Asus U5 meets EU green standards

Asus is the latest computer maker to follow the European Union's marching orders and produce a "green" laptop to adhere to standards that limit lead and other potentially toxic substances. In addition to its enviro cred, the laptop looks like it has some pretty good specs, including a weight of just about 3 pounds, 512MB RAM standard, 3 USB and 1 FireWire port, built-in Bluetooth and WiFi, and a fast Pentium M. No pricing yet, though we imagine it'll command some sort of premium for all that greeny goodness.

[oe @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

I wonder if this is the same as the m5n.. if so then whats green about em? i love my m5n, is this using the next gen ddr2 intel chipset?

[Hipoteca @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

I like very much Asus, they are improving every day.

[Red Maple Leaf @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

You know, the time is coming when consumers are going to realize, like some more enlightened manufacturers, that very "green" products are generally safer, perform better, and cost less to produce than their heavy metal and toxin rich counterparts. I highly recommend the following book, by William McDonough and Michael Braungart, for any engineers, industrial designers, or architects out there: Cradle to Cradle

http://www.mcdonough.com/cradle_to_cradle.htm

[Brian @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

If they're cheaper (or cost less to produce), why haven't they been this way for a while? Why don't all laptop manufacturers switch?

Brian

[Bible and Apologetics Teacher @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

One of the components of the solder in PC boards is lead. Another is tin. What have they picked to replace those metals that has a lower melting point and won't oxidize easily?

[Red Maple Leaf @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

To Brian:
The book addresses your question, simply by stating that the industrial revolution was never designed, and by actually doing so, we can create a better world; most products aren't designed with the idea in, "What are the best and safest ingredients I can use, but the cheapest ingredients that are within regulations." McDonough and Braungart provide many case studies, where they were asked to refit a factory and/or redesign a product, which, resulted in fewer processes(lower production costs), happier workers, zero pollutions tarriffs, and a better product.
Most products aren't conceived this way due to the myth that a "green" product costs more, and they generally take more thoughtful consideration. As an example, one of the many new adoptors of their philosophy of manufacturing is Ford, at their River Rouge plant.

[cy7 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

looks nice! kinda remind me of apple powerbook/ibook 12" but in white or black color. But seriously they need to change the company name, i still call it a$$ :-(

[YojimboUK @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

There's a rumour that Asus do the manufacturing for Apple's powerbooks. Having seen how much punishment my S5N can take and still look good, I can believe it.

[NDogg @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

It's not a rumour, Asus is the ODM for Apple Powerbooks.