JOEyGADGET.com

iPredict: Apple iTablet to boast transflective daylight display, iPhone tethering; iPhone 3GS gets multitasking

transflectiveNever mind trying to predict with any kind of certainty what Apple will announce on Wednesday, January 27, 2010.

But I would like to project three wish-list predictions I have no evidence will be announced when Apple unveils its widely anticipated tablet-based (iTablet? iPad? Who knows) gadget and latest iPhone OS release: A transflective LCD display and iPhone tethering for the tablet-thing, and true multitasking for the iPhone 3GS with the iPhone OS 4.0 update.

I talk about an implementation of my first prediction – a transflective display – in my book, Green Gadgets For Dummies, where I describe Toshiba’s R600 notebook (where I mistakenly refer to the display as “transreflective”).

Transflective display: You can see and use the display outdoors with the backlight turned off. Who says that a park bench isn’t a truly greener home office?”

I spent time with the R600 and low and behold, I could see the display plain as day in ordinary daylight – albeit not a clearly as a Kindle display. Obviously the ability to turn off a gadget’s backlight and still read what’s on the screen translates to longer battery life. (Here’s an eye-opening YouTube video that shows what transflective displays look like in daylight.)

My second Apple tablet-based projection – iPhone tethering – would complement the built-in WiFi I assume Apple would build into its tablet gadget to provide (mostly) anywhere access for iPhone owners without adding the cost associated with building in 3G or other mobile broadband hardware and the additional cost of another wireless data subscription plan. Of course Apple could skip the tethering feature altogether by building in mobile broadband for free like Amazon does with its Kindle devices, or perhaps offer mobile broadband access to existing AT&T users as an add-on (read: discounted) option to their existing iPhone plan.

Will one or both of my first two predictions/projections see the light of daylight when Apple introduces its new tablet-based product? We’ll see. Or we won’t. Either way, I’m hopeful both features appear in future mobile devices by Apple and other makers.

There’s one more thing: I project Apple will announce the iPhone OS 4.0 update will bring true multitasking application usability to the 3GS, but not to the 3G or original iPhone. (Pre-3GS owners are out of luck because those devices don’t have the processing horsepower to juggle more than one app at a time the way the 3GS can – and Palm Pre does, and elegantly at that.)

Computer scientist and pioneer Alan Kay says it best: The best way to predict the future is to invent it.

What are your inventive projections/predictions?

  • Share/Bookmark

Green Gadgets | Radio Times | WHYY

mosscoane1.jpgTalking about “green-er gadgets” on Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane | WHYY.org

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 | Hour 2

What do you do with your old cell phone when you’ve bought your upgrade? Are you using your home computer in the most energy-efficient way? Technology enthusiast JOE HUTSKO explains how to use our home entertainment devices in a more environmentally-friendly way in his new book, Green Gadgets for Dummies.

Listen via Green Gadgets | Radio Times | WHYY.

Had a great time speaking with Marty Moss-Coane about greener gadgets at the WHYY studio in Philadelphia. Special thanks to Patty and Denis for the invite and proper care and feeding of this on-air guest.

  • Share/Bookmark

Links to green gadget-related websites | gGadget.org

Links to green gadget-related websites

Some handy links to green gadget-related websites: Green Gadgets For Dummies.

via gGadget.org.

  • Share/Bookmark

Interview – E-Readers: Are they greener than books? Radio Netherlands Worldwide | gGadget

From Radio Netherlands Worldwide:

With the future of digital reading undeniable, we decided to speak to someone who knows gadgets. Joe Hutsko joins Marnie to talk about e-readers vs. books, the advantages, disadvantages, and which of the two is greener.

Listen to interview via gGadget.org via Mud graffiti and book pulp | Radio Netherlands Worldwide.

  • Share/Bookmark

Ten Green Gadget Money Savings Tips | Green Gadgets For Dummies

From Green Gadgets For Dummies, by Joe Hutsko:

Ten Green Gadget Money Savings Tips

Here are some quick tips that can help you save money by using gadgets the green way:

  1. Replace single-use disposable batteries in your gadgets with rechargeable ones – then properly dispose of all of those dead single-use cells at your local grocery, hardware or office supplies store
  2. Turn down your TVs brightness and contrast settings to the lowest comfortable level; new TVs leave the factory with all of their picture-related settings cranked to the max to standout on the showroom floor, so adjust yours when you bring it home
  3. Unplug cell phone, MP3 player, and other gadget chargers after the battery is charged, as well as other “energy vampire” devices that go into standby mode when they’re turned off to stop them from sipping power; or plug them all into power strips so you can instantly turn them off all at once
  4. Disable your computer’s screensaver and adjust its power savings settings to turn off the display when you’re not using it for more than five minutes, then switch the computer to standby or sleep mode after ten minutes, then switch to “hibernate” mode after thirty minutes (if the feature is available)
  5. Turn off any energy wasting features and settings you’re not using on cell phones, computers and other gadgets, including wireless (Wi-Fi) networking and Bluetooth, and GPS; also, reduce the screen’s brightness and activate auto-lock or screen dimming and shutoff options on gadgets that offer these options
  6. Read and review documents on the screen instead of printing them on paper – if you must print, reduce your printer’s quality setting to 300 dots-per-inch, print on both sides of the page, print in color only when necessary, and refill inkjet and toner cartridges rather than buy new ones
  7. Reduce fuel consumption and auto emissions by shopping and banking online, and renting or buying downloadable and streaming movies and TV shows instead of renting DVDs at the local video store, or Netflix’s rent-by-mail; instead, choose Netflix’s “Watch Instantly” movies and watch on your computer, TiVo-equipped TV, or other streaming gadget
  8. If your thermostat isn’t programmable get one, then set so it’s only heating or cooling when you’re actually in the house; even inexpensive models can accommodate workweek and weekend turn ons and turn offs based on your schedule
  9. When purchasing new gadgets, look the most energy efficient models by visiting mygreenelectronics.org, energystar.gov, and the green gadget-aware websites below to stay up on the latest news, reviews, trends and feature stories that can help you make the eco-friendliest choices possible – the longer term benefit can shave more than a little green off your utility bill
  10. If donating your mobile phone, MP3 player, or computer isn’t an option when you need to replace it, consider selling it locally on Craigslist, or trading it in for cash or credit toward a new, more efficient model by visiting the gadget trading website EZTradein.com.
  • Share/Bookmark

Green Gadgets For Dummies: THE Book Every Tech Geek Should Own – The Fun Times Guide to Living Green

The Fun Times Guide to Living Green reviews my new book, Green Gadgets For Dummies:

Green Gadgets For Dummies: THE Book Every Tech Geek Should Own

Wake up! Your beloved electronics are sucking the life out of your budget…not to mention the enormous environmental impact they have!

Luckily Green Gadgets for Dummies is swooping in for the rescue!

Before we get in to a quick breakdown of the awesomeness that is Green Gadgets for Dummies, check out these statistics from Planet Green that show why we need greener gadgets:

15 percent: Percentage of money spent on powering your computer dedicated to computing, worldwide; the rest of the $250 billion is spent on energy wasted in idling.

70 percent: Percentage of waste composed of discarded electronics, out of all hazardous waste.

529 pounds: Amount of fossil fuels required to manufacture a 53-pound computer system (including the monitor), along with 49 pounds of chemicals and 1.5 tons of water.

15 billion: Batteries produced annually worldwide.

40 percent: Of the energy used for electronics in your home is used while these devices are turned off.

Author Joey Hutsko does an amazing job at helping us learn how to shop for greener gadgets, avoid “greenwashed” products, and get the electronics we currently own to run more efficiently…all in a super fun and witty manner.

Read the full review: Green Gadgets For Dummies: THE Book Every Tech Geek Should Own – The Fun Times Guide to Living Green.

  • Share/Bookmark

gGadget » Apple Expands Environmental Disclosures – Green Inc. Blog – NYTimes.com

September 30, 2009, 9:30 AM

NYTimes.com | Green Inc.: Apple Expands Environmental Disclosures

By JOE HUTSKO

appleeco.jpg

Apple last week updated its Apple and the Environment Web site to include a life cycle impact section that, the company says, accounts for its total carbon footprint of 10.2 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

The emissions, organized by category, include those arising from manufacturing (38 percent); transportation (5 percent); product use (53 percent); facilities (3 percent); and recycling (1 percent).

“Because 53 percent of Apple’s greenhouse gas emissions are a result of the power our products consume, we design those products to be as energy-efficient as possible,” the company stated on its new Web site, adding that “Mac OS X even regulates processor activity between keystrokes, saving milliwatts of energy.”

A recent BusinessWeek article reported that carbon emissions for Hewlett-Packard and Dell were 8.4 million tons and 471,000 tons respectively. However, both companies “exclude product use and at least some manufacturing,” the article noted, and those companies “have said that including those factors would boost their carbon totals several-fold.”

Downloadable reports for all of Apple’s existing and recently retired products provide detailed breakdowns of each product’s environmental virtues (or shortcomings) — including whether it uses mercury-free LED displays or arsenic-free display glass. Also covered are the use of toxic substances like brominated flame retardants and polyvinyl chlorides, which are noxious when burned.

Apple says that all of its handheld products — iPhones and iPods — are now “PVC-free,” and that the majority of circuit boards and internal cables in its plastic-housed MacBooks are free of BFRs and PVCs. It also describes its remaining desktop, notebook, display and server products as being “BFR-free” and having “PVC-free internal cables.”

Asked whether any other electronics manufacturers are reporting the CO2 life-cycle impact for entire product lines, Casey Harrell, Greenpeace International’s toxics campaigner, said, “Not the way Apple is.”

“Others are doing some interesting reporting of their supply-chain emissions,” he added, “and HP is doing a lot of work there.”

via Apple Expands Environmental Disclosures – Green Inc. Blog – NYTimes.com.

via gGadget » Blog Archive » Apple Expands Environmental Disclosures – Green Inc. Blog – NYTimes.com .

  • Share/Bookmark

iPhone OS 3.1 update available; organize apps in iTunes, download ringtones, MobileMe remote lock, anti-phishing and more

While everyone’s following the blogs covering Apple’s announcements today, I checked iTunes to see if there might be an iPhone update available before the show’s over.

3.1update1

Low and behold, I’m downloading the iPhone OS 3.1 Software Update and installing it on my iPhone 3G as I write this.

Here is what appears in the dialog  after you click Download, or Download and Install:

iPhone OS 3.1 Software Update

This update contains bug fixes and improvements, including the following:

  • Genius recommendations for Applications
  • iTunes 9 support
    • Genius Mixes
    • Organize your apps directly in iTunes
    • Improved syncing options for music, movies, TV shows, podcasts and photos
    • iTunes U content organization
  • Redeem iTunes Gift cards, codes and certificates in the App Store
  • Display available iTunes account credits in the App Store and iTunes Store
  • Browse and download ringtones wirelessly from the iTunes Store*
  • Save video from Mail and MMS into Camera Roll
  • Option to “Save as new clip” when trimming a video on iPhone 3GS
  • Better iPhone 3G Wi-Fi performance when Bluetooth is turned on
  • Remotely lock iPhone with a passcode via MobileMe
  • Use Voice Control with iPhone 3GS with Bluetooth headsets
  • Paste phone numbers into Keypad
  • Option to use Home button to turn on Accessibility features on iPhone 3GS
  • Warn when visiting fraudulent websites in Safari (anti-phishing)
  • Improved Exchange calendar synching and invitation handling
  • Fixes issue that caused some app icons to display incorrectly
  • Products compatible with this software update:

iPhone
iPhone 3G
iPhone 3GS

The update completed just as I finished writing this post, and now when I check Settings > General > About I see Version 3.1 7C144) and Carrier AT&T 5.0. Stay tuned for more details.IMG_0715

  • Share/Bookmark

gGadget » Green Inc.: Are E-Readers Greener Than Books?

Green Inc.: Are E-Readers Greener Than Books?

By Joe Hutsko

Published: August 31, 2009

A new study analyzing the Amazon Kindle electronic book reader’s impact on the environment suggests that, on average, the carbon emitted over the life of the device is offset after the first year of use.

Via: gGadget » Blog Archive » Green Inc.: Are E-Readers Greener Than Books? .

  • Share/Bookmark

iPhone & iPod touch tip: Undo accidental Home button press

It happens all the time: You’re using an iPhone app and you accidentally press the Home button, which takes you home whether you like it or not. Here’s an easy trick to undo an accidental Home key press:

Keep the Home button held down, then touch and hold on the screen for two seconds then let go of the Home button. You stay in the app rather than go home.

  • Share/Bookmark



*