Cree Q5 LED Flashlight On Bike

Important Update: After testing a second unit, I can no longer recommend this product as a bike light. The trouble is that the flashlight popped out of its container whenever I rode over a curb. The problem seems to be the weight of the flashlight. One positive note — the Cree flashlight itself proved to be quite durable — it still works after several high velocity falls on to concrete. It survived with a few nicks on its aluminum alloy casing.

I’ve been testing an inexpensive option for a bike light. It’s basically a Cree Q5 LED Flashlight with an included bike mount, which sells for $20. The flashlight itself is great — it shines at 240 lumen on the high setting (160 lumens on the lower setting, and there is also a flash mode). To compare, the best selling Beamer 3 by Planet Bike, produces just 45 lumens. The Cree’s 240 lumens are produced by a single LED, and it has a range of about 1/8 mile (660 feet). The flashlight uses three AAA batteries, and I found my rechargeable Eneloop AAAs to work quite well with it.

A Cree Q5 Flashlight With Bike Mount

The bike mount worked reasonable well in my tests — the flashlight stayed firm while I went over curbs and down grassy knolls. But certainly the flashlight clamp could be tighter and bit less flimsy. I also had to insert some rubber tubing to get the holder to fit my handlebars. Overall a its good deal, if you are willing to do some tightening of the holder on occasion.

The Cree Q5 LED Flashlight With Bike Mount is available from Amazon for $20.

The Best iPhone Battery Pack

The iPhone can be power-thirsty. For many people a battery extender is an essential iPhone or iTouch accessory. Here are four of the best backup iPhone battery packs.

Note: iPhone battery performance times vary widely based on individual usage habits and applications. Wherever possible we have tried to give details of a backup battery’s capacity relative to an iPhone’s full charge.

InCase Power Slider iPhone Battery Pack & Case

The InCase Power Slider battery pack is also a protective case with several clever design features. The rubberized shell provides a comfortable grip and adds some impact protection, while still allowing users to synch their iPhone. The integrated battery is unique in that it doesn’t function as a “recharger” like some other designs, but instead provides direct power until it’s exhausted, at which point the iPhone’s own battery takes over. The downside? Several users report that the integrated case/battery design reduced their iPhone’s cellular signal strength.

The InCase Power Slider iPhone Battery Pack & Case retails for $79.95. You can find it at Amazon.

3G Juice iPhone Battery Pack

The 3G Juice promises a full recharge for your iPhone, from 10% to 100% in about 2.5 hours – essentially doubling the device’s life. Slightly bigger than a matchbook, it’s compact enough to keep in a pocket or glove compartment. And 3G Juice claims that their lithium polymer battery and 2A circuitry avoid the problems of memory effect and power fade over time, along with an on/off switch that makes this a solid choice for a backup battery. The battery pack can be recharged using the included mini-USB cable or your iPhone’s charger, and the 30-pin connector will also recharge compatible iPods.

The 3G Juice iPhone battery pack is available for $54.85 at Amazon.

Mophie Juice Pack Air iPhone Battery Pack

The Mophie Juice Pack Air is a streamlined version of Mophie’s full-size Juice Pack. The Juice Pack Air battery is integrated into a sturdy plastic protective case that completely encloses your iPhone. Its lithium polymer battery roughly doubles your talking/browsing time, and an on/off switch lets you select your power source without removing your iPhone from the case. It’s worth noting that, as with the InCase Power Slider, some users report reduced cellular signal strength while using the Juice Pack Air. And remember to bring the included cable with you, since the Juice Pack air uses a micro-USB connection instead of the more common mini-USB.

The Mophie Juice Pack Air iPhone battery pack is available in black and white. It costs $79.95 at Amazon.

Kensington Battery Pack and Charger For iPhone & iPod

The Kensington battery pack doesn’t share the sleek all-in-one design of some competitors. But users report that it can fully recharge an exhausted iPhone battery in about an hour, which is impressive. The battery pack can then be recharged from your laptop, or by using the included AC adapter. And the Kensington is versatile: the dock connector works for iPods as well as the iPhone, and the included mini USB cable means you can share your backup power with your Blackberry-toting friends.

You can find the Kensington iPhone Battery Pack and Charger at Amazon for $35.67.

Nikon has introduced some new binoculars called Ecobins with some nice green features. The body of the binocular is made with rubber than does not include chloride, toxic inks or dyes. The lens and prisms are made with Nikon’s Eco-Glass™, which is lead- and arsenic-free.

The strap and travel case are made with 100% Tencel, which is produced from sustainable Eucalyptus forests and manufactured with minimal waste.

The packaging is also green, being produced from eighty-five percent post-consumer waste and printed on recyclable FiberStone® paper.

Ecobins are available from Amazon for about $170.

Via: Groovy Green

The Dahon Jack folding bike. It weighs 28.4 pounds (or 12.9 kg). I’ve treated this bike harshly for a year now, and I haven’t had any problems with it. It costs $459.

The Dahon Espresso. It has 21 gears instead of 8. It weighs 13.3 kg (or 29.3 lb). I’m currently testing this bike — so far it been as durable as the Dahon Jack. Update: My wife loves this bike, good maneuverability. It’s available for $370 from Amazon.

In 2004, MetaEfficient.com pre-reviewed the AeroGrow aeroponics growing system. That was before the system was released. A couple of years ago, you couldn’t cut on your TV without seeing an ad for AeroGrow indoor gardening systems. It isn’t as ubiquitously advertised now, but it hasn’t disappeared from the market. In fact, five years after its initial release, there are several AeroGrow systems for consumers to choose from. Now that the AeroGrow system has been tried and tested, how has it fared?

The AeroGarden 6 with Gourmet Herb Seed Kit , available from Amazon.com in three spiffy colors (white, silver, and black) for $132.39, “lets you grow abundant herbs, greens, or vegetables for your family 365 days a year in the comfort of your kitchen. No gardening experience or even dirt is necessary,” according to the product description.

One of the big draws of the AeroGrow products is that they use a dirt-free means of growing herbs, vegetables like lettuce and tomatoes, and flowers. Aeroponics systems are like hydroponics systems, but the primary growing medium is air instead of water. Another advantage of the system is that it is compact and self-contained; it seems ideally suited for people with small yards, or no yard at all, who still want the advantages of a kitchen garden. Because the AeroGrow products are self-contained, including providing light for whatever the owner wishes to grow, the AeroGarden 6 and its sister products can be used anywhere, year-round, without access to windows that traditional indoor gardens require. AeroGrow lets you take windowsill gardening away from the windowsill, and thus offers a convenience and efficiency to would-be gardeners that traditional methods do not allow for.

Seeds and nutrients are provided in pre-packed pods, included when you buy the AeroGarden 6; plug the seed pods into the system and watch it grow. You provide the water for your pod-plants — made easier by an alarm system integrated into the AeroGrow system that alerts you if your plants need water or nutrients. AeroGrow has provided a foolproof means for indoor gardeners to grow vegetables, fruit, and herbs with minimal fuss and no muss at all.

The AeroGarden 6 differs from the original AeroGarden system in that it contains space for six plant pods instead of seven, which allows more room for your plants to spread out and get comfortable. Setting up the system is reasonably simple, and getting down to the business of growing is easy since everything you need to grow is provided. While the product is advertised as being quiet, its water pump actually makes quite a bit of noise, more even than a fish tank. The light is also quite bright. You will want to take these factors into consideration when you are setting up your AeroGarden. Perhaps the bedroom isn’t the best place to keep your AeroGarden 6. The noise and the light seem to be the only faults of the system, though. It works exactly as advertised, handily growing herbs (or whatever pods you’ve installed in the system) with no hassle and very little tending at all. The nutrients provided with the system seem to give the plants a little boost that results in surprisingly fast-growing herbs.

If you have limited space, you might try the AeroGarden Space-Saver 6 with Gourmet Herb Seed Kit, which provides six spaces for seed pods in a more compact form with a slightly smaller footprint than the AeroGarden 6. This system comes in white, black, silver, and black with stainless steel accents, and sells for $149.95. It, too, comes with all you need to start growing, including seed pods and nutrients, as well as light bulbs. Again, the growing system seems virtually foolproof, as plants sprout and thrive with little effort on the gardener’s part. This system, too, though, is quite noisy and bright. For people with an out-of-the-way place to put the system, this shouldn’t be too much of an issue, since it is so self-contained. But if your space is limited, and you have nowhere to put the system but in an area where you’re likely to spend a lot of time, the biggest across-the-board complaint about the system is how much noise the pump makes and how bright the light is. You can cut off the light, but there is no mechanism for turning off the pump.

The AeroGarden 2411-00B AeroGarden Deluxe with Master Gardener Deluxe Kit, available in black from Amazon.com for $216.68, has considerably more bells and whistles than the AeroGarden 6 and the AeroGarden Space-Saver 6. While you can buy other pod packs for various of the other AeroGrow systems, so that you’re not confined to growing the included herbs in your AeroGarden, the AeroGarden Deluxe comes with an upgraded light system, a trellis system for larger plants, an attachment that allows you to grow full-sized vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers, and a full year’s supply of Grow Pods and the nutrients. You should note that while this system will accommodate plants beyond herbs and flowers, the seeds are NOT included with this system.

The AeroGarden Deluxe is, like its smaller siblings, attractive and easy to set up. The pump again loses points for noisiness, and the three-bulb light system (the others have two bulbs) means the light on this model is brighter. But this system is as self-contained as the others, and performs as well; plants germinate and grow quickly, and there is a high success rate in the plants that grow with this system that isn’t present in traditional gardening. The fact that with the deluxe system, a gardener can grow fruiting vegetables, rather than just smaller plants like herbs, is a big bonus, and seems to make it worth the price.

For a slightly lower price point, you can get the AeroGarden Pro 200 with Master Gardener 1-Season Kit and Gourmet Herb Seed Kit . It has fewer bells and whistles than the AeroGarden Deluxe – no trellis, for example – but still has the upgraded light system and more advanced features than the less expensive, more basic AeroGarden models. This model, like the AeroGarden Deluxe, comes with the Master Gardener 1-Season Kit, which enables you to grow your own seeds rather than relying on the proprietary seed pods that the other systems use. And the AeroGarden Pro 200 comes with herb seeds. This model has space for seven pods, rather than the six in the other systems. There are fewer complaints about a loud pump with the AeroGarden Pro 200, but the lights are quite bright on this system, as well as the others. The growing results, however, are as unmistakably foolproof and efficient with the AeroGarden Pro 200 as with the other AeroGarden products.

Though the grow bulbs , nutrient tablets , and seed kits for the various AeroGarden systems are proprietary, they are relatively inexpensive and easily available. And because of the happiness of many of AeroGarden’s customers with the product’s ease and efficiency in providing an effective small garden even for those without the resources to grow a traditional garden, it seems unlikely that the company will evaporate any time soon – so if you buy an AeroGarden system, you will probably have no problem at all stocking up later on refills to keep your system growing. For people with smaller budgets or smaller spaces, smaller AeroGarden systems are available. If, on the other hand, you want to upgrade a larger system, upgrade kits are available to let you do just that.

The consensus on AeroGarden systems is that they work well, and that if you buy a system, you will be assured of low-maintenance garden goodies, in a small space and with a minimum of effort. While the systems are not flawless – the bright lights and the loud pump being the most consistent complaints – they do offer, for people who can overlook those faults, a means of growing kitchen herbs and vegetables (and flowers, too) year-round, indoors. The produce from the various systems is consistently as the manufacturer advertises, and the systems have received consistently positive reviews in the five years since AeroGarden came onto the market. That this high-performing gardening system comes in a range of prices and with options to suit the varying needs of indoor gardeners is an excellent bonus.

The range of AeroGarden products seems to be a cost-effective and highly efficient way for the would-be gardener to maintain a practical and productive kitchen garden indoors.

Netgear didn’t get much of a mention in our recent post “The Greenest Routers of 2008“. But now the company has released two green routers — the Netgear WNR2000 router, and its DSL modem-equipped DGN2000. Both these routers comes with EnergyStar-rated power supplies, and they come in new packages made with 80 percent recycled content.

Both Netgear routers support the latest Wi-Fi standard on a 2.4GHz band, including a simplified one-button Wi-Fi Protected Setup for creating secure networks on supporting devices. Four Ethernet ports supply wired connections on the routers, which should available soon.

The Netgear WNR2000 router is available from Amazon for $71.

I’ve been testing a new line of bags called Terraclime by Lowepro. I was impressed by the fact that 95% of the material used to make these bags is recycled content. The fabric is made with recycled PET bottles (i.e. post-consumer plastic). The hooks and zippers are made from plastic salvaged from the factory floor, and reground.

Terraclime bags are available in four sizes — the smallest pouch (shown above) is designed to accommodate a phone or point-and-shoot camera, while the largest model is more like a shoulder bag and includes a padded equipment wrap for items as large as a digital SLR camera (shown at the top of the page).

I like the attention to detail in the design of these bags: they feature nice interior cushioning, and the nifty hooks on the exterior.

They are available from Amazon.

Sales of electric bikes have spun into high gear this year — some merchants like Amazon are reporting a 6000% increase this summer from last year. This is good news, because, for short trips, the efficiency and convenience of electric bikes is hard to beat.

Here are some statistics that still amaze me: 40% of all trips are made within two miles of the home, and 50% of workers commute five miles or less to work.

I recently heard about an inexpensive electric bike conversion kit that appears to be of good quality. It’s offered by a family-run company called AmpedBikes.

The founder, Danny L. Ray, was unhappy with the quality of the kits he was getting from China, so he visited China and found a company that were willing to build a kit to his specifications, using the parts he chose. The result is a $360 kit that he sells from his website. By comparison, other conversion kits such as the Crystalyte, the Wilderness and the Bionx cost between $500 and $1800.

The AmpedBikes kits incorporate a brushless 36V 500W electric hub, and can be installed on almost any bike with 26″ wheels. Ray says the kits can be installed in about 20 minutes, and he an installation video on his website to show how it’s done.

You will have to provide your own batteries — here’s a FAQ page with some suggestions for finding them (scroll to the bottom).

Last year, Philips showed off their LivingColor lamps at a media event. Each compact light can illuminate 16 million unique colors, all of which can be controlled via an included wireless RF remote. You can set any remote to control up to six fixtures simultaneously, keeping their colors in synchronization for a dramatic effect. Since it uses some seriously bright LEDs, Philips designed a special heat sink into the lamp that looks more like a work of art than a technical necessity.

Available from Amazon.

The Contina line by Hape International is said to be the first range of 100% bamboo toys. They are colored with natural, water-based paints. The full range is available from Hape through Amazon. Found via: Eco Child’s Play