iGo Will Showcase Eco-Friendly Products Using iGo Green Technology at CES - Friendly Computers

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. --(Business Wire)-- Dec 22, 2009 iGo, Inc. (Nasdaq: IGOI), a leading provider of portable power and green power management solutions, and creator of the patented iGo® tip technology, will showcase its innovative power management products and universal chargers for laptop computers and mobile devices - Friendly Computers

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(e.g., mobile phones, Bluetooth® headsets, smartphones/PDAs, GPS devices, MP3 players, digital cameras, etc.) at the 2010 International CES. The company will exhibit eco-friendly power products featuring iGo’s proprietary and patent-pending iGo Green™ Technology, which use up to 85 percent less standby power than standard chargers and power strips.

“Now is the time for eco-friendly products that allow consumers to control their energy consumption,” said Wally Thornton, V.P. of Product Management and Supply Chain for iGo. “iGo’s chargers and power products have the ability to power the hottest new electronic devices at CES using less standby power and fewer chargers, saving consumers both energy and money while reducing landfill e-waste.”

The smart, eco-friendly iGo Green Technology products automatically detect when a device is not in use and shut off power drawn from the wall, eliminating wasted energy that is drawn by from devices and chargers. When the iGo Green power managers detect that the attached device or charger needs power again, they turn back on. And for devices that need continuous power, such as clocks or digital video recorders, iGo’s power management products also feature “always on” outlets, so the iGo Green charger or surge protector powers devices the specific way each consumer wants them too.

iGo products that will be featured at CES include:

Power Smart Tower with iGo Green Technology: This tower-style surge protector features four outlets with iGo Green Technology that reduce energy consumption, four “always on” outlets for devices requiring continuous power and two USB ports to conveniently charge mobile devices.
Power Smart Wall with iGo Green Technology: A wall-mounted surge protector that has two outlets with iGo Green Technology and two “always on” outlets for devices requiring continuous power.
Laptop Anywhere Charger with iGo Green Technology: This power saving charger powers laptops and mobile devices at the same time from the wall, car or airplane.
Charge Anywhere: A travel-friendly wall charger – compatible with almost every mobile and gaming electronic device on the market – that has an internal battery, allowing devices to be charged in any location, with or without an outlet. Using this one iGo charger with iGo power tips or USB charging cables instead of multiple chargers, saves money and produces less waste.

Source: http://www.virtualpressoffice.com/publicsiteContentFileAccess?fileContentId=224256&fromOtherPageToDisableHistory=Y&menuName=News&sId=53&sInfo=Y

Consumer Electronics Show Going Green In 2010 - Friendly Computers

Environmentalists, take heart. World leaders may have let you down at the recent Copenhagen Climate Change Conference, but dozens of eco-friendly companies are on their way to Las Vegas to show off the latest advances in green technology. - Friendly Computers

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A massive exhibition of green tech products will be on display at next week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, showing people how to lead sustainable lives in a connected world.

CES's Sustainable Planet will feature more than 30 exhibitors focused on product advancements in green building, sustainable packaging, automotive, wireless and alternative energy technologies across 5,500 net square feet of exhibit space.


Signaling a growing market for technologies and services that benefit the environment, Sustainable Planet will increase by more than 40 percent in size over the 2009 International CES.

Also featured as part of the Sustainable Planet at the 2010 CES will be the Greener Gadgets Display, which will highlight pioneering technologies from Consumer Electronics Association's annual Greener Gadgets Design Competition. Sustainable Planet exhibitors also will demonstrate products at regular intervals on the showcase's stage.

"Green technology is a huge business opportunity in 2010, and green tech companies know the International CES is the largest global platform for launching their innovative new products," said Karen Chupka, senior vice president, events and conferences, CEA.

"Due to growing customer demand across the green spectrum, we've nearly doubled the space for the Sustainable Planet at the 2010 CES. This exciting exhibit area will showcase cutting edge technologies that will change the world - benefiting the environment, renewing resources and bringing new forms of sustainable energy to developing areas around the globe."

Companies exhibiting in the Sustainable Planet at the 2010 International CES include American Express OPEN, Bits Ltd., Electronics Recycling Coordination Clearinghouse, Embertec Power Savings Technologies, Goal 0, Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies, Meadwestvaco, Miniwiz, PowerGenix, Sean Energy Inc. and Solio.

More than 100,000 attendees are expected at the Las Vegas Convention Center for CES, according to the CEA. Attendance will be down from its peak in 2008, but will likely surpass the thin crowds witnessed last year during the worst of the global economic meltdown.

Show organizers say they taking many steps to reduce the carbon footprint of the world's biggest consumer electronics extravaganza through recycling 51 percent of the total solid waste generated by show attendees.

CEA has cut its print production for CES by nearly 50 percent in the last five years and has invested more than $100,000 to develop a recycling program in the Las Vegas area working with Clark County Schools, the fifth largest school district in the country.

CEA has also donated $50,000 to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Convention Center Area Command, to purchase T-3 Motion electric vehicles and accessories.

Source: http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/TOP%20STORY/2752180/

Eco Gadgets: Design Hara’s green computer features non-toxic materials - Friendly Computers

You're on your computer right now (or maybe your phone); either way, reading TreeHugger is using hard-won electricity, and your device of choice will someday (probably soon) be scrapped or traded in for a better one. - Friendly Computers
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And who could blame you?
But as computers become more and more our BFFs (singularity, anyone?), we need greener ones: less toxic, more efficient, and easier to upgrade and recycle. Hailing from Korea, this interesting specimen is custom and hand-built, made by a company called Design Hara. It also looks like a Danish-modern space heater, if there are such things (which in my book is a good thing).
Details are a bit sparse--at least for the non-Korean speaker--but here is the basic profile: the Design Hara computer is "built with recyclable green materials," and constructed with an eye for end-of-life disassembly. Inside is an Intel Core2Duo processor (a cooler running chip), the 4 gig RAM can be upgraded to 8, and the terabyte memory is solid state, a significantly more efficient technology. I'm no electrical engineer, but the Design Hara's claim of 60 watt-hours average power consumption seems quite good next to comparable desktops (though we don't know if this includes the monitor, and how the average consumption is being evaluated).
The pretty wooden paneling on the sides are your choice of Canadian rosewood or Italian cypress, both treated with non-toxic finishes. The Design Hara computer is certainly a boutique unit "for those who are tired of bulk products," and likely priced accordingly. But if nothing else, it's nice to see an eye-pleasing experiment in smart, low-energy computer design.

Source: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/12/design-hara-green-desktop-computer.php

Hot Jobs In Green Technology - Up And Coming 5 Careers In Green Energy - Friendly Computers

It looks like green technology is going to be with us for awhile as the world looks for alternative fuel sources that are cleaner plus more efficient. In time of recession it may be a smart time to look for jobs that have growth potential and you’ll locate jobs in renewable energy plus recycling can be just the ticket. Here are a few of jobs to search for in green technology that could give a stable income source in addition to phenomenal growth in the future. - Friendly Computers

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Environmental Engineers
Engineers solve problems. Environmental engineers can be highly sought after for problem solving as our world pushes for better ways and methods for waste and sewage disposal. Aside from the huge amount of labor coming available in the area of disposal projects offering alternative challenges like keeping balance during the atmosphere when areas with resources are consumed plus how to interchange the environmental factors that those resources gave us.

Environmental Scientists and Specialists
Brilliant scientists with a mind for green are needed to research better paths of change that can impact the atmosphere positively. Look for Green Science to become a hot career as demand rises quickly to fulfill the needs. This will be a high paying job offering growth, stability, plus a ton of fun for scientists plus analysis technicians.

Construction Managers
The new breed of green technology construction manager is tasked with the responsibility of producing a much more energy efficient building. Not only being more energy efficient but finding paths to enter into new construction using recyclable materials. By taking things like tires out of the landfills and creating buildings a reversal of pollution can occur while at the same time using less of our limited natural resources.

By taking core skills and adding a specialization into Green Technology you can increase your value on the job marketplace and ensure a place for growth. The only real job security in the marketplace is by keeping ahead of your peers through personal skills development. Don’t get caught without data in green energy technology. There is a huge array of resources to get started learning today.

Industrial Engineers
A major responsibility of the industrial engineer is to make things run more efficiently which is a enormous component of what green technology is all about. A really good industrial engineer can concentrate on creating a better solution and overall method specifically with green in mind. They’ll create things that use less resources and waste less possibly bringing Green Energy Technology and recyclable technology into the picture.

Source: http://www.classesandjobs.com/hot-jobs-in-green-technology-up-and-coming-5-careers-in-green-energy/

First Solar opens utility-scale power plant - Friendly Computers

Solar module maker First Solar on Monday opened the largest photovoltaic solar power station in California, which the company plans to replicate in order to expand its utility business. - Friendly Computers
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The plant in Blythe, Calif., which First Solar purchased from energy developer NRG, will have the capacity to generate 21 megawatts of electricity, or enough to power about 17,000 homes. It will supply electricity to Southern California Edison under a 20-year purchase power agreement.

It's one of a number of projects that First Solar is pursuing as it seeks to expand in the utility-scale solar business. A deal to build a 48-megawatt plant in California to supply Pacific Gas & Electric was approved last week. "The development, project finance and construction of this solar plant demonstrate First Solar's capabilities in utility scale projects," Bruce Sohn, president of First Solar, said in a statement.

First Solar's panels, which use thin film solar cells made from cadmium telluride, are considered the lowest cost solar panel in the industry. The company's relatively low cost and the technology's track record make it attractive to utilities that need to meet the California renewable energy mandate.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10419537-54.html

California solar outfit Solyndra files to go public - Friendly Computers

In a sign of optimism about the stock market's reception to clean energy start-ups, California solar company Solyndra on Friday filed documents to go public. - Friendly Computers
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The Fremont, Calif.-based company said it plans to raise $300 million in a public stock offering to expand into a market it projects to grow at 34 percent annually.

Four-year-old Solyndra makes a very specialized solar module designed for flat commercial rooftops. The system, which looks like long rows of black tubes, uses flexible thin-film solar cells shaped as a half cylinder to generate electricity from sunlight. The shape increases the amount of captured light while providing cooling from the air.


Solyndra's rooftop solar arrays are made up of hundreds of tube-shaped solar cells.

(Credit: Solyndra) The company received a $535 million loan from the Department of Energy's loan guarantee program earlier this year, which it used to open a manufacturing facility in California. That loan, authorized in the 2007 Energy Act, was the first that the incoming DOE had given after a four-year backlog of applications.

Solyndra said it intends to use the proceeds from a public stock offering to finance the expansion of its second fabrication unit. It has also applied for a second loan guarantee for $469 million from the DOE in September, it said.

Billions of venture capital money has been put into green technology companies, but there have been few successful stock market offerings that have rewarded early investors and fueled further growth.

Earlier this year, Watertown, Mass.-based battery company A123 Systems went public and its stock has largely maintained its initial rise. That successful offering was seen as a sign that investors are interested in the potential for energy technology companies despite the economic downturn.

In its S-1 documents, Solyndra indicated that it had revenue of over $174 million and a net loss of nearly $120 million for the nine months of 2009. In the past several weeks, Solyndra announced distribution agreements with companies outside the U.S.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10418810-54.html?tag=mncol;title

A revolutionary invention hits the streets - Friendly Computers

Yesterday saw the unveiling of a hot new concept in green technology, the Copenhagen wheel. Not the London eye-alike in the town centre, but a simple, sleek bolt-on wheel that instantly transforms your bike into an electrically boosted commuting tool. - Friendly Computers

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The new design from Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Senseable City Lab extends the concept of hybrid cars to hybrid bikes, and works by charging a battery as you brake, then releasing the power when you need it. Where this design is unique however, is in its clean packaging that is free of external clutter such as wires, allowing it to fit easily and simply into the user’s life with no more visual impact than a giant Smartie.

As Assaf Biderman, Associate Director of the Senseable City Lab says:

“Bicycles are very efficient machines. Rather than reinventing them, we’re introducing a simple technological enhancement that allows any bike to become a smart and responsive hybrid”

The wheel has been developed for Copenhagen City Council, with the express aim of bringing the proportion of people who cycle to work or school up to 50 percent, and may just tip the balance in favour of the bike when it comes to choosing which keys to take in the morning.

“When long distance and steep hills are no longer barriers to comfortable cycling, many cities can become more bicycle-friendly.” Says Assaf Biderman.

As you might expect from the world-leading MIT, the wheel is packed with features that have the potential to alter the way we think about cycling. Aside from the mechanical advantages and range extension, the bright red hub interfaces with the ubiquitous Smartphone, and this is where the clever part begins.

By combining Bluetooth, GPS and Mobile Internet technologies, it syncs with your phone, which becomes the control screen by mounting on your handlebars and wirelessly controlling the unit. Then you have fingertip control of the three-speed gearbox, energy consumption characteristics, and security.

As the wheel is keyed to your phone, unauthorised use results in the bike alerting you by SMS, and resisting the thief’s pedalling by, yes, generating power

The mobile technology extends to tracking friends’ movements, and planning routes to suit your requirements, from an easy cruise to an intense session, while displaying your performance statistics. On board sensors track temperature and pollution levels, humidity and noise, and allow you to share information.

“The Copenhagen Wheel is part of a more general trend of inserting intelligence into our everyday objects to create a smart, supporting infrastructure around ourselves.” Says Assaf Biderman.

According to the Copenhagen Wheel website:

“When many cyclists donate the information their wheel is collecting, your city gains access to a new scale of fine-grained environmental information and can analyze different types of environmental data on a scale that has never been achieved before.”

Meanwhile, the mobile application can map pollution levels, traffic congestion, and road conditions in real-time. Ultimately this data can influence how a city structures and implements environmental and transportation policies.

In conjunction with the project, the Copenhagen City Council is considering introducing a ‘green mile’ reward point scheme as a further incentive to cycle. This could allow cities to measure, and even compete on the total green miles travelled.

One possible downside to the Copenhagen Wheel is the need for a Smartphone, and as it is potentially an ideal assistant to elderly people, this could be a sticking point. However an alternative unit is reportedly in development.

Source: http://cop15post.com/2009/12/16/news/a-revolutionary-invention-hits-the-streets/

Apple's Mac mini tops chart of 'green' computers - Friendly Computers

The sust-it website, which provides rankings of energy usage and annual energy cost for thousands of appliances, home entertainment devices, and computers, has announced that Apple's Mac mini fills the top four spots for the most efficient desktop computer in their latest listing. - Friendly Computers
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The 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Mac mini is at the top of the chart, sipping just .94W when turned off (power still goes to circuits monitoring the power status of the computer), 1.71W when in sleep mode, and just 12.6W when turned on but in an idle mode. sust-it calculated the energy cost per year for the mini (without a monitor, of course) as US$5.51 when calculated with the average US electrical rate. It's interesting to note that this model is no longer produced by Apple, and that the new 2.26 GHz mini is even more energy efficient. Apple's own environmental report for the mini shows that the revised model uses only .80W when turned off, 1.39W in sleep mode, but 13.4W while in idle mode.

Not surprisingly, other Apple models were near the top of the charts in both the laptop and all-in-one computer categories. The 1.86 GHz MacBook Air was barely edged out of first place in the laptop category by the HP Pavilion DM3. Although the two laptops had identical annual energy costs (US$2.39), the HP model had lower sleep and off power consumption than the MBA.

In the all-in-one category, the top iMac came in 6th behind eMachines, Acer, Asus, and MSI all-in-ones. Although the sust-it site is citing an iMac model that is no longer produced, even the new iMacs would be a bit behind the list-leading eMachines EZ1601.

If the power consumption and CO2 footprint of your computer is of concern to you, the sust-it site is a good place to make comparisons. Be aware, however, that due to the fast-paced changes in the computing world, the lists may be inaccurate at any particular point in time. In addition, it doesn't appear that sust-it looks at the total lifecycle energy consumption of the computers, something that Apple provides in their environmental reports for each model. When energy consumption and CO2 production are factored from raw materials at the beginning of production to recycling of an obsolete machine, Macs may very well lead the pack in all categories.

Source: http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/27/apples-mac-mini-tops-chart-of-green-computers/

Tech coalition: You need real-time energy data - Friendly Computers

At the Cop15 climate negotiations in Copenhagen on Tuesday, a group of advocacy groups and high-tech companies including Google and Intel urged governments to ensure consumers get real-time information on energy use. Friendly Computers
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Giving consumers regular data on consumption will help them take steps to be more energy-efficient and will be an effective way to cut greenhouse gas emissions, according to the coalition.

Home energy displays show you the juice
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Studies have shown (click for PDF) that access to detailed information, rather than only getting a monthly bill, can reduce energy use by 15 percent in a home.

When aggregated at large scale, these savings would be significant. If all households in the developed countries achieved a 15 percent energy savings by 2020, it would be the equivalent of taking 200 million cars of the road in the European Union and shutting down 124 coal power plants, according to the coalition.

"By empowering citizens with information and tools for managing energy, governments and businesses around the world can harness the power of hundreds of millions of people to fight climate change--and save consumers hundreds of billions of dollars in the process," the group statement said.

The call to action was signed by Google, General Electric, Intel, Dow, Whirlpool, venture capital company Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers along with a number of non-governmental organizations, including the National Resource Defense Council, The Climate Group, the Alliance to Save Energy, The Energy Future, and the Center for American Progress.

There are already a handful of home energy monitoring displays available. But millions more will be installed in the coming years as part of utility-run smart-grid programs, although not all home energy displays need a smart meter to function. More sophisticated products will provide information on a small display, the Web, or a TV, and give consumers recommendations on how to program appliances and lighting for efficiency.

Although real-time energy information is helpful, time-of-use electricity prices are also needed to give consumers financial incentive to use energy-hungry appliances, such as dishwashers, at off-peak times.

The coalition at Copenhagen said that national governments should ensure consumer have access to real-time or near real-time energy use data; pricing; and the carbon intensity of electricity sources.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10415549-54.html?tag=mncol;title

Load up your open-source Google phone with powerful apps without spending a cent.

Friendly Computers would like to share with you the top ten easy to use free applications for Google smart phones.
Android is breaking out. With the coming of the Motorola Droid, HTC Droid Eris, Samsung Behold II, and Samsung Moment, Android has become the most-buzzed-about smartphone platform for everyone who doesn't have AT&T. And developers have been feeding the buzz, with Android Market holding about 12,000 apps when we wrote this - second in on-device app stores only to the iPhone.
As a quasi-open-source platform, Android has gotten a lot of attention from small developers, so you'll find a lot of interesting little free apps in the Android Market. What's missing, primarily, are flashy, big-name apps from big-name developers, who generally wait until they're sure a platform is going to take off to commit to it. With the success of the Droid, we think more professional-quality apps will be coming soon.
But all is not app-tastic in Android app world. There are now three different versions of Android floating around - 1.5, 1.6 and 2.0 - and not all apps run on every version of the OS. Most Android phones have only about 256 MB of storage for apps, which seems to be be preventing some professional developers from putting out high-end games for Android phones.


1. Advanced Task Killer Free 1.5.1
ReChild; (no Web site)
It's surprisingly difficult to close an Android app, and after spending a few hours with your Android phone you might find it feels a bit sluggish because so many apps are running quietly in the background. So a task-killing app like this is a must; two clicks, and you've released megabytes of memory and freed up oodles of processor power. A $5 pay version adds a one-click widget and an "auto kill" function, but I find the free version perfectly good enough. ATK has a more user-friendly interface than competitor TasKiller, and it focuses on killing lagging apps rather than essential Android services.

2. AP Mobile 2.0.0
The Associated Press; www.ap.org
The AP makes great mobile news apps, and their Android app works just like all the others. You get a steady stream of constantly-updated news in every category you can think of, including local news from your city or state. You can customize your home page with categories you like, or view AP news videos. Better than the single-source newspaper apps, AP Mobile lets you choose what you want to know, and tells you what you need to know.

3. Astrid 2.10.0
We Love Astrid; www.weloveastrid.com
The best to-do list app for Android, Astrid starts out super-simple with a plain list of tasks. But there's a lot of power hidden under the surface. You can tag tasks, set priorities, and assign dates and several levels of reminders. A stopwatch-style timer lets you keep track of how long you spend on each task. Astrid also syncs with RememberTheMilk.com, an online to-do list app that can bring your tasks to Google Calendar, Gmail, Twitter or your desktop.

4. Astro File Manager 2.1.0
Metago; (no Web site)
After installing a few dozen Android apps, you might find yourself running out of space. Enter Astro, probably the best all-purpose free utility for Android phones. Astro lets you back up your apps to an SD card - you can't run them from there, but you can swap apps around that you're not using. It lets you browse your phone's file system, examining and moving files. And it gives you a very detailed peek into which apps and processes are running, including listing how much memory and CPU power each process is using. Astro is a lot more complicated than a simple task-killer like ATK, but it's also far more powerful. Install both.

5. Cestos 1.2.91
ChickenBrick Studios; (no Web site)
You know what mobile games need? More real people. Cestos is a free, online, multiplayer game that's ridiculously easy. It's basically a game of marbles; aim your marbles around the board (which is pocked with obstacles, pits and bombs), shoot them, and see whose marbles fall into the pits first. But with multiple boards, a scoring system, avatars, a chat room, and various virtual prizes awarded, it quickly becomes a fun, ego-driven experience. Each game only lasts a few minutes, so it's perfect for light users; we're not talking World of Warcraft here.

6. Google Sky Map 1.2.1
Google; www.google.com/sky/skymap.html
Google Sky Map for Android can help you put a name to the stars, planets, and constellations above you. The app syncs with your phone's GPS locator to pinpoint your location and provide you with a map of the sky wherever you are. Point your Android phone up and Sky Map displays the location and name of the brightest celestial objects in that part of the sky. Getting your phone and the sky aligned can be a bit tricky, but overall this is a fun and educational app.

7. Google Voice 0.2.6
Google; www.google.com/voice
Google Voice for Android is the best way to use Google Voice on a cell phone. The app lets you make outgoing calls and SMS messages from your virtual Google Voice number, including inexpensive international calls (which begin at just two cents per minute). Google Voice for Android integrates seamlessly with the phone's built-in address book and call log for voice calls. There are other third-party apps that hook into Google Voice available for Android phones, such as the $9.99 GVDialer, which hit the market earlier this year. But Google's own native app works well and offers a near-seamless experience with the company's Web-based voice service.

8. Listen 1.0.3.1
Google; listen.googlelabs.com
Every smartphone, in my mind, needs a good podcast client, and Google's Listen is a good podcast client. Listen uses Google's search technology to help you find podcasts using terms you like, and you can subscribe to individual podcasts or even to search terms - picking up every podcast from now until eternity about Android smartphones, for instance. Listen downloads and stores podcasts, so you can play them even when you're not connected to a network. This Google Labs product is still a bit buggy, but it's a great way to get radio-style content onto your Android phone.

9. Meebo IM 21
meebo; www.meebo.com
There are two good, free, multi-platform IM programs for Android. Meebo is slightly more complete than eBuddy. Along with the usual AIM, MSN, Yahoo! Google and ICQ IM networks, Meebo also supports Facebook and MySpace IM, which is pretty neat. Social networking contacts come with photos and status messages, and you can keep multiple conversations going at once. eBuddy's interface is slicker, but you don't get to see those social networking status messages and it forces you to sign up for a special eBuddy account.

10. MySpace Mobile 1.6.2
MySpace; www.myspace.com
The free Android MySpace client gives you all the basic MySpace features, though it's unfortunately lacking both media streaming and all of those weird plug-ins that people tend to put on their pages. You can view or add your own or your friends' comments, blogs and photos, add new friends and most importantly send e-mail. (For MySpace IM, check out Meebo above.) You can always access full-on crazy MySpace pages using your Android phone's browser; this app is for quickly checking out and messaging your friends.



Source: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2356306,00.asp