Neuber unveils solar panel bags

Solar technology company Konarka Technologies has partnered with German retailer Neuber to create shoulder bags that charge various portable devices using solar power, says The Future of Things.

The lightweight bags, dubbed Sun Bags, utilise sunlight to create electric power, which can recharge almost any gadget, including MP3 players, cameras, mobile phones, and game consoles.

According to Konarka Technologies, the Sun Bags are the lightest on the market, weighing only 500 grams including the solar panel, battery and all of the charging cables.

Consumers could be buying even smaller iPods, cellphones and computers in less than a decade as new research from McGill University suggests nearly invisible nano-particles will transform everyday electronics, writes The Montreal Gazette.

Scientists in Montreal are the first in the world to look at 'quantum dots' - tiny particles discovered about a decade ago by US researchers - and their effect on electronic devices. Their complete findings appeared in the most recent issue of the scientific journal Nano Letters.

Experts assumed the minute dots, which are about a million times smaller than an ant, would be perfect for solar technology, but the McGill University team discovered the particles are capable of creating large voltages to keep compact electronics running.

A $40 gadget could save companies thousands of dollars annually on their electric bills, reveals Crains New York.

Manhattan-based ThinkEco will soon introduce the Modlet, a simple outlet cover, paired with a $10 USB stick, which monitors energy use and can be programmed to turn off flat-screen TVs and other energy hogs. “It's like an automated power strip,” says Mei Shibata, ThinkEco's chief business officer.

Shibata and partner Jun Shimada founded ThinkEco in 2008 and have raised about $2 million. “I used to work in corporate America. Seeing the waste was really frustrating,” Shibata says.