Granted, solar chargers are just about everywhere these days, but how about one that doesn’t cost upwards of $100 and can still jack in to all of your mobile goodies? Get excited for the FreeLoader Solar Charger, able to soak up the power of the sun and store it for up to 3 months in a pack small enough to fit in your pocket. Whether you’re off the grid completely or just absentminded and in need of a power kick, a solar charger is one step up from an emergency battery since you’ll still not need an outlet when even that winds down — just pray for clear skies.

The lightweight aluminum FreeLoader unfolds to reveal two solar panels and comes with a USB charging cable, plus eleven standard adapters for your major cell phone, digital camera, PDA, GPS, and MP3 gadgets — and if the standard set doesn’t fit your device, there are extra accessories available to fill out your set (like an iPod adapter — now you can take long roadtrips and not worry about running out of tunes after 8 hours). Available for $49.95 from firebox.com, the FreeLoader is a great add to your power arsenal without breaking the bank.

When your parents first taught you how to ride a bike, I bet they also showed you how to swing your arm out to indicate that you were about to make a turn, right? And even though there are actual laws on the books that require bike riders to make these moves while riding in traffic, I can’t tell you the last time I actually saw someone do it. Why? A) it’s kind of a pain in the ass, let’s be honest, and B) if you’re about to make a fast tight turn, do you really want to give up one of your arms and risk losing control of the bike? Heck no. So you keep zipping on and pray that nothing jumps out at you or a car suddenly decides to zig when you zag.

Easy fix: Bicygnals, detachable magnetic lights that fix to your handlebar and under your saddle that’ll tell everyone in traffic just where you’re headed. The signal switches are located right beside your handlebar shifters, so doing the right thing is as easy as pushing a button. Each set (front and back LED displays) require 4 AA batteries, with an option to use the front headlight and rear red indication in full beam or flashing mode. And when you’re not on the road, the kit comes with a compact carrying case so you can throw it in your bag and not worry about leaving the lights on your bike. All in all, this genius set is a must-have for any city or night riders, and is ready to order now for £39.95.

We’re SUPER distrustful of universal remotes that claim to be able to power everything. Why, you ask? Because over the course of ten years we’ve plunked down thousands of dollars on remote controls, from fancy schmancy touch-screen devices that promise to do everything but wash the dishes down to the cheapo versions that you can find hanging on an endcap at Best Buy, and invariably there’s always ONE component that won’t take orders from anyone but its original remote master, even when told to beam those controls via IR remote info-sex. Take a good hard look at your entertainment center: if you’re anything like us, there’s no less than 5 components from as many manufacturers all awaiting your command, and they’ve each got their own special little remote control language.

But whatever, let’s pretend that 2008 is the year of renewed optimism and faith — yes, dear advertiser, we will eat up every promise you throw at us and swallow with a smile because it’s 2008 and we really want to believe! So Logitech, here’s your shot, make us proud: hot off the PR wires, take in the Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote. It’s black, it doesn’t have a zillion buttons, it’s got its own full color touch screen, it’s ergonomic… it’s… it’s even ever expanding. With the self proclaimed “World’s Largest A/V Control Database”, the remote is ready to support more than 225,000 devices from more than 5,000 brands, with new items being added to the list every day. Could this really be the end of multi-remote woes? For $249.99, here’s to hoping.

Maybe somewhere during the holiday crunch last week you paused for a moment and realized just how much nonsense we lug around with us for the sake of technology — between the power cords, adapters and carefully wrapped electronic goodies, most luggage cases end up looking like the waystation for tech support. It’s this waste of space that’s edging out more important travel packages, like presents and clean underwear, so here are a few products we’ve been using to maintain our connectedness while keeping the packing light.

Universal A/C Travel Adapter
Forget all of those travel adapters you’ve bought to meet each region you visit, or carrying around multiple adapters for country-hopping. The Universal A/C Travel Adapter is a mildly-priced must-have for power anywhere — covering more than 150 countries, the adapter adapts to each region’s plug system with collapsible plugs and prongs making it a perfect fit no matter where you’re at (there are even handy clues on the backside marked “USA, Japan, Europe, China, Australia, and Thai” if you find yourself trying to force a connection that won’t seem to work). The Adapter also features a power indicator, safety shutter and surge protector so you’re properly protected. For $10.99, don’t leave the country without it!

USB 5-in-1 Daisy Wheel Universal Adapter

…and let’s not forget the need to charge up all of your goodies while you’re on the go, too. The USB 5-in-1 Daisy Wheel Universal Adapter is a two-set package: you get one retractable USB cable (30″ fully extended) that connects the wheel to your computer, and the wheel itself that’s ready to hook up to your USB Mini 5 pin, USB Mini, USB Mini B, USB B, and USB Mini 4 pin plugs. Buyer beware, though — this is for charging only, the wheel does not let you sync your devices, so don’t get frustrated when you can’t pull your pictures off of your camera. But for power on the fly (maybe you’re only traveling for a couple of days and want to be sure you don’t run out of juice), the 5-in-1 is a great tool for keeping your cameras, phones, mp3 players and PDAs charged. Also available from usbfever.com for $12.99.

5-in-1 USB Cable with iPod Dock connector

Lastly but certainly not least, there’s the 5-in-1 USB Cable with iPod Dock connector. Similar to the wheel, the USB Cable is built to charge your electronic gaming devices, plus it goes one better than the wheel and actually lets you sync up your iPod so you can charge and change your playlists while traveling (it’s the little things, right?). Though the USB Cable is a little more bulky with its white bound-together cables vs. retractable zip line, it’s got all of your major entertainment electronic needs covered — with USB-iPod, USB-PSP, USB-NDS Lite, USB-NDS, USB-SP and Mini USB 5 pin connections you’re ready to charge up all of your travel entertainment electronics (if the port names didn’t give it away, this includes your PSP, NDS Lite, iPod, NS and SP). Word to the wise, though — don’t try charging more than one device at a time, it just doesn’t work. Also available from usbfever.com for $12.99.

I’m all for creative industries that endeavor to provide technologies to enrich our daily lives, but have got to admit that a $1500 swiss-army flashlight is a bit of a noodle scratcher for me, at least for domestic use. The MII Flashcam could certainly benefit law enforcement, but I’m hard-pressed to think of any other situation that demands a 4-digit glorified flashlight (maybe Ghost Hunters?).

Here’s the rundown: someone somewhere woke up one morning, rolled over to look at their MAG light sitting on the end table (who doesn’t keep one there, right?!), and thought “you know what this needs? A little bit of EVERYTHING. I’m going to throw in a camcorder, some night vision, water resistance and audio recording and THEN the world will know the perfect flashlight.” So with a dream (and I imagine a fair amount of duct tape), the MII Flashcam was born. And let’s be clear, it is a badass as flashlights go — the MII boasts a 85,000 Candlepower LED light with brightness control, night vision with 880 Nanometer Infrared Illumination for covert viewing, a hi-res Sony color video camera system with 1 GB of RAM and a little 1.5″ LCD monitor for viewing, plus another GB to store up to 60 minutes of audio, all of which can be easily downloaded to your computer for storage. So it’s a monster, a beast, a revolution in illumination — for $1500. Go get ‘em, big spender (and if you do, drop an email to let us know how it all worked out/what on earth you wound up stalking in the dark).

HP’s calling it revolutionary, but we’ll just call it easier. Sometimes correcting and printing your pictures can be a real timesink — between uploading from your camera, going into Photoshop to correct problem areas and then resizing for printing, you can spend hours going through your vacation shots just to get a satisfying stack of photos in your hands. If you’re a big fan of simplifying, the HP Photosmart A826 Home Phone Center may be the printer for you.

Sporting a 7″ touch screen, you can manage and print your images straight from memory cards for a final print without borders to trim in multiple sizes (4×6, 5×7, wallet, and panorama). The printer acts as a digital photo frame — as images appear, you can select them to print or edit with the touch of the stylus/your finger and even work some photo wizardry. HP’s a big fan of photo features and they’ve pulled no punches with Photosmart; built in tools let you add captions, design greeting cards, add borders, graphics, frames and effects, even remove red eye and — no joke — “slim” your subjects (if the camera adds ten pounds, HP can remove twenty). When your images are ready to go, the unit is able to print without smudging or smearing with lab-quality printing that resists fading; it can even print wirelessly from Bluetooth-enabled devices if you want a more permanent version of your cell phone pics. At $249.99 it’s not the cheapest printer on the block, but it’s definitely easy enough for your mom to figure out — and she’ll get a lot more scrapbooking done because of it.

What could be cooler than a flexible waterproof keyboard? One that lights up to boot! This new roll-up keyboard from Brando is made of high quality silicone making it not only waterproof but damn near indestructible. Whether you are looking for a conversation piece or a compact yet full size keyboard to use on the go this gadget is a bargain at only $27.

This just in from Hammacher Schlemmer to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Star Wars, here’s an R2-D2 that actually has some of his original functions in place. The R2-D2 Wireless Web Camera isn’t set to project holographic messages, but he is ready to capture you at 628×528 pixels and wirelessly transmit your message back to your computer. And since R2 was never big on sitting still, this replica comes with worldwide remote access capabilities allowing you to control his movements and access the web camera functions from any computer. Need a watchdog to watch your dog while you’re at work? R2’s on the case.

Controlled by a lightsaber-shaped remote (!!!), you can even direct his movements from the comfort of your couch with full turns, backward and forward movements, even 360 spins for room sweeps. A sensor located on the front leg can detect ledges (if you have him perched on your desk or table) and will automatically stop the droid from stepping off the clip while sending off an audible warning from one of his programmed 11 phrases and droid sounds from the original Star Wars soundtrack.

Is there a Star Wars fanatic in your life? At 8 x 5.5 x 5.25″, this droid can be yours today for $349.95.

Not unlike ol’ King Midas, Carl Zeiss has one of those magical names — when his ingenuity graces a product (see: Sony’s digital camera line), you’re promised a visual experience with increased depth and focus, like a revolutionary ripple through your long-worn imaging devices. So when Logitech announced a new release of webcams done up with Zeiss lenses, we were all ears. Er, eyes.

Webcams have enjoyed a rather stagnant few years as the rest of the industries continued to explode on — from skinnier, faster laptops to phones that do everything but wash the dishes. Now Logitech’s come along to deliver the QuickCam Pro 9000 with a 2 megapixel light sensor and auto focus, a sort of smart cam that the company has claimed to cleanly beat Apple’s iSight, and an integrated microphone with RightSound Technology for echo-free conversations. Additionally, the webcam supports 720 HD video for disc recording in a 4:3 ratio at 960 x 720 pixels. The QuickCam package also includes the Logitech Video Effects software with fun features (like the caricature overlays and accessories seen in other webcam software) and quick editing to slice and dice your own images.

Shipping is expected to begin later this month for $99.99 via the Logitech website (2 year limited warranty included).

Has this ever happened to you? You’ve got an 80G external hard drive that you use to store all of your precious data — documents, family photos, movies, the whole nine — and then one day, in a caffeinated fit of clumsiness, some stray finger catches on the USB cord and the whole unit comes crashing to the ground. “No biggie, that was just a couple of feet” you think as you reset the device on your desktop and click the power button. WHIR-WHIR-WHIR nothing. What’s that? The arm on the hard drive broke and now all of your data is completely lost forever? FABULOUS. I know I can’t be alone in this one (YEARS of photos were lost, everything from my brother’s graduation to vacation shots), and got really excited to find this external hard drive the other day.

The Fortress Ultra-Rugged Hard Drive, built to work where protection from shock and vibration is crucial, safeguards your data against a drop of 7 feet onto solid concrete without missing a beat. Constructed from tough aluminum alloy, the Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB) motor and patented Visco-Elastic Dynamic Dampening System promise a whisper-quiet storage solution with an internal heatsinking design for increased hard drive life and reliability. Compatible with Macintosh, Windows and Linux OS and available in 40GB, 80GB, and 100GB models, get ready for an external drive that’s ready for whatever you can throw at it… er, throw it at. Pick one up for yourself over at ThinkGeek for $499.99-$799.99.