Motorola's "green" Renew cell phone

Motorola is billing its new W233 Renew, a cell phone whose case is made from recycled water bottles, as the world's first "green" phone. The phone (click on image at right for a closer look), announced at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show and available from T-Mobile in February for an undisclosed price, claims an eco-friendly talk time of up to 9 hours and a “zero-carbon footprint.”

To reach that claim involved what is known as a carbon credit. Such credits, as our colleagues at the Consumer Reports Home and Garden blog have covered, aim to allow companies or individuals to offset the carbon emissions generated by their product or their lifestyle by funding projects that reduce carbon emissions, a key contributor to environmental impact of products.

In this case, then, Motorola says it will pay Carbonfund.org, which sells carbon credits, an undisclosed sum for every Renew to offset the carbon dioxide used to manufacture, distribute, and operate the phone. Carbonfund.org, in turn, says it will use the money to fund projects that reduce carbon emissions, such as wind farms and methane-trapping programs.

Our colleagues at GreenerChoices.org, the environmental website for Consumers Union, the non-profit publisher of Consumer Reports, see credits as a small but potentially helpful way to cut carbon emissions. However, they also urge that before buying any product on the basis of a carbon-offset program, be sure to read the fine print, since there are no federal guidelines (Adobe Acrobat required) for specific carbon offsets.

LG brings Netflix, LEDs, and wireless connectivity to its 2009 TV lineup

LG, a brand with a number of recommended models in our LCD and plasma TV Ratings, had one of the more interesting and technologically diverse CES exhibits. Its 2009 LCD and plasma TV lineup includes models with access to streaming Netflix content, the ability to beam HD content wirelessly from a separate media console to the TV, and LCD modes that use LED backlighting and “TruMotion” 240Hz technology.In addition, it showed two new series of broadband-enabled “NetCast” TVs using Yahoo's Internet Widgets to provide access to Web-based news and entertainment content.

Joining the growing number of Internet-connected TVs are LH50-series LCDs and PS80-series plasmas, all 1080p sets. As part of what LG calls its NetCast service, models in both lines can directly access streaming Netflix movies and TV shows, YouTube videos, and information and entertainment content supplied via the Yahoo Internet Widget Engine. Netflix subscribers visit the Netflix website to add streaming movies or TV episodes to online queues, and they’re automatically displayed on the TV when the Netflix menu option is chosen. The quality of the video—mostly standard-def, but also some higher-def content—depends on the available bandwidth coming into the home.

Toshiba: No Blu-ray yet, but "Cell"-powered TV is coming

Apparently not over its ill-fated backing of the failed HD DVD high-def disc format, Toshiba will offer a 2009 TV lineup that includes several LCD/DVD combos, but none with integrated Blu-ray drives (like those launched by JVC and Sharp).

Instead, Toshiba expanded its LV-series of TV/DVD combos, including a larger, 26-inch model (Click on the image above for a closer look) that will be priced at $550, and introduced several new LCD TV lines, including its first 240Hz and LED models. The company also offered a glimpse of the future with a prototype 4K (4000x2000 pixels) display with four times the resolution of the best current HDTVs.

New lines include the AV600 series of smaller 720p sets with 19- and 22-inch screens, and 26- to 37-inch sets in the AV502 series. Models in another new line, RV525, are the lowest-priced 1080p sets offered by the company.

JVC, Sharp launch LCD TV/Blu-ray combos

In a battle for consumers who'd like one less black box to deal with, JVC and Sharp came out swinging at the recent CES with new LCD TVs that feature integrated Blu-ray players.

JVC's entry is the LT-B300 (click on the image for a closer look), a 42-inch 1080p LCD TV/Blu-ray combo slated to arrive in June at an undisclosed price. Speaking of Blu-ray, the company also showed its first standalone Blu-ray player, the $300 XV-BP1, which arrives in March.

Sharp also did the Blu-ray/TV combo hustle at CES, with a more extensive, five-model lineup. The Aquos BD series (Click on the image below for a closer look) includes TVs ranging in size from 32 to 52 inches, all with slim frames and a new “Aquos Blue” design with subtle blue accents at the bottom of the frames. Models 42 inches and larger have 120Hz technology.

Both the JVC and Sharp players are BD-Live-enabled, so they can access Internet content when playing compatible discs.

More electronics for the road

Here’s an update on car-related electronics at CES 2009 in Las Vegas last week, courtesy of our colleagues in the Cars department. (They have since moved on to the Detroit Auto Show, where they are doing some intensive blogging.)

The debut of two eBikes. Designed for urban dwellers, eBikes can either be pedaled or ridden like a scooter thanks to a built-in electric motor. The Ultra Motor A2B ($2,700) weighs 72 pounds and has a top speed of 20 mph in its scooter mode. (Click on image at right for a closer look.) ELV Motors, which makes the bike, estimates that a 160-pound person can ride for 20 miles before the motor’s lithium-ion battery needs recharging (which takes about 3 1/2 hours). ELV motors estimates the A2B’s battery would need to be replaced after 700 too 900 charges. (Cost: $350 to $400.) Schwinn’s Tailwind eBike ($3,200) ups the ante in many respects. At a lighter 50 pounds, the bike can run 25 to 30 miles at 18 to 19 mph. The battery takes only half an hour to recharge. Schwinn claims its battery will last through 2,000 charges, and has reached 6,000 in tests.

Wi-Fi on wheels. While it’s dangerous for a driver to check e-mail or download music on a laptop, passengers can, using Autonet Mobile’s wireless Internet Service Provider. On its 3G network – where available – the router provides download speeds ranging from 400kps to 800kps and upload speeds from 128kps to 300kps. (When not on the 3G network, speed ranges from 50kps-100kps download and 120kps-200kps upload.) Available on Chrysler, Jeep, and Dodge vehicles since last summer, the routers are available at retail for $400. Professional installation is necessary, and monthly service plans start at $29 per month.

CES 2009: HDTVs from Panasonic, Samsung and Sony

The key trends we outlined at the start at CES—thinner sets, 240Hz refresh rate, and increased access to Internet content—were evident at press conferences by Panasonic, Samsung and Sony. Here are some of the highlights:

Panasonic: New slim plasmas, more VieraCast

Panasonic slimmed down its new Z1 plasma TV to just an inch thick by housing the TV tuner in a separate wireless media console. The set uses a new "Neo" panel developed by the company, which pumps up the set's brightness to twice that of previous models, or maintains the same brightness while cutting power consumption in half.

The company also showed four new Viera X1 LCD TVs (19- to 37-inch models) that include an external universal iPod dock. Content can be managed onscreen using the TV's remote control.

The company will increase its lineup of TVs that incorporate Tru2Way CableCard technology.

Panasonic intends to expand its VieraCast (Click on image above for a closer look) online access to more sets and Blu-ray players this year. While many other companies announced partnerships with Yahoo's Internet Widget service, Panasonic is adding Amazon Video On Demand streaming service, with access to 40,000 titles, to VieraCast.

It also demonstrate a 3D Blu-ray player and a 1080p display at its booth.

CES 2009: LG recharges my phone with the sun

LG, which is better know for its cell phones, washing machines, and refrigerators had one of the most trafficked booths here at CES. But outside the convention center, things were really charging up.

I was stopped by an LG rep who asked me if I wanted to charge my phone with the sun. Just moments before, I noticed my battery was low, so I agreed.

I was directed to the LG Skycharger station (click on image at right for a closer look), which uses power from a wind turbine and four solar panels to charge 12 24-volt deep cycle batteries. Those batteries, in turn, charge cell phones through a low voltage array. The single wind turbine on top of the Skycharger is capable of generating 1000 watt max output and requires only 6-mph to get going. The solar panels are able to generate 880 watts of peak energy

On the day I visited LG's eco-power station, there was no wind, leaving the solar panels to do all the heavy lifting. In fact, the LG Skycharger was already simultaneously charging dozens of phones, all neatly locked in phone-sized lockers, when I dropped my phone off with the LG rep. And while the rep said the panels—even under Vegas' sunlit skies— were generating only 315 watts of energy at the moment, LG assured me it was more than enough power to juice my phone along with all the others.

Sure enough, I came back an hour later to a almost fully charged cell phone—along with a bunch a of unanswered text and voice messages.

The LG Skycharger is part of LG Mobile's ecological goal to inspire people to take action. Throughout CES, the big electronics players were touting eco friendly products—such as plasma TVs that use less energy and components free of harmful chemicals and toxins—in an effort to show their green side.

If CES is any indication, we are in for a very green 2009.

—Mike DiLauro

CES 2009: What I learned about LED backlighting

I spend most of my days at CES covering the show floor and digesting about 100 major product introductions, but occasionally there's time for a little schooling as well.

That's what happened during my visit to the Samsung booth, where senior marketing manager Dan Schinasi gave me a quick lesson on LED backlighting. In a nutshell, he said, you can't have both a super-slim design and a useful feature called local dimming—at least not yet.

As Dan explained it, some LED backlights use "full-frame" LED lighting across the entire panel. The panel can be divided into small segments—typically 128 to 240—that can be controlled independently. This enables some parts of the screen to go very dark while others stay very bright. Our tests have shown that can improve both contrast and black-level performance. The Samsung A950 series LCD, which has LED backlighting with local dimming, had the best black levels we've so far seen from an LCD set.

CES 2009: The instant camera lives again

A dash of new technology mixed with a heaping spoonful of iconic nostalgia is an irresistible combination. Or it was for me, at least, when I came upon a digital version of Polaroid's cherished instant-photo camera at the company's booth.

This was a good year for such a resurrection. Though Polaroid hasn’t made instant-film cameras since 2000 or so, these cameras remain cult favorites with some consumers, including certain artists. So when Polaroid this year discontinued making the film itself, the move triggered considerable media coverage and panicked buying of the remaining stock by owners of the bulky plastic cameras. (What's left of the film in stores now sells for up to $2 a print, according to a Polaroid rep I spoke to at the booth.)

Enter the Polaroid PoGo, the first digital instant camera from the company. It will be available in March for $199, with prints costing about 35 cents apiece. For more about this camera, click on the player at right to see my video blog from the show floor. (You can also view a larger-sized version of my video blog on ConsumerReports.org's Video section.)

My first impressions? It’s a more nichey product than even its analog predecessor, since it creates only photo stickers (in one size) that are smaller than a typical digital-camera snapshot. And while I'm no photo-quality expert, the prints I saw looked at best adequate.

But as with the old Polaroid film cameras, quality isn't the priority here. This camera's calling cards are novelty and fun, and it might deliver both to the right person.

– Paul Reynolds

CES 2009: New solid-state drives vanquish "boot lag"

Does it seem like your PC isn't booting up and loading programs as quickly as it used to? It may not be your imagination or have anything to do with the processor or graphics chips, the components usually associated with speed.

What's probably happening is that your hard drive is filling and fragmenting. (For more details on how and why that happens, see "For geeks only" below).

How to fix it? Get rid of the moving parts. That's what Solid-State Drives (SSDs) do, using the same technology as the flash-memory cards in digital cameras and USB drives. SSDs solve the speed-erosion problem and use less power, and their price is dropping.

SSDs are being shown at CES by hard-drive manufacturers like Samsung and Toshiba, memory makers like SanDisk, processor manufacturers like Intel, and companies you probably haven't heard of, like Mtron and Super Talent. Smaller in capacity, and priced considerably higher per gigabyte than hard drives, they're appearing either standard or as options in quite a few laptops: For example, the new MacBook Pro 17-inch Apple announced Tuesday at Macworld will have a gigantic 320GB SSD as a costly option. The 1.4 pound portable computer Sony announced here at CES, the Vaio P Series Lifestyle PC, also has SSDs up to 128 GB in capacity as options. And $400 netbooks from Dell and HP offer tiny 8 and 16GB SSDs.