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Sony Ericsson plans to make all phones green

Swedish-Japanese phone maker Sony Ericsson on Thursday announced targets for reducing CO2 emissions.

The initiative, part of its pre-existing GreenHeart program launched in September 2008, is intended to reduce emissions by 20 percent across internal operations and by 15 percent over the full life cycle of its products by 2015.

Sony Ericsson plans to roll its green strategy into its entire portfolio over time, which is different from focusing on individual green products, such as Nokia's Green 3110 or Motorola's Renew W233.

"We would rather have mainstream models that we sell in large quantities than one particular … Read more

Sony Ericsson announces C901, Naite 'GreenHeart' phones

Sony Ericsson did more than just announce its new "GreenHeart" strategy Thursday, the company also unveiled two new Earth-friendly cell phones. According to Sony Ericsson, the Naite and the C901 Cyber-shot will help it reach its goal of a 20 percent carbon footprint reduction by 2015. The handsets offer such features as recycled plastic, low-power chargers, and waterborne paints. Also, by including electronic, rather than paper user manuals, Sony Ericsson said it can reduce packaging size. The company promises that the overall carbon footprint of each phone will be reduced by 15 percent.

Both the Naite and the … Read more

Mini zoetrope recalls your childhood

I'm definitely way past the age for childhood toys, though some people still haven't outgrown that. I believe the politically correct phrase for them is "young at heart." However, Japanese retailer Banpresto has taken the zoetrope (remember the spinning drum with slits that make the static images inside appear to move like a flip book?), and given it a modern spin, so to speak.

Its Twinklepict has figures inside, backlit by a flashing internal light. As the characters in the dome spin, their shadowy forms project out in a pretty light show. This works on three … Read more

One heart, one function

Fire Heart Desktop Gadget claims to be an exciting icon that not only looks realistic, but also helps perform a function. However, users may be under-whelmed by this product and its limited capabilities.

This freeware leaps to life on your screen as a heart that simultaneously beats and looks like it is on fire. However, this novelty wears off fast, especially if you are using a slower computer, which may not let users see it beat in real time.

Right-clicking the heart lets users see their options with the heart. Here you can adjust the size, show its reflection, and … Read more

iPhone app helps you scan blogs, search for music

Monday, I downloaded a new iPhone app called iHeartNewMusic that helps you track new music via blogs. If you're the type of listener who scours music blogs regularly to find out about and sample new tunes, iHeartNewMusic will let you do that from your iPhone over a Wi-Fi connection.

According to the iHeartNewMusic blog, Apple rejected iHeartNewMusic six times before finally accepting it. The blog doesn't detail why, but the application is pretty simplistic--it's basically a customized version of Safari with a list of bookmarks to dozens of blogs in categories such as Rock, Electro, Indie, and … Read more

Aqua Pulse measures heart rate in the pool

Finally, gadget-seeking swimmers are getting equal treatment to sportsmen who enjoy dry, electronic-friendly conditions. California-based Finis is out with the Aqua Pulse, a waterproof heart monitor that relies on bone conduction technology to communicate high-fidelity sound via the temple bone to the inner ear.

Monitoring your heart rate is supposed to be the most effective way to train, as you can measure intensity and exertion levels and avoid over-training and under-training. But so far, heart rate monitors have generally been made for wearing on the wrist, connected to a skin sensor normally attached around the chest--a setup that's not … Read more

Valentine's Day downloads

With Valentines day just a couple of days away, why not get in to the spirit? We put together a collection of screensavers and Valentine's Day themed downloads to get you in the mood for the most romantic of holidays. Hopefully, it will also act as a reminder to those who might forget. Ahem.

Some of these downloads are paid and others are free, but any one you choose will certainly put you in the spirit of Valentine's Day.

Cool EasyCard lets you create Valentine's cards (or any type of greeting) with your own photos and the … Read more

SmHeart Link turns iPhone into health tracker

Looks like that iPhone or iPod Touch you bring to the gym can do more for your fitness than just make your workout more pleasurable.

iTMP Technology, an iPhone hardware and software developer, announced Friday its launch of SmHeart Link, a new device developed to bring health and fitness tracking capabilities to iPhone and iPod Touch users.

Basically, SmHeart Link is a wireless bridge that collects data from distributed health and fitness sensors such as those found in workout machines and sends it to the iPhone via Wi-Fi. Users then can make use of the data via an iPhone application … Read more

Say "I love you" with something sweet

Nothing says, "I love you" like a home-cooked meal, and nothing tops off a delicious dinner like homemade dessert. Just in time for Valentine's Day, you can get your hands on these silicon heart-shaped molds by Fauchon and make a dessert that's both tasty and festive.

Silicone molds have become popular vessels for baking. They store easily, allow for painless food removal, are dishwasher safe, and prevent the burned-on residue that shows up so frequently on metal pans. Since the heart is an odd shape, using a silicone mold means that your cake will come out … Read more