Asustek Computer introduces Eco Friendly bamboo Notebook

Taiwan's Asustek Computer has introduced an eco friendly laptop, the Eco Book encased in bamboo and targeted at executives and other high-end users, the Reuters has reported.

According to the company, the Eco Book has a case made of laminated bamboo strips, which will be available in different shades. The new bamboo-made personal computer (PC) is still in the prototype stage and engineers are checking to see if bamboo can endure heat of its microprocessors and monitor.

In a similar move, laptop computer case and accessory maker Targus recently introduced environmentally-friendly grove laptop cases, made from recyclable plastics, nickel-free hardware and polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-free material.

"Originally we came out with a leather model style-book. It was very popular. After that, it was kind of natural for us to experiment with other types of materials, so we decided to go green," said Cher Chronis, director of marketing communication at Asus Computer International.

According to Reuters, an estimated 500 million computers became obsolescence in the US market alone in the past 10 years. Toxic materials like PVC and lead from plastic casings of the PCs and the cathode ray tube monitors can pose environmental threats. PC manufacturers such as Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Apple, Lenovo and Acer have programs to reduce energy consumption, recycle components and reduce hazardous materials in computers.

Dell and Lenovo plan to eliminate PVC and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) from their new products by 2009 while Apple aims to remove these materials from its products by the end of 2008, Cnet news has reported.

Source: ComputerWire daily updates