Archive for the ‘Green’ Category

Finding a Parking Spot with Your Mobile Phone

Monday, March 29th, 2010

As urban residents know, finding a parking spot can be a time consuming and incredibly frustrating experience. Sadly, it is also quite destructive for the environment. Transportation Alternatives, a great non-profit in NYC which promotes bicycling, walking and public transit, estimates that 45% of NYC traffic is generated by cars circling the block in search of parking.

Thankfully, you mobile phone can help preserve your sanity while saving you gas money and preventing pollution. If you live in New York or Boston, check out Primospot. They have a mobile-friendly website (as well as iPhone and Android apps) that help you find parking spots, garages, and even bicycle racks. Just type in your address, intersection, or zip code. For parkings spots, it provides a map that shows where you can (and cannot) park, shows how much time is left based on the regulations, and identifies spots that are about to become legal. For garages, you can compare hourly, daily and monthly prices on the map.

To access PrimoSpot on your Credo Mobile BlackBerry or other Internet enabled mobile device, open the browser of your phone or device and type http://primospot.com/m in its address field. The homepage will open.

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The results for the on-street parking will display the best options first, meaning which sides of which blocks you can park for the longest amount of time. The red asterisk* indicates metered parking. If you would like to see more results, scroll down to the bottom and click next.

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After clicking on a side of one of the blocks, you will see a map and the detailed regulations for that side of the street.
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Good luck finding those spots, but wouldn’t it be easier if you were biking? (Also, please pull over before using this app. Driving while playing with your mobile phone is as risky as drunk driving. Tx.)

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Posted in Green, Productivity, Travel and Maps | 4 Comments »

Green is the New Red this Valentine’s Day

Friday, February 12th, 2010

Valentine’s Day is one of those holidays that you either embrace … or try to forget about. For me, it means that my daughters need to produce an exponential number of handmade Valentines each year.

According to a survey just completed by ICR/International Communications Research, 68% of Americans plan to send greeting cards this Valentine’s day. While this outpouring of sentiments may be good news for the greeting card industry, you can imagine the carbon footprint left in its wake. Here are a few alternative ideas:

Hallmark Mobile Greetings. Create an account and send greetings from your mobile phone to other mobile phones. When you send a greeting, a $0.99 charge is applied to your monthly wireless bill. (The first one’s free) Data charges also apply, so I’d recommend signing up for a data plan if you don’t have one. Hallmark has many greetings to choose from. For more details go to mobile.hallmark.com

Godiva Chocolatier. Order Godiva chocolates and other gifts directly from your BlackBerry. The free app allows you to scroll through an impressive selection of chocolates, truffles and other tasty gifts. I couldn’t resist sending my daughters the Limited Edition Pink Cupcakes.

Order movie tickets with Fandango and take your Valentine to see Valentine’s Day from Warner Brothers. Sustainable practices were encouraged throughout filming, including the use of reusable water bottles, solar-powered generators and supplying the stars with hybrid cars. “Warner Brothers really wanted to see our film as changing the culture,” said Diana Pokorny, the film’s executive producer. “We tried to push what we can do and what we can do better next time.”

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Green Tech and CES 2010

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

CES, one of the largest consumer electronics shows is being held in Vegas this week, and Green Tech is one of this year’s big themes. The 2010 International CES will feature the Sustainable Planet Spotlight, the largest exhibition of green products ever on the CES show floor.

I’ve been following the CES green product announcements with interest. There are netbooks made from recycled CDs and plastic bottles, home energy management systems to monitor and reduce your energy usage, and one I found rather exciting, the MiniPAK portable electronic device charger from Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies.

“The MiniPAK portable electronic device charger is designed to meet the needs of users who want more portable energy in one package, at a lower cost than existing rechargeable battery-based options,” as described on Horizon’s site.

minipak02
The MinPAK uses refillable, eco-friendly hydrogen cartridges, and it can power a variety of devices including mobile phones, gaming devices and GPS systems.

But here at CREDO, green is nothing new. We have always been committed to protecting the planet. We are the only U.S. phone company that has donated over $10 million to groups like Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Network and Ocean Conservancy, and we were the first carrier to offer solar powered phone chargers.
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Solio Solar Chargers are a greener way to power up your phone, and they’re also convenient extra battery packs to keep my kids’ ipods charged up on long flights – and me sane. You can order one from the Credo Mobile website.

I resolve to reduce my carbon footprint in 2010 – what are your New Year Resolutions?

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Green Offsets your mobile phone

Monday, December 14th, 2009

If you are in the market for a new mobile phone for yourself or to give as a gift for the holidays, you might consider picking up this new product: Green Your Phone. It’s an energy offset that covers the manufacturing of 2 phones and for the amount of electricity you will use to charge 2 phones over the next 2 yrs.

green-your-phone

By purchasing the $10 Green Your Phone card, you are purchasing energy from a Wind Farm to replace the electricity you will be using over the life of your phone and making sure it gets put back onto the grid.

Check it out at Best Buy.

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More mobile activism for cyclists

Friday, December 11th, 2009

Back in June, I posted on how cyclists can use their cameraphones to clear the bike lanes of cars. I am happy to announce that the City of Belmont has just made parking illegal on Ralston Avenue (thank you!). Hopefully, this means no more cars blocking the bike lane. A victory for cyclists and mobile activism by cameraphone!!!

Our work is not done, sadly. Cyclists with cameraphones have moved on to yet another very important goal – improving conditions for cyclists on Caltrain.

Caltrain is the main commuter rail service between San Jose and San Francisco. Caltrain has special bike cars where cyclists can store their bikes. This makes it easier to get to and from the station sans gasoline. As interest in bike/train commuting has grown, however, cyclists have faced challenges in using this service – 1) cyclists still get “bumped” from trains when the bike cars are already full; and 2) cyclists are often forced to sit on the floor, stand, or sit away from their bikes as there is insufficient seating in the bike cars.

My CREDO Mobile Blackberry Curve is again a great tool for documenting and drawing attention to problems. I can take pictures or videos of bikers forced to sit on the floor. I can then post them to our “Cyclists for a Better Caltrain” group on Facebook and share them with other activists, decision makers, and the press. I can also point out when the conductors have done something fabulous that makes bikers more comfortable and helps the trains run on schedule.

If you are a cyclist who rides Caltrain, please join our group on Facebook. IF you are looking to join up with other bike activists, make sure to join the incredible San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. Strength in numbers!

Bikers sitting on the stairs and standing due to a lack of seats

Bikers sitting on the stairs and standing due to a lack of seats

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Posted in Accessories, Green, Public policy, Uncategorized, Video, cameraphone | No Comments »

DriveSafely. Just say no to TWD.

Friday, November 6th, 2009

In a recent AAA survey, 21% of respondents admitted to texting while driving (TWD). Even California’s first lady can’t resist the urge to use her mobile phone while driving. It’s also tempting to read your emails and texts while at the wheel. To reduce my chances of an unfortunate incident, I installed DriveSafe.ly from BlackBerry App World on my BlackBerry Curve.

drivesafely

DriveSafe.ly automatically reads your messages to you as they arrive. You just turn it on when you get in the car or even when you are about to go for a long bike ride and you’re good to go.

DriveSafe.ly will automatically respond to your messages for you, but you can turn this feature off easily by clicking on Advanced Setting. Then you can respond personally when you arrive safely at your destination. The free version will read up to 25 words of each message and DriveSafe.ly Pro will read a maximum of 500 words plus give you a choice of speakers.

If you’re one of the tempted, download DriveSafe.ly today. Keep your eyes on the road. Your fellow drivers will thank you.

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Posted in Green, Messaging, Productivity, Reference, Travel and Maps | No Comments »

Green (Carbon) Calculator for BlackBerry Curve

Friday, October 9th, 2009

thumbgreencalculatorWhen browsing the Handmark mobile content store I recently found a Green Calculator and decided to try it out. The Green Calculator is a mobile application designed to make you more aware about how to lower your impact on the environment and save on energy costs. It calculates your personal CO2 emission footprint based on your lifestyle choices, specifically from activities such as flying, driving and using daily household appliances.

The main screen offers a few choices: calculate CO2 emissions based on lifestyle (i.e. # bedrooms in house, # people, AC/Heating usage) or by event (i.e. driving or flying) or review of Tips and Tricks. I started by entering info about my lifestyle. As more data is entered it shows the amount of CO2 generated. If I select energy efficient light bulbs it goes down. Check that I leave the heat on up to 6 months a year and it goes up. The application also compares use to the world’s average.

Moving on, I checked out the MyEvents category. Here I calculated the impact of a possible 120 mile road trip. The Tips and Tricks section gives tips on AC/heating, driving, home electronics, appliances, water heaters and more. Unfortunately, there are not numerous tips here, but some are useful.

While this application isn’t going to impact major change, it’s a fun way to spend a little bit of time educating yourself or others about energy use. I purchased my Green Calculator for $4.99 from Handmark and it runs on my CREDO Mobile BlackBerry Curve. Handmark offers the Green Calculator for a selection of other phones to.

Here’s how to download it:

  1. Go to Handmark’s site.
  2. On the site – select your handset model and type “Green Calculator” into the search box.
  3. In order to download the application you’ll need to set up an account. Handmark charges downloads to a credit card, debit card, or paypal account that you provide. Handmark is a partner that CREDO recommends to our customers for Smartphone content. In addition to the BlackBerry, Handmark offers content and applications for many other phones including almost all smartphones and some standard phones including the Motorola Razor. Handmark also provides content across all operators so you can download the Green Calculator application even if you do not have a CREDO Mobile phone.
  4. Once you purchase a piece of content, you’ll receive a text message with a link to download the application. You’ll need to have a phone with a data service plan in order to access the mobile web link and download the calculator or any other application you’ve purchased.
  5. After you have successfully downloaded the application you’ll find the application’s Icon on your phone’s main menu/icon list.

If you find other green mobile applications I’d love to hear about them.

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Posted in Entertainment, Green | 11 Comments »

The Only Messaging App You’ll Ever Need

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

Chances are you have a friend or two that use Blackberry. They are after all the best selling smartphones in the world. If you also use Blackberry, did you know there’s a free, easy way to connect with your fellow Blackberry users?

It’s Blackberry Messenger and it’s pre-installed on all Blackberries.

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Some popular features:

* Instant messaging

* Group chats

* Files sharing

* Voice notes

* Link/website sharing

* Many, many more.

How do you find your friends and invite them to chat? All Blackberries carry a unique PIN# – to find out what your PIN# is, go to “Options” (the wrench on the main menu) then click “Status.” Once you have your PIN# your friends can use it to “invite” you or vice versa.

Beyond the extended features not available on other instant messaging clients, one of the big benefits of using the Blackberry Messenger is the cost. There are no text messaging costs, additional data charges or voice minutes used when using this application.

It’s also seamlessly integrated with other Blackberry features (web browser, phone, contacts, etc.) for the ultimate ease of use and efficiency.

If you’re not addicted to your Blackberry yet this may be the application that does it – I know a lot of people who swear by this app.

Happy messaging!

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How to transfer your contacts onto a new phone

Thursday, September 10th, 2009

Maybe you are thinking of upgrading your 3 year old Sanyo Katana for one of those new phones with a Qwerty keyboard for texting. The reason you’ve held off so long in upgrading the handset is because you don’t want to go through the trouble of reprogramming your contacts into a new phone. Surely, a daunting task. Or maybe not.

Most of the phones today including the Sanyo Katana, support Bluetooth technology. You maybe probably most familiar with using Bluetooth to connect a Bluetooth wireless headset to your phone for hands free talking while driving. 6 states now require hands free headsets while driving and 18 ban texting while driving – though no bluetooth headset wouldn’t help you text. The same technology you use to connect your Bluetooth headset can be used to transfer your contacts into a new phone.

Here is how you do it.

  1. Enable Bluetooth on your old phone and your new phone. Usually, it’s located in Menu -> Settings ->Bluetooth
  2. Next, make sure that the phones can see each other by turning Visibility on. There are probably a few choices under visibility. Select Always visible.
  3. Now you’ll need to pair the phones so that you can communicate between the phones. In the Bluetooth menu on your old phone, go to Add New -> Search. The phone will scan the area for Bluetooth enabled devices and your new phone should appear in the Search results.
  4. Add your new phone as a trusted device by selecting it from the search results list.You may need to enter in a passkey to make this pairing between the two phones. You can choose any passkey. Just make sure you enter in the same passkey on both phones.
  5. Highlight your new phone on the trusted device list and select Options -> Send Item-> Contacts. Follow the onscreen instructions to select and send your contacts. You may have to enter in the passkey again for your new phone to receive the contacts files.

    6. Voila! All your contacts in your new Qwerty text phone. Instead of having to use your Qwerty keyboard to enter in your contacts, you can go straight to texting them.

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Posted in Green, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

Green Living Guide on your mobile phone

Thursday, September 3rd, 2009

Green Living Guide is a mobile application developed by a company called Incelligence that is essentially a list of things that people can do to lead more environmentally friendly lives.  The application can be viewed and run without access to the internet or a data connection, which makes it a nice reference guide to have if you just want to get a quick tip without worrying about incurring data charges.  I found navigating through the branching paths menu a bit awkward.  However, once I could get to the subject I was interested in reading, the tips and facts were pretty helpful.

Some of the interesting facts the app offers:

  • Buy food that is locally grown and drink tap water instead of bottled water.  Each pound of local food saves a quarter pound of CO2 emissions that cause global warming.
  • Avoid getting Junk mail by contacting the Direct Marketing Association to be removed from mass marketing mailing lists. Go to www.dmachoice.org
  • Plant trees and bushes on the west side of your house to keep your home cool without using air conditioning.
  • Take the 2 mile challenge and ride your bike or walk wherever possible and certainly if it’s within 2 miles.

Text “GOGREEN” to 75555 to get the download link to Green Living Guide sent to your phone. The application is offered for free via this SMS link – though I have seen the Blackberry version of the app in App World for $2.99.  Of course if you don’t have a text or data plan, standard text and data charges will when downloading the app.

green-guide

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