We are glad that we have been sent a new World Without Bottles Jet SodaStream, as we can now give it a hands-on review just to see how much it has improved over the years. The first thing that we need to point out is how the technology has not changed over the years. However, do not think that the company has just re-released the product in the hope at generating sales – consumers are too savvy for that.

The model that we have is one of the most basic models – yes that’s right there are now several models available. This is the first clever piece of marketing, as we all know how consumers love choice. And that choice just keeps coming, as there are also more than 30 different flavours to choose from; we were lucky enough to be sent 6 of them.

Trying to make the SodaStream as popular as it once was is a tough sell, but trying to push its green credentials is a major plus. Now we know that there is no replacing Coca-Cola, Pepsi etc, but there are some truly amazing flavours available, and the best part is that you have less waste. What we mean by this is that you will no longer be throwing away plastic bottles as often.

Millions of plastic bottles are thrown away each year, and SodaStream feel that this will be a unique selling point for their drinks machine. Well, we say drinks machine, there are 7 different types: World Without Bottles, Stream, Genesis, Pure, Fizz, Crystal and Penguin. OK, so back to the review in hand, what we love about the one that we have been sent is that it is a limited edition. For each one sold SodaStream will donate $1 to the One to One project, this makes me feel a little guilty about having one sent to us – just hope they still donated a $1 on our behalf. Having said that, by writing this we hope to spread the word just a little further.

OK, so back to the review in hand, what we love about the one that we have been sent is that it is a limited edition. For each one sold SodaStream will donate $1 to the One to One project, this makes me feel a little guilty about having one sent to us – just hope they still donated a $1 on our behalf. Having said that, by writing this we hope to spread the word just a little further. So as we said above, the technology involved has not changed at all, so was very easy when remembering how to use the gadget. Before we even removed the product from its box we noticed that it was already spreading its environmental message, due to it being made from recycled material.

Getting the SodaStream ready took less than a minute, just take the safety cap of the gas cylinder and then screw it into the back of the machine. Remember not to over tighten, and do not use any tools to do so. We made certain that we used chilled water, as this will make the drink taste much better, and also insures a better fizz. The next step was easy, as all you had to do is screw your provided bottle of chilled water into the front of the machine and then press the fizz button until you hear a buzz. We repeated this process three times to get an average fizz, but you can do more or less – depending on how you like your soft drinks.

After that process is done you then have to add your flavor, we decided to go with Pineapple and Grapefruit, remembering to poor it slowly and at an angle, to reduce the chances of your drink over fizzing. The moment that I tasted the drink I was shocked at how similar it was to Lilt. We then repeated the process with a few other flavours, and again we were impressed. OK, so we know that the cola is no substitute for the real thing, but it is nowhere near as bad as some of those store brands.

The system is not perfect, as it feels a little plastically, but we have to remember that this is one of the cheaper models. Some of the others are much better in their design, and will feel right at home in a modern kitchen. Now, I cannot say how often I would use such a device, as we all know how bored adults get with something. However, for those with children, then we have to say that this is perfect, and the choice of those 30 flavors will mean that they are not likely to get bored anytime soon.

The price of the World Without Bottles Jet SodaStream is just £59.99, and comes with one bottle and a gas cartridge. For more information visit SodaStream UK. We just hope that the big stores get behind the new campaign, and try to reduce the amount of wasted plastic bottles, as we have done with plastic bags.

We may see solar activity drop for a number of decades but the idea that this will cause our global warming problems to go away are almost laughable. Wired.com has taken a look at just this issue and what might be the result from a sunspot drop.

If you’re keen to follow climate change, the number of sunspots, and enjoy watching solar flares in near real-time, then we wanted to point our readers in the direction of a few apps that run on Apple iOS devices.

One app called “Our Climate” explains what the common myths are, looks at the science of climate, key climate change issues, and features in-depth guides. The app costs under a dollar and can be found on iTunes with full details.

Those of you that like to look at the affects on Earth’s environment from space will enjoy an app titled “Solar Monitor”. Current space weather can be tracked via solar images, plots, with around 20 different charts, and other data that’s updated around the clock. The Solar Monitor app works on iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch for $1.99.

The most simplistic app we found related to climate change is possibility the most related to climate cooling, and it’s called “Sunspot”. Not only is it free via iTunes, but also you will get NOAA sunspot data, WWV space weather, and includes trending from previous and current data sets.

Feel free to share your feedback on the above apps in the comments, and let us know what you think about global cooling.

What better way to supply energy to your home than with using the power of the wind, and in most cases is much simpler to install than solar panels. The company behind the Honeywell Wind Turbine is Windtronics, and they state that the device will be able to supply at least 25 percent of your homes electrical power.

We always assume that wind turbines need to be large to supply enough power, but that is not the case with this one, as the design is much different. For a greater insight into this visit Wallet Pop. We can tell you that there is less drag on this design, which as you know will allow the blades to spin at a much faster rate.

There are those who worry that such a system would just spin faster and faster when wind speed picks up, but the Honeywell Wind Turbine will reposition itself for safety. You can just use it to supply your own power or even sell it back to the power grid. The future of how we get our energy is changing, but we still have a long way to go.

What alternative energy source do you use to power your homes electrical needs?

All you need to do is either click on the bus stop or the recycling container for information to come up, which you can see by visiting Google Earth Blog. The best thing about this is that you do not need to have KMZ files for it to work, although they do help you locate the models.

The developers have used an iFrame in order for real-time to work, making it much easier to update the information inside these 3D models. So what is the potential? First is being able to locate a beach house with real-time rental prices, opening hours for bars and restaurant, what is happening in conference centers and so much more.

This does show that there is still a lot to come from Google Earth, and developers have a knack of making the service greater than the sum of its parts. It is like the smartphone in one respect, it is a great device out the box, but it is app developers that make them so much better.

What Real-time models would you like to see on Google Earth?

Some stores have confirmed that they will be taking part in Earth Hour 2011, now we have found a way for you to do your bit and spread the word via social networking thanks to the “Lights Out” Twitter application.

If you head over to EH2011.com you can use the application, simply choose your time zone and then click the “Sign in with Twitter” button, once done you have to allow the app access to your Twitter account and it will modify your Twitter image by adding the Earth Hour logo to it, also it will tweet this message “Prepare yourself for Earth Hour 2011 with the “Lights Off” Twitter-application. http://eh2011.com #earthhour“.

At 8.30PM the “lights will be switched out” on my Twitter image, meaning that all you will see is a black box with the Earth Hour logo showing, it will be interesting to see how many people’s Twitter pictures have their lights turned out at 8.30PM tonight, once the hour is up you can “turn the light back on” here.

Will you “turned the lights out” on your Twitter account?

There are many “green,” eco-friendly gadgets to choose from these days, and Lauren Fairbanks over on the sheknows.com website has provided a few ideas. For example, you could always go out and purchase the Voltaic Generator Solar-Energy Laptop Bag.

If you’re fed up with having to charge your laptop every few hours while you’re on the go, then this is the ideal gadget for you. The Voltaic Solar-Energy laptop bag has 15 watts of power, and is manufactured from eco-friendly, recycled soda bottles.

Another great gadget to consider is the Clean Energy Water Clock. The eco-clock is attached to 2 small pots that you grow either a flower or a plant in. The eco-friendly gadget then uses the energy from the damp soil or water to run the mechanism of the clock.

The third gadget mentioned is the Thinksound Wooden Headphones. These earphones are both eco-friendly and user-friendly. They feature trendy looking wooden earpieces that offer a clearer and crisper sound, as well as minimizing ambient sounds.

Do you own any “green,” eco-friendly gadgets?

There are a number of reasons why the price of oil has increased, but it is the unrest in certain countries that is to blame at the moment. However, if it is not this it’s something else – it certainly does not take much for investors to get spooked and for shares to increase.

It seems as though we have been dependent on oil for far too long, and we have to wonder why carmakers have taken so long to respond to this. We are going through our planet’s resources at an alarming rate, and this has started to increase since the likes of India has now started to offer much cheaper cars (Tata Nano) to residents in their country.

You may wonder why I say that more Practical EVs are needed now? The reason I say this is because what we currently have on the market are too expensive and also only offer a limited range. The reason why these electric vehicles like the Nissan Leaf cost so much is because there is currently no mass market for them. We know that they will come down in price once we start to buy them more, but this will not happen all the time the price is high – bit of a catch 22.

Have you purchased an EV, if you have not what puts you off most?

The reason for this is they just do not have the range yet – meaning that the technology is just not there yet to offer a practical alternative to gasoline powered engines. Do not get me wrong, electric cars are the way to go – we just need the technology to develop at a faster rate than its current rate. For those of you who are interested in an EV car, then did you know that there are DIY conversion kits that will help transform your car and save you money in the long run?

Alternate Energy Sources has a range of information detailing just how to convert your car to electric. Not too certain how old the article is, but the principle will still be the same – just newer technology to use to build your DIY electric car. They offer you the chance to download plans to build your electric car, you just have to ask yourself if you are ready to undertake the job? If not you can always get someone to do all the work for you, but that will just add to the cost.

So what are the main advantages to converting your car to an EV? The first and most important is not having to pay the extortionate prices for gas, quieter car, engine / motor will last longer and IRS refund. Last but not least, you could have you do not have to pay the price of a Nissan Leaf or a Tesla Roadster.

Below we have embedded a video for you, which should help guide you in how to convert your car to electric. Have you undertaken such a project, if so then please let us know how it has been going for you?

For years those of you in the U.S. were happy with your huge gas guzzling vehicles, but things have changed over the past few years – the Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt and the ever-popular Toyota Prius is proof of that. So out of the dozens of fuel-efficient vehicles on the market, which are the most popular?

Popular Mechanics has a top ten list of the Most Fuel-efficient 2011 model cars; but we have to warn you that these are all small vehicles. The first on the list is the 2011 Kia Rio, and looking at the figures we can see why such an ugly car has made it on the list. The MPG figures are as follows: 34 hwy, 28 city, 31 overall. We are more impressed with the 2011 Mazda Mazda2, as the looks are more to our liking, but it does come with a larger price tag. However, 35 hwy, 29 city, 32 overall gives it a slight advantage.

Having searched through all ten I was not surprised to see that the Toyota Prius still held the number one spot; 51 hwy, 48 city, 50 overall is a little hard to beat. The issue that we have with this result is that it is not a car that most families can afford, the $22,800 has made certain of that.

So we have now entered 2011, what small fuel- efficient car will you be going for?

We thought that we would take a look at a few of the weather apps that are available for the Apple iPhone, iPod Touch and the iPad. The first of these is ‘The Weather Channel Max’, which comes in two versions one for the iPhone and the other for the iPad. Remember that you will have to pay more to get the ad-free version. I can tell you by experience that this app has it all, and is the only one to offer future radar information. More details here.

Another app worth considering is ‘Weather+’ and is universal, which means that it can be used on all iOS devices. This does not have the number of features that the previous app has, but you still get a 5-day forecast – which will certainly come in handy with all this bad weather we are currently experiencing. For more details visit App Shopper.

One app that your Apple smartphone or tablet should not be without is ‘Weather Alert USA’. The reason we say this is simple; even if you have this app turned off you will still receive severe weather alerts 24/7. This will come to you in the form of audio and pop-up alerts. The price you pay is just $2.99; more details here.

These are just a handful of weather apps for iOS devices, which one do you use?