EnergySaver
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IKEA becomes the first major retailer to stop selling incandescent light bulbs
Remember The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 which mandated that all US retailers must stop selling incandescent bulbs by 2012? If you don't, you're apparently not alone, since according to a lighting survey conducted for IKEA back in 2010, 61% of Americans weren't aware of the legislation either. Luckily for those not in the know, IKEA was kind enough to remind the world of the upcoming change by proudly announcing that they've stopped selling the power-sucking bulbs a whole year early -- making them the first retailer in the US to comply with the bill. To help customers deal with the switch the furniture giant will sell visitors compact fluorescent and halogen bulbs -- in addition to LED lamps. That's seems like smart business considering the same lighting survey says 67% of Americans care about using energy saving lights, while 81% say using more efficient lights is a good environmental practice. So much for incandescent bulbs making a comeback eh?
Future Routers pass themselves off as common household items: clocks, tables, jellyfish
We see plenty of sweet concept designs 'round here (not to mention some downright bizarre ones) so we're all pretty acquainted with wanting things that we can't have. That said, there are a couple of these Future Routers -- designed by a firm called TalkTalk in conjunction with Goldsmiths, University of London -- that inspire some serious techno-lust. Route O'Clock, for instance, not only keeps tabs on your bandwidth utilization, but it displays the info on the clock face itself -- and looks good doing it. Also quite eye-pleasing is the Hybrid, a model that passes itself off as a hardwood side table. On the slightly more bizarre end of the spectrum is the aptly name Jellyfish, which apparently takes up a lot of space and gives off a creepy blue glow (not one for those of you in one bedroom / studio apartments). Last but not least, the Energy Saver doubles as a key holder, with the dubious benefit of shutting itself off when the last key is picked up. The rationale behind this one is that when everyone leaves the flat, no one will be using the Internets -- we guess these guys have never heard of bit.torrent. Get a better look in the gallery below, and don't forget to check out the video after the break.[Via SlashGear]
LANrev 5.0 adds power management to workstation admin tools
Managing the power consumption of your Macs just got a little easier with the latest version of the LANrev cross-platform client management tool. In the new 5.0 build, the headline feature is bright green: you can assign power saving preferences to machines, including toggles based on whether a user is logged in and new reporting fields to monitor energy savings. For government users, the new FDCC SCAP component helps Windows clients meet Federal Desktop Core Configuration standards for 300-odd security settings on XP and Vista (yee-ikes).LANrev's sometimes-confusing UI has been simplified, bringing many of the server-oriented functions (software distribution, license monitoring, etc.) under a single window; machines can now be categorized for ease of searching and organization. Software deployment has been jazzed up with new metapackage/multi-payload options and Adobe Creative Suite CS3 direct deployment for installers and updaters (no word yet on CS4 support). LANrev still offers one-click Mac reimaging without setting up a Netboot server, which is a big plus in large deployments.Pricing for LANrev starts at about $50 per seat for corporate buyers ($40 for education markets) with tiered discounts for larger installations.
Apple's System Preference icon goes "Green"
With the introduction of EPEAT Gold rated MacBooks and MacBook Pros last week, Apple has definitely been warming up to the environmental movement lately. So, it was only fitting that they would change a small part of System Preferences to reflect the EPEAT rating. That's right, the Energy Saver icon has changed from an old incandescent bulb to a newer, more energy-efficient fluorescent bulb. Now you will only have to change the energy saver icon every 7 years, but be careful when you dispose of the old icons because they contain mercury (just kidding). This change has only shown up on the new MacBooks and MacBook Pros. Do you think Apple will eventually update their entire line to have this new icon (and, of course, be EPEAT Gold rated)? We definitely hope so! Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
Caffeine control
We're once again talking about Caffeine from lighthead Software (makers of Papaya), the freeware menubar app that keeps your screen awake. It's now at version 1.0.2 with one new feature that makes it even more useful: time-limited activation. A command-click on the coffee cup icon in your menubar presents a menu that allows you to set a variable duration for Caffeine to be activated. Got a 10 minute video to show a friend, but your screen is set to dim or go into Screensaver before the end? Set Caffeine for 15 minutes and forget about it. We covered Jolt a while back, and this feature was available... for a small, $5 fee (of course, it's worth mentioning that half of those five dollars are donated to charity). But Caffeine has caught up and it remains free. Update your copy or take it for a spin at lighthead's website.
