Green PC Blooms at NEC
NEC is taking an ecological view of computing.
The companys U.S. subsidiary, NEC Solutions America, last week rolled out what it said is an environmentally friendly PC called the PowerMate Eco.
The desktop, an all-in-one, flat-panel system, has a motherboard made with a lead-free solder—to reduce contamination at landfills—and a chassis that is made with 100 percent recyclable plastic. The NuCycle plastic chassis is flame-resistant, eliminating the need to apply a flame-retardant coating, which can produce toxic gases, executives said.
The PowerMate Eco uses Transmetas 900MHz Crusoe processor, a relatively cool- running chip that doesnt require a fan for cooling. That not only reduces the risk that dispersing dust could aggravate respiratory problems in workers, but it also reduces noise.
Report: Feds Lost 400 Laptops
Somewhere out there are at least several hundred laptops that at one time were in the possession of the federal governments top law enforcement agencies.
According to the Justice Departments inspector general, the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration, among others, have at least 400 laptops that are lost, stolen or missing.
In a 43-page report issued last week, the inspector general said that thanks to poor accountability among the agencies, it is difficult to determine how many of those laptops contained sensitive material.
The laptops were reported missing between October 1999 and last January.
AOL Names Miller CEO
The America Online division of AOL Time Warner, which has been struggling with declining advertising revenue, has a new boss.
Jonathan Miller, former president and CEO of USA Interactives USA Information and Services, was named last week to replace Barry Schuler as CEO of AOL. Schuler resigned in April.
AOL, which has seen its subscription rate slow, has undergone other executive changes. Bob Pittman, who filled in after Schuler stepped down, last month resigned as chief operating officer of AOL Time Warner after getting full control of the position in May. Previously, he served as co-COO.