What does a former Apple exec that’s responsible for the iconic iPod do when the thermostats on the market are too lame for his new green home? He brings design and software savvy to bear on the problem. The result is the puck-like Nest, from Tony Fadell’s startup of the same name. It’s a learning, connected thermostat […]
Steve Jobs, 1955-2011
In honor of Steve Jobs. Thanks for dissolving the barriers between man, machine and endless possibilities. Image credit: Apple
Banned! Apple nixes conflict mineral-y, e-waste-y Phone Story app
Game maker with a message, Molleindustria (NSFW), may have stumbled on a sure-fire way to shine a light on the dark side of the electronics industry: create an iOS app about it and get it banned by Apple. Long story short, the company created a game called Phone Story based on the unsavory practices surrounding the […]
Apple, Intel help keep gadgets free of conflict minerals
Now we’re getting somewhere. Apple and Intel should feel pretty jazzed about forcing the electronics industry to take conflict minerals seriously and lending their support to keep consumer electronics supply chains free of the “blood diamonds” of the technology world. Gadgets, gadgets everywhere The past few years has been a paradise for gadget lovers. An […]
Quit spurning your readers with buggy iPad apps
By now you know that I’m pretty enamored by my iPad, particularly it’s knack for dematerialization. Newspapers? Plenty of apps and the iPad’s own browser deliver my news fix. Magazines? I roll my own, thanks. Life was good. Until last week, when The New York Times iOS app called it quits. No number of resets […]
Rumor: Boxed software facing extinction at Apple Stores
Rumor has it that Apple is planning to remove boxed software from its retail stores. How’s that for dematerialization? Can’t say it’s too surprising, coming on the heels of the Mac App Store’s successful debut. In its first day, it attracted 1 million downloads. And for some developers, it has helped drum up sales nicely. […]
Apple’s pentalobe screws for the iPhone take “planned obsolescence to the next level”
That’s what iFixit’s CEO, Kyle Wiens, thinks about Apple’s latest attempt to thwart hardware hackers. And it’s hard to disagree with him. While Apple has made enormous strides in greening its gadget slate, it still falls short on one critical aspect of reducing e-waste: designing repairable electronics. In addition to its penchant for non-user replaceable […]
iPad owners, ditch paper mags with Flipboard and Longform.org
iPad magazines like Wired and Popular Science blend interesting articles, photography that often looks stunning on the iPad’s screen (just imagine those pics on iPad 2’s rumored resolution bump…) and a smattering of interactivity. Exciting stuff, but what if you just want to curl up on your couch with a lengthy, thought-provoking article? Well, there’s […]
Top 10: Most popular ecoINSITE posts of 2010
It’s that time. Before we welcome a brand new year, here are 2010’s most popular posts according to you! 1. Stats of the Day: BP Oil Spill Google Results Back in June, I ran a little experiment. In terms of Google search results, how did BP’s recent oil spill compare against the previous top environmental […]
Kindle tops Amazon’s bestseller list
It takes some doing to unseat the final Hogwarts adventure, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, as Amazon’s top selling item in its history. And its own Kindle 3 e-reader was just the gadget to do it. In what’s become tradition, Amazon is once again reporting gangbusters sales of its Kindle e-reader. This is in […]
