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Talk about irritating - a few months ago (maybe longer), Google decided my handle is a plural. So now if I want to googlebate, I have to search for "solios -solio" (and throw in a few other minuses to weed out Matrox, etceteras). Google's first hit for 'solios' is not solios (there's a shock), whereas the first hit on Bing is something me-related. There's also this - a case example of Bing coming back with DWIM and Google sticking its thumb up its ass and getting drool on the floor.

Google was fantastic when there weren't any real alternatives - now, Bing is (largely) Better, and intertia is the only thing that's keeping me using it. Inertia, and Bing's UI doesn't feel quite as 'clean.'

Combine with the clunkiness of Analytics and GMail's refusal to sort by name or date (yes, you can SEARCH but sometimes you need a SORT, it's FASTER), and Google isn't particularly good at anything these days - they just happen to serve up a useable array of related services. They're more convenient than higher quality (and supported) alternatives, and some cases (iPhone, for example - at least for now), there is no alternative.

If Google's threatened 'socializing' of GMail goes through, it had better be opt-in. Not opt-out.

If someone comes out with a spare-battery-attached-to-a-magsafe-connector for those die-hards who absolutely *need* it, angels may sing in the treetops

This is exactly why I don't understand the fuss over non-removable batteries. You get better battery life, and if you need extra power you've always been able to buy external battery packs. They have cable that attach to the Magsafe connector. You can get them in a range of sizes, including sizes that are not much larger than a spare battery would have been anyway...

Similarly there are tons of external packs for smaller devices like the iPhone/iPod (or anything usb charged).

I also have not often found the need for an second battery in a laptop if I can get at least three to four hours out of it. Basically the only time is an international flight, and for that the external batteries are perfect. Heck, until it broke the Solio solar powered recharger I had could even recharge itself in-flight as long as I was at a window!!

Looking at this, the AA batteries thing is true, but having your own power is handy as well. I suggest something that has rechargeable AA's. not to be green or anything, just covers your bases on both fronts.

I suggest looking at having something from Solio
http://www.solio.com/

I swear by mine, use it while biking & camping most of last summer.

Not sure about the reviews, but if I had a choice I would get this...

http://store.solio.com/Solio-Magnesium-Edition/

Light, durable and can power almost any gadget (phone, gps, camera....) and has an internal battery so you have reserve power available at night.

I've been using http://www.solio.com/ as my mobile phone charger. It's able to charge the 3 mobile phone we have at home (in a sunny country like mine :). It has a battery, which allows you to charge things whenever you need and not when there's sun light.

If you are going to remote places, you should check out a Solio Charger, which will charge your gadgets (at least, the phone, camera and other small stuff) using the sun.

My mother-in-law got me one for Xmas, and it is quite cool.

Perhaps a http://www.solio.com/v2/ would be in order? It certainly won't help with the laptop, but it could keep your phone, GPS, iPod, and maybe the digital camera charged. You get that warm-and-fuzzy-save-the-planet feeling when you recharge from the sun, but you can also charge it from the wall and charge another devices at the same time. Mine came with a handfull of power adapters for use in other countries. I find it to be a fairly useful gadget, simply from the standpoint that it can recharge most of my 'gadgets' on it's own without needing to take a half dozen power adapters.

For whatever other people suggest, I can heartily recommend the solio http://solio.com/html/index.html for powering them through thick and thin.

People tend to have an overly optimistic expectation about what alternative energies in their current state can do.

I got a Solio solar-powered device recharger for Xmas. (http://www.solio.com/)

The thing is a piece of crap. Well, it's a neat bit of technology, fun to show off to friends, but otherwise it's essentially useless. First of all, the thing requires 8 hours in full sunlight to fully charge the internal battery. Secondly, the instruction manual insists that the unit be placed in direct sunlight, unobstructed by glass. This essentially means that for the thing to operate at full efficiency it needs to be sitting outside.

Another problem is that if you live in the higher latitudes not only do you have shorter days, but you get reduced sunlight. The thing is rendered useless. I had the thing sitting out all day when I got it and I don't think it even was able to charge the battery halfway.

The device comes with a plug so that you can charge it the traditional way, but of course this defeats the purpose of the device.

It's like the hybrids. Right now they're more of a fashion statement then anything, especially the Prius. Notice how that car is far outselling any of the other hybrids. Not because it's any better, but because it looks cooler. It looks like a hybrid whereas the Civic hybrid looks like any other Civic and the Ford Escape hybrid looks like even less like an alternative fuel vehicle.

If people really cared about fuel efficiency they'd be clamoring for 1.2 liter gasoline or diesel cars like those available in Europe that easily get 60+ mpg without all the complicated crap the hybrids have. Of course Americans, in particular, don't want to feel like they're driving an anemic economy car. Enter the hybrids which offer the thrust of a larger engine with somewhat improved economy. As usual we need to deal with the stupidity of the consumer who cares more about fashion and ego than they care about anything else.

Hybrids are essentially an elaborate hackjob, an interim step to a truly alternative fuel vehicle. They get their fuel savings partly from the near regenerative braking system, but mainly from the fact that they're equiped with a small gasoline engine. The goal in driving those cars is to keep the gasoline engine off as long as possible. In all the ferver regarding avoiding fossil fuel vehicles I think people have neglected how polluting batteries and many of those electrical components can be.

I'm all for exploring alternative fuels. And I think their use should be encouraged, and perhaps forced in some cases. But we also need to be a bit realistic. There are far more practical and more cost-efficient options available.