, as Apple have moved all the controls to a bud on the headphones. The speech effect allows you to select a playlist after hearing it read out to you by a computerised voice. It is a potentially nice trick, but it remains to be seen if it can make up for the Shuffle’s lack of a screen. Apple iPod reviews.
* Green entertainment - MEPs are voting this month on whether to extend energy ratings like those found on white goods to all consumer electronics products in the EU. This would effectively ban some energy guzzling products, potentially including plasma televisions.
Did you realise that you can get money for you old mobile? Not just a little bit either- you would be surprised how much cash you can get back for your old phone, even if it’s not working! Reevoo have partnered with a number of recycling companies to offer you a choice of reasons for recycling or trading in your phone for cash and for a good cause.
The process is simple- you register your phone online, and get an instant quote for its value. Next you just send off your old handset, either in a pre-paid envelope, or to a freepost address, and then simply sit back and wait for a cheque or money transfer. You can even exchange your phone for nectar points or Tesco Clubcard points. It really is that easy!
So what happens to your old phone? Your phone is either refurbished and sold in developing economies, or it is ecologically disposed of. Gone are the days of endless phones in landfill sites, now the parts are re-used, or the handsets are smelted for energy production. The companies involved are all concerned with the environment, sustainable development and elevating poverty, so help others whilst getting some cash in your own pocket. Greener Solutions Group for example, a leading owner of various mobile recycling companies, are concerned with sustainable development. Since its launch in 2001, more than £10 million has been raised by its charity partners.
It seems to us here at Reevoo, that it’s a no-brainer- just free post your old phone in, and get some more cash to go and spend on some Christmas presents! For example:
Obviously you can’t expect to get cash back for a phone that is in pieces. The various companies have different guidelines on prices depending on the state of the phone, but here are a few outlines. Best prices will be paid for phones that are in one piece, have little cosmetic damage and switch on when charged up. Scratches and cracks are not big problems, but even phones that don’t work might be eligible for cash. Have a look at the individual website for more details, but even sending it off to them for a few quid in return is better for you and then environment!
So- don’t leave your old phones lying around gathering dust- they could be worth a lot, and could contribute to a great Christmas in this tough financial climate! Visit our Mobile Recycling Page and see how easy it is to get cash yourself!
Cars aren’t the greenest of things so we’re always glad when we find something that we can use to save energy in them. This week’s Green Piece is all about the Sunsei 150 solar car battery charger. It will trickle charge a 12v car battery but can also be used in tractors, small boats, motorbikes and other small vehicles.
It’s ideal if you’re trying to use your car less or take it off the road but you’re worried that the battery will go flat. It will also save electricity if you need to charge your battery via a mains charger. And, of course, it will help all of us who don’t have that handy bleeping noise that alerts us to the fact that we’ve left our lights on when we get out of the car.
All in all, a pretty handy green gadget. You just mount the panel on the inside of your car window, using the suction cups and connect it to the cigarette lighter or directly to the battery with the crocodile clips provided.
You can pick one up here for £29.99 if you’re in the UK or here for $48.88 for US readers.
If you’re always getting lost, you may also want to invest in a sat nav - just think how much petrol you waste and how much CO2 you emit when you’re correcting ‘navigation malfunctions’!
This week’s Green Piece is about washing machines. We all use them but could we be investing in greener options?
LG’s recent Steam Direct Drive washing machines claim to be the greenest. They use 35% less water than other machines and 21% less electricity. Thanks to these stats, they’ve earned a rare A++ energy efficiency rating.
The steam also reduces creases so you will have little or no ironing to do after your wash - another energy saver and particularly fab if you have no time and hate ironing!
These have been out for a while but we wanted to wait until we had LG Steam reviews so that we could tell you what others thought of them. And, much to ours and the planet’s relief, they’re a big hit with their owners. Here are some reviews for the steam driven LG WM1437:
Jason, London:
“It’s looks are great, very easy to use, you can select standard programmes then ‘tune slightly’ e.g. spin speed, rinse cycle etc. It weighs the washing automatically first then calculates cycle times. It is very quiet and has a great estimate to complete timer. It also turns itself off when done to save power.”
Angela, Aberdeen:
“The load size at 8kg is brilliant and the steam option is very useful for engrained dirt. It is a very quiet machine and easy to use and it looks really good.”
“Looks good. washes and rinses extremely well. Very quiet. Environmentally sound.”
It all sounds great but what’s the catch? Well, as you may have guessed, all this washing brilliance comes at a cost. This model is currently around £500 but with your water, energy and ironing saving, it will work itself off pretty quickly.
If that all sounds a bit too much, there are plenty of other washing machines out there. Check out these A-rated washing machines so that you can still do your bit for the planet.
We?ve been looking into design here at Reevoo. Good product design is becoming more and more important and clever and innovative designs are what consumers look for to save time and make their lives a little easier.
So we looked into which brands were coming up with the best designs. When a shopper buys something from one of Reevoo?s 55 retail partners, they are sent an email asking them to rate it. One of the categories they rate is the design of the product.
Looking at 22,000 products, with over 15 reviews, we took these design scores and ranked all of the products in terms of their score for design ? the product with the highest score at the top.
What we found was pretty impressive for one brand in particular. In the top 100 products for design, a whopping 51 of them are from Samsung! It?s a real result for the brand that has put a strong focus on design in recent years.
LG in second place and Sony and Apple in joint third made up the top 3.
If you?re a regular reader of Decide What to Buy, I?m sure you can guess at which product Numatic had in the top 100? Hetty! She?s had a stonking 2008, already topping the best vacuum cleaner list back in June and in March.
But we wanted to look deeper into the data so we split the products up into categories. We looked at Home Entertainment, Mobile Phones, White Goods, Computing and Home and DIY in more detail to see which brand?s products performed the best for design in each category.
If you?re bored of buying batteries for your all your children?s toys, here are some to give you, and the planet, a bit of a break.
First up is the wind-up radio that also works as a mobile phone charger, suitable for old and new Nokias as well as Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Motorola handsets.
As well as relieving the planet from batteries, the radio also comes packed in bio-degradable packaging.
Next is the Bat Torch. He requires no batteries and will never run out. All you need to do is squeeze him to operate the light.
He will also stand upright so that he can act as a nightlight. You can pick one up for ?4.99.
And here?s an interesting one. A women?s cooperative in the Philippines make these bags from recycled juice cartons. Seeing as the juice cartons use non-biodegradable foil on the inside, they would otherwise be sent to clog up landfill sites or be incinerated, so it?s a great way to reuse the cartons.
They make loads of different bags but as we’re all about little people today, these kids? backpacks are good and come in loads of different fruits and colours. They’re ?12.99.
This must be one of the simplest green gadgets we’ve ever featured on Decide What to Buy. The Paper Potter is a simple wooden tool that helps you to make pots out of your old newspapers.
Simply cut your old newspapers into strips, roll a strip around the Paper Potter and fold the excess paper over the end of the tool. Press the end into the base of the Paper Potter and hey presto! A mini pot for your plants that can be planted in the garden. Totally biodegradable and the growing roots will be able to push through the paper as it rots away in the soil.
The Paper Potter is made from wood from sustainable forests and comes in a recycled cardboard box. Not only that but you’ll save loads of money on pots! Great fun for kids too.
With households around the land worrying that it’s time to tighten belts, we thought we’d help show you how you can get the most from your purchases and do your bit to save the planet at the same time – after all, who wants another summer like we’ve just had?
In addition to Reevoo’s normal job, of using real customer reviews to help you decide what to buy, Reevoo now allows you to search by which household products are the most energy efficient. With energy prices up by 20% this year, we thought this was pretty smart, as well as green.
At roughly HALF the power usage of a 60 watt lightbulb, not only will the Indecit keep your beers chilled but it might tempt you to live by fridge-light during fast approaching autumnal months.
We wouldn’t expect you to compromise on quality either, the Indesit scored 9.2 out of 10 by those that bought it and 93% of buyers would recommend it.
So, if you’re interested in making your home as cost and energy efficient as possible, or just want to find out which washing machine uses less power than your iPhone, check out the home product reviews on Reevoo.
There’s no need to worry about being music-less when you’re on the move again. These solar powered headphones with FM radio will run for up to 20 hours when fully charged. And one hour of sunlight will provide one-three hours listening. There are no wires to get in the way of walking, running, or whatever you fancy doing. Just music. The radio has a powerful internal antenna and extended base so you can keep everyone else entertained at the same time – sure to be popular on trains. And it recharges itself even when you’re listening to it, as long as you’re in the company of sun.
Heads big and small will love these headphones because the adjustable headband will accommodate all sizes. Plus you’re doing your bit for the environment at the same time. You can pick up a pair here for £19.95 with global shipping.
well as Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Motorola handsets.
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