EU Introduces New Battery Recycling Requirements

Stores in Europe that sell more than 32kg a year of batteries (the equivalent to one pack of four AA batteries a day) are now required to comply to new legislation that forces them to provide in-store recycling bins in an attempt at cutting landfill battery waste.

According to the BBC, the UK currently recycles just 3% of portable batteries and this legislation aims to raise that figure to 45% by 2016.

The recycling bins would be emptied free of charge, but many are skeptical whether consumers will be aware of the new rules or if ...

10 Greenest Electronics Manufacturers

Each year since 2006 Greenpeace has released a list of major manufacturers who produce computers, mobile phones, TV's, and game consoles, and ranks them according to their environmental record on things like toxic chemicals, recycling and climate change.
The most recent list was released in December 2009.  Here are the manufacturers that stood out.  The point value indicates how they scored in the survey.
1. ...

Rumoured Apple Tablet May Change Publishing Forever.

We are standing in front of a possible paradigm shift in publishing.  Publishers have recognized for a while the benefits of dropping paper to distribute electronically.  In the past few decades the publishing model has scaled down from dedicated printing shops, to desktops, to blogs, to 140 characters of Twitter text.
Content we read on paper, whether it be newspapers, books or ads appears more professional than content we read online.   Most of us still trust paper more then web.  This is hopefully all going change soon.
In ...

Looking Ahead: Google Chrome OS

In lieu of tomorrow’s impending Chrome OS announcement from Google, it worth looking at the buzz that is abound across the net. After all, the search engine that could, has been successful in nearly all their innovative ventures thus far. Gmail, Google Maps, Android, Chrome; from email to internet browser, Google has succeeded in nearly every software release and service launch, and every one has, in some way, been at the expense of their predecessor: Microsoft. After all, Gmail corrected some of the gross oversights in Hotmail, a move that eventually forced Redmond to up their ...

The State of the App Store

While the rest of the world is going in for a check-up and a booster, it’s high time Cupertino’s burgeoning software store had an examination of its own. After all, the highly exclusive storefront has now surpassed the 100, 000 mark. What once started as a home for flatulence simulators and lighter emulators (though sadly few combining the two) has now evolved into…what?

Yes, one hundred thousand apps is quite impressive an impressive figure. But as any software developer worth their salt will tell you, its quality, not quantity that matters. And while ...

Is Apple preparing to replace cable?

That’s the question on cable execs have to be asking themselves as Apple makes its rounds to networks in support of its proposed $30/month subscription to stream shows through iTunes. At first glance it would seem like a match made in heaven. Untold millions already enjoy television shows online, be it through legitimate channels like Hulu or less reputable means such as BitTorrent. Meanwhile, iTunes has registered over a hundred million customers in its rather brief tenure as supplier of music, movies, and shows to the masses. The only question that remains is whether ...

Barnes & Noble’s Google Android eReader

The e-book reader market is about to get a little more crowded and a little more credible with the upcoming release of Barnes & Noble’s Android-powered eReader. For a time it was a solitudinal endeavour for the Kindle, trying to carve out a niche in a market dominated with alternatives, such as multi-purpose netbooks and tablets. But the Amazon-backed device forged on, and soon Sony and ASUS offering alternative options. It’s an interesting pair though. On the one hand, Barnes & Noble; dedicated book retailer, tied directly with the success or failure of the paperback’s transition ...

App Store Update: Rock Band and Photoshop on the iPhone, and a potent iTunes alternative

Rock Band for the iPhone

Call me crazy but I just don’t see the logic in purchasing a music-themed game for a portable music player that doesn’t allow you to access your own music! Yes, I’m old enough to remember the good old days when Tap Tap Revenge was a free app for jailbroken iPhones that ran on user created ‘tapping tabs.’ Assuming you weren't into the most eclectic material known to man, chances are there was a TTR tab for most of your favourite tracks. If not, you could simply create your own. It seemed like such a harmonious ...

Follow-up: The Verdict on Garmin’s nuvifone G60, Apple and Microsoft tablet details

No-Go on the nuvifone

The nuvifone G60 was long in-development. Generally such things go on to either great success, or more often, great failure. It seems the latter is the case with Garmin’s first entry into the cell phone market. Known for their robust GPS-devices, Garmin seems to have faltered into their transition into the handset market. In what was intended to be the most sophisticated blend of global positioning and cell phone service, the G60 ...

Google Wave: Updated Impressions

Google’s latest bid to revolutionize the internet hits its first open beta. We’ve gathered hands-on impressions to tide you over until the revolt reaches the masses.

People are getting antsy. The internet has long since threatened to reinvent the way we live. Conversation, communication, information, education; all of these things are caught in limbo as companies and governments make hypertext versions of old formulas. Your average metropolitan newspaper is an excellent example of this facelift approach to the web. On their website ...