Lenovo Announces Inexpensive Green Desktop PC

Lenovo on Thursday announced the ThinkCentre A62, a Green desktop PC that's designed to be stingy in both watts and dollars.

The $399 desktop will ship in October. The A62 can also be paired with the low-power ThinkVision L197w 19-inch monitor, an EPEAT Gold certified display that retails for $239.

Since the A62 is a business PC, Lenovo included remote-management and recovery technologies, as well as low-cost technologies. Selected models include the 15-watt Athlon 2650e business-class processor; by including it, Lenovo cut the ThinkCentre's power by 40 percent compared with the previous generation. Based on the AMD's business-class processor, Lenovo can also assure its customers of a 15-month stability cycle.

The desktop also comes with the Dash 1.1 remote management tool and Express Repair, designed to help the system recover from a variety of errors. As expected, the desktop also includes the Thinkvantage suite of Lenovo-supplied utilities.

Source:pcmag.com
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Akhter launches green all-in-one PCs

UK computer manufacturer Akhter has launched a range of all-in-one desktop systems, aimed primarily at the business and education market, which it says can consume just 55 Watts, up to a third that of older PCs, whilst using Intel Core 2 Duo processors clocked at 3GHz.

According to Akhter, the new systems, branded LoCO2 PC, comply with the US Energy Star 4.0 benchmark, a joint program set up by the US Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy to standardise energy-efficient products and practices.

"Everyone wants to claim they care about the environment and nobody wants to be seen to be wasting power," said Akhter's marketing manager Geoff Pick. "Our systems can save businesses significant amounts of money."

There are seven models in Akhter's LoCO2 range, from the E1400, running Intel Celeron Dual Core Conroe processors at 2GHz and costing £539 + VAT, to the high-end E8400, running Intel Core 2 Duo Wolfdale processors at 3.0GHz and costing £630 + VAT.

"In a typical office situation, put a LoCO2 in to replace a desktop PC or a Tower and you may save £100 a year per PC. If your office still uses CRT displays, you could save a lot more in a worse-case scenario if they're left on 24 x 7," added Pick.

Pick also pointed out that there were some firms targeting the education market who had Energy Star 4.0-rated systems, but were using processors more energy-efficient than those used in Akhter's new systems, like Intel's Atom. " Some firms are touting Energy Star 4.0 compliance using processors running under 2.0GHz, whilst we've achieved it with 3.0GHz chips."

Pick also gave details on measurements the firm had made on the energy efficiency of Microsoft's Windows operating systems. "Strangely enough, on the lower-end models using relatively older Intel technology, Windows XP appears to be more energy-efficient, whilst on high-end models using newer Intel technology, Vista appears to be more efficient," said Pick.

Source:whatpc.co.uk
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Tangent Launches Green Power-Efficient Computer

Tangent a company that makes computers for fields like healthcare, business and education, has just rolled out a new computer model dubbed the “Evergreen 17.” The $1,195-computer has been designed from the ground up to be highly-efficient and uses 24 watts, or 72 percent less energy than the standards set by Energy Star 4.0. And we give it a few bonus points for it’s skinny sleek design that includes a touch-screen LCD and looks a bit like a black PC version of an iMac (though not as nice).

Making computers more efficient and running them on less energy will have a significant overall effect in fighting global warming — more than 2 percent of our carbon emissions are attributed to computing. Both computer makers like Tangent and Dell and startups like Verdiem, which makes PC energy-management software, have started introducing products to cut power-chugging from PCs.

All this is well and good, but looking at the specs on the Evergreen 17 is where things come up short. For starters, the Evergreen 17 comes with either a fan-less processor (a Via Eden 1.0 GHz) or with a low noise fan processor (ViaC7 1.50 GHz). It takes power to spin fans to cool machines, so if you can do without, you can use less energy; it also makes for a quieter, more enjoyable workspace. But with the only processor options at 1.0 GHz or 1.50 GHz, color us unimpressed. We know the target buyers are government and educational users, but we could get a faster computer almost anywhere.

You can also get the Evergreen 17 with an optional solid-state drive to provide a 100 percent solid-state system, which is nice, but it maxes out at 64GB — in a desktop machine that is kind of weak.

So, at least Tangent is moving in the right direction, green-wise, but they’ve got to give their new kid more power, or a lot of users could end up looking elsewhere. But we guess this is the dilemma of the new green computer — less power, means, well, less power.

Source:earth2tech.com
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Recycle your old computer equipment

Charlotte Street Computers has opened the Charlotte Street Computers Recycling Outlet, which is conveniently located at 101 S. Lexington Ave., downtown.

Charlotte Street Computers Recycling Outlet is a recycling drop-off location for a variety of recyclable electronic equipment, including desktop and laptop computers, monitors, networking equipment, servers, printers, computer mice and keyboards.

The Charlotte Street Computers Recycling Outlet is joining with Eblen Charities and A-B Tech to provide computers to the community, ensuring that computer literacy, and the doors that it opens, will be available to everyone.

Charlotte Street Computers Recycling Outlet will reduce the amount of waste in our landfills by re-using equipment instead of throwing it away, providing a new opportunity for growth in our community.

Charlotte Street Computers is a multi-location computer repair company and authorized Apple reseller that provides upgrades, networking, troubleshooting, and repairs for home computers and small business systems. The company also provides customers with one-on-one tutoring and rental computers for customers.

Charlotte Street Computers Recycling Outlet is open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday.

Source:citizen-times.com
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Samsung Releases 'Green' Handsets

Samsung Thursday released three environmentally-friendly handsets, using both "green" materials for their exteriors and recycled ones inside.

Samsung Electronics has released three environmentally friendly handsets, using "green" materials for their exteriors and recycled ones inside.

The plastic outer shell of the models -- the F268, released in China; the W510, for Korea; and the E200 Eco, for Europe -- is constructed of "bio-plastic" made from corn. Forty to 50 percent of all the plastic in the phone is bio-plastic, with the rest of the plastic required from traditional materials for rigidity, a Samsung spokesperson said Friday at the company's venue on the Olympic Green in Beijing. The phones' circuit boards lack brominated flame retardants and polyvinyl chlorides, both toxic plastic materials. The F268 has a suggested retail price of 1800 yuan (AUD$300). All three will reach their intended markets next month.

The company is also developing micro fuel cells that would power handsets with hydrogen, and operates handset recycling programs for phones of all brands in Korea, China, the U.S. and Canada. Materials from these phones are recycled as much as possible and reused in the manufacture of new phones, Samsung said.

"Green Olympics" and "High-tech Olympics" are themes for the 2008 Beijing games.

Source:pcworld.idg.com.au
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Energy costs drive green tech takeup

Consumers and businesses are looking to green technology to help manage rising energy costs.

High energy costs have put power bills at the forefront the minds of consumers and business managers. Electronics makers that develop energy efficient product lines and market them effectively to customers may get an edge in a gloomy global economy, firms have said.

"Going green is not only eco-friendly but crucial for business," said Kim Jik-soo, a spokesman at LG Electronics. "This goes beyond just products, extending throughout the development and manufacturing process."

Electronics firms are furiously developing energy efficient products and heavily promoting lines already on the market that use less electricity than competitors' brands.

In the computing industry, power-saving has long been a key priority as bigger and hungrier gadgets challenge battery life.

PC makers from Apple to Lenovo are replacing screens lit by conventional cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs) with light emitting diode (LED) displays.

"LED saves up to 40 per cent of the power used in traditional backlights," said Jeff Kim, an analyst at Hyundai Securities. "Next year they will be commonly found in notebook screens, and will be increasingly used in TV panels from 2010."

LG recently released its Flatron W2252TE, which it claimed is the most energy-efficient monitor available. For IT PRO's review, click here.

Market researcher DisplaySearch expects LED-backlit displays to account for 50 per cent of notebook panels in 2010, up from 12 per cent this year. By 2015, all laptop displays will use LEDs, generating sales of $6 billion (£3.1 billion).

But too often, these energy-efficient products carry a hefty price premium to reflect the cost of developing new technologies, which in turn hampers faster adoption.

A US survey by Forrester Research last year found that green consumers, who agree to pay extra for electronics that use less energy or come from an environmentally friendly maker, are more brand-loyal than average consumers.

"More than 25 million US adults fall into this segment, enough for even the largest consumer electronics marketers to target," Forrester analyst Christopher Mines said.

"Green-targeted PCs and other electronics will evolve as part of the consumer electronics industry's move to go beyond 'beige box' design," he said. "Apple certainly leads the way here."

A green-technology product that establishes new benchmarks and appeals to concerned consumers "will have an iconic market presence if done right," Mines added.

Source:itpro.co.uk
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LG PC Monitor Claimed To Be Worlds Greenest

According to reports, the LG Flatron W2252TE 22-inch LCD monitor, touted to be the world's most energy-efficient monitor has had its energy consumption measured and found to be 19.4 watt--a figure is less than half of what a Dell or Acer monitor consumes, which is about 45-50 watts approximately.

According to the specs, the Flatron monitor carries features such as colour and brightness tweaking via onscreen menus, black bezel, and slightly above average visual quality, including support for a maximum screen resolution of 1680x1050, along with the standard DVI and VGA ports.

The push by vendors for 'green computing' and 'energy-efficient' systems has hit all the main vendors and they have all to varying degrees improved their products and made them eco-friendly.

However apart from marketing hype and strategic brand positioning, any proper and effective implementation of 'green computing' principles on the assembly line would take another couple of years, according to a number of reports.

smarthouse.com.au
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D-LINK PIONEERS GREEN HOME WI-FI

In light of rising energy bills combined with growing pressure to reduce carbon footprint, D-Link has introduced the first eco-friendly home Wi-Fi routers capable of reducing energy usage by up to 40%.

The use of Wi-Fi networks in homes and offices is growing at a considerable rate. For home users that enjoy surfing the web, streaming movies from their PC to their TV or making internet phone calls, they can now do so knowing that they will not only be helping address the need for homes to reduce their carbon footprint, but also enjoy savings on their next electricity bill in the process.

The latest Wi-Fi routers integrate D-Link Green Ethernet; an innovative energy-saving technology that automatically detects connectivity status and cable length, and then adjusts power accordingly. The routers also feature Wi-Fi scheduling that allows users to easily program when the Wi-Fi radio signals are turned on and off to further save energy consumption.

“D-Link is proud to be taking the lead in integrating innovative, power-saving technology into its home and business networking solutions that doesn’t sacrifice performance or functionality,” said Andrew Mulholland, Marketing Manager at D-Link. “By offering green upgrades to our most popular Wi-Fi routers, we’re helping protect the environment whilst our customers save money in the process.”

The D-Link Green Wi-Fi Routers achieve optimal energy savings when used with the Wi-Fi Scheduler, which provides a user-selectable radio shutdown option (adjustable by day and start/end times). Under the most favourable conditions with no wired links active and Wi-Fi turned off, users may achieve the following power savings when compared to a D-Link conventional router without Green technology: DIR-655, up to 32% and DIR-855, up to 41%.

The introduction of the Green Ethernet enabled D-Link Wi-Fi router series is part of an ongoing company-wide Green computing initiative that includes manufacturing environmentally-responsible products, optimising devices for ENERGY STAR certification and providing consumer education and recycling programs.

The incorporation of Green Ethernet technology into Wireless N series routers re-emphasises D-Link’s strong commitment to protecting the environment, leading to the development of eco-friendly products that comply with RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) and WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) directives. The RoHS directive limits the use of specific hazardous materials during the manufacture of electrical and electronic goods while WEEE applies standards for proper disposal and recycling of products.

“The time is right to offer consumers and organisations innovative Green technologies that embrace environmental concerns, offer cost savings and maximise performance,” Mulholland added.

The first products incorporating the Green Ethernet technology are the D-Link Wireless N Gigabit Router (DIR-655) and the new D-Link Wireless N Quad Band Gigabit Router (DIR-855). D-Link offers a free firmware upgrade at dlink.co.uk/support for customers who bought either of these products before the current Green firmware release.

Source:hexus.net/content/item.php?item=14795
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EDsys Computers builds greenest computer

EDsys Computers has won the inaugural Green PC Competition and picked up a Toyota Prius Hybrid car as a result.

The campaign, open to resellers to build Australia’s greenest PC, was sponsored by Western Digital, Gigabyte and Intel.

It was judged by APC Magazine and measured idle power consumption and underload in kWh. The judges final score was calculated using a formula based on Microsoft research for averaged “real world” usage models for PC activity breakdown in the workplace.

General manager Greg McDougall said: “We are thrilled to win this award. Our industry as a whole generates an enormous amount of waste and it is up to all of us to take a proactive role in doing what we can to reduce our environmental impact.”

McDougall added: “Winning the Toyota Prius is a great bonus, however the fact that we were able to demonstrate that EDsys Computers can build energy efficient PC’s is a bigger success for us, we believe that the prestige accompanied by winning this award and the recognition of our efforts in Green Technology is more important.”

In March 2008 the company signed up with Carbon Neutral to educate people in reducing the emissions of their systems. It will use the Toyota to replace one of its fleet vehicles.

The company contributes quarterly to Carbon Neutral for tree planting to offset the carbon emissions created by their systems. Over the next 12 months they expect to fund the planting of in excess of 25,000 trees.

EDsys Computers supplies peripherals, notebooks, workstations and servers to government and education markets. It re-uses and recycles all packaging, paper and plastics and is working to become ISO14001 compliant.

Source:crn.com.au/News/82111,edsys-computers-builds-greenest-computer.aspx
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PC World preparing to launch 'green' PC

PC World is finally gearing up to launch its green PC – a full 12 months after it was due to hit the shelves.

It was initially hoped the machine – dubbed the world’s first carbon neutral PC – would be released by last autumn.

But the high-street chain says it’s taken longer than anticipated to develop the technology for the eco-friendly computer.
Testing

A PC World spokeswoman said: ‘As with many innovative projects where we are developing groundbreaking technology, it has taken us a little longer to realise our ambitions than we initially hoped.

‘We will not compromise on the quality of our final product. For example, we have removed the energy hungry fan from the PC therefore we needed to develop an alternative safe and efficient cooling system.

‘We are extremely proud of this product which is currently going through the final stages of testing and we expect to be announcing its arrival shortly.’
Recycled materials.

PC World says its green PC will be made from recycled and recyclable materials where possible, and will also include energy-efficient components.

It also plans to buy carbon offsets to cover the environmental impact of manufacturing the PC.

Source:which.co.uk/news
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Free energy-saving PC software: Edison

Although power management software has been around for years, there's clearly room for improvement, particularly with rising energy prices and environmental awareness.

Start-up Verdiem on Wednesday released software called Edison that makes it easy for people to schedule when a PC goes into a low power consumption mode at home or at work.

Verdiem's CEO, Kevin Klustner, is scheduled to highlight Edison and PC energy consumption during a conference call with Microsoft's chief environmental strategist, Robert Benard, and Intel's Lorie Wigle, president of the Climate Savers computing industry consortium.

PCs can consume as much as 10 percent of a home's energy bill and give off as much carbon dioxide as a family car. Even when a PC's screen saver kicks on, the machine can still consume between 100 watts and 250 watts.

The Edison software doesn't completely shut a computer off but rather moves it to a "suspend" state, which uses less energy. Users can also schedule to shut down the screen and hard drive before going into suspend mode.

The tool lets users have work and home settings. It has a read-out of how much electricity you are saving, also translated into reductions in carbon dioxide emissions and dollar savings.

Estimates will vary widely, depending on electricity rates and type of computer, but Verdiem says the average savings is 410 kilowatt hours a year, or $36.50.

Verdiem, which is bankrolled in part by venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, was founded by people who were looking better power management software than what's built into Windows.

But developing the free Edison software isn't entirely altruistic. The sign-up process promotes Verdiem's power management software for businesses, called Surveyor, which the company says can pay for itself within a few years.

The license for Edison is for one person. It runs on Windows XP or Windows Vista.

Source:/news.cnet.com
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US SMBs Waking Up to Green Computing

Are SMBs (small and medium businesses, or companies with up to 999 employees) in the United States concerned about global warming? Does Green IT have any influence on SMB ICT adoption patterns? Do environmental concerns influence what IT SMBs buy and from which vendor?

These are some of the issues that the latest study from New York based Access Markets International (AMI) Partners Inc. focuses on. "US SMBs will see a 17 percent increase in PC shipments - and a whopping 40 percent increase in server shipments - over the next four years," says AMI's New York-based Research Analyst, Vittesh Kalambi. "SMBs are gradually becoming convinced about the positive outcome of Green IT in reducing overall running costs, TCO (total cost of ownership) and increasing savings. As such, SMB bottom-lines are being redefined to include sustainability."

An AMI study points out that over the next 12 months, just over 50 percent of small businesses (SBs, or companies with up to 99 employees) and 91 percent of medium businesses (MBs, or companies with 100-999 employees) intend to purchase PCs (either desktops or notebooks). Green computing is broadly defined as the study and practice of using computing resources efficiently. The primary objective of such a program is to account for "the triple bottom-line". This is an expanded spectrum of values and criteria for measuring organizational and societal success with an aim to cut use of hazardous materials and maximize efficiency of product life while promoting recyclability. Thus, the key driver for SMBs embracing Green PC measures is cost savings.

"The recently concluded G8 summit in Japan brought into focus the environmental concerns affecting the world at large, and more specifically that the US and China are the largest contributors to greenhouse emissions," Mr. Kalambi says. "Thus, reducing the carbon footprint of the nation is increasingly coming under scrutiny. Green IT or green computing offers a number of benefits, including cost reductions."

Modern IT systems rely on a complicated mix of people, networks and hardware. As such, a green computing initiative must be systemic in nature and address increasingly sophisticated problems. Elements of such a solution may comprise items such as end-user satisfaction, management restructuring, regulatory compliance, disposal of electronic waste, telecommuting, and virtualization of server resources, energy use, thin client solutions, and return on investment.

"SMBs are increasingly appreciating the value of going green given the wide range of benefits that accrue from prolonged usage of environmentally friendly products and lifestyles," Mr. Kalambi says. "For most large businesses with extensive IT resources, the primary focus has been data centers. These account for the majority of resources used. SMBs do not have similar scale, but can still be environmentally conscious by opting for green solutions such as EnergyStar rated appliances, low power consuming electronics, blade servers and virtualization technologies, among others."

Here's a peek at some Green IT initiatives:

* Key players such as HP and IBM have now begun to manufacture low power consuming servers and PCs which utilize roughly 66 percent of the power requirement of older systems.
* Blade servers, though still nascent in adoption, are technological breakthroughs in servers which provide the same computing power with much lower power utilization.
* Thin clients have quite a few advantages such as space-savings, easier to secure, and cost reductions due to lower IT management expenses, reduced energy consumption (a typical thin-client uses half the energy of a desktop) and more efficient use of computing resources.
* A basic power management technique on computers can result in substantial energy savings due to their sheer number in the market.
* Recycling is quite an under-leveraged technique for being green. Recycling in the business space can be achieved not just in paper usage, but also in how electronic waste is handled. Paper waste can be minimized by double-sided printing, reusing single side printed sheets of paper and other methods.
For e-waste such as electronic hardware, retailers such BestBuy have an e-waste recycling program for consumers and all their stores have recycling centers for cell phones, batteries, PCs, TVs etc.

Source:ciol.com/SMB/News-Reports/US-SMBs-waking-up-to-green-computing/5808108662/0/
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D-Link Looks to Green its Routers

As you look across your desk at all of the blinking lights from your computer gear, have you ever wondered how much energy your router sucks down? On the one hand, probably not that much. On the other hand it is on all the time. You could find out with a guilt-trip power strip. Or, you could turn to D-Link. D-Link is proposing a sort of middle ground by using its Green Ethernet technology on select wireless routers.

D-Link says it is the first to market with "green home network Wi-Fi routers." While that might just be a bit of marketing mumbo, it is nice to note this technology is reportedly capable of saving up to 40 percent in power usage. Several products across the company's Xtreme N line of routers, including the D-Link Xtreme N Gigabit Router DIR-655, D-Link Xtreme N Duo Media Router DIR-855 and the D-Link Xtreme N Gaming Router DGL-4500, are now making use of this Green Ethernet to "decrease energy costs by reducing power consumption without sacrificing performance." Could go very well with your new green Dell computer, and sweet external hard drive.

One can apparently get even better energy savings by using D-Link's Wi-Fi Scheduler, which provides a user-selectable radio shutdown option (adjustable by day and start/end times). Other initiatives focused on more environmentally friendly technology from D-Link include compliance with with RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) and WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) directives and optimization for Energy Star certification.

Source:ecogeek.org/content/view/1945/71/
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Dell Launches Ads to Promote Green PC

Dell is going green with its new Green PC, the Studio Hybrid. The desktops are about the size of a college dictionary, which Dell says is about 80-percent smaller than standard desktops. Other green factors include 70-percent less energy used than standard desktops, 30-percent less packing materials used and those packing materials are 95-percent recyclable.

Dell kicked off its online ad campaign for the Studio Hybrid this week. Print ads are also scheduled to run this month. A spokesperson for Dell says the ads won't fully center around the energy efficient message but more focus will be on the design.

Should the energy efficiency claims and other green factors be the star of the ads as opposed to the new design?

What do you think?

Source:advertising.about.com
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