Samsung unveils new “green” W510 & F268

Posted in Samsung by Conner Flynn on June 15th, 2008

Samsung unveils new “green” W510 & F268
Samsung is rolling out a “green phone”, the W510, made out of bio-plastic, which is a natural material from corn. Therefore, making one of these phones won’t pollute as much as manufacturing a typical cell phone would. The Korean market will be getting it this month.

Samsung also unveiled another green phone, the F268, which has an alarm function that alerts you every time it is fully charged. That way, you won’t waste any power by leaving it plugged in. It also sports accessories which don’t contain any BFRs (Brominated Flame Retardant) or PVC.

LG unveils “world’s most energy-efficient monitor”

Posted in LG by Conner Flynn on June 12th, 2008

LG unveils “world’s most energy-efficient monitor”
Here’s some news sure to please you green geeks. LG just announced what they are tauting as the “world’s most energy-efficient monitor,”. Supposedly it beats the pants off of other energy-hog monitors.

The Flatron W2252TE. It would appear that they managed to do this without skimpy too much on specs. You get a 22-inch screen with 1680 x 1050 resolution, 10,000:1 contrast ratio, 2 ms response time, 170 degree viewing angle, and 250cd/m2 brightness rating. All this and a 45% reduction on power consumption compared to other models. Nothing on price yet, but it should be available to green geeks in the UK starting this August.

Swap shafts with the Callaway I-MIX Golf tool

Posted in Golf by Conner Flynn on June 5th, 2008

Swap shafts with the Callaway I-MIX Golf tool
I’m no Golfer, but this thing looks like it would come in very handy. The Callaway I-MIX system basically allows you to swap out different shafts and clubheads, letting you mix and match parts for your golf club so that you can more perfectly match the conditions of the course that you are playing.

You can begin with either a FT-5 or FT-I clubhead. After that you can choose from over 70 shafts from seven manufacturers. It’s up to you to make the perfect club. Included tool secures the shaft to the clubhead and supposedly you can do it in under 30 seconds. (If you’re the impatient type) You only have yourself to blame if your game sucks. You created the club.

Make your Xbox 360 glow neon green

Posted in Xbox 360 by Conner Flynn on May 26th, 2008

Make your Xbox 360 glow neon greenXbox 360 owners can now make their Xbox glow like depleted uranium, without setting off the geiger counter. In the light of day, the XCM Pearl Glow is translucent so you can see the insides. Turn out the lights and it glows a bright X-Files green.

It replaces the case entirely. You’ll think it’s the 80’s all over again and it will let you know where your console is at all times. If this is your thing and you can’t get enough glow in the dark toys, you can find one at Extreme Mods.

Log Pillow is exactly what it sounds like

Posted in Computer Components by Conner Flynn on May 25th, 2008

Log Pillow is exactly what it sounds like
The Log Pillow is just that. A pillow comprised of logs. You might have noticed that working with a laptop on your lap can make your legs a bit hot. Ideally, you want to have some sort of buffer between you and the hot laptop.

That’s where this comes in. And yes, this thing looks like someone started to build some kind of plush log cabin and just gave up, fortunately for your lap. At least it’s a solution that should be comfortable, allowing plenty of air flow. It’s also environmentally friendly, made from natural materials like hemp canvas and buckwheat filler.

Neuton CE 6.2 battery-powered mower

Posted in Outdoors by Conner Flynn on April 28th, 2008

Neuton CE 6.2 battery-powered mower
A long time ago…On a lawn far far away… Lawn mowers were tethered to a power cable. Not anymore. Battery technology has finally reached the point where you can buy an electric mower that doesn’t need to be plugged in to an outlet. Which is awesome because some of us like to run over said cable and kill the lawn mower. The Neuton CE 6.2 model features a removable rechargeable battery that’s ideal for lawns up to 1/3 of an acre or about 15,000 sq. ft. in size. That means about 45 to 60 minutes of mow time per charge.

The battery is removable, so you can swap it out with a backup if it dies before your lawn is finished or if you want to use the trimmer/edger accessory. The batteries charge in about 8 hours and are said to last for about 5 years. You green sorts out there will also be happy to know that the battery is 95% recyclable when it finally does die.

Ecoffins let you die green, look like wicker

Posted in Green by Conner Flynn on April 21st, 2008

Ecoffins let you die green, look like wicker
While many Funeral Directors would try to sell you the most expensive hermetically sealed casket to bury your loved one in, it’s actually a natural process that our bodies return to the Earth and decompose.

Why not choose a biodegradable casket from Ecoffins. Sure, it looks like something that Ewoks built. Kinda looks like wicker too. But looks aren’t everything. It’s all about a healthy respect for the environment. These are built from renewable natural woods like bamboo and willow, with no toxic glues and metal fittings, and many Ecoffins are made in a fair trade factory in China. They even pack them inside of each other with different sizes to reduce the environmental effects of shipping. Ecoffin also makes environmentally friendly pet sized caskets too.

A moped that runs on fresh air

Posted in Automotive by Conner Flynn on April 16th, 2008

A moped that runs on fresh air
A former sheepherder and current rocket scientist/inventor Jem Stansfield, took a couple of air canisters that are typically used by firefighters for their breathing gear, and strapped them on a moped. The result is an air-powered bike that spits out cleaner exhaust then the air that it initially takes in.

Both compressed air cylinders drive a pair of rotary air engines that propel the bike to a top speed of 18mph. It will only go about 7 miles until more air is required. Lucky for him, he has a local dive shop where he can fill up and he’s good to go. It’s people like this that tick off the oil companies, which I find awesome.

Fujitsu’s wooden laptop concept

Posted in Fujitsu by Conner Flynn on April 13th, 2008

Fujitsu’s wooden laptop concept
This is Fujitsu’s idea of what a laptop should look like in the forest. Otherwise known as “We need to get on board with this whole environmental green thing. We’re missing out on a ton of hippie money, guys. We can charge more for it too.”

To me it is a bit too reminiscent of the old wood school desks and chairs. I look at this thing and I’m immediately wondering if I have any #2 pencils and if the substitute is going to be a hot babe today. I can’t see many people buying this. I’m not anti-wood, there’s just something strange about it. I suppose if the Amish suddenly start buying laptops and trading in their buggys for segways, I’ll be proven wrong. Until then, I don’t see much excitement about this concept.

Dynamo Green keyboard uses kinetic energy

Posted in Keyboards by Conner Flynn on April 1st, 2008

Dynamo Green keyboard uses kinetic energy
The Dynamo Green Keyboard is a pretty pretty interesting one. Supposedly it helps you lower your monthly power bill, but there’s one catch. You have to keep typing. That’s because it has the capability of harnessing the power of kinetic energy when typing, turning the energy into electricity, which will then help power the computer you’re using.

It’s a neat idea, but I think you would have to be a speed typer who never removes your fingers from the keys in order to get the job done. And how much would you save? I think what we have here is a cool keyboard that may or may not glow like it’s radioactive, for £59.99.

Eject Powerstrip concept keeps it green with pedals

Posted in Concepts by Reuben Drake on March 17th, 2008

Eject Powerstrip concept uses pedals to eject the plugs and cut off power to save electricityThere certainly seems to be no shortage of power strip products lately as just about everyone seems to have found a way to build a better set of outlets. The Eject Powerstrip is designed to conserve electricity by making it easier for people to unplug their unused devices and lessen the electricity “leakage” when they are not being used.

The powerstrip has a foot pedal next to each outlet that will eject the electrical cord plug when pressed with your foot. According to the designers of the Eject Powerstrip, they’ve eliminated some of the biggest excuses why people don’t unplug their unused devices. Laziness, inconvenient access and open outlets accessible to small children topped the list. This “green” powerstrip would not only make it easy and convenient to unplug, but when the pedal is pressed it also cuts off access to the electricity through the outlet so that the little tikes can’t get hurt.

Asus showcases bamboo laptops concept

Posted in ASUS by Conner Flynn on March 9th, 2008

Asus showcases bamboo laptops concept
These days everyone is going green. It’s not just for peace loving hippies anymore. That’s why Asus has their eye on a greener line of products. The idea is to make computers and notebooks out of environmentally friendly materials like bamboo. It makes sense, and not just from a Panda luring standpoint. Bamboo is not only environmentally friendly, but also very tough.

Asus products that will be made with bamboo include notebooks, LCDs and Mini PCs. They claim that they’ve figured out a special manufacturing process to make it even more durable. While the idea will not singlehandedly save Mother Earth, it will help a tad, while giving everything a nice retro look. My one concern is that when they harvest all the bamboo, the Pandas will be coming for our laptops.

Mint green PSP available in Japan

Posted in PSP by Conner Flynn on March 1st, 2008

Mint green PSP available in Japan
If mint green is your color scheme of choice, prepare to feel the cool menthol sensation of this model, now available in Japan. If you absolutely must have it, you can always import one.

Barcode Trashcan seperates recyclables electronically

Posted in Concepts by Darrin Olson on February 14th, 2008

Barcode trashcan identifies recyclables by barcodeI have to admit that I mostly like this concept just because it looks cool. Those neatly stacked-together containers would be interesting whether this was a conceptual array of hard drives or recycle bins. In this case they are recycle bins but with some nifty added technology to keep things seperated.

The Barcode Trashcan concept uses the little barcode on your recyclable containers to identify which bin the item goes in. Swiping it across the top will open just the correct bin. This keeps your items seperated appropriately by plastic, glass and metals for those with the combination of being geeky and green. I guess if it doesn’t match or the bar code is worn off it goes in the other bin?

EcoButton shuts down your PC, Al Gore smiles

Posted in USB by Conner Flynn on January 30th, 2008

EcoButton shuts down your PC
The Eco Button connects via USB and puts your PC into sleep mode, thus saving precious Watts and making Al Gore smile, despite the fact that he has become portly in a William Shatner kind of way. It will even wake the PC up, when it’s time to get back to work. The bundled software records the carbon units saved.

As Ubergizmo pointed it, it probably takes a lot of carbon units to build the button and then when it hits the trash one day, it will pollute anyway. Plus it looks like a Frisbee. This somewhat pointless green gadget will cost you $18.


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