energi

Ford looses its Prius killer

Toyota has had an excellent run with the Prius, making it the most popular hybrid in the country. Now Ford will attempt to supplant the Prius' position with the new C-Max Hybrid and C-Max Energi, dedicated hybrids that can boast similar specs.

The Prius faced competition from the Honda Insight previously, and handily trashed it, so Ford will be challenging a tested competitor. Previously, Ford put its Fusion Hybrid up against the Toyota Camry Hybrid, but this is the first time Ford has brought out a dedicated hybrid, a characteristic that has helped the Prius maintain its position.… Read more

Mountain Lion's PowerNap feature requires firmware update

One of the new features in OS X Mountain Lion is the PowerNap energy-saving option that allows newer MacBook Pro and MacBook Air systems to continue to use network and backup services when in sleep mode. However, even after installing the OS X Mountain Lion upgrade, qualified systems may not be able to use the PowerNap feature.

When activated in the system's Energy Saver system preferences, PowerNap will perform hourly checks for new e-mail and updates to Contacts, Calendars, Reminders, Notes, iCloud documents, and Photo Stream. It will also maintain a connection for Apple's Find My Mac service. … Read more

The 404 1,090: Where going green is so 2010 (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 show:

- Are 4D movies the next big step for motion pictures?

- Warehouse worker jailed for stealing $160,000 from Amazon.

- In the future, your drug dealer will be a printer.

- Apple bows out of program for environment-minded products.

- Louis C.K. and the effort to kill scalpers.

Bathroom break video: Omnicorp Product Line 2013

Video voice mail: Jersey from Mike unintentionally stalks Jeff.… Read more

Michael Phelps snoozes in high-tech compression jammies

Michael Phelps isn't like most people, so it stands to reasons his pajamas aren't like most people's. There are no fuzzy bunny slippers and sheep-print flannel pjs for Phelps. He wears a high-tech compression suit from Under Armour.

The Recharge Energy Suit is a full-body suit designed to help the body recover from fatigue after training.

Under Armour claims the super tight compression fit pushes out the water damaged muscle fibers take on when sore, leading to a faster recovery. This is also probably as close as you'll get to knowing what it feels like to be swallowed by a snake.… Read more

Smart home of the future faces hurdles

You know the home: smart appliances, robotic maids, jet packs. Well, maybe not jet packs; that might get awkward indoors. But the sentiment remains: where are our smart homes?

The question was posed to 1,021 Internet experts, researchers, observers, and critics by Elon University's Imagining the Internet Center and the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. Specifically, respondents were asked with which of the following two (intentionally opposite) statements they agreed with:

By 2020, the connected household has become a model of efficiency, as people are able to manage consumption of resources (electricity, water, food, … Read more

See what energy costs you with Energy Cost Calculator

With energy costs perpetually rising, you don't have to be all that green to want to reduce your energy use and expenditures. Energy Cost Calculator from AB-Tools is freeware that calculates how much energy your appliances use, and how much it's costing you. It's easy to use, but you'll need to know your electric utility rates, usage habits, and appliance types for the program to calculate your energy costs. Energy Cost Calculator's database includes many examples, and you can add new ones, too.

Energy Cost Calculator's compact interface opened with an optional tool tip … Read more

Step on it: Virus could lead to motion-powered gadgets

Scientists are genetically engineering viruses in the pursuit of better battery life, perhaps leading to smartphones charged from the motion of walking.

The Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory yesterday described a microelectronic device that uses a benign virus to build up electric charge from movement.

Its first prototype was able to display the No. 1 on an LCD display when a person pressed a postage-stamp size button.

That amount of current isn't useful enough to charge common electronics, such as a music player or phone. But the researchers' novel approach to harvesting energy from motion shows … Read more

Microsoft gets earth-friendly, goes carbon neutral

Weeks after coming under fire from Greenpeace advocates for using excessive energy for cloud computing, Microsoft announced it will become carbon neutral across all of its operations starting July 1.

"It's the right thing to do. And it's also an opportunity to promote positive change, as the world transitions to new ways of using energy and managing natural resources," Microsoft's chief operating officer Kevin Turner said in a blog post yesterday. "That's why today, Microsoft is taking a significant step to further reduce our environmental footprint."

July marks the beginning of the … Read more

Honeywell digs in against Nest in thermostat IP case

Honeywell today summarily denied counterclaims in a patent infringement suit it filed against thermostat startup Nest Labs.

In a court filing, Honeywell stood by its claims that Nest infringed on its numerous patents in programmable thermostats. The suit was first filed against Nest in February.

Nest responded to the suit in April, saying that Honeywell's seemingly broad patents are "hopelessly invalid" and said Honeywell is trying to stifle innovation.

In today's filing, Honeywell fired back, saying the thermostat heavyweight intends to vigorously defend its intellectual property. The filing said Nest Labs' counter claims are "irrelevant … Read more