Engadget seems to have some insider information concerning the next generation iPod.  There's already been discussion about the magnificently increased screen real estate, but so far, we just thought it was for watching movies.

Well, just in case you'd rather read the Homer's Iliad than watch Pitt's Troy, it is very likely that this fancy new iPod will come with eBook functionality, allowing the device to drop into a monochrome, high-contrast, low-power mode.  But, must important, Apple's iTunes store will very likely be carrying eBooks with basically the same DRM as the iTunes MP3s.

This juicy tidbit comes from someone at a major publishing house who was just ordered to send ALL of their manuscripts to Apple's Cuptertino headquarters.  Once again, that's ALL of their manuscripts. 

We've been waiting for something that might take eBooks into the mainstream.  If Apple manages to get every book published by a major publishing house for sale on line, we would definitely call that mainstream. 

 

via Engadget

 

USA Today has a short article this week about the Serpentine Solar Shuttle, an all-stainless-steel passenger ferry powered entirely by the sun.  The Shuttle is equipped with 27solar panels and two electrical engines allowing it to reach a maximum distance of 82 miles loaded with 42 passengers. 

It's not fast, but it is clean and, according to it's designer, Christoph Behling, it's the "most technologically advanced shuttle in the world."  The boat cost 20% more than a diesel boat of the same size and goes about 20% as fast, but it produces 100% less pollution.  Behling hopes that this boat will help spur development of further solar-powered transport.

The Shuttle is also designed to be plugged into Brittain's power grid when not in operation, turning the boat into a miniature power plant. 

The next step for Behling is a 300 passenger ferry designed to run on the Thames scheduled for launch in 2008.

The iRex iLiad is the most recent and also most expensive contribution to the e-book market.  The device comes equipped with a gorgeous high-res e-ink display and an internal wireless card.  The wireless card, theoretically, will only connect to the iLiad news service, which will send you whatever news you have subscribed to (some free content, some not.)

Well Ali, Arivero and R2D2 have created some pretty user-friendly hacks for the iLiad that, when used together, allow web browsing.  This is officially the only device on which you can browse the web online with an e-ink display.  iRex didn't do it on purpose, but you can do it.  The hack is simple and non-intrusive, but it does require the iLiad network card to be constantly on which will drain the batteries a bit.

Via MobileRead

On a hot day in Florida, you might as well be baking cookies in your car.  The sensation of  damp skin sticking to hot pleather is not something I miss about the Sunshine State.  But now there’s a solution, a partial solution anyhow, that harnesses the very power that causes car-broiling. 

This cute little solar powered fan clips onto the top of your window, blows out the hot car-trapped air, and sucks in ambient air that is a mere 98 degrees.  Apprently it can reduce the temperature inside the car by as much as 25 degrees. 

What I want to see is a device that harnesses the in-car heat and converts water into hydrogen or something while cooling the car off.  I guess this is a good first step though.  Priced at around $30 at Froogle.

This is what 40 million dollars in venture capital can do for the electric car. We at EcoGeek will never tire of small goofy-looking electric cars that work wonderfully in the city. But sometimes, it's nice to see things mixed up a bit...and mixed up with some spice!

• 0-60 in four seconds
• regenerative breaking
• 250 miles a charge
• $100,000 sticker price
• 248 HP
• 125 MPH top speed
• 6,831 Lithium Ion cells
• 53 kW-h of storage
• Two Seats
• Convertible
• 2352 mm wheel base
• Based on the Lotus Elise

I don't care who killed the electric car, this is what'll bring it back to life. Why market a new idea to the masses when they obviously don't want it. Market it to the rich, and then, eventually, everyone else will get one when they're affordable. Or, at least, that seems to be Tesla's philisophy. We certainly can't argue with all the pretty pictures.

While I'm waiting for the last half an hour before the Tesla Roadster is officially released, I figured I'd blog about a very different electric vehicle hitting the streets of London.  The brand new Mega-City is a two seater from the NICE Car Company (No Internal Combustion Engine, which I agree is nice.) 

Everything about the car is lower than the Tesla Roadster, so it's hard to be excited about the Mega-City on this particular evening.  The range is less than 50 miles and the top speed is around 45 mpg.  I imagine the pricetag is about a tenth that of the Roadster, but I'm not in the market for any kind of new car right now, so (since it's all just dreams anyways) I'm leaning away from the Mega-City. 

Of course, as the name implies, this car is for city driving, specifically for London driving, as that's the only place it's being marketed.  Either way, today sees two completely different approaches to a darned good idea and that's enough to get an EcoGeek downright excited. 

Excited enough to stay up for 20 more minutes until the Tesla Roadster is unveiled.

 

Josh Davis of Wired (the lucky bastard) was the first journalist to strap in to the long-awaited, top-secret Tesla Roadster.  There was supposed to be an embargo on press for another day or so, but Wired couldn't hold back and published a story and pictures a few hours ago.  And man...is it worth a look!

 

If you don't know about Tesla motors, it's a car company backed by the likes of Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin as well as a former head of Ebay and a founder of PayPal.  It's Silicon Valley's first car company and they aren't messing around.  The Roadster hits 60 in 3 seconds and is powered by around 7,000 small Li-ion batteries.  

 

So, yes, I want one.  And apparently it's going to be 'comparatively cheap' when it hits markets.  No word on the price.  Anyhow, feast your eyes and check out the excellent article and see-through image at Wired.  And keep your eyes open, a video and more pictures will be released at AutoBlog later tonight.

 

 

 

For hundreds of years intercontinental shipping was a wind-powered apparatus.  Those were the days, right?  So, I guess we can’t really file this under ‘innovation…’  Sails for ships, it’s a darn good idea, one whose time has come…again.   SkySails, a German company, has developed a retrofit package that will give any ship larger than 80 feet the ability to harness the power of the wind in order to travel more quickly and fuel-efficiently. 

 

The retrofit package, which includes sails as well as software for plotting efficient routes, costs from 300,000 to 3 million dollars and the first one was just purchased by Beluga Shipping who says the sail will help the company meet environmental goals. 

SkySails says their system can reduce fuel use by as much as one third and, as global shipping is such a ridiculously inefficient system, we hope they’re right.  We also hope that their estimate of 300 sales on the open ocean by 2011 is accurate.  

Via EcoFriend

OK, I'm having a hard time deciphering exactly how this works, but it is very cool.

 

I was browsing Cellular News when I found this tidbit:  Two Japanese firms with ridiculous names (DoCoMo and Aquafairy,) are joining their techy powers to create a mirco-fuel-cell, water-powered cell-phone charger. 

I'm having a hard time believing what I'm reading, but the story seems to be that a catalyst splits the water into hydrogen and oxygen without the need for additional energy, and the pure hydrogen is used in a thin film fuel cell producing two watts, enough to charge a cell-phone in 120 minutes.  It is probable that this isn't a true catalyst and must be occasionally replaced. 

 

If it's a true catalyst, it would seem we have more than a cell phone charger on our hands. 

 

The hydrogen fuel cell charger has a much greater power density than DoCoMo's recently-released methanol fuel cell charger.  This device has twice the wattage of the methanol fuel cells and is one fourth the size.  Also, water is easier to come across and more environmentally benign than methanol.  This leaves us wondering...what exactly is in that catalyst.  How does it work...where can I get some!

It's good to see the world moving away from traditional batteries.  If this device is any indication, the future of fuel cells is getting a lot brighter.

 

DoCoMo press release

 

 

We can't seem to get off this solar-power kick.  It's getting cheaper and (after thirty years of work) it's going mainstream.  TechEBlog recently chronicled a bit of this explosion of solar gadgetry with their "Top 10 Strangest Solar Gadgets."  Largely, these things are pretty useless, (a helicopter who's propellers spin slowly in the sun tops out the list.)  But the solar powered, hat-mounted, mini-fan looks like it could come in handy.  Also on the list: MP3 Player, rain gauge, and a gadget charging purse. 

Pictured to the right is the SunFlower Solar Power Station, probably the coolest thing on the list.  The rotatable solar panel catches light from the window during the day and uses it to power the on board music system and the three standard American electrical sockets in the base.  If not all of the energy is used, it can be stored in the internal rechargeable batteries.  Of course, this thing is a long way from your local Best Buy, probably close to 20 years away.