When you’re out adventuring, staying connected is essential. Whether it’s your phone, laptop or even a drone, everything seems to need a recharge just when you’re in the most remote places. 

The solution? Shine 2.0, a mini wind turbine that not only fits in your backpack but also powers all your gadgets, day or night, rain or shine. 

Let’s dive into the details of this 3-in-1 portable wind turbine, charge controller and power bank.

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Power on the go

Designed for “outdoor enthusiasts and emergency preparedness,” the Shine 2.0 folds down to the size of a 1-liter water bottle weighing just 3 pounds, making it a breeze to pack. The turbine is also weather-sealed to IP54 standards, meaning it can withstand rain and dust, perfect for outdoor adventures. It comes equipped with three 23.6-inch composite-reinforced blades and can be mounted on a 6-foot tower to capture more wind and increase efficiency.

People using the Shine 2.0 wind turbine (Aurea Technologies)

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Harnessing nature’s power

The Shine 2.0 is capable of generating up to 50 watts of power, enough to charge your phone in just 17 minutes if it catches a 28-mph wind. For laptops, it can recharge them in under two hours. Even in lighter winds, the Shine 2.0 will keep working, although at slower speeds. It has a built-in 12,000-mAh Li-ion battery to store the power it generates, meaning you can charge your devices even when the wind dies down.

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A woman using the Shine 2.0 wind turbine (Aurea Technologies)

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Smart monitoring and fast charging

Thanks to Bluetooth connectivity, you can monitor wind speeds, power generation and battery status in real time through the companion mobile app. This allows you to track and optimize the turbine’s performance. For fast charging, the Shine 2.0 includes a USB-C PD port that supports 75W fast charging, meaning you can power phones, cameras, laptops and even drones quickly and efficiently.

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A man using the Shine 2.0 wind turbine (Aurea Technologies)

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Versatility and adaptability

The Shine 2.0 doesn’t just stop at small devices. With optional adapters, you can use it to charge power stations from popular brands like Jackery, EcoFlow and Bluetti. This makes it an invaluable asset not only for hikers and campers but also for those preparing for emergencies or looking for renewable energy solutions during power outages.

A man and woman using the Shine 2.0 wind turbine (Aurea Technologies)

A Kickstarter success story

Aurea Technologies, the creators of Shine 2.0, have a track record of crowdfunding success. The original Shine turbine, launched in 2021, was funded in just one hour on Kickstarter and sold out its first production run in five days. Shine 2.0 builds on this momentum, offering enhanced power, faster charging and a more user-friendly experience. With early-bird prices starting at $342, it’s already turning heads in the portable energy market.

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A woman using the Shine 2.0 wind turbine (Aurea Technologies)

Kurt’s key takeaways

Shine 2.0’s compact size, combined with powerful features like 75W fast charging and real-time energy metrics, make it a great tool for anyone who needs off-grid power. Whether you’re a hiker, camper or someone preparing for power outages, this mini-wind turbine offers renewable, reliable energy when you need it most. So, the next time you head out into the wild, consider packing wind power in your backpack.

How do you currently stay powered when you’re off-grid? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

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We’re on day two of Amazon’s second Prime Day event of the year, the Prime Big Deal Days running through October 9th. While the naming convention might be terrible, the sale isn’t. In fact, many of our favorite gadgets and goods are receiving notable discounts right now, which we’ve highlighted in our larger roundup of the best Prime Day deals. However, if you’re looking to stick to a budget, here’s where you’ll find our top picks under $50.

We’ll be updating this post as Amazon’s latest Prime Day event rolls on, but in the meantime, feel free to use the table to dig below to dig into your desired category.

Update, October 9th: Updated to reflect current pricing and availability. Also added a few new deals, including those for the Epicka universal travel adapter and the Oontz Solo speaker.

U.S. telecom giant Comcast as well as Truist Bank and Capio & CF Medical are the latest companies to be hit with a data leak, but it’s not their fault. The data leak stems from the Financial Business and Consumer Solutions (FBCS) breach in February. Some 237,000 Comcast customers’ personal information was exposed, including people’s names, addresses, Social Security numbers, birth dates as well as Comcast account and ID numbers.

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What you need to know

A data breach has exposed the names, addresses, Social Security numbers and birth dates of more than 237,700 Comcast customers, according to a filing with the state of Maine on Friday, as reported by BleepingComputer. The breach stems from a security incident at Financial Business and Consumer Solutions (FBCS), a Pennsylvania-based debt collection agency previously used by Comcast.

FBCS first informed Comcast in March that the security incident did not involve any customer data. However, in July, FBCS notified the telecom giant that its customer data had, in fact, been compromised, stating that an “unauthorized party downloaded data from FBCS systems and encrypted some systems as part of a ransomware attack.”

The stolen data belongs to customers who signed up “around 2021,” Comcast says, adding that it stopped using FBCS for debt collection in 2020. FBCS hasn’t shared the details of its security incident yet, but Comcast’s filing confirms it was a ransomware attack, a type of cyberattack where hackers hold the data and demand a ransom to either delete it or give it back.

Ransomware after data breaches are becoming more common. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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The FBCS attack that started it all

As I reported back in June, the FBCS cyberattack happened on Feb. 14 when hackers accessed the company’s systems. FBCS didn’t realize there had been a breach until Feb. 26, and when it did, it described the incident as “unauthorized access to certain systems in its network.”

Initially, the company estimated that around 1.9 million people were affected, but that number jumped to 4 million in June 2024. The data breach leaked a massive amount of consumer information, including full names, Social Security numbers, birth dates and driver’s license or ID card numbers. 

Since FBCS provides services to multiple companies, their customers’ data got mixed up in the leak. So, even if you have nothing to do with FBCS, your info might still be out there. Along with Comcast, Truist Bank – one of the largest banks in the U.S. – and CF Medical, a medical debt-purchasing company known as Capio, have also been affected. As a result of this incident, Comast is offering credit monitoring for one year to customers who were affected.

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6 ways to protect yourself from data breaches

If you’ve been affected by the Comcast breach, follow these steps to protect your personal data and privacy.

1) Invest in identity theft protection: If you think your personal data has been leaked, scammers may try to impersonate you to gain access to your private information. The best thing you can do to protect yourself from this type of fraud is to subscribe to an identity theft service.

Identity theft companies can monitor personal information like your Social Security number, phone number and email address and alert you if it is being sold on the dark web or being used to open an account. They can also assist you in freezing your bank and credit card accounts to prevent further unauthorized use by criminals. See my tips and best picks on how to protect yourself from identity theft.

2) Place a fraud alert: If you suspect you are a victim, contact the three major credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian or TransUnion) and request a fraud alert to be placed on your credit file. This will make it more difficult for identity thieves to open new accounts in your name without verification. Comcast is offering a year of free credit monitoring for those who may have been impacted through data breach response firm CyEx.

These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It’s what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you. Check out my top picks for data removal services here.

Do you think companies like FBCS should be held accountable for breaches that affect their clients’ customers? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

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