Eco

Acer announced this week two new "green" notebook PCs in the Timeline series, the Aspire 3811TZ and Aspire 3811TZG. Both are made without the use of PVC and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and are said to use 40% less power. The new laptops are even Greenpeace certified.

A battery life of more than 8 hours is possible thanks to the use of Intel's ULV (ultra low voltage) Core 2 Duo microprocessors and LED-backlit screens, and both laptops have been awarded an Energy Star 5.0 rating. Read more

ViewSonic's VP and general manager of the Americas, Jeff Volpe, gives a sneak preview of some of the products being announced this week at CES

ViewSonic is unveiling a range of new products this week at CES - everything from TVs, digital devices, PCs and monitors. Here is a sneak preview of ViewSonic's CES product announcements:

TVs - ViewSonic will introduce new ViewLED eco-friendly LED TV offerings from 19" to 42" to enable consumers to experience dynamic entertainment in any room of the home. For consumers in search of a connected TV experience without the need to purchase a new TV, ViewSonic will showcase its new digital media solutions that bring HD full screen, including HDMI video converters and entertainment hubs.Read more

Did you get a new TV under the tree this year? Be green and recycle it. In 2007, Americans disposed of nearly 27 million TVs. Of these, only 6 million were recycled, leaving more than 20 million TVs disposed of in landfills. These stats show that many people don't know what to do with their old TVs when they upgrade.

You may think you can only recycle at dedicated recycling facilities, but that's not so. MRM, a recycling partnership founded by Panasonic, Toshiba, and Sharp, provides six types of locations across the U.S. for you to bring TVs or other electronics for recycling – at no charge:

• Charitable organizations such as Goodwill
• Self storage units
• Retailers
• Community recycling centers
• Electronics refurbishing/reuse businesses
• Recycling events

To view a complete list of drop-off sites visit: www.mrmrecycling.com/collection_map.htm.

ViewSonic just announced two new Energy Star 5.0 compliant monitors great for those of you who want to reduce energy bills, and really…who doesn't want to save a few bucks?

The new 19" ViewSonic VX1932wm-LED monitor uses 50% less power and has an energy consumption of just 15W! Both Energy Star 5.0 and TCO 5.0 compliant, the monitor features a mercury free WLED backlight that automatically controls backlight brightness for blacker blacks, pure whites and more clearly defined grays. It is now available for $169 MSRP.Read more

Here's something different. A new portable speaker was just announced, OrigAudio, "The Origami of Audio" (as the company says). These unique speakers are collapsible, self-powered and made of recycled material – great for the environmentally conscious. They plug into any headphone jack and fold flat enough to put away in a laptop bag or backpack when not in use.

Even better, they retail for only $16, and a portion of the proceeds benefit the Music National Service. You can even custom design your own speakers! I haven't had the opportunity to test the sound out on these yet, but hey, at just $16, what do you have to lose?

You can get more information on the speakers and see them in action at www.origaudio.com.

Scosche on Thursday announced the availability of its "green" solCHAT handsfree speakerphone. The device features an integrated solar panel that keeps the solCHAT's battery charged.

For added safety, it has a Voice announce caller ID that tells you the phone number of incoming calls, so you can know whether to take (or avoid) the call while keeping your eyes on the road.

The solCHAT has a simple three button design (volume up, volume down, and answer/hang-up) and automatic cell phone pairing. It doesn't get much easier than that.

The speakerphone comes with a USB charging cable and car adaptor for charging at night and on overcast days. A windshield suction cup mount and sun visor clip is also included.

The SolCHAT is available at Best Buy stores, www.bestbuy.com and www.scosche.com for just $99.99. It is coming soon to other major retailers.

Sprint just announced that on August 16 the Samsung Reclaim will be available at retail stores and online at www.sprint.com. The eco-friendly Reclaim is made from 80 percent recyclable materials and will sell for only $50 (with a two-year agreement and after a $30 instant rebate and a $50 mail-in rebate). $2 of the proceeds will benefit The Nature Conservancy's Adopt an Acre program, which supports land conservation across the United States.

The Reclaim features a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 2 megapixel camera with 3x digital zoom and camcorder, Sprint Navigation, stereo Bluetooth, integrated web browser, and expandable memory storage up to 32GB. It also includes One Click, a customizable user interface for access to Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube.

The Samsung Reclaim will be available August 16th in two colors – Earth Green and Ocean Blue.

Find out more information on Sprint's green initiative at www.sprint.com/green.

Just released this summer, the EZ Grill is a portable, disposable, all-in-one BBQ that is recyclable. It comes complete with the foil pan, grill grate, stand and 100% natural charcoal -- no chemicals, fillers or additives -- for grilling on-the-go. And best of all, it's priced at only $4.99 for the regular size (1.81 lbs) and $9.99 for the party size (3.31 lbs).

The EZ Grill lights with just one match, cooks for up to 1 ½ hours and is approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). All the materials are completely recyclable, even the packaging, metal grate, stand and charcoal – which gives you natural flavor without additives, chemicals and fillers you find in traditional charcoal. EZ Grill's all-natural ingredients include carbon from rice, corn and wheat stalks, corn starch for binding and mineral oil for ignition.

For more information on the EZ Grill visit www.ezgrill.com.