Venkel Ltd., a producer of electronics components headquartered in Austin, Texas, has released an infographic that explores the sources of four conflict minerals, coined 3TG (tungsten, tantalum, tin and gold). This comes as the SEC finds itself embroiled in a clash over conflict mineral provisions in the Dodd-Frank Act. Conflict minerals describe earth metals that come […]
Metro Vacuum’s DataVac Electric Duster Review
Never buy another can of compressed air again. That’s Metro Vacuum’s pitch for the DataVac ED500 Electric Duster. And at just over $40 at Amazon.com, I was more than willing to say good-bye to compressed or “canned” air. Design and Construction There are two words that describe DataVac’s design: nothing fancy. Exposed screws, off-the-self componentry, […]
Sourcemap: Rattle (and tattle on) those supply chains
Where do your gadgets really come from? The folks behind Sourcemap, a crowdsourced, open source project, hope to answer that question by cataloging where the components that make up our devices originate. It’s an effort to provide a measure of supply chain transparency, according to project founder Leo Bonanni (see his Greener Gadgets 2010 talk […]
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 […]
Green gift guide 2010: Five last-minute green gadget ideas
In case you haven’t noticed, the clock is ticking on getting your 2010 holiday shopping done. Here are some great last-minute gift ideas that are still in stock (at least of this writing) and are sure to delight the green geek in your life. Curl up with a good e-book this Christmas: Amazon Kindle Smaller, […]
Rise of the solar-powered gadgets: Is the Energizer Bunny facing joblessness?
Solar-powered devices are nothing new, but they typically reside in the lonely fringes of the gadgetsphere (Yay for made-up words!). Admit it. Given the choice of a sleek iPhone or a Samsung E1107, which would you choose? Lately, however, some electronics makers have been making a concerted push to move beyond niche status and bring […]
Bookmark this! iFixit
iFixit.com Who’s it for? Gadget lovers, DIY types, green geeks Why should I bookmark this? Because you want to extend the life of your gadgets, hate e-waste and like to save money. OK, Tell me more. Sure thing! While writing about the green virtues of Dell’s touchscreen tablet, I realized that it had been a […]
Unintentionally green: ‘Dryer Boxes’ for waterlogged phones
It’s happened to a lot of us. The terrifying splash when a cell phone and puddle meet. For some, it’s an excuse to upgrade, for others it’s an expensive and time-consuming annoyance. But for nearly everyone, it means another junked gadget. That’s why JMC Risk Solutions‘ ‘Dryer Boxes’ are intriguing devices. As the name suggests, […]
U.S. Law Tackles Conflict Minerals
Tucked into the financial reform legislation that President Obama signed into law were rules that require companies to disclose whether their products are manufactured from “conflict minerals” — essentially metals and materials that come from the war-torn Congo. Conflict minerals…
Joos has the goods
I’ll admit, I was skeptical, but it looks like Solar Components’ Joos Orange is indeed the solar gadget charger that geeks on the go have been waiting for. Gizmodo’s Brian Lam put the device through its paces and described…
