Month: September 2009

LED 'green' TVs make little financial sense

Interesting piece over on www.oled-info.com about how much money you will save with a ‘green’ TV. It has picked up on research from an Israeli newspaper that shows if you buy Samsung 40inch green LED TV it will take over 166 years to offset the difference in price over a conventional LCD screen.

The newspaper has made the calculation, assuming that you watch 4 hours of TV a day. It has worked out that Samsung’s 40inch LED TV consumes almost half the amount of electricity when compared to normal 40inch LCD TVs (95Kw/h vs 175 Kw/h). This works out a little over a dollar a month in terms of electricity savings. But the cost of the set is more than double. Would be interesting if these results are replicated in the UK but they probably are quite similar.

All TV makers are now offering green or eco TVs. Usually they still sell their normal TV, and the new green model is offered at a premium. Some use LED technology to reduce power consumption, and some use ideas like an optical sensor that knows if you leave the room and shuts down the screen, or an ‘eco-mode’ button that reduces brightness by 20%. But it seems that while they might save energy, they make little financial sense right now.

Via Oled Info

Shinychris TVs

Nintendo announces new colours and apps for DSi

Nintendo's popular DSi handheld games console is to come in several new colours and with additional pre-installed applications from next month.

Available in Metallic Blue, Light Blue and Red as well as standard black and white from October 23, the DSi will boast a series of new features as standard including Flipnote Studio and a Facebook feature. The Facebook feature will allow users to post their photographic creations straight to their Facebook profile in order to use image manipulation tools in the Nintendo DSi Camera.

Flipnote Studio enables users to make notes on their Nintendo DSi or get creative and animate their own mini-movies. Those using their Nintendo DSi to access the Nintendo DSi Shop through Nintendo Wi-Fi connection before March 31st, 2010 will also receive 1,000 Nintendo DSi Points for free! Users can then use these points to download exclusive games and/or applications called Nintendo DSiWare. Users can also purchase additional Nintendo DSi Points within the Nintendo DSi Shop or redeem Nintendo Points cards that can be bought in stores where available.

Shinychris Gaming

A2B Metro now available throughout London

Officially launched earlier this year the A2B Metro electric bike is now available from several retailers including Harrods (via Cycle UK concession), Selfridges (via Bike Republic Concession) and EV Stores Electric Vehicle retailer on London’s Park Lane.

Also new to the A2B range, is the A2B Hybrid. Designed to complement the energy you put into your ride, its torque sensor detects your pedal power directly boosting your effort with Ultra Motor’s direct drive electric motor power.

The A2B Metro recommended retail price is £1999.00 and the A2B Hybrid recommended retail price is £1799.00. Dealer details can be found on the Ultra Motor website www.ultramotor.com/uk

The A2B Range from Ultra Motor will also be showing at the London Cycle Show, Earls Court which is open to the public from 9th-11th October. The London Cycle Show’s commuter test track, will provide visitors the opportunity to trial the A2B Metro.

Shinychris Gadgets

Finis upgrades SwiMP3 with 1Gb memory

I love the Finis SwiMP3 player. It’s fantastic for relieving the boredom of swimming up and down the pool and sound quality underwater is surprisingly good thanks to its use of bone-conduction technology.

Humans normally hear through air conduction, but because there is no air underneath the water, Finis claims that bone conduction provides the clearest sound quality possible. Instead sound vibrations are transferred from the cheek bone to the inner ear, giving the swimmer much better sound quality. Certainly audio quality is much better than other underwater MP3 players I’ve tested including Speedo’s much cheaper Aquabeat.

Shinychris MP3 players

Exspect launches FM Transmitter range for iPod, iPhone

Accessories firm Exspect has unveiled four FM Transmitters for hooking your iPod, iPod Touch or iPhone to your home speaker system or in-car stereo. All Exspect FM Transmitters are compatible with every FM radio and boast several features as standard, including a large LCD display, full range frequency between 88.1MHz – 107.9MHz (handy in big cities where frequencies can get very crowded), auto-memory of the last frequency used, and an auto-off feature to ensure your power consumption remains as low as possible.

To preserve the battery life of your Apple device, all Exspect FM Transmitters come equipped with a mini USB port, a mini USB cable and an in-car charger. Exspect's flagship device, the Intelligent FM Transmitter also features a Radio Data System (RDS) facility, which shows the current track being played on your device directly onto the stereo's display. Sounds quite a natty feature.

Available now from HMV, Play.com and other leading retail outlets, there are four Exspect FM Transmitters range in price from £29.99 for the entry level model (EX153) to £49 for the EX156 with Intelligent FM Transmitter.

Shinychris iPhone, iPod