Fujitsu's eco-tactics under fire

The M440 ECO mouse is the latest entry to Fujitsu's Green IT line of ecologically responsible products that aim to reduce customers' environmental footprint, says CNet.

The USB input device features an optical sensor underneath with 1 000dpi resolution and an ambidextrous design suitable for both right and left handed users. Fujitsu also went with Halogen-free materials that include Arboform, new petroleum-based plastic that biodegrades like wood, and Biograde, a material derived from European Soft Woods in sustainable forests.

But Fujitsu is also under fire from environmentalists that take issue with the company's press release, which claims the mouse is 100% biodegradable and 100% recyclable. When asked about the slip, Fujitsu's PR admitted, "there could have been a better way of phrasing it."

There are lots of ways in which small business IT operations can be made more energy efficient, according to one expert, which could encourage more firms to consider green IT solutions, according to iHotDesk.com.

"Not to sound trite, but the simple way for offices to be green is to enable the people who work in that office to be more green," explained Michael Shanks, chief technology officer at Ultraspeed.

He suggested the adoption of food and paper recycling schemes as a starting point, before urging small business IT departments to refrain from less eco-friendly practices, such as printing e-mails and sending paper invoices.

A leading global research consortium has unveiled a sophisticated antenna system that it claims offers the potential for big energy savings thanks to its novel wireless transmission techniques, writes the Pakistan Times.

The Green Touch Consortium, a global research initiative aiming to improve the energy efficiency of information and communications technology (ICT) networks by a factor of 1 000, has demonstrated a Large-Scale Antenna System proof of concept, the first of many technologies it is said to be working to deliver.

The Large-Scale Antenna System proof of concept demonstrated that radiated power consumption could be significantly reduced as the number of antenna elements is increased. A company top official Vernon Turner says the new product would significantly enhance the capabilities of the cellular companies and the service provider networks that make up the Internet.