Smartphones, PCs Go Green for Earth Day 2010

by Nicholas Kolakowski

Lenovo claims that its ThinkCentre M90p, with its combination of Energy Star compliance, ThinkVantage Power Manager feature and 42 percent post-consumer materials, is a particularly eco-friendly desktop.

Hewlett-Packards All-In-One PCs are energy-efficient and composed of 90 percent recyclable materials.

A solar-paneled phone charger. A variety of manufacturers are working on phone chargers that either comply with energy-efficient standards, or attempt to harness a renewable resource like solar power.

The Samsung Reclaim is made from 80 percent recyclable materials, and a portion of the proceeds goes to The Nature Conservancys Adopt an Acre program. It includes a sliding QWERTY keyboard, Sprint Navigation with Search, and expandable memory storage up to 32GB.

The Samsung Reclaims outer casing is crafted from 40 percent “bio-plastic material” made from corn. It also features a 2-megapixel camera with 3x digital zoom and camcorder.

The LG Remarq includes a full sliding QWERTY keyboard, 1.3-megapixel camera and MP3 player with microSD card slot. The outer casing is 19 percent post-consumer recycled plastic and the handset is 87 percent recyclable.

Powerhouse Dynamics offers a system for monitoring a houses energy consumption via a PC dashboard and an “eMonitor” device, including individual appliances such as refrigerators and dishwashers. It sends alerts if those appliances require maintenance.

Toshibas Satellite M505 laptops utilize the companys eco utility, which monitors power usage over time, and can engage in power-saving mode.

Sony has taken steps to make its laptops more eco-friendly, such as its Vaio W Series which feature a reprocessed plastic frame.

The HP Pavilion All-in-One 200-5020 PC and HP Compaq 6005 Pro Series have been built with energy efficiency in mind.