The HydroPak fuel cell is a portable power generator that can provide up to 14 hours of power with a single water-activated disposable cartridge.

Manufactured by Millennium Cell Inc and Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies, the HydroPak product combines Horizon's fuel cells with Millennium Cell's Hydrogen on Demand storage technology to offer a clean and quiet power generator for use by consumers and professionals for emergency and recreational purposes.

This power source is a high energy alternative to lead acid battery packs and portable generators.
It works by simply adding water.

The HydroPak is designed with a common AC outlet and two USB connectors to charge or operate low power devices such as portable lights, notebook computers, portable televisions and ad hoc communications networks for more than 14 continuous hours when needed.

The planned retail pricing of $400 for the system and $20 for the disposable cartridges will make this solution attractive to both professionals responding to emergencies, as well as consumers desiring power for both backup and recreational needs.

Features:

• 25 Watt continuous, 50W peak
• 1 AC port: 100 Volts
• 2 USB ports: 5 Volts DC
  
• Water-activated cartridges
• Infinite shelf life
• Enough energy to recharge an average notebook computer 8 to 10 times.
• It can run indoors
• Quiet operation
• Zero harmful emissions
• Lighter and smaller than generators
• Stores more energy than possible with batteries
• Lower cost than any similar fuel cell device

The HydroPak was on display at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
The system will also be shown to the U.S. military at the Tactical Power Sources Summit 2008 at the Georgetown University Conference Center in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 29-30.
These conferences are the first venues where potential users and distributors can see HydroPak emergency power products publicly in the United States.

Beginning in February 2008, Horizon and Millennium Cell plan to demonstrate and sample limited numbers of the current pre-production unit to OEM's, distributors, and key military decision makers.

A HydroPak Mini product prototype for use in consumer devices such as cell phones, PDA's and portable media players will also be demonstrated for the first time at the conferences in January.

The objective of showing this unit is to gauge interest for a less expensive, smaller power source with unlimited shelf life and silent power for smaller portable communications and electronics devices.

"We are excited about the prospects for the HydroPak(TM) line of products, beginning with the commercialization of the first water-activated portable power system in 2008 and followed shortly by others in 2009. We believe that these fuel cell power products possess a potent combination of convenience, performance and economics that are unique in the marketplace and will fill a void that exists today,"

commented George Gu, CEO of Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies.

“Millennium Cell considers the HydroPakTM product line as a cornerstone in our product strategy and we are dedicating significant resources to support product introduction into the marketplace beginning in 2008. The initial reaction from OEM’s and potential distributors for this product has been very positive and we plan to generate our first commercial revenues through aggressively marketing and selling this innovative family of products,”

commented Adam Briggs, President of Millennium Cell.

About Millennium Cell
Millennium Cell is a leader in the development of hydrogen battery technology used to power portable applications. Through its proprietary Hydrogen on Demand® fuel cartridges and PowerSkinTM fuel cell modules, the Company provides increased energy density resulting in longer runtime and lighter weight in a compact space. The Company is working with market partners to meet the demand for a better battery in the military, medical, industrial and consumer electronics markets.
For more information, visit:
www.millenniumcell.com.

About Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Pte Ltd
Thinking big, yet starting small, Horizon pioneered the sales of next-generation fuel cell power products in small consumer products, while developing larger-scale clean power solutions for practical applications in portable remote power, light-duty transportation and aerospace. With comprehensive technological developments focused on enabling fuel cell commercialization, Horizon is the first company to bring advanced fuel cell technology out of the laboratories and into the mass market today.
For more information, visit:
www.horizonfuelcell.com.

The Aquaduct is a pedal powered vehicle that is meant to transport, filter, and store water for the developing world.

A peristaltic pump attached to the pedal crank draws water from a large tank, through a carbon filter, to a smaller clean tank.
The clean tank is removable and closed for contamination-free home storage and use.
A clutch engages and disengages the drive belt from the pedal crank, enabling the rider to filter the water while traveling or while stationary.

The Aquaduct is the winning entry in the Innovate or Die contest put on by Google and Specialized.
The contest challenge was to build a pedal powered machine that has environmental impact and upload a YouTube video showing how to harness pedal power in innovative ways.

Team Aquaduct was declared the winner out of 102 entries by building a unique and functional solution to provide rural communities with access to clean water.
The Team, composed by John Lai, Adam Mack, Brian Mason, Eleanor Morgan and Paul Silberschatz, will share the $5,000 grand prize, and each will receive a Specialized Globe bicycle – as will all five of the finalist runners-up.

The contest encouraged people to evaluate environmental issues and develop ingenious solutions surrounding climate change.




More Info:
www.innovate-or-die.com
YouTube Innovate or Die page.

MSI (Micro-Star International) has manufactured a a revolutionary notebook, which supports ECG (electrocardiogram analysis).

Called HATO, (H eartbeat A udition T ransceiver O n-the-Go), it is a medical laptop with built-in ECG (ElectroCardiogram Analysis), that allows for immediate monitoring and diagnosis on the patient’s electrocardiogram record.
It is capable of recording and storing ECG signals of professional quality level, generate different levels of alarms, and forward the alarm messages with the recorded signals to relevant health care providers by wireless communication.

Moreover, HATO's 3G-enabled wireless solution means that there's no need to go and see the doctor personally or even go to the hospital for check-up. Through 3G, patient and doctor are connected at all times and in all places. It can help overcome several challenges such as physical distance between doctor and patient, overcrowded hospitals and longer-than-average hospital stays.

Furthermore, patients can self-administer most tests and allows them greater freedom, yet making it possible for their doctor to monitor their health.

MSI's innovative HATO is a new concept in portable ECG, offering a comprehensive suite of ECG interpretation and analysis programs.
It is designed to record and transmit in real-time a patient's ECG information to appropriate medical staff or doctor for initial diagnosis and professional medical advice.



More Info:
Micro-Star International

The lightweight Pterosail Kit allows trike owners to sail the roads!

The Pterosail is a sailing attachment system that attaches to the front of existing recumbent trikes.

The technology and safety of the Pterosail has been thoroughly tested over thousands of miles of road use.
A rider can maneuver a sailing tricycle by steering with one hand and holding a single line in the other. Pulling on the line increases the tautness of the sail, allowing the vehicle to move more rapidly. Loosening the grip on the line gives slack to the sail, slowing the tricycle.
The boom can swing left or right in 320 degrees to catch wind, and the sail can be furled if the wind is too strong.
In addition to the two traditional brakes on a tricycle’s handlebars that control the front wheels, the Pterosail uses a special back brake so the rider can use one hand to halt movement.

The Pterosail can be easily setup and broken down for easy storage and transportation.
The system is composed of high quality materials that have been rigorously tested to ensure longevity, strength, and durability.

Learning to use the the patented Pterosail is a breeze thanks to the Automatic Sheet Management System.

The Pterosail adheres to size limitations imposed on motor vehicles. With a sail mast reaching 12 feet, 9 inches, and a boom that is 6 feet, 6 inches long, the sailing tricycle falls under the maximum vehicle height of 13 feet, 6 inches, with a width of 8 feet. MacTaggart says the large size of the Pterosail increases rider safety on the road.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Masts: 91% Carbon Fiber NoLimitz
• Spar: Aircraft grade Aluminium
• Sail: Custom Jib Type
• Harken Sail Furler
• High Tension Turnbuckles
• 3 Spliced Front Stays
• 1 Rear Stay
• Rack Attachment System
• Quick release mast clamps
• 2 Marine Fiber Canvas Bag
• Height: ~11 ft
• Weight: 32 lbs Total

Mote Info:

• http://www.pterosail.com
• Interview with Phil MacTaggart, inventor of the Pterosail System

It is a known fact among meteorologists that constant and stronger wind speeds are to be found at higher altitudes.

The Kite Sailing Kitano Yacht prototype designed by Stefanie Krücke takes advantage of that little known fact to down-to-sea sailors and introduces kite sailing technology to the leisure sailing yacht class.

Compared to a normal sail the kite has less surface area, but due to higher forces it is still capable of generating enough force so that even a gentle breeze lifts the hull to a planing speed.

The Kite Sailing Kitano Yacht is equipped with a retractable hydraulically operated centerboard, that makes possible to sail in shallow water and littorals without risk.

The Yacht itself could comfortably carry and house up to 8 passengers with the latest in luxury any seaman can dream of.

More Info:
Yanko Design

Dubbed as "The world’s first pocket-size DJ system", the Pacemaker is a high quality portable music player that allows for the playing of two tracks simultaneously and comes equipped with an extensive range of professional audio manipulation mixing software that can be used between two independent channels.

Furthermore, any mixes created on Pacemaker Device and/or Editor can be uploaded via the Editor for publishing onto the community and be listened to by any and all with an Internet connection.

As the Peacemaker team says at their website (www.pacemaker.net):

"By sharing our music taste with each other, we hope to bring us all closer to the music we love – and closer to the music we don’t yet know we can’t live without."

Peace brother, Peace ...

Specifications

SIZE AND WEIGHT
• L/W/H: 164/69.6/22.8 mm.
• Weight: 200 g (approx.)
CAPACITY
• 120 GB hard drive
INPUT AND OUTPUT
• Mini USB
• 2x3.5 mm stereo plug
POWER AND BATTERY
• Exchangeable rechargeable battery; full-charge time: 1,5 h, fast-charge time: about 1 h
• Music playback time: 18 h
• DJ operating time: 5 h
DISPLAY
• Dimensions: ø 45 mm
• Resolution: 166 dpi screen resolution (0.153 mm dot pitch)
• TFT display with 262 K colours
AUDIO
• Frequency response: 20–20.000 Hz (SNR: 103 dB)
• Audio formats supported: MP3 AAC, WMA (128–320 Kbps), WMA Lossless, OGG Vorbis, FLAC, WAV
DJ FUNCTIONALITY
• Two output channels: headphones and lineout
• Two crossfaders: headphones and lineout
• Pitch control: ± 100%
• Equalizer: for adjusting treble, mid and bass amplitudes.
• Mix saving: continuous caption to hard drive.
• User Input latency: approx. 5 ms



The Pacemaker has been presented at CES 2008 and has gained highly positive reviews, specially from many dedicated New Age music enthusiasts.

First units are expected to be shipped by February 2008.

Available from:


http://www.pacemaker.net

Printing on the go has never been easier.
The ZINK Mobile Printer is the perfect companion to your camera phone or digital camera, the pocket-sized mobile printer connects either wirelessly or with a USB cable directly to any camera phone or digital camera and prints full-color 2" x 3" digital photos (size of regular business card).

The printer uses thermal printing technology from Zink Imaging Inc. What this really means is that no ink is required, that's right NO ink.

The technology behind Zink was first developed at Polaroid, and they are now also plannig to update the Polaroid camera concept by selling another portable printer.
"Polaroid's new printer is a little bigger than a deck of cards and connects to phones by USB or Bluetooth."
And they will use Zink's thermal printing technology.

In case you're wondering Zink was founded in 2005 and purchased technologies from Polaroid as it was coming out of bankruptcy. And now both Zink and Polaroid are based in the same complex in Waltham, Massachusetts.

ZINK Mobile Printer Features:

• Compatible with all Pictbridge enabled digital cameras and camera phones with wireless connectivity.
• Prints 2" X 3" borderless, high quality photos
• Uses ZINK™ Paper. Available in sticky-back.
• Integrated, rechargeable battery

Available from:
http://www.zink.com

One of the products that is shinning the most (pun intended) at CES 2008 is the Solio, the perfect solar charger to power up your gadgets.

The Solio® Hybrid 1000 is fitted with a powerful solar panel and battery that makes it both simple and inexpensive to recharge virtually all your electronic devices. The Sun is not its only source of power because it can also be charged from the USB port of any computer.
As a sample, a fuul Solio H1000 will completely charge a common mobile phone. According to the specifications, with just 1 hour of sunshine you'll get enough power to talk on your cellular for over 15 minutes or listen to 40 minutes of MP3 music.

The Solio comes bundled with:

• Adapter tip system cable (attached)
• USB Charging Cable (plug into your computer's USB port or your iPod's USB Power Adapter)
• USB Port Replicator tip (powers iPhone and iPod)
• Mini-USB tip (powers Motorola, Blackberry, Garmin, iriver)
• Nokia tip

It works out of the box with most common mobile phones, MP3 players, GPS units, etc. by simply changing the adaptor tip.

Technical Specifications:

• Rechargeable battery 3.7V 1000mAh (Lithium Ion).
• Rated output 1.5 to 5 watts. DC input charge range: 5-6 volts at 400mA.
• Solar panel output 0.6 watts. Dimensions 198 x 68 x 18mm.

More Info:
Solio

The MagiKomputer Team is toddling around the CES at Las Vegas this year and the main impression they get is colored with Green.

It seems like Green is the main trend at CES 2008.
Even part of their website has become Green, check it out:


The CEA (producer of CES) announced that CES 2008 is taking unprecedented steps to 'go green' by reducing its carbon footprint and with the use of sustainable and energy efficient practices.

"As the world’s largest tradeshow for consumer technology, we are also the first tradeshow of our size to reduce our carbon footprint,.
We will do so by reducing energy consumption, increasing our recycling efforts, improving efficiency where possible, and making strides toward offsetting our unavoidable emissions. Consumer electronics are part of an energy-saving solution and improve the way we live, work and play, which gives this industry an opportunity to be a positive force for change and integral to environmental solutions that will ensure future generations inherit a healthy planet.
In addition to offsetting the carbon emissions of all CES venues, freight, shuttle buses and hotel rooms, we will provide attendees with the opportunity to offset their airline travel via CESweb and kiosks on the show floor."

said Gary Shapiro, CEA’s president and CEO.

CEA has even partnered with Carbonfund, the leading non-profit provider of certified carbon offsets, to reduce the carbon footprint of the event. Carbonfund will offset the approximately 20,000 tons of carbon associated with the International CES by investing in a combination of certified renewable energy, reforestation and energy efficiency projects.
As an example, by offsetting CES and consolidating trips that would have been necessary for the same meetings, the net savings in travel is over 700 million miles.

HP, for example, says its entire booth is 'green', including carpeting made from corn. Even the company's pens are made from 100% recycled material, including a cardboard body, and popsicle stick-like handle. There are solar-powered devices, 'green' power-saving devices, and even bags made from recycled materials."

One of the stars of the event has been the Solio portable solar panel.
Below Ed Kohler tells us about this green universal charger for electronic devices that stores power:



Sources:

Marketnews - Christine Persaud
Marketnews - Gadget Talk: CES 2008: Gadgets Galore and Going Green

MagiKomputer - Gefio Norse
MagiKomputer: CES 2008 Going Green