Being Green and Going Tech

Photo thanks: geeksugar.com

Technology has changed the way we communicate and interact with one another. I used to keep a Nokia 6300 for the longest time because that’s what a mobile phone should do isn’t it – keep you connectible to people even on the move, serving it’s basic functions of being a phone. Who really needs a smartphone? Why would I want to keep my time on the move glued to my phone, staring at the tiny screen, playing silly games and checking up on the internet when I can go home and do it on a bigger screen and keep my eyesight good for a longer time? Also, with the mobile phone industry getting people to keep changing phones every other year and creating more waste that goes into the landfills, I certainly wasn’t too keen to contribute to that.

But owning a iPhone 3GS now completely changed my life. Well sorta. It changed the way I communicate with people, stay in touch with a certain group of people (thanks to Whatsapp, a ‘free’ messaging application that allows you to send  text/photo/contact/location messages to friends around the world through internet) and be a total cam whore when it comes to uploading photos on the move, which is pretty good news for my stalkers, if any. Checking on Facebook on the move becomes a way of life; and though I usually would not think of paying for any apps (I was quite resistant to that idea), I actually paid US$2.99 for BeJeweled Blitz (after I got hooked on it through Facebook) along with some snazzy photo-taking applications just so I can take cool, retro looking photos such as the Toycamera.

The iPhone is the perfect accompaniment for any girl because now, we have a reason to dress up our phone as well with options and choices of all the fabulous-looking covers available out there. Some of my favourites are those that have vintage looks. What other phone can you dress up in similar fashion to what you are wearing? But I am detracting from topic here. How can I own an iPhone yet stay true to my greener alter ego?

Perhaps the best part of the iPhone for me, as an eco chick, is the fact that somebody came up with a solar charger for girls who use internet on the move. As it’s common knowledge that the iPhone use up battery really quickly, there is no better option than to get a solar charger for the phone. Novothink came up with Surge which looks cyber spacey yet functional so you still look good with the iPhone, with an extra 79 grams of weight to keep it going through the day on a high usage. You also get to choose from 5 different colours.

Photo thanks: Novothink

For those of you who dream of staying out in the gardens (absorb the nature and sun type of thing) with your laptop and lament that it’s impossible to do so because you can’t charge up, here’s a solar charger for your laptop buy Voltaic. This will get you enjoying the best of both worlds – technology and staying true to your green principles.

So in a way, like it or not, I gotta admit that being green and keeping up with technology does go hand in hand at times, especially when inventors keep coming up with ways to keep energy efficient and green and making it possible for greenies like myself to be part of this techy community. And oh, I’m definitely aiming to keep my iPhone for a long long time to come. Who needs the iPhone 4 and it’s bulletproof skin anyway? I’m heading to the botanics, not war zone.