Netgear didn’t get much of a mention in our recent post “The Greenest Routers of 2008“. But now the company has released two green routers — the Netgear WNR2000 router, and its DSL modem-equipped DGN2000. Both these routers comes with EnergyStar-rated power supplies, and they come in new packages made with 80 percent recycled content. (more…)

Networking routers are on their way to becoming standard household appliances. They are typically turned on 24 hours a day, so it’s good to see that they are becoming much greener of late. Small changes in the efficiency of appliances can lead big savings, when millions of units are being sold. For example, Linksys estimates that the improved energy efficiency of their routers will save 14-17 megawatts of electricity per year (based on Linksys shipping approximately 11 million routers). (more…)

Recently, HP announced that its DV6929 laptop will be packaged in messenger bags made with 100% recycled materials. This will reduce the amount of packaging by 97% — almost all the Styrofoam and cardboard conventionally for packaging will be eliminated. (more…)

Continuing our coverage of green computing devices, let’s take a look at the greenest monitors currently available. These monitors are energy efficient, and they eliminate most hazardous chemicals from their design. Some even incorporate recycled plastic into their casings. EPEAT is the most comprehensive green certification for monitors — the EPEAT certification incorporates Energy Star 4.0 requirements, and the European RoHS requirements.

Here’s a list of some of the greenest monitors currently available: (more…)

ADC (Advanced Data Centers), a company based in San Francisco, is set to build the country’s greenest data center. Because of its efficiency, the project stands to save its owner from $1.8 million to $2 million in energy costs. ADC says its new center will be 25-30 percent more energy efficient than the industry standard.

The data center will use outside air to cool its racks of computing gear for 75 percent of the year, which significantly decreases its cooling needs. Ducts and pipes will be laid to maximize flow and minimize turns that reduce efficiency. (more…)

A company called Fabrik has released an external hard drive called the [re]Drive that it is said to be the world’s most energy efficient. The drive’s cover is a sheet of bamboo — this is good choice for a drive casing, given bamboo’s tensile strength and durability. The drive’s chassis is made with recycled aluminum. It has an undulating surface that increases the drive’s ability to passively cool itself. Matt McRae, vice president of marketing at Fabrik, said that even the extra pieces of aluminum that are carved off during the manufacturing process are recycled into future products. (more…)

I’ve been following the progress of electronic book readers, because they have the potential to revolutionize the efficiency of the book industry. If electronic books were used on a large scale, they would greatly reduce the world’s consumption of paper, and eliminate the energy resources involved in printing, transporting and selling books. I do enjoy the act of reading a paper-based book, but there many cases where I would buy an ebook, such as when the materials goes out of date quickly like magazines, text books or travel books.

I’ve been testing the Sony PR-505 Reader, which is the second version of this portable book reader. The Reader is about the size of a large paperback, and it weighs about 9 ounces, including the leather cover that closes over it like conventional book cover. The Sony Reader’s 6 inch display uses “E Ink” technology, which renders text in crisp black on grey. The display is easy on the eyes, and you can view text from many angles. Overall, it was easy to read text even in bright light. One feature that I wished for was some kind of backlight for reading at night. (more…)

The Greenest Host is a web host that claims to be the greenest. The company certainly has some green credentials to back up such an assertion. They are based in San Francisco, and they run their service from AISO.Net’s solar powered datacenter. That’s right — AISO’s entire datacenter is powered by its own array of solar cells, installed outside the building. There are 120 solar panels in total, generating 12 kilowatts of power (you can see them on a live webcam here). AISO’s datacenter has been running on solar power since 2001, you can read more details of their solar operation here.

(more…)

We’ve collected a selection of ergonomic mice designed to reduce fatigue and RSI (repetitive strain injury). If you are in front of a computer for long periods, these mice might be worth considering.

The Evoluent VerticalMouse2 has a patented shape that supports your hand in a relaxed handshake position, eliminating forearm twisting. The manufacturer says the mouse remains steady when you press the buttons because the thumb grip balances the clicking actions.

This mouse had an unfavorable review at CNET, although other comments from readers were more favorable.

Available from: Amazon ($59.88)

(more…)