Solar light bulb to shine on developing world

Here's a bright idea for the planet. A Hong Kong-based company has introduced what it bills as the world's only solar-powered light bulb with the hope of reaching millions of people with little or no access to electricity.

Nokero's N100 solar LED light bulb

(Credit: Nokero)

The Nokero N100 solar LED light bulb is meant to replace kerosene lamps as a lighting source in the developing world. The company says 1.6 billion people still lack sufficient access to electricity, and many burn fossil fuels for light, which can be dangerous and expensive.

The N100 solar bulb is about the size of a standard incandescent bulb and has four small solar panels in its rainproof plastic housing. Five LEDs and a replaceable NiMH battery inside provide up to four hours of light when the device is fully charged. People hang it outside during the day and then turn it on at night.

Weather, seasons, and latitude can affect charging times. Nokero asserts that one day of charging in the sun can provide about two hours of light, though charging near the equator can provide more. So on a cloudy winter day in northern latitudes, the bulb would probably not be able to replace a kerosene lamp, but on a clear summer day near the equator it would.

The LEDs are meant to last 50,000 to 100,000 hours, and the solar panels are rated to last 10 years. The life of the N100 is basically 5 to 10 years, according to Nokero representativeTom Boyd.

The cost? A single bulb is $15; a case of 48 costs $480. The company offers a "significant" discount when buying a thousand or more. It adds that the bulb pays for itself within months when used in place of a kerosene lantern. NGOs are considered to likely be the main buyers.

In addition to eliminating indoor air pollution and burn risks, consumers can cut 550 pounds of CO2 emissions over one year when lighting with the N100 instead of kerosene, Nokero says. Though the device's lumen rating is unclear, the company says the N100 is five times brighter than kerosene lamps and uses only 1/200th the energy.

In the developed world, the solar bulb could also be used in areas deprived of electricity due to natural disasters, as well as campgrounds and home patios.

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Spam masquerading as Twitter e-mails lead to phishing, malware

The spam appears to come from the Twitter customer support team.

(Credit: Trend Micro)

E-mail inboxes are getting hit this week with spam campaigns that appear to be legitimate Twitter messages but which lead to malware and phishing sites, security firms warned on Wednesday.

Some e-mails masquerade as messages from Twitter's customer support team warning the recipient that the site has detected an attempt to steal the Twitter account password and prompting the recipient to click on a link to download a "secure module" to protect the account, according to Vietnamese antivirus firm Bkis and Trend Micro.

If the link is clicked on a Trojan horse designed to target Windows will be downloaded and will install a backdoor on the machine that attackers can use to provide future instructions to the computer, as well as display pop up notices saying the computer is infected with malware and offering antivirus for sale, the firms said.

Other spam exploiting the Twitter name falsely states that the recipient has changed the e-mail address associated with the Twitter account and offers a link to click to confirm the change, according to Trend Micro. The link leads to a phishing site designed to steal the user's Twitter password.

Some spam is using the Twitter logo but then showing ads for pharmaceuticals underneath, Trend Micro said.

"Twitter does not send links to a secure module," Trend Micro said in a blog post. "Similarly, legitimate Twitter emails changing the email address of user accounts include the new email address in the message body and do not describe or promote any new service, as many of these phishing emails do."

This is a screen shot of the fake antivirus warning that comes from downloading the malware from the fake Twitter e-mails.

(Credit: Bkis)

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Latest World Cup 2010 Bracket: Download World Cup Schedule Printable

World Cup 2010 Bracket: Download World Cup Schedule Printable – The World Cup 2010 began yesterday with the first football match between South Africa and Mexico. It was then followed by a match between Uruguay and France right after.

The World Cup 2010 will last for one whole month from June 11, 2010 up to July 11, 2010. As such, each of the 32 participating countries in various football matches are looking for the complete schedule of games to watch if their country representatives will win against other country competitors.

One way of looking at the complete schedule of games is through the World Cup 2010 bracket which contains information such as the date, time, the location, and which country fights whom. Fortunately, you don’t need to go elsewhere since the official website of World Cup provided the link where you can download the World Cup 2010 bracket where you can see the complete schedule of football games. What are you waiting for? Download and print your very own World Cup 2010 bracket HERE.

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