Regen ReNu is a sexy and green iPhone charger

Posted in iPhone Accessories by Conner Flynn on October 25th, 2009

Regen ReNu is a sexy and green iPhone chargerSure, there are plenty of solar powered chargers to charge your gadgets, but few are as sexy or as versatile as the forthcoming Regen ReNu. The solar panel is used along with one of several optional bases. These include an iPod/iPhone dock, a sound dock with it’s own speakers, and an LED desk lamp.

The built in battery constantly stores juice even when your iPod isn’t docked, so that the ReNu can then transfer the charge into your device. It can even pull power from a wall socket if you don’t have light in your space.

Sanyo eneloop batteries are pre-charged using clean energy

Posted in Batteries by Conner Flynn on October 6th, 2009

Sanyo eneloop batteries are pre-charged using clean energySanyo’s line of Eneloop batteries are as green a battery as you will find and they have some more improvements to make them even more Earth friendly. These newly upgraded Eneloops can be recharged around 1,500 times, which is said to be a new record for the industry.

The batteries come pre-charged from the factory using clean energy from renewable solar power. If we had to guess, we would say that the other big names in batteries are watching very closely indeed.

AOC ships budget green 24-inch LCD

Posted in monitors by Conner Flynn on August 23rd, 2009

AOC ships budget green 24-inch LCDAOC has dropped another affordable and eco-friendly LCD monitor that meets EPEAT Gold standards. The AOC 2436Vw 24-inch LCD monitor supports a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and features 30,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 5ms response time, and 300 cd/m2 brightness. The 1080p screen consumes less than 49W of power.

It also comes with several simple connectivity ports, which include VGA, DVI and USB. Who says it isn’t easy being green? The AOC 2436Vw is priced at $220 and is already shipping.

The Potty Putter

Posted in Golf by Conner Flynn on June 21st, 2009

Potty PutterYes, Potty Putter makes it okay to play a game of miniature golf with your pants around your ankles, while on the john. All I can say is, if you need so much practice that you have to putt while taking a dump, you should probably find another hobby.

I guess the restroom isn’t so restful anymore. After you’ve made your deposit, you may as well go full out and pee in the Uroclub. You’ll get the Putting green, 2 golf balls, Flag stick, Putter and a “Do Not Disturb” sign for your practice sessions.

Acer drops two green LCD displays

Posted in Acer by Conner Flynn on June 18th, 2009

Acer drops two green LCD displaysAcer announced two new green LCD displays that won’t hurt the environment. Well, not as much. Both models use 36-percent less power than Acer’s previous display models. The pair is the Acer V193WBbmd measuring in at 19-inches and the V223WBbmd which is a 22-incher.

Both models feature a 10,000:1 contrast ratio, 5ms response time and a 300cd/m2 brightness rating. The only differ in resolution and price, with the 19-inch model featuring a 1,440 x 900 resolution and a $185 price tag and the 22-inch model featuring a 1,680 x 1,050 resolution and a $236 price tag.

LOOP: Ecofriendly Dell desktop that never becomes obsolete

Posted in Concepts by Conner Flynn on June 14th, 2009

LOOP: Ecofriendly Dell desktop that never becomes obsolete Normally, we buy a computer, use it for maybe two years, sometimes less, and it’s headed for the landfill. A more conscious user might just recycle the parts and use them for something else. An even better idea is this new system that never gets obsolete and so never requires throwing away.

This Jocko Chan designed computer for Dell provides an easy update of better components. Called LOOP, the system is ordered online and delivered directly to your home. All upgrades are available to rent for a limited period of time with an additional charge. The company’s employees would take care of all repair and enhancements. The components which are working in good condition are re-used whereas all other components are taken back for recycling.

Dell launches new eco-friendly monitors

Posted in Dell by Conner Flynn on May 14th, 2009

Dell launches new eco-friendly monitorsDell has some new eco-friendly monitors in the P2210, E190S and E170S. The 22″ P2210 will give you a resolution of 1,680 x 1,050 pixels, along with a range of viewing-angle adjustments. Connectivity includes VGA, DVI-D with HDCP and DisplayPort. You’ll also get four USB 2.0 ports to seal the deal

The 19″ E190S features a 1,280 x 1,024 resolution, an 800:1 contrast ratio and 250 cd/m2 brightness. While the 17″ E170S is pretty similar to the E190S, just smaller. It packs a resolution of 1,280 x 1,024 and a VGA port. All three monitors meet EPEAT Gold and Energy Star standards, so you rest easy and know that you are doing your part to help the environment.

Indian students design an air-powered motorcycle

Posted in Automotive by Conner Flynn on May 11th, 2009


The air-powered bike you see in the video above was designed by a team of engineering students from India. To help combat the ever-increasing pollution levels in the atmosphere, they designed themselves a working model that runs on air rather than gasoline.

Sure, it will only cover 18km/h. But at least this bike isn’t dirtying the air. It only emits Oxygen. This bike runs on air and emits air. That’s an eco-win all around. Now if they can just figure out how to get more out of it…

Giant snakes to power 50,000 UK homes

Posted in News by Conner Flynn on May 7th, 2009

Giant snakes to power 50,000 UK homesGiant snakes powering homes? What is this, the Flintstones? Are we to play our non-vinyl granite records with bird beaks? Man, I hope not. But as it turns out, reptiles are a good source of energy. Not real ones. Fake snakes. A company called Checkmate is using these creatures to help provide cheap and clean power for up to 50,000 UK homes within five years.

The company is testing 200m long rubber devices which would be tethered to the sea bed and are designed to swim against the current and produce up to 1MW of power each. The waves cause a bulge to ripple down the length of the snakes and power turbines at the tails.

Loewe Art SL HDTV claims to be the greenest of them all

Posted in HDTV by Conner Flynn on May 7th, 2009

Loewe Art SL HDTVIf you are the environmentally friendly type, the Loewe Art SL HDTV has just been introduced and you’ll want to check it out. It’s touted as the greenest HDTV from the company to date. And it doesn’t sacrifice specs and design.

This 1080p LCD display comes with an Eco Mode that lets you control how much power it uses and the automatic light dimming uses up to 20% less than when it runs normally. In standby mode, the Loewe Art SL sucks just 0.7 watts. As you might expect, these power saving features don’t come cheap.

WindCube 60kW rooftop wind turbine debuts

Posted in Generator by Shane McGlaun on May 6th, 2009

windcube-sbGenerating power by free methods is the Holy Grail for the green power movement. For consumers it could one day mean that we get power for our homes and gadgets for free from the sun or the wind. Wind power is controversial because the massive wind turbines are ugly and make the area where they are installed look bad to some people.

A company called Green Energy Technologies has announced a new wing-generating power plant that is designed to be fitted onto the roof of a building. The WindCube can be installed in singles or as a pair. A single unit generates 60kW of power while a dual unit generates 120kW.

Fuji EnviroMAX eco-respectful batteries available in retail chains

Posted in Batteries by Shane McGlaun on April 30th, 2009

fujienviromax-sbAs most readers of The Brick, I am a big gadget hound which means I always seem to be in need of batteries. For some of my gadgets, like digital cameras, I prefer plain AA or AAA batteries over rechargeable. That way, if I run out of juice away from home more power is but a flick of the battery door away.

Fuji has announced that its EnviroMAX eco-respectful batteries are now available in retail chains across the country including Ace, Tru Value, and ACO Stores. I guess eco-respectful is sort of like eco-friendly. Then you can be respectful without being friendly so who knows.

Eizo’s FlexScan monitors activate when you are near

Posted in Displays by Conner Flynn on April 23rd, 2009

Eizo's FlexScan monitors activate when you are nearIt’s a good idea. Not just because it’s cool, but also because it’s green. We’re talking monitors that activate or deactivate based on the mere presence of humans. It’s almost alive. Or may seem that way. It’s how Eizo’s 20-inch FlexScan EV2023W-H and 23-inch EV2303W-T roll. They’ll save you energy and money. And maybe help you shed some of that some of that green guilt.

The built-in motion sensor on the monitor switches to standby mode when a human is not detected for 40 seconds. Aside from that, both of these monitors are pretty typical. You’ll get 1600 × 900 native resolution, 178-degree viewing angles, and a 3000:1 contrast ratio for the EV2023W and 1920 × 1080 native resolution, 160-degree viewing angles, and a 1000:1 contrast ratio for the EV2303W.

Lime green PSP coming?

Posted in PSP by Conner Flynn on April 12th, 2009

Lime green PSP coming?Sony won’t be happy until we have PSPs in all of the skittles colors. They love to dish out candy-colored PSPs. The next mouth watering color may be lime green, if this image is accurate.

It was supposedly leaked from inside a Sony factory. But hey, they may have just been having some fun. Who knows. May be just a prototype. The question is do you want a lime colored PSP? Or is it too much? Ready to taste the rainbow?

Hitachi delivers fast and energy efficient enterprise hard drive

Posted in Hitachi by Shane McGlaun on March 24th, 2009

hitachiultrastar-sbSaving a few watts by using a more energy efficient hard drive isn’t high on the list of priorities for most businesses and your average computer user. The savings in electricity for most of us won’t offset the cost of replacing a hard drive. However, for large data centers saving a few watts per hard drive can equate to millions of dollars.

Hitachi has announced its latest energy efficient hard drive aimed at the enterprise market called the Ultrastar C10K300. The drive spins at 10,000 RPM and connects to servers via an SAS interface. The drive has a 2.5-inch form factor helping to save space in crowded server environments.





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