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Samsung Evergreen for AT&T is just as eco-friendly as it sounds
It's not going to woo power-users... except possibly people who power-use the environment. Okay, that came out weird, but the point is that Samsung's new Evergreen for AT&T is a pretty simple sliding QWERTY candybar with an emphasis on going easy on Planet Earth, starting with the fact that the phone itself is made from 70 percent post-consumer recycled plastics and going on to include a box crafted from 80 percent recycled paper. It's not exactly a nod to the environment, but it's also cool to see that Sammy will donate $1 to Cell Phones for Soldiers (up to a maximum of $100 grand) for every Evergreen sold. Besides the full keyboard, you get a 2.4-inch display, 2 megapixel cam, Bluetooth 2.1, dual-band 3G, and support for AT&T Navigator -- not bad, we suppose, for the $29.99 AT&T wants on contract after $50 rebate. It'll be available starting November 7.
Huh? Greenpeace calls the MacBook Air "a winner"
Apple and Greenpeace haven't exactly been the best of buds. However, MacWorld seems to have changed all that, at least for Greenpeace. In a statement issued on their US website, Greenpeace says the following:"The MacBook Air is a strong entry in the race to build a green PC. As a mercury and arsenic free laptop it exceeds European Standards (RoHS directive exemptions) and raises the bar for the rest of the industry."Sure, the Greenies still had their nits to pick with the use of PVC and BFRs. Nevertheless, they did give a nod of approval in noting their reduced usage. Had Greenpeace's statement not been laced with condescending phrases like, "It's a big step for Steve," the whole week might have ended with some herb being passed around the Kumbaya circle -- 'ere 'ippie, gimme a 'ug.[Via Macworld]
Apple responds to Greenpeace: what part of "end of 2008" didn't you understand?
Yesterday's battle between Greenpeace and Apple had the former publicly chastising the latter for its continued use of hazardous chemicals in its iPhone. While they conceded that Apple is compliant with Europe's RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) standard, they lambasted Cupertino for its continued use of PVC and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) which, according to Greenpeace, "suggests that Apple is not making early progress towards its 2008 commitment to phase-out all uses of these materials." This morning, an Apple spokesperson told Macworld that, "Like all Apple products worldwide, iPhone complies with RoHS, the world's toughest restrictions on toxic substances in electronics. As we have said, Apple will voluntarily eliminate the use of PVC and BFRs by the end of 2008." Sure, you can fault Apple for not being as environmentally friendly as PVC-free Nokia, or Motorola and Sony Ericsson who offer some devices with BFR-free components. However, Greenpeace shouldn't feign surprise at what they found.
NEC's 19-, 20-, and 22-inch AccuSync widescreen displays
You know what they say about come in threes, and even if you aren't exactly up to speed, NEC's making things real clear with its latest trio of elusive displays. The 19-inch ASLCD193WXM, 20-inch ASLCD203WXM, and 22-inch ASLCD223WXM are all newcomers to the AccuSync lineup, and additionally, all rock a movie buff-approved widescreen layout. The top two models each feature a 1,680 x 1,050 native resolution, while the 19-incher gets stuck with 1,440 x 900, but all three units manage to include a set of integrated speakers, a 1,000:1 contrast ratio, five-millisecond response time, headphone jack, and NEC's own Ambix technology. Moreover, the new LCDs a "no touch auto adjust," which purportedly sets things to you liking without requiring an effort from the new owner, but the AccuColor control system allows you to tweak said settings if your uncontent heart desires. As for pricing, the smallest sibling is available right now for $229.99, while the larger two should hit shelves in May for $289.99 and $359.99, respectively.
Wal-Mart looking to sell "sustainable electronics" to help Mother Earth
The same store who snubbed the idea of installing Wii kiosks in its stores and is probably installing Big Brother style monitoring systems as we speak is now looking to take a bigger stand in its fight to keep Mother Earth in good shape. Following the trend of downsized packaging (as in Apple's iPod, for instance) and recycling as much as humanly possible, Wal-Mart is now setting a goal to sell "sustainable electronics" as early as next year. While it's not entirely out of character for a mega-corporation to jump on the green bandwagon, Wally World has "released criteria that will be part of a scorecard used to evaluate consumer electronics suppliers on the environmental sustainability of their products," essentially forcing suppliers who want to keep their products on such hot shelves to rethink their approach to "minimizing impact on the environment." While we can't deny that those huge boxes are quite enjoyable to take home, compacting PC titles to simple jewel cases would be a long overdue start to minimizing the amount of waste just sitting around, and we're such Toshiba is getting a nice pat on the back for already helping the retailer out.
Buffalo's new 20-inch LCD dons black or white
In case that 19-incher was just a hair too small, Buffalo's cranking out a slightly larger panel in its FTD lineup by offering up the 20.1-inch FTD-W2025ADSR. Aside from the unnecessarily long name, this unit rocks a 16:10 aspect ratio, 1,680 × 1,050 resolution, 800:1 contrast ratio, 5-millisecond response time, and a 160-degree viewing angle. Additionally, you'll find a pair of skull-rattling one-watt speakers, DVI / VGA inputs, and an RoHS-approved logo to keep those energy costs minimized. Buffalo's apparently aiming for the trendy crowd, as it offers the panel in both black and white frames, and while we're not really feeling those feet on the stand, you can pick this one up later this month for a currently undisclosed price.[Via Impress]
NEC develops solar-powering system for LCD monitors
Apparently being green is the "in" thing this year (no complaints here), as no sooner than a group of Swedish researchers concoct a green-routing navigation system, NEC has teamed up with Carmanah Technologies to kick out an energy saver of its own. While other companies are just throwing down new displays, NEC is offering up a new way to power them, as its solar-powered battery package gives its LCDs a renewable source of power to rely on when the sun's shining in. The system is designed to produce "approximately 293 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, or 800 watts per day," and can store up solar energy to continue powering the monitor after the sun checks out. Notably, NEC claims that "saved solar energy can last for days of normal usage when running a typical LCD monitor," and the package can even be used to juice up multiple monitors simultaneously. Although we're not sure how NEC plans on fetching for each electricity-saving kit, they're being primarily marketed at large corporations who churn through kilowatts like it's going out of style, so you can probably expect a fairly large markup when pricing these out.[Via TGDaily]
Asus and Planex unveil snazzy new WAPs
With all this 802.11n hubbub going on, it's refreshing to see a trio of new 802.11b/g wireless access points that have set out to make the WiFi goodness we're used to even better. Planex Communication's GW-AP54SP-P (pictured after the jump) is a two-port WAP that supports automatic power-on functionality when detecting wireless activity, bridge / repeater capability, WPA2 support, and of course, up to 54Mbps transfer speeds. Meanwhile, Asus' latest power duo -- the WL-320gE and WL-320gP -- reportedly provide "up to 850 meters" of open space coverage thanks to their 5dBi high-gain antennas; they also sport SNMP to allow system administrators to manage multiple APs from remote locations, and somehow managed to pass the FCC's oh-so-restrictive transmission guidelines as well. The WL-320gP goes one step further by incorporating power over ethernet (compliant with 802.3af) to "eliminate the hassle of locating a power source." While pricing and release date information wasn't readily available, it's probably safe to assume these WAPs won't demand the same premium as those 802.11n-compatible alternatives -- and at least this trio operates on a standardized protocol, eh?Read - Planex Communication's GW-AP54SP-P Read - Asus' WL-320gE / WL-320gP
Treo 650 succumbs to RoHS, European shipments done
We're guessing Treo 650s aren't exactly a hot ticket item anywhere these days -- let alone in smartphone-heavy Europe -- but for what it's worth, Palm's old standby has been mercifully put down across the pond. It seems the 650 wasn't up to snuff on the EU's RoHS regulations, and rather than incrementally update the 650 to satisfy the requirements, Palm announced during their most recent quarterly earnings call that they're going to leave Europe out to dry until they're ready to ship their next model -- allegedly Europe-specific -- in Q4. With Lennon and Nitro in the pipeline, we think it's likely a variant of one of those devices will play the role of RoHS-compliant hero here, but in the meantime, snap up those Black Tie 650s while you still can.[Thanks, Rich]
