Compiled by CIARA O’BRIEN
Sony W Series Eco Edition TBA
It’s not only mobile phones that are developing an environmental conscience. Sony’s W series Eco Edition notebook appeals to the greener computer user, reducing its carbon footprint by using recycled material and reducing CO2 emissions by 10 per cent during manufacture. Available from this month, the notebook was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show. It differs from the standard W series notebook in its green palm rest and patterned touch pad. It’s powered by an energy-efficient Intel Atom chip and has a 10.1in display with an LED backlight. It even has an Energy Star 5.0 rating, and all the functions and features of the regular W series, including a 250GB hard drive and 1GB of RAM, and comes with Windows 7 Starter Edition. The battery claims an impressive 8.5 hours of power.
http://www.sony.ie
Samsung Blue Earth phone
€79.99 postpay/€259.99 prepay
Taking advantage of the trend for environmentally friendly electronics, the Samsung Blue Earth phone ticks all the right boxes. It’s energy efficient, made from recycled material (plastic bottles, if you’re interested) and even has a solar panel on the rear as an extra option for charging.
The touch-screen phone is similar to other Samsung handsets. At the touch of a button, the Blue Earth can be put into low-power consumption mode. An “eco walk” application on the handset counts your steps and shows you how many trees you save by walking rather than taking the car. The packaging is even eco-friendly, made from paper, and printed with soy ink. Samsung has also included some handy suggestions for recycling it into a pencil box or photo frame.
http://www.samsungmobile.com/
Logitech MK710
$99
Wireless peripherals aren’t exactly new, but the Logitech MK710 is a little more than your standard desktop kit. The wireless keyboard and mouse combo promises that you won’t have to so much as look at the batteries for a couple of years, blowing way past the competition.
Using power-saving technologies, both the keyboard and mouse will give you up to three years of life before you have to bother changing the four standard AA batteries. The device comes with Logitech’s small wireless Unifying receiver that pugs into your laptop and eliminates the number of USB ports you need to take up. One receiver allows you to add up to six compatible devices. This is strictly for Windows users, though, with no Mac support specified. Perfect for netbook users.
www.logitech.com
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