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Griffin brings Papernomad's durable eco-friendly sleeves to North America
As TUAW's official case-tester-in-chief, I've seen cases and sleeves for iPhones, iPads and Macs made out of just about every material under the sun. There are those beautiful wood and leather cases, and some crafted from aluminum and other materials, but the vast majority are made of some sort of plastic. That has often made me wonder where all that plastic ends up after a few years when Apple users move on to newer devices. Now Griffin Technology is making waves by bringing Papernomad's paper composite eco-friendly sleeves to North America for the first time. What makes these sleeves so different? The outer shell is made of a water and tear resistant paper composite that looks somewhat like those brown paper bags you used to get at the grocery store before you started using those reusable bags. The inside lining is a wool felt that keeps your favorite Apple product free from scratches and static. Between those two is a batting material that pads your device from bumps. Holding the device in place is a hemp twill pull-tab with a magnetic closure. So, thinking of paper getting wet probably makes you think of soggy paper that's ripping apart and dumping your groceries onto the ground -- not exactly what you'd want for an all-purpose device sleeve, right? The patented paper composite material is water resistant. Papernomad warns you not to put your sleeve into a washing machine, as you'll end up with a pile of compostable goo. However, a little rain or beer spilled on the outside is just going to give your sleeve a bit of character. Speaking of character, Papernomad sleeves have one more defining characteristic. Like just about any other paper, you can write or paint on them with a variety of media, meaning that you can create a totally unique sleeve. I have some plans for the review item I received; it's getting a marker-drawn TUAW logo, a David Lanham sticker or two, and anything else I decide to customize it with. Griffin's the distributor for the Papernomad products in North America; our European readers need to visit Papernomad.com to buy their sleeves. There are three Papernomad sleeves you can buy; Pars for iPhone 4/4s and iPhone 5 (US$39.99), Zattere for iPad ($49.99), and Tamakwa for 13" MacBook Air ($59.99). While they're not yet listed on the Griffin Technology website, there are also sleeves for iPad mini, 11" MacBook Air, and 13" and 15" MacBook Pro that should be available soon. I've got to admit that I was smitten by the simplicity and feel of the iPad mini Zattere and can see how Papernomad's sleeves could become a favorite. The best thing is, once I've moved on to a future Apple device with a different form factor, I know that this case is going to just biodegrade over time and not end up lasting for a thousand years in a landfill.
Apple, other thin laptop makers pass latest round of EPEAT tests after summer mini-drama
Apple gave eco-friendly computer fans a brief jolt this July after it backed out of EPEAT certification, only to restore most devices just days later. While we can't say we're completely shocked at the follow-up, EPEAT has confirmed that at least one "ultra-thin" laptop from Apple has just cleared the verification process. The as yet unnamed system is more likely to be a Mac that had already earned the recycling-friendly rating in the past, such as the MacBook Air, rather than a sudden turnaround for the MacBook Pro with Retina Display. The look wasn't exclusively devoted to the Mac side, though -- EPEAT cleared Apple's computer as part of a wider test that also greenlit extra-thin portables from Lenovo, Samsung and Toshiba. We've reached out to get a more definitive list, but the approvals should ease the minds of those worried that ever-slimmer laptops are forcing us to give up our green efforts.
Apple responds to EPEAT move
Apple responded to the controversy surrounding its request to remove its products from the EPEAT green electronics registry. In a statement provided to The Loop, Apple representative Kristin Huguet confirmed the Cupertino company's commitment to the highest environmental standards and pointed out that "Apple products are superior in other important environmental areas not measured by EPEAT." You can read the full statement and Jim Dalrymple's analysis on The Loop's website.
Reported new DARPA chief brings true geek, dash of green tech controversy
Running DARPA has always demanded a certain amount of tech-savviness -- it created what ultimately became the internet, after all -- but it may get an extra coat of green paint with a new leader. The agency has reportedly taken on Arati Prabhakar as its new director, and Wired notes that she has a lot more than just the agency itself under her belt. Along with going so far as to found DARPA's Microelectronics Technology Office, she ran the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and eventually signed on with Interval Research the venture capital firm that backed the solar power company Solyndra as well as numerous other green tech projects. That last decision has drawn a fair share of flak: Solyndra got about $500 million of public funding and still went under. With that in mind, an anonymous senior military staffer claims that Prabhakar wasn't involved in the questionable government loan and went through "extensive vetting," so it's doubtful that the funding will cast the same shadow over her DARPA technology investments as it did for the outgoing director, Regina Dugan. Even so, there will no doubt be a close watch over Prabhakar if the appointment is made public, both for those who want to keep her honest as well as for the potentially huge amount of insight into clean energy and general technology that she can wield. [Image credit: SRI]
Apple removes EPEAT green certification, could lose government customers
Apple has done an increasingly good job of creating environmentally-friendly products, but the company did something the other day that probably has both environmentalists and some customers scratching their heads. The company has removed the EPEAT green electronics certification from its products, and won't be submitting products to the global registry for rating in the future. Reporter Joel Schectman at the Wall Street Journal says that Apple asked to have all 39 EPEAT certified devices pulled from the registry. EPEAT's CEO, Robert Frisbee, told Schectman that "They (Apple) said their design direction was no longer consistent with the EPEAT requirements." This is visible in the new MacBook Pro with Retina display, which uses parts that are glued into the case for space considerations. This makes the device almost impossible to fully disassemble for recycling. Some government agencies and school districts make recycling of electronics a criteria for purchasing, although it's not known what effect the EPEAT pullback could have on sales of the devices. Sarah O'Brien, director of outreach for EPEAT, said that corporations such as Ford and Kaiser Permanente require CIOs for purchase EPEAT certified sources, and the U.S. government requires 95% of all electronics purchased carry EPEAT certification.
Amazon becomes the latest retailer to sell the trendy Nest Learning Thermostat
Frankly, we all knew it was only a matter of time before the renowned online retailer, Amazon, would start offering the trendiest thermostat known to man. Joining the likes of Apple, Lowe's and, naturally, Nest's official site, Amazon is the latest shop to welcome the famed Learning Thermostat onto its shelves, with availability expected as soon as tomorrow (June 8th). As for pricing, that won't be changing much, which means you'll still have to shell out $249 -- though, you could see it hit your doorstep sooner without paying extra if you have one of those fancy Prime accounts. In any case, folks looking to grab one of these notorious Nest thermos can do so from either of the source links below.
Apple Store now selling Nest Thermostat: automated toastiness to cost $250
Apple liked it so much, it's decided to let the Nest Thermostat share shelf-space in its bricks-and-mortar stores and online. Following rumors that Tony Fadell's latest project would appear at his former employer's store, it's now been confirmed with an online listing. Following some brief downtime on the Cupertino corp's retail site, the unit is set to retail for $250. Aside from sharing some design DNA, the thermostat unit can also be controlled from iPhones, iPads, iPods and Macs -- we presume that Android functionality is still there. Those that like their summers extra comfortable can hit the store link below.
Researchers use virus's rogue traits to create electricity from motion
Viruses are the swarming bullies of biology, but it turns out their alarming self-replication could one day power your iPod. We've seen them in batteries before, but researchers at Berkeley Labs have now coated electrodes with modified M13 bacteriophage, a harmless bacteria-eating virus, to create the first ever organic piezoelectric material -- which can convert force to electricity. The team explained that such a substance would be non-toxic, organize naturally into thin layers and self-regenerate, giving it a possible advantage over chemical options. In theory, by attaching a thin film of it to your shoes, power could be generated when walking, lending volts to the myriad electronics we pack around nowadays. To see a finger-powered video demo of our frequent-enemies making themselves useful for a change, stroll on past the break.
USC develops printable liquid solar cells for flexible, low-cost panels
Solar cells are becoming more viable sources of energy -- and as they become more efficient, they're only getting smaller and cheaper to produce. Liquid nanocrystal cells are traditionally inefficient at converting sunlight into electricity, but by adding a synthetic ligand to help transmit currents, researchers at USC have improved their effectiveness. The advantage of these liquid solar cells? They're cheaper than single-crystal silicon wafer solutions, and they're also a shockingly minuscule four nanometers in size, meaning more than 250 billion could fit on the head of a pin. Moreover, they can be printed onto surfaces -- even plastic -- without melting. Ultimately, the goal of this research is to pave the way for ultra-flexible solar panels. However, the scientists are still experimenting with materials for constructing the nanocrystals, since the semiconductor cadmium selenide they've used thus far is too toxic for commercial use.
Samsung gets tired of neighbors watching its Transparent Smart Window, installs blinds
Sammy's transparent OLED displays may not be the freshest piece of tech at CES, but its still pretty dang awesome. We first saw Samsung's 46-inch 1920 x 1080 digitally augmented window back in March, but dropped by its CES booth for a second look. Although the touchscreen window still teases to fulfill our fevered sci-fi dreams, not much has changed -- it's still clear, it's still loaded with widgets, and it's still not anywhere near being installed in your home. Samsung told us this was still a concept device, although they did mention that the technology could be scaled down for use in military visors and heads up displays. Hit the break to see a video demo of a few new apps, including a rather slick set of digital blinds.Joe Pollicino contributed to this report.
Allure Energy EverSense energy management system hands-on
Allure Energy announced its EverSense energy management system (read: a fancy thermostat) back in December, but we were just on hand for its official unveiling here at CES. EverSense serves both as a thermostat and media playing device (yes, those are speakers you see on either side of the screen). It comes running a custom OS that works in conjunction with the Allure iOS app to control the HVAC systems in your home. The thermostat has proximity controls that work with your iPhone's GPS to turn on or off your A/C depending upon how close you are to your house. That way, the temperature's always just right when you pull into your driveway, but you don't have the increased utility bills that normally come with maintaining a steady temperature all day. EverSense's media streaming works using a wireless technology akin to DLNA to pull tunes from your handset -- when we prodded Allure's reps for more info, all they'd tell us is that it's "proprietary" tech. We got to see the device and the companion app, but couldn't do a full demo of their capabilities as custom software still has some bugs and isn't quite ready for prime time. The good news is, there's plenty of time for Allure to fix it: EverSense is scheduled for a Q2 release, when it can be yours for $349. Zach Lutz contributed to this report.
Onyx develops 330-watt 'plug-n-play' solar panel with built-in AC outlet
Onyx's new 330-watt solar panel isn't the first to offer a "plug-n-play" solution for getting power to your gadgets, but it may be the first to include a standard US power outlet, and enough output to juice up a computer, light or any other appliance (within reason) through its built-in micro inverter. "You can literally point the panel at the sun and plug an extension cord directly into the panel for immediate power," according to the Onyx PR, which you'll find in full just past the break.
iPod fathers unveil their next project, the Nest Learning Thermostat (hands-on)
Over the summer, we got word that a couple of unnamed ex-Apple engineers were getting ready to unveil an unnamed product, under the guise of an unnamed startup. As it turns out, that startup was Nest Labs, and those Apple alums were none other than Tony Fadell, longtime SVP of Apple's iPod division, and lead engineer Matt Rogers. And yes, the product they had to share makes fine use of a click wheel. But if you thought they'd be cooking up a next-gen music player, you'd be wrong. Instead, the pair have been designing a thermostat, of all things, dubbed the Nest. In addition to being the most stylish model ever to grace a dining room wall, it promises the kind of intelligence we've come to expect in other household appliances -- just not thermostats, per se. It'll go on sale next month for $249 in places like Best Buy, but we managed to snag an early sneak peek. Find some photos below and when you're done, join us past the break where we'll explain how it works. %Gallery-137451% %Gallery-137452%
Report: data centers accounted for just 1 to 1.5 percent of electricity use last year, Google claims less than 1 percent of that
You'd think, watching companies like Apple break ground on sprawling data centers, that the number of servers powering our untethered lives was on the rise. In a different decade, you might have been right. But not this one. According to a study prepared at the request of The New York Times, the number of servers in use has declined "significantly" since 2005. That's mostly because of the financial crisis of 2008, says lead researcher Jonathan G. Koomey of Stanford University, but we also can't discount the effect of more efficient technologies. What's more, he says, servers worldwide consume less energy than you might have guessed: they accounted for somewhere between 1 and 1.5 percent of global electricity use in 2010. And while Google, the king of cloud computing, has been cagey about revealing just how many servers house its treasure trove of data, the company said that of that 1 to 1.5 percent, it accounted for less than 1 percent -- meaning, just a hundredth of a percent of all the electricity consumed last year. All told, data centers' energy consumption has risen 56 percent since 2005 -- a far cry from the EPAs 2007 prediction that this figure would double by 2010, with annual costs ballooning to $7.4 billion. Then again, this slower-than-expected growth could well be temporary. Though Koomey can't specify to what extent the financial crisis and technological advancements are to blame, he insists, broadly speaking, that we're primarily seeing fallout from the economic slowdown -- a stay of execution, of sorts, for those of us rooting for energy conservation.
AT&T becomes the first telco to use energy-efficient Bloom Box servers, will power 11 sites in California
Remember Bloom Energy servers, those low-cost, energy-efficient fuel cells born out of a scrapped NASA project? The company made a splashy debut last year, starting with a spot on 60 Minutes and a long list of early-adopting corporate heavyweights like FedEx, Walmart, Google, Coca-Cola, Staples, and eBay. Since then, we haven't heard much from the company, but today she's back -- AT&T says it will be the first telco to use these refrigerator-sized servers to power its operations. For now, the company's planning on using the technology to run 11 sites in California, a move AT&T says will cut its carbon dioxide emissions in half and virtually eliminate SOx, NOx, and other smog-forming particles. All told, its servers should produce 62 million kWh of power annually -- once all of these servers are fully up and running sometime in the middle of next year, that is. We say good on AT&T, though we'll really be stoked when these things start lighting up more average Joe homes.
Google's search for future profit targets the Sun, not just the cloud
These humble-looking contraptions were revealed in a Google patent application for a "heliostat control system" that automatically adjusts solar thermal mirrors to their optimal energy-harvesting angle. A camera and computer are housed in the central tower that receives heat from the mirrors, and together they detect when a heliostat is misaligned and then correct it using actuators. Sound like a strange distraction for an Internet company? Google thinks not. It's already invested $168 million in the world's largest solar tower in the Mojave Desert as part of its effort to both reduce its own massive electricity bill and diversify its business. It's also currently hiring three new technical staff to make this happen. Interested?
Mizzou Professor says nantenna solar sheet soaks up 90 percent of the sun's rays, puts sunscreen to shame
Photovoltaics suffer from gross inefficiency, despite incremental improvements in their power producing capabilities. According to research by a team led by a University of Missouri professor, however, newly developed nantenna-equipped solar sheets can reap more than 90 percent of the sun's bounty -- which is more than double the efficiency of existing solar technologies. Apparently, some "special high-speed electrical circuitry" is the secret sauce behind the solar breakthrough. Of course, the flexible film is currently a flight of fancy and won't be generating juice for the public anytime soon. The professor and his pals still need capital for commercialization, but they believe a product will be ready within five years. Take your time, guys, it's not like global warming's getting worse. [Image source: Idaho National Laboratory (PDF)]
Nanocones make solar cells more efficient, sinister looking
Going green is de rigeur, so the sun is becoming a much-preferred source of power. However, solar cells' inefficient harvesting of heliacal energies is a major reason they haven't usurped the power of petroleum. Good thing the big brains at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are looking to change that with nanocone-based solar technology. The teeny-tiny cones are made of zinc oxide and create "an intrinsic electric field distribution" to improve electrical charge transport within solar cells. We aren't sure what that means, but we do know the prickly-looking design provides a 3.2 percent light-to-power conversion efficiency that's a substantial improvement over the meager 1.8 percent offered by today's flat photovoltaics made of similar materials. That's 80 percent more efficient, and 100 percent more awesome.
MIT's genetically modified viruses boost solar-cell efficiency by herding nanotubes
The wizards of MIT have done it again. Having checked artificial leaves and Operabots off the to-do list, they've moved on to improving the efficiency of solar cells. Their technique combines a genetically modified version of the M13 virus with carbon nanotubes, which have already been shown to increase efficiency. Unfortunately, some nanotubes enhance solar cell performance, while others inhibit it – and both types tend to clump together, negating their benefits. The modified M13 virus, however, can separate the two types as well as prevent clumping; we've seen similar use of the Tobacco mosaic virus to build better electrodes. Adding virus-built structures to dye-sensitized solar cells increased power conversion efficiency by almost one-third and, with only one additional step in the manufacturing process required, the new approach could be rapidly taken up by existing production facilities. MIT: proving once again that viruses are good for more than just smiting your enemies.
Newly discovered properties of light promise better solar batteries, really great tans
Are you tired of waking up to the same old semiconductor-based solar array? Do you yearn for a change? We know you do and, thanks again to the wonder and mystery of magnetic fields (they're not just for stopping speech anymore), there's a new day dawning. University of Michigan scientists were shooting lasers at glass, as they do, and made a remarkable discovery: light passing through a non-conductive surface like glass generates impressive magnetic effects – up to 100 million times greater than expected. The resulting magnetic force could replace the electric effect exploited by current technology, paving the way for "optical batteries." Though different from the Wysips transparent photovoltaic cell, the technology could have similar applications and may render obsolete those massive solar farms. No need to worry, though -- your stylish solar backpack is as fly as it ever was.
