In the past few years, more and more attention has been placed on how environmentally-friendly tech gadgets and products are, and how eco-aware their manufacturers are. At the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, green mania has come out like never before, with corporations touting the low-energy consumption of products, or the eco-friendly chemicals that are contained within.

Reducing the power consumption of tech products is increasingly becoming a target for activists. “Electronics are in fact much more environmentally friendly today than even five years ago,” Jeff Omelchuck, director of the Green Electronics Council, told Reuters. The Green Electronics Council provides an Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) certification for computers.

The goal however is sustainability, which requires products to leave no adverse impact on the environment throughout their lives, right from manufacturing to recycling. “Companies are making products greener because the market expects them to,” Omelchuck added.

However, environmental activists – who are notorious for pushing the bar – argue that while manufacturers are focusing on energy efficiency of their products, they will still ultimately fail as “green” products if they use toxic batteries or cannot be recycled. As always, wherever there is a multi-billion dollar industry, and a “green” controversy, you will find Greenpeace.

“Consumers shouldn’t have to choose between products that are incredibly green in one area, but grey in another,” said Casey Harrell, a toxics campaigner for Greenpeace International. Harrell had some kind words for the industry which is trying hard to clean up its goods, but commented that the absence of an international standard will make it tough for consumers to find the most green product.

Greenpeace picked out about 50 products for testing, and found that Lenovo’s L2440x monitor, Sharp’s LC-52GX5 TV, Samsung’s F268 mobile phone, Nokia’s 6210 smartphone and Toshiba’s Portege R600 laptop were the greenest in their categories.

written by NewsFeeder \\ tags: CES, green tech

Mio has unveiled not one, not two, but five new GPS navigators at CES 2009. The new devices include the Mio Moov S300, S556, and S700. The devices support the “Spirit” software platform.

The S300 features a 3.5-inch display, text-to-speech and 12 million POIs. The S500 offers a 4.7-inch panel. The Moov S556 comes with the same 4.7-inch display with Bluetooth and Junction View features. While the S700 offers a huge 7-inch display. The Mio Moov S300, S300, S556, and S700 are priced at $199.99, $249.99, $299.99 and $299.99 respectively.

These new navigators with decent specs and pricing may make Mio a player again.

[GPSTracklog]

written by NewsFeeder \\ tags: CES, CES 2009, mio, Moov, Navigators

Palm just debuted its long awaited new handset, the Palm Pre. What a name. The touchscreen handset has a 3.1-inch 320 x 480 multitouch display, with a silver center button below and touch sensitivity all along the face. The lower part is for “gestures.” What’s that sliding out? A full QWERTY keyboard in portrait orientation. If you like, you can flip the phone on its side for accelerometer-sensed widescreen.

It’s running Palm’s all-new webOS platform, with TI’s new OMAP CPU. According to Palm, it provides laptop-style power, and powers the phone’s smooth transitions, scrolling and the like. Some other specs include EV-DO Rev. A, 802.11b/g WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth with A2DP and 8GB of built-in flash storage. It also sports a 3 megapixel camera with LED flash, mass storage-friendly microUSB plug and a good ol’ 3.5mm headphone jack.

Probably the most interesting feature is the wireless charger. The phone is exclusive at launch for Sprint sometime in the first half of 2009. No word on price.
[Engadget]

written by NewsFeeder \\ tags: CES, ces2009, Palm, palm pre, PalmPre, Pre, smartphone, webos

Out of all the robots they could have introduced, it had to be the Looj. That gutter cleaning bot that is cool from a practical standpoint, but not so cool as far as robots go.

According to them, it has new features to make it more efficient. It drives easily under gutter straps, propelled by a three-stage auger that dislodges and eliminates all of that nasty dirt and gunk. It sports a new antenna, smart speed, and a battery door that doesn’t need tools to be opened. Yeah, not much to jump up and down about, but hey, gutters will be clean.

iRobot Announces 2nd Generation Looj™ Gutter Cleaning Robot

World’s Only Gutter-Cleaning Robot Sports New Internal Antenna, Anti-Flipping Auger and Smart Speed

LAS VEGAS, NV – Consumer Electronics Show – January 8, 2009 – iRobot Corp. (NASDAQ: IRBT) today unveiled the second generation iRobot® Looj™ Gutter Cleaning Robot at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The Looj, which makes gutter cleaning fast and easy by reducing ladder work and dangerous over-reaching, has new features that help it break up clogged leaves and debris faster and improve overall performance.

“We listened to our customers and designed an updated Looj based on their feedback,” said Matt Palma, Vice President Sales & Marketing, iRobot Home Robots Division. “The one-of-a-kind Looj saves people time and frees them from the dull, dirty and dangerous work of gutter cleaning better than ever.”

New Looj features include:

· Internal antenna

· Anti-flipping auger

· Smart speed

· Tool-less battery door

The winner of the 2008 Best of CES Innovations Award, iRobot Looj is the only product of its kind. Controlled by a wireless remote that doubles as a detachable handle, the Looj cleans an entire stretch of gutter while the human operator stays in one spot, reducing the need to climb and reposition the ladder multiple times or juggle tools at dangerous heights.

The iRobot Looj Gutter Cleaning Robot drives easily under gutter straps, propelled by a three-stage auger that dislodges and eliminates dirt, leaves and debris that can cause water damage, overspills and ice dams in addition to creating a breeding ground for carpenter ants, mosquitoes and other pests.

The new Looj models 125, 135 and 155 will be available for purchase at www.irobot.com and select retailers this spring for a starting price of $129.99.

written by NewsFeeder \\ tags: CES, iRobot, Looj, New, robot