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Sharp is harnessing the power of the sun to create an energy-efficient and environment-friendly LCD TV. In the forthcoming G8 Summit, the Japanese TV manufacturer will show off a prototype of its 26-inch LCD TV using solar panel as its main source of energy.

Sharp claims this new technology reduces annual energy consumption by about 75% compared to the existing 26-inch LCD TVs available in the market today. Moreover, the new triple-junction thin-film solar module technology is free of toxic materials. Not to mention that using solar panel reduces fossil fuel consumption.

While the company’s main objective is to provide TV to approximately 6 billion people on earth with scarce or no electricity, this prototype is also relevant to all of us in the face of mounting increase in gas prices and our fondness for supporting “green” products.

No word yet on the availability or pricing of this solar-powered LCD TV. I’m hoping this socially responsible product will be affordable to the developing countries considering its objective.

Via [CrunchGear]

Plants are more versatile than we give them credit for, you can make clothes with them, build with them, use them as ornaments and if your really radical you can eat them. However up until know you would have even thought of making phones with them, and its all thanks to Samsung who have unveiled their new “initiative to be more nature friendly” which means they will making some of their new handsets (the W510 is the first) out of corn.

Admittedly it is not just corn as that would be incredibly impractical, rather it is a corn based plastic that makes the casing. This technology is not new, it has been used in things like plastic bags on-and-off since the mid 1990s, but it is not till now that it has been used in such a high profile and relatively high cost product. This is due to the fact that is has been strengthened, so in the future we could see things like corn PCs and Laptops, and this could spell the end for some of the heavy metals such as lead or mercury which have not been needed in this handset.
This, coupled with their attempts to irradiate BFRs and PVC from charges and other accessories, will make Samsung a lot greener in the future.

Via [InfoWorld]

Samsung has just launched two mid-range mobile phones, the W510 geared for the Korean market and the F268 geared for the Chinese market. What makes these two phones special is the fact that they will be marketed as environmental-friendly products, given the fact that Samsung says they use recyclable materials when they created these handsets.

The W510 was said to be Samsung’s first mobile phone made out of “bio-plastic” materials extracted from - corns. Samsung is also bragging about the fact that this mobile handset was produced without the use of any heavy metals. Yes dear readers, no Lead, Mercury and Cadmium and not even any applied water-soluble coating.

While the F268, according to Samsung does not contain BFRs (Brominate Flame Retardant) or PVC. Well, that is some comforting piece of information indeed. Additionally, the F268 also feature an alarm which triggers a sound when the phone is fully charged. The alarm won’t stop unless the user pulls the plug off. And of course being environment-friendly as it is, it follows that the F268 adheres to the Energy Star requirements of the US EPA and US Dept. of Energy.

Aside from being environment-friendly devices, Samsung has not provided us with other features and details of these two phones. Hopefully they are as user friendly as they are environmentally.

Via [Akihabara News]

The latest low-cost, practically disposable handset to hit the market comes courtesy of Hop-On in the form of the $10 HOP1800. The handset will be available to use worldwide as it will come in two models, the dual-band 850/1900MHz or the 900/1800MHz for Europe and Asia. The HOP1800 is just the handset and will require a local and working SIM card wherever you choose to use the handset. The Hop1800 will offer users up to 4 hours of talk time and 150 on standby.

According to the press release is being marketed as the “perfect iPhone traveling companion” thanks to the cost of “roaming fees going though the roof.” The HOP1800 is currently on the market and being sold just about everywhere to include “retailers such as drug and convenience stores, big box retailers and to businesses looking for a unique branding opportunity.” While the handset itself is selling for $10, Hop-On is also offering a $5 rebate should you choose to return the phone after using it in an effort to “keep it green,” which makes sense because at $10 simply tossing it in the trash after use, aside from filling up the landfills will not be a real loss to your wallet.

Via [SlashPhone]

The latest notebook coming from NEC is touting a new green feature, the VersaPro notebook lineup has just had the Type VE series added. The notebook will feature a 15.1-inch display with a 1280 x 800 resolution, 80GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM and is powered by a 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7250 processor. As for its green features, those are limited to a special “Eco Button” that will, when pushed lower the CPU speed and screen brightness, which will in turn decrease the overall energy consumption by 20 percent. While the Type VE series is not as green as many may have hoped, its still a nice option for users to get a little extra battery life.

Via [Akihabara News]

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and maybe you’d like to give your mom a digital picture frame.  But here’s something to think about, in the U.S. News & World Report issue for the week ending May 5, 2008, Marianne Lavelle writes,

“Look at just one of the new energy guzzlers: the digital photo frame.  This always-on gadget burns a barely noticeable $9 extra a year into the average household electric bill, says the nonprofit Electric Power Research Institute.  But the impact could be staggering.  EPRI estimates that if every household in America owned one, it would take five medium-sized power plants just to keep those family photo slide shows rolling in the nation’s living rooms.  ‘I call these electronics the sleeping giants in our homes,’ says Thomas Reddoch, EPRI’s director of energy utilization.”

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Well it only took about 18 months but the Zune is finally making its way into Canada. Beginning June 13 Canadians will be able to grab the Zune of their choosing. Well, except for a few small details, namely the lineup is not quite as complete as it is here in the US.

There will not be any 30GB model or green models. Do our friendly neighbors to the north have something against green? Anyway, up for grabs will be the Zune 80 in black or red for $249.99, the Zune 8 in black, red or pink for $189.99 and the Zune 4 in black, red or pink for $139.99.

Via [Engadget]

Walk up to any right-minded business owner and you’re sure to be told one thing - it’s supposed to be about the green stuff. And I don’t mean the Benjamins. To get an idea of what I’m talking about, ask yourself what it would take to give your mobile device enough juice without doing Mother Nature any harm. The answer to that question might not yet be known for sure, but that question is what Devotec Industries is trying to address with its new Solar Charger. While it doesn’t have the best thought of name in the business, this little number should be able to “keep your phone juiced up twice over before needing a recharge.” It contains a built-in 1800mAh battery under a charging solar panel, and aside from that it also charges via USB cable or AC adaptor. Devotec made sure it would be compatible with the widest range of portable devices possible, and at £19.99 or about $40 USD a pop, it sure beats replacements.

Product [Devotec]

To combat air pollution, noise pollution, and the constant rise of gas and oil prices everywhere, a little-known company called Pipistrel started work on possibly the world’s first commercial electric powered light aircraft, and they’re calling it the Taurus Electro. It’s a kick-butt two-seat ultralight aircraft with a 15 meter wing-span and is also intended for glider pilots. Right now, they’re still few steps behind completing the project but if they keep on it, the Taurus Electro just might start hitting runways everywhere by the end of 2008.

Tine Tomazic, the company’s test pilot, has confirmed that Pipistrel indeed has the technology to create such a thing already in their hands. And according to Pipistrel CEO Ivo Boscarol, the Taurus Electro’s battery pack recharges (yes, it’s rechargeable) at about the same time that it takes a cellphone to charge, and works just as efficient as its gasoline-powered counterpart.

All in all, the technology behind the Taurus Electro seems simple. It uses a lithium-polymer battery pack weighing 101 pounds for power, and with a wingspan of about 15 meters it achieves enough power to climb up to 6,000 feet up into the air, at a rate of 560 feet per minute. Pipistrel says that this still unpatented electric aircraft technology is costing them almost 1 Million EUR now, but once the final product comes out, you’ll be able to bag one of these babies for yourself at only $100,000 a piece (give or take a couple thousand). Continue reading for a video of the Taurus Electro in action.

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At the Fortune Green conference, Dell CEO, Michael Dell was kind enough to show off their latest attempt at an environmentally friendly PC. Though still in the development process at the moment, Dell has begun boasting of the PC’s potential features. Purportedly, the device uses 70% less energy than most other desktop models and it is also 81% smaller than most desktop PC’s. Additionally, the mini PC will be made of recyclable items, thus helping reduce its carbon footprint and saving the world.

Okay, so saving the world may be a little bold, but it is a cool idea, and its nice to see a big company making an effort. The device has yet to be named, but the price expected to be between $500 and $700. Keep reading for a few more images of Dell’s eco-friendly PC…

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