The Wattbox isn’t available to the general public just yet, but if and when it is, it’s probably going to be rather popular. Its aim is to help folks save costs on energy consumption. One of the more interesting features of the Wattbox is that is can be retrofitted, so it’ll be suitable for all houses, not just the modern ones. Its intelligent, automated system aims to take complexity out of the controls, so instead of you having hot water bubbling all the time, the device will learn your usage patterns and heat the water according to the time of the day it’s needed. When the water is heated and ready to be used, you’ll see the display turn red to indicate so. You’ll be able to control the temperature via simple buttons for “more heat” or “less heat”, making things easier to understand.

Do you think that having to turn off all your switches one by one after shutting down your computer everyday is troublesome? You might want to check out the TrickleStrip, which might be able to help you with that. It features 2 outlets that are always powered on, but one other slot that is able to control 3 special sockets. So if you hook up your computer to the controlling socket, and plug the monitor and speakers into the special sockets, once you turn off your computer, those other devices will be turned off too, so you won’t waste any electricity by them being in standby mode. The best part is that the TrickleStrip also functions as a surge protector, so it’ll come in handy on a rainy day. It seems like a rather good idea, though you’ll need to think carefully whether being lazy is enough to justify spending $44.95 on this.

In a world where everybody is trying to go green, how do we minimize the amount of energy spent to power the street lights the light up the roadside? TAK’s wind-powered Turbine Light aims to tackle that issue by using the moving air from cars that zip past it on the highway to generate energy to power it. Of course, the first question everybody will ask is whether that amount of wind will be enough to power the lighting? Whatever the challenge, if they do manage to get it up and running, it will have a huge potential to save a lot of money in wind-heavy regions. The Turbine Light is an entry to the Greener Gadgets Competition, so if you want to see what the folks are envisioning for the future, check it out.

NEC takes the high moral ground by revealing the AS171 LCD monitor in a size that used to wow people more than a decade ago at 17", but by today's standards, it just won't do if you happen to spend plenty of time in front of a desktop. Still, the NEC AS171 comes with a native 1,280 x 1,024 resolution, VGA and DVI connectivity, 900:1 contrast ratio, a 5ms response time and conforms to EPEAT silver, Energy Star 5.0 and TCO 5.0 ratings. According to NEC, this model will consume 80% of its predecessors' power, while using up to 50% less mercury compared to previous models in its display. Expect to see the AS171 ship later this month for $159.

South Africa will be hosting the World Cup later this summer, and we wonder just how green the event will be. Regardless, the s0ccket soccer ball has some elements of being eco-friendly, where it stores all the kinetic energy it receives with all the kicking around, where it can hold enough juice to power a single LED while recharging a small battery-operated device. The s0ccket soccer ball is currently in its prototype stage, where youth in Africa are having a ball of their time (literally) play-testing it. Great idea too, as youth seem to have plenty of energy to burn so why not translate that to electricity?

The boffins at Princeton and Caltech have come up with something which could revolutionize the future - a power-generating rubber material which has the potential to harness walking and other movements in order to charge electronic devices. This material comprises of nanoribbons that are made out of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) alongside a ceramic substance which is “piezoelectric” - in layman's terms, it is capable of generating an electrical voltage whenever there is applied pressure. A combination of such “piezo-rubber chips” within clear silicone rubber sheets will then be able to generate electricity when flexed. Practical uses of such technology are virtually limitless, including implanting them into the body to perpetually power medical devices.

Do you think that there is too much paper being wasted in your office? Well, the smart folks over in a Japanese company called Oriental have come up with a machine called White Goat. If you’re wondering what a machine with such a funny name does, it converts your normal paper into toilet paper. Just pop in about 40 sheets of paper, and wait for 30 minutes, and you’ll get a nice toilet roll for your efforts. The process involves shredding the paper, after which it is dissolved in water, thinned out, dried and wound into toilet rolls. Pretty cool. The company says it costs 10 Yen ($0.11) to churn out 1 roll, and regular usage of this machine will save up to 60 cedar trees annually. This would probably be a great machine to boost your eco credentials, though there is one snag: you might be cool with it being 1.8m tall and weighing 600kg, but it’ll be priced at $100,000 when it goes on sale in Japan this summer. Check out a video of it in action.

Love spending a whole lot of time outdoors with your loved ones? The Portable Eco Freezer is fashionably sized to resemble that of a small picnic hamper, where its cover has a couple of LED lamps and photocells. Energy required for the freezer to run is produced through magnetic induction, and if you have less stuff inside to keep cool, why not use just one lamp while the other is used for illumination purposes? Bear in mind that the use of both lamps simultaneously to light up your surroundings would mean the halt of its cooling system. Sounds like the perfect survival tool to have when you're abandoned on a far-off island, away from civilization since it has 3 illumination modes - On, S.O.S and Flicker.

Having trouble charging all your devices at one go? Well, the One For All Universal Multi-Charger can charge up to 3 devices simultaneously, and you won’t have to use various power adapters to get the job done. Bundled with a bunch of interchangeable tips for your iPod/iPhone, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, miniUSB, LG, Samsung etc devices, it sports a LED indicator to let you know when the device is charging. So once the LED goes out, you know your device is ready to go, and the slot is shut down to save power. The turbo-charge technology used will also help you reduce charging time, as it claims to be able to charge a Nokia 5200 from 0-100% in 115 minutes, whilst the conventional charger would take 155 minutes. When no devices are charging, the One for All Universal Multi-Charger will only consume less than 0.5W. Do you think it’s worth its £59.99 ($96) asking price?

Honda has started to operate its next generation solar hydrogen station prototype at the Los Angeles Center of Honda R&D America. Meant to be a single, integrated unit which can be installed in any garage, the Honda Solar Hydrogen Station might be much smaller than its predecessor, while being capable of producing enough hydrogen (0.5kg) through an 8-hour overnight fill which is enough for the average daily commute (roughly 10,000 miles annually) for each fuel cell electric vehicle. This allows you to refill your vehicle overnight without having to worry about hydrogen storage, resulting in lower CO2 emissions since you take advantage of the more affordable off-peak electrical power rates, while daytime charging is done through the use of solar power.

With so many young people these days listening to their iPods at very loud levels, it won't come as a surprise that many years from now, these same once-young people will have a diminished sense of hearing, which is why the market for hearing aids has plenty of room to grow. How about being more eco-friendly in the future as well by starting today with the Solar Ear? This is the first solar-powered hearing aid rechargeable charger in the world, featuring a couple of rechargeable Ni-Mh AA batteries that take up to 8 hours of direct sunlight to charge. When fully juiced up, just place the hearing aid batteries inside and you're good to go. The unit’s batteries are touted to have a lifespan of 2 to 3 years, which is the equivalent of 300 charges.

Going green is the mantra at many companies for quite some time now, and Lexon is no exception, having announced a new range of sustainably powered gadgets that are constructed from bamboo and maize bio-plastics. Among these everyday useful items include a calculator, an alarm clock or a FM radio - stuff that you can find in a decent cellphone, although this one takes a more individual, eco-friendly route. The alarm clock itself harnesses solar energy to keep it going, while the radio features a fold-out crank that requires some turning to obtain its juice. Just keep these out of reach of pandas with an appetite and you’re good to go.

Takara Tomy has unveiled a new soda-powered RC car known as the Ene Pocket, where it has Sony's Bio Battery within which obtains energy from breaking down sugars including those found in soda and fruit drinks. That would probably mean your regular can of Coke is able to provide enough power to keep the Ene Pocket going for a few rounds at the very least, and aims to be an eco-friendly toy for the little ones. Of course, some of us would prefer to drink the Coke instead of pouring it down into the Ene Pocket's battery, but at least you can stop stocking up on rechargeable batteries. No word on pricing nor when the Ene Pocket will hit retail stores as at press time, but we're keeping our fingers crossed that pretty soon is a good bet.

Sony has unveiled its CycleEnergy portable USB power supply adapter that will see action in the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions from next month onwards, boasting a white minimalist design that might actually be mistaken for a product from Apple instead. This portable USB power supply adapter comes with USB Authentication software that enables instant charging with virtually any compatible USB device such as cellphones, Walkman players, iPod/iPhone players and portable game consoles including the PSP. Apart from that, the device comes with a conventional AC input add on for fast charging. This energy saving device will lower the consumption of rechargeable or disposable batteries in the long run, and even its packaging is environmentally-friendly as it is made of corrugate paper that is easily recyclable. No idea on pricing or whether it will hit the US/Europe market, but it shouldn't cost more than $50.