Thanko's solar-powered MP4 player

Even before Apple's ventured commercially into solar-powered devices, here's a working Japanese MP4 player from etailer Thanko that runs on the power of the sun. Don't expect the usual petite form factor since this packs a solar panel on its side which can be pulled out from the body to better worship the sun. According to Thanko, a sunny day generates about 120,000 lux, and 1 hour's charging is good for 15 minutes of video or 35 minutes of music playback. Just in case it's the monsoon period, there's also a USB mains, though that'll test your patience with a 5-hour juice-up required.

Quite amazingly, this Japan-only product has packed onboard a glut of features. There's a 2-inch TFT 220 × 176-pixel LCD display, FM radio, mono speaker, voice recorder, games, software to convert AVI/RM/MPEG/VOB/DAT/RMVB files to video format, support for MP3/WMA/WAV formats, 4GB onboard drive together with microSD memory card slot for up to 2GB, though no SDHC support. The price is equally surprising: Just 9,980 yen (US$96). It may sound like a bargain, but caveat emptor, let the buyer beware.

Via Fareastgizmos | Picture credit: Thanko

Panasonic details NeoPDP launch

You may have read about Panasonic’s NeoPDP plasma technology. You may even have caught a glimpse of the prototypes at January's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Well, we now have news that they could be coming to an electronics store near you as early as June 2009, according to a spokesperson at a recent Panasonic Tokyo/Osaka tour that CNET Asia was invited to. The global release follows an initial May production from the Panasonic P5 plant, its latest plasma panel manufacturing facility currently undergoing construction in Amagasaki, Japan.

The lineup includes a petite 24.7mm-thick 50-incher and its life-size 150-inch sibling. The latter also offers four times better image details over standard full-HD TVs with a native 4,096 x 2,160-pixel resolution. Size and picture quality aside, there is the FX or Double Efficiency technology. This eco-friendly feature delivers the same level of screen brightness at only half the power required by current flat panels.

Watch this space as we bring you more exciting coverage on Panasonic Center Tokyo and its Amagasaki plant tour.

Click for larger image:



Photo credit: Panasonic

Charge your iPod with a solar-powered bra

Lingerie maker Triumph International has certainly taken the company's eco-friendly efforts to new heights with its latest product, the Solar Power Bra. Unveiled in Tokyo recently, this green-colored bra is made of high-quality organic cotton and features a detachable solar panel which is worn around the stomach. According to Triumph, the solar panel can generate enough electricity to power a mobile phone or iPod.

Unfortunately, even if you are daring enough to wear the solar bra out on the streets, it is still a concept product for now. A Triumph company spokesperson says there are still problems that need to be resolved such as the bra's lack of water resistance and the fact that "people usually cannot go outside without wearing clothes over it". The company, however, believes the Solar Power Bra does send out a positive message on how lingerie can play a part in saving the planet.

Triumph's earlier green efforts included a bra that can double as a reusable shopping bag and one that is designed to promote the use of reusable chopsticks.

Via Reuters
Picture Credit: Triumph

Charge the PC on the patio with a solar table

A fair amount of attention has been paid to the idea of solar-powered laptops as a perennial source of energy on the go, but there's no reason that the concept shouldn't be applied to desktops too as the greening of homes continues worldwide. Canada's Intelligent Forms Design addresses this need and--much to our liking--does so from the patio at the same time.

Its weatherproof SOlo Lounge Table (not a typo) not only charges the computer with built-in solar panels, according to Boing Boing, but it can also keep you updated on its status through Bluetooth signals sent indoors. The charging will continue even if the table is partly shaded, albeit in a diminished capacity, because other parts of the solar array will keep working.

None of this comes cheap, of course--US$14,000, to be exact. But if you plan on expanding your solar ensemble, there's a natural matching lounge chair in the Power Cube 600.

Via Crave CNET

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