Category Archives: Gadgets and Tech
Panasonic has launched its new circular fluorescent lamp “Palook Premiere LS” which will be the first energy-saving model in 30 years since 1979, when it released a power-saving lamp called “Palook.” It will be able to reduce power consumption by approximately five per cent when attached to an inverter. The luminous area is reduced while increasing the luminance efficiency by using a new fluorescent material with a high luminance keeping the brightness intact. It also has a reduced length of the discharge path by 20cm to cut the power consumption.
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Keeping your PC on the sleeping mode to save energy is a good thought but apparently boring. So some researchers from the University of California, namely Ph D student Yuvraj Agarwal, in collaboration with Microsoft Research decided they would give lazy people who cannot stand the sight of sun and prefer to be married to their PCs a way to be entertained when their PCs are sleeping. They introduced Sleep Talking which is a way to cut down on the energy used and also provide some of the most common services we require including network access, the ability to run a virus scan and backup, or even having an instant messaging conversation and receiving a VoIP call.
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Many of us who face the monitors most of the work time are eco-criminals. As it’s a usual trend to get off the chair to attend some other work or simply grab a cuppa coffee for a break without switching our monitors to power saving mode. This results in criminal waste of power. To our rescue is Eizo Nanao’s wide LCD monitor that is equipped with a presence sensor. Designed for office use, this monitor detects the presence of a person with an infrared sensor. It shifts to the power saving mode when it finds the user leaving his or her desk and automatically resumes normal operation when the user returns. The typical power consumption of the two models is 25W -18W. In the power saving mode, the power consumption of the both models is 0.7W or lower. Now that’s noteworthy! Also the product has an improved recycling efficiency and is compliant with “TCO Displays 5.0,” the latest version of an international environmental standard.
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Seagate launched the Barracuda LP (Low Power) hard drive. The disks have up to 2Tband rotation speed from 7,200RPM to 5,900RPM. This and other optimizations will help cut the active power use by as much as half versus regular drives. The company also claims that the LP series uses about 25 percent less power than competing hard drives. The storage is meant both for home and work uses. It is claimed to be useful for energy-efficient PCs or home storage servers, where drive speed isn’t as important, or in workplace servers that depend less on frequent disk access.
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It looks like Hitachi’s eco-friendly appliance are actually not eco-friendly and the company has been lying about it all this while. Many of Hitachi’s fridges that were claimed to be the most advanced Eco wise by reducing CO2 emissions up to 48% during the production process weren’t. Both the “Eiyo Ikiiki Shinku Chirudo V” and “Big & Slim 60” series, nine fridges in total, claimed to have been built with recycled material were in fact built with standard materials and only three were built with 50% recycled material. To top it up, Hitachi has reported that they will not be refunding any of the customers who have bought their eco-friendly appliances. Now that is some guts.
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Two new wireless routers have been released by NEC from the AtermWR8150N Series. The specialty of this router is that it comes with an eco button. What happens when you push the button? All LEDs except the power is switched off which consumes only 30% less power. If you are too lazy to do that also, well, you can set your router to Eco Mode where it will do it automatically depending on your usage and predefined settings. Well that is surely eco and human friendly!
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The trend of solar powered cell phones has been rolling and lately KDDI has teamed up with Sharp to join the bandwagon of the makers of such green mobiles. However the duo has gone a step further to lure consumers by tweaking its sunlight-powered cell phone with a waterproof feature. Such a water-friendly, eco-friendly cell phone is going to be a sure hit with folks who love to spend time at beach or pool, as sun and water is found in abundance. Simply allow it to feed on sunlight for 10 minutes and it will give back one minute of talk time or two hours of standby time. The battery can recharges up to 80% on solar energy. In step with Samsung and LG’s sun-soaking cell phones, the joint collaboration between KDDI and Sharp will also result in a cell phone that can help to reduce carbon footprint. This waterproof, solar powered cell phone will hit the shores of Japan in the month of June.
[Japantoday]
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Kaga Components Co Ltd is exhibiting a power supply apparatus for LEDs that has a lifetime of 100K hours. This was shown in an exhibition in Tokyo which took place on April 15 to 17, 2009. The apparatus which is currently under development was exhibited for the first time. How this was achieved? Well, the electrolytic capacitor was removed from the circuit to achieve this lifetime. At the same time the power supply circuit was also downsized. LEDs are going to be lighting source of the future because of its environmental advantages but unfortunately the lifetime of existing LEDs is as low as 10,000 hours.
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Automakers and energy firms the world over have reportedly agreed to a single standard when it comes to electric vehicle plugs. Germany’s RWE has announced that automakers and energy firms have finally come together on a standard for these plugs. This standardization will ensure that a car can be charged in France exactly in the same way it is being charged in Germany, Italy, and Greece etc. General Motors, Volkswagen, BMW, Fiat, Toyota and Mitsubishi have signed off on the global plug design along with a number of energy firms around the world. This move not only minimizes headaches on recharging for consumers but also cuts costs for automobile makers’ world over.
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We have just spoken about the Peapod Mobility car that was launched at the New York Auto Show. The car’s very special feature however is its iPhone integration. It will enable the driver to listen to music, give efficient tips as navigator, act as a green advisor and also be used as a key. The things people think of! By this connection your car becomes a multi-media offering over night. You don’t even have to bother having a home now. Of course considering you are the size of a pea to fit in.
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