Green Tech
Ebook readers greener than books, study says
Claims that electronic readers such as the Amazon Kindle are more environmentally friendly than paper books do hold up, according to an analysis by the Cleantech Group.
The research and media company drew on existing studies to do a lifecycle analysis and found that the carbon emissions from electronic books are far lower than traditional book publishing. Continue reading...
Sony PS3 Slim uses half the power of old PS3
Sony heralded the new PlayStation 3 Slim as more energy efficient than previous models, but that's not much of a boast -- the older PS3 'Fat' was one of the most power-hungry home video appliances available, with power consumption similar to that of a 50-inch plasma TV.
To test Sony's claim, we put the PS3 Slim through a battery of power-consumption tests and the results really are impressive: the PS3 Slim generally uses less than half the power of the original PS3, no matter what task it's performing. Check out the comparison after the jump. Continue reading...
Vexia Econav 435 and 355 tested: Saving you petrol, in theory at least
It's been a long time since anything new happened in the world of sat-navs, but finally the day has arrived we can report on something different.
Spanish company Vexia is bringing its range of Econavs to our shores. The twist is that the sat-nav gives you advice on the most economical way to drive, telling you which gear you should be in and whether you're accelerating too quickly. Continue reading...
Sony boosts rechargeable batteries
Sony on Tuesday announced a new type of rechargeable lithium-ion battery that promises a life span more than four times that of current lithium-ions. Specifically, Sony touts a capacity retention north of 80 per cent after 2,000 charge-discharge cycles.
Without getting too technical, the new battery uses as its cathode material olivine-type lithium iron phosphate, which Sony says is ideal for the job "due to its robust crystal structure and stable performance, even at high temperatures".
The material also apparently contributes to the battery's faster charging time. It can hit 99 per cent of its full capacity in 30 minutes -- approximately half the charge time of Sony's current lithium ion battery line, which mainly use cobalt oxide-based cathodes. Continue reading...
Greenpeace graffitis HP's headquarters
After rating Hewlett-Packard low on its Green Meter did little to convince the company to change its ways, Greenpeace on Tuesday decided to resort to more direct action.
It sent activists to HP's global headquarters in Palo Alto, California, where they climbed on top of the building and painted a gigantic message -- 'Hazardous Products' -- using nontoxic children's finger paint. The message covered more than 1,000 metres squared, which is about the size of two and a half basketball courts. Continue reading...
PecoBOO: Eco-friendly webcam software turns off unwatched screens
British inventor and self-described 'eco geek' Pete Hopton and his company, VeryPC, have come up with a piece of eco-friendly software, PecoBOO, that uses an open-source face-detection program and your PC's webcam to tell when you're looking at your screen and, more importantly, when you're not.
When you look away for more than a few seconds, get up or generally ignore your screen, it'll turn off. Then, when you face it again, it turns on. This reduces backlight power consumption and, thus, overall energy consumption. As a result, you should not only get longer battery life from your laptop but could also save money. Continue reading...
AlertMe links up with British Gas for home energy management trial
UK home-monitoring maker AlertMe has announced a trial service that will allow British Gas New Energy customers to control their central heating from the Web or mobile phone.
AlertMe makes a home energy-monitoring system built around a Zigbee home-area network. A cube-shaped hub acts as a central control point and separate devices, including smart plugs, communicate with the hub. Continue reading...
Don't forget to feed the 'leccy meter: Tesla opening European showrooms
Electric-speedster manufacturer Tesla is heading for Europe this summer. The company is planning a batch of new showrooms, three of which will be in Europe.
Tesla's three existing Californian showrooms will be joined by ones in New York, Seattle, Chicago and Miami, with Washington DC and Toronto also on the cards. This side of the Atlantic, millionaire's playground Monaco and autobahn heaven Munich will be getting showrooms. And here's the good news: you'll be able to surf the Web, take a test drive and see the Roadster in the flesh in London, home of CNET Towers, the Queen and the congestion charge.
Hang on -- what congestion charge? Snap yourself up a Tesla and you'll be able to hit 60mph in less than 4 seconds, without paying Boris a penny. Actually, the only way you'll hit 60mph on a London street is if you're dropped from a plane, but you know what we mean.
CNET UK's award-winning Car Tech series goes way back with the Tesla Roadster: we test drove it in Geneva, and this could be our chance to get gearhead-in-chief Rory 'Roadhog' Reid behind the wheel of the new Tesla S sedan. Continue reading...
Eco-documentary Home is first simultaneous cinema, TV and YouTube premiere
Environmental documentary Home today became the first feature-length film to premiere on YouTube at the same time as in cinemas and on TV.
The non-profit film, backed by retail group PPR, is directed by French photographer and environmentalist Yann Arthus-Bertrand, and produced by Luc Besson, the chap behind Léon and The Fifth Element. It's been released in French cinemas and will be shown on France 2 and for free at an open-air screening beneath the Eiffel Tower at 10pm. It's even out on DVD today. Continue reading...
Pixel Qi 3qi hybrid LCD/e-paper display
Pixel Qi was at Computex in Taiwan this week, demonstrating its 3qi display technology, which integrates e-paper attributes with LCD to create a versatile and potentially very energy-efficient screen.
The idea is that with a flip of a button you can go from a traditional high-resolution colour LCD experience to a low-power black and white mode to an even more energy-efficient e-paper mode, which allows you to easily view text in bright sunlight. Check out the demo video after the jump. Continue reading...
