It’s about time for another crazy mobile experiment. Last time was my 60-day "web-challenge" where I tried to use only a browser for my daily computing tasks. It went quite well, but indicated to me that web services still have plenty of room to mature. So what’s the new challenge? This one fits in with our household efforts to be more "green" in our care for the environment.

In 2005, we sold a gas-guzzling truck and opted for a new hybrid vehicle. In 2007, we swapped out over two-dozen incandescent bulbs with CCFLs and saw a huge drop in our electricity usage. Earlier this year, we purchased and installed a solar-powered attic fan and we’re on the verge of composting our organic food waste. Since I use mobile devices all day, I decided to take a solar-powered approach to further reduce our electricity consumption so here’s the challenge: I’m taking my handheld devices off the grid for the next 60 days. Or at least, that’s what I’m going to try.

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Good news from Boston-Power today by way of Earth2Tech: the company is producing a lithium-ion battery that will offer a much longer lifespan. How much longer? A battery using Boston-Power’s Sonata technology will last three times longer before the recharge capacity begins to degrade. This doesn’t mean that consumers will see devices run three times longer on a single charge; instead, it means that the battery can hold 100% of it’s rated capacity far longer before the eventual degradation. Put another way: after 300 charge cycles, most notebook batteries fail to fully recharge. They begin to hold less of a charge at that point and therefore you either need to buy another battery or deal with less run-time between charges. Boston-Power says that their batteries will keep 100% of the charge over 1,000 charge cycles.

HP will offer batteries using Boston-Power’s solution under the "HP Enviro Series" brand and expects to charge only $20 to $30 more for these power packs over current batteries. While we’re all looking for more run-time on the go, a solution like this can help lower overall device costs since one of these batteries will effectively last as long as three other batteries for your mobile device. Another plus for these batteries? They charge up quickly, as much as 80% in 30 minutes. That makes finding that seat near the AC adapter at Starbucks a little more palatable: you can gain a quick charge before finishing that cup of java.

If you live in the U.S., you’ve probably seen the latest Apple ad spot on television by now. The company is touting the new unibody MacBook as "green" for the environmentally conscious. I’m in that group myself with a hybrid car, a solar-powered attic fan and as a fanatic about recycling. No scrap of paper in our home is safe from the recycling bin, not even the puny little ATM and purchase reciepts I get at WaWa. We’re getting ready to start composting in the near future as well.

From my perspective then, it’s nice to see Apple’s green take on the new MacBook. That’s why I was flabbergasted to see my Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter today packaged in a box that’s at least as big as the one my MacBook came in.

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