Eco

CES 2010: What new gadgets will be announced?

The countdown to CES 2010, the biggest electronics trade show on the planet, has begun, but what can we expect from the show, and what should we start to get excited about? Here are six areas that are going to dominate the news come January.

Don't forget, Pocket-lint...

Daily Tech Deal: Orange launches Recycle & Reward

It's always nice to report on a company striving for eco credibility, that green label being all so important for companies who at least need to be seen to be doing something, even if the impact of their actions is limited.

In this case Orange are starting their...

Toshiba offers laptop "Trade-In" scheme

Toshiba has announced the launch of a new "Trade-In" programme describing it as "an initiative designed to help consumers offset the cost of buying a new laptop whilst ensuring that their old laptop is disposed of in an environmentally sustainable way".

When...

Amazon launches "Frustration-Free Packaging" in the UK

Amazon has announced the introduction of its "Frustration-Free Packaging" scheme in the UK with a letter from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos blazoned across the UK homepage.

Launched in the States back in 2008, the scheme hopes to end what Amazon calls "wrap rage",...

VIDEO: Ties made from tape cassettes still play audio

Alyce Santoro and Julio Cesar offer men's ties made from recycled cassette tapes. Rather than just offering retro - and eco - appeal, the ties have a very unusual feature.

Made from 50% tape cassette tape and 50% polyester thread, it seems the tape retains some...

Google PowerMeter to debut in the UK from first:utility

Google's PowerMeter product is to debut in the UK from first:utility, a small, independent electricity and gas supplier, based in Warwick.

Google PowerMeter is a software tool that allows users to see a near-real-time display of their energy usage through their...

i.Tech Dynamic SolarVoice 908 solar-powered Bluetooth headset launches

Apparently launching as the first solar-powered Bluetooth headset to feature noise reduction, i.Tech Dynamic has introed the SolarVoice 908 Bluetooth headset.

The eco-friendly SolarVoice 908 offers background noise reduction with digital signal processing software...

O2 offers online mobile phone recycling

O2 has announced the launch of O2 Recycle, an online service that claims to make it easy for people to recycle old handsets in return for cash.

Run by Redeem, the service can be used by anyone in the UK, regardless of network, and as well as phones will accept...

Lenovo launches five green ThinkVision monitors

Lenovo has unveiled five new "green" ThinkVision monitors, the ThinkVision L1711p, L1951p Wide, L2250p Wide, L2251p Wide and L2251x Wide.

The new line-up includes Lenovo's flagship monitor, the ThinkVision L2251x Wide, said to be the company's most "environmentally-responsible"...

Smug Mug adds RFID chip to coffee cup

In the States a college inventor has created an RFID-enabled coffee cup, allowing for wave-and-pay transactions in coffee houses without getting your wallet out.

While here in the UK NFC phones and RFID card systems have and are being trialled by both the...

Exspect offers hemp cases for PSP Go

Exspect has launched a range of new accessories for the Sony PSP Go that includes the usual cases and screen protectors you'd expect from such a company.

What you might not expect (no pun intended) are cases made from good, old fashioned hippy fave hemp.

Gocycle BlackR electric bike demoed

Gocycle has shown off a 12.9kg version of its electric bike at the London Cycle Show.

Dubbed the BlackR, it shares most of its construction with the regular Gocycle launched earlier in the year, but with a careful selection of components, Karbon Kinetics have...

VIDEO: O2 intros green Sony Ericsson Naite

O2 has announced it is to offer the Sony Ericsson Naite - the first of the manufacturer's "GreenHeart" range.

With its overall carbon footprint said to be reduced by 15%, the Naite is made from recycled and recyclable plastics, comes with a low power consumption...

T-Mobile offers free Recycle Guide mobile app

T-Mobile has launched a new mobile application, the Recycle Guide, which it says "takes the confusion out of what you can recycle and where, both at home and on the go within the UK".

The app offers users info on exactly where the nearest recycling points...

VIDEO: Google Earth simulates climate change

Google has put together a set of maps for its Google Earth application that model and simulate the effects of climate change on the planet. In a introductory video, narrated by Al Gore, the company has outlined how the planet could change as a result of human emissions.

Be.ez LE vertigo bags available in new colours

Be.ez has announced two new additions to the LE vertigo notebook bag collection in "lime art" and "black/pumpkin".

Available in 13-inch and 15-inch sizes, the LE vertigo bags position laptops in a vertical orientation, instead of the horizontal of most other...

Apple launches "environment" section on site

Apple, keen to push its eco credentials after criticism from the likes of Greenpeace in the past, has launched a shiny new section on its site covering all things "environment".

Areas covered include energy efficiency, the recycle-abilty of products and Apple's...

Volvo to make plug-in electric cars

Volvo is the latest car manufacturer to announce it is to make an electric car. The Swedish car co says from 2012, customers will be able to buy Volvo plug-in electrical hybrids.

These hybrids will be cars that can be recharged through a regular household electric...

AUO 32-inch TV gets world's first Carbon Footprint Verification

A Taiwanese company, AU Optronics Corp, or AUO, has announced one of its 32-inchers has become the world's first LCD TV set to get "Carbon Footprint Verification".

Claiming the move will "establish the benchmark on the carbon footprint management for consumer...

Recompute develops sustainable computer

A company called Recompute has developed what it's calling "a sustainable desktop computer", made out of cardboard. It's the result of research into "lifecycle amortization for product sustainability" which looks at how products are manufactured, used, and disposed of from...

Oregon Scientific launches solar-powered ECO range

Oregon Scientific has announced the launch of a new "+ ECO" range that includes a device to help monitor the temperature inside your home, with the aim of getting a better grip on your central heating, potentially saving money - and you know it's coming - the planet.

Vers intros hand-crafted wood cases for iPods and iPhone

Vers has announced a new line of hand-crafted wood cases for the iPod and iPhone.

Offering the "natural beauty and strength" of walnut, cherry and bamboo, the audio company is angling the cases as the most environmentally "thoughtful" available on the market.

BenQ V2400 Eco and V2200 Eco LED monitors announced

BenQ has announced the launch of the V2400 Eco and V2200 Eco LED widescreen monitors.

The V2400 Eco is a 24-inch Full HD 1080p LED widescreen, while the V2200 Eco is said to be the world's first 21.5-inch Full HD 1080p LED widescreen display.

Apparently...

Samsung XL2370 23-inch monitor announced

Samsung has announced the launch of the the new XL2370 monitor, describing it as "groundbreaking", with the boast of being Samsung's highest performance display which incorporates "LED BLU" backlight technology.

With a 1920 x 1080 Full HD resolution and a 2ms...

Hoshino launches biodegradable USB drive

Prowling around the quieter corners of the floor of the IFA tradeshow, we discovered a company from Shenzhen in China called Hoshino that's selling what it claims is the world's first biodegradable USB flash drive.

We were told by the company that once you've...