All we hear about is how to conserve energy or at least make the energy we do use more “green”.
Apparently on the gadget news front, Apple applied for patents on technology recently. There is or has been some research done in recent years in regard to using solar panels to fuel mobile devices and it looks like Apple is the first to put it into play.

I, for one, am surprised that this hasn’t happened much sooner. After listening to a talk radio show over the weekend about the government, oil, and overseas wars, I’m just disgusted that we have had this type of technology available world wide but no one has made use of it thus putting our country in debt to others just for the price of oil. Without sounding conspiratorial, there is more than what we are told when it comes to gas prices and wars over oil country.

But back on topic. If you think about it, there are solar powered calculators. Can’t that same technology be used for our mobile phones and iPods? Apparently it can and thank god someone is trying to use it!

I am sure that most of you out there have a cell phone.  The one thing that I have noticed about mine is that whenever anyone’s phone rings, I check my own.  The reason for that is that my cell phone ringtones that came with the phone are the same as everyone else.  Unless I have the vibrate function, I am forced to check my phone each time any mobile phone in my vicinity rings.  Not only is this frustrating, but it is a complete waste of time.

So, I went to my cell phone provider and asked a sales clerk what I could do to solve my problem.  He was nice enough to direct me to a site that had Sprint ringtones that I could download and change the sound of my ringer.

I tried it out and it worked great - at least most of the time.  You see, there were still times when another person’s phone would ring and I would look at my phone: they must be Sprint customers too.

I looked online and found a couple of sites that would allow me to download MP3 ringtones right to my phone.  In fact, they had a huge selection and I was able to find my favorite song, Eye of the Tiger - and chances are that no one will have it.  Sure I will have to wait and see, but so far, when my phone rings, I know it is mine.

It amazes me that mobile phone technology changes so rapidly.  They can bring out a new phone and it is obsolete within a couple of months.  But they can also bring out updates, new accessories or new software that would make your phone perform better than it did out of the box.  Sometimes I find it hard to keep up.

Take my iPhone for example.  I was one of the first people to get one and it has been great.  You always think that you have the best thing on the market until you check out the latest iPhone news and find out that there are new firmware upgrades, and other new goodies that you are missing.

For example, I learned of some new iPhone accessories - specifically of some new cases on the market that would protect the phone better than the flimsy leather case I have at the moment.  I made sure to order a new aluminum case for my iPhone after learning about its’ availability.

I also try to keep up with the new iPhone games that come out.  Sure, I really bought the phone to use in a practical sense, but it is nice to sit down after a long day and play a game or two to relax.

Perhaps the funniest part about me trying to keep up is this:  no matter how much I try, there is always something new on the horizon.  So, in some respects, trying to keep up is foolish - but I do enjoy it.

I wonder how many people know that it is so much cheaper to import electronics from India than it is to buy them at an electronics store here. In fact, since the first time I bought an India gadget, I don’t think I have purchased anything locally since.

The gadget India website that I order from has high quality products and I have yet to see any problem. It is always shipped promptly and it gets to me in good condition. The best though is the prices I pay for the quality merchandise. I have saved tons by doing it this way.

If someone was interested in learning more or learning what technology is out there right now, sitting in on a forum is a good idea. Before I bought my cell phone (from India), I sat in on a mobile forum and I learned so much. I would suggest this to any first time overseas buyers - just make sure that it will work with your mobile phone provider.

I am starting a home business, selling supplies for iPods. I am young and am still in college and I swear that 90% of the kids at my school own iPods and spend a lot of money on them. I was doing some research on it for my economics class and actually set up a virtual business selling things like the iPod Nano video converter.

I got a really good grade for the project and my teacher told me that I have very good business sense. This got me to thinking that I should do it for real. I know that it is harder to put an actual business together than to do it on paper, but I thought I should take the chance anyway. I talked to all of my friends to see what they wanted most and most of them want iPod Touch converters. I found a wholesaler of these and thought I should try just this one item to start with.

I ordered a shipment of them, enough to sell to my friends, and 100 extra to sell to their friends. I also ordered iPod classic converters because I knew they would sell as well. I am so happy to say that I have been quite a success and have very little inventory left. I am ready to venture into other accessories and my friends are ready for the savings I can give them.

Now, as some of you know, I don’t drive the newest vehicle on the block.  Seriously, if you were born after 1992, chances are my car is older than you.  One of the interesting things about owning an older vehicle is that they tend to develop strange quirks that surprise you.

For example, I can remember a mini-van that I drove that you could not use the power windows in the rain.  Was that a safety feature?  I think not.  My car’s quirks are mostly tolerable, that is all except for one.

You see, at the end of winter last year, my stereo was acting up.  Unless it was very cold and had the rear defrost on, the stereo would not work at all.  Fast forward to this year and it is worse - it will only turn on if you have the car running for about an hour.

Now, instead of fixing it, or trying to figure out what the problem is, I have devised a solution.  While I was looking at some iPod Shuffle accessories at a store one day, I happened upon some iPod car speakers - all I have to do is plug them into the lighter socket.

So, before I go to bed each night, I make sure to hook up my iPod to the computer and it is all charged up for my ride to work.  Change never sounded so good…

Now, it is with great dismay that I need a new mobile phone.  You see, my son decided to wash my phone in the toilet, and it doesn’t work anymore.  So, with my addiction to cell phones unsatisfied, I decided to look at some phones and pick one as the replacement.

I never realized the number of cheap mobile phones on the market.  From holding them and trying them out, I quickly realized they were not all created equal.  Some felt like toys, others like rocks, and some of them felt really cheap.

Out of all of them, the Sony Ericsson W580i seemed to have the most promise.  It was definitely a step up from my old phone, it could even function as an mp3 player.  I also found the shuffle feature of the w580i to be pretty neat - at the flick of my wrist I could change the song.

In the end, the Sony became my replacement.  I will just have to be more careful not to leave this one where my son can get it - I don’t want to buy another phone for a long time.