Green is in. The recent noise to make computing efficient and friendly to the environment has pressed the IT sector to hook up on a new paradigm of providing “Green IT.” From enormous equipment in high-tech data centers to consumer products such as mobile PCs and phones, the IT world is abuzz with green initiatives.

Encouraging the practice of using technology resources efficiently, reducing the use of hazardous materials, and promoting recyclability or biodegradability of defunct products and factory waste, the green hype has caught up with IT companies to take their share of making this world a healthier place to live in.

Technological innovation thrives with
social responsibility and efficient resource use

Studies show that the energy need of the rest of the world out paces renewable and non-renewable resources. Production of toxic materials thereby heightens while toxic wastes and Greenhouse gas emissions increase.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a United Nations agency with the task to standardize and regulate international radio and telecommunications, affirmed in a recent conference in Indonesia that information and communication technologies (ICT) can both be a cause and a potential cure for climate change.

Perceived as a major part of the problem and a key to the solution, the ITU stated that ICT can play a vital role in combating climate change. They can be used for remote monitoring of climate change and gathering important scientific data like using telemetry or remote sensing by satellite. New smart technologies can also usher in a whole new generation of energy-efficient products, notably in next-generation networks (NGN).

The ITU pointed out that the proliferation of ICT products in homes and offices, and their deployment throughout the world, places an increasingly heavy burden on energy consumption. Energy demands caused by high-tech lifestyles in some countries are now being replicated in others.

The late night glow in homes and offices emanating from computers, DVD players, TVs and battery chargers is all too familiar. And the move to "always-on" services, like broadband or mobile phones on standby, has greatly increased energy consumption compared with fixed-line telephones, which do not require an independent power source.

The ITU underlined an active commitment to promote the use of ICT as a positive force to reduce greenhouse emissions and to find ways to mitigate the effects of climate change. The agency said it will support and facilitate scientific studies aimed at implementation of new measures against the negative effects of climate change.

Tech companies tumble in green list

The latest edition of Greenpeace's Guide to Greener Electronics saw the rankings of the world’s biggest consumer technology companies drop significantly as a new criteria that measures impact on climate change was added. The list was first launched in August 2006 as a challenge to electronic companies to “green” their products, from production to disposal.

In the new list, out of the 18 electronics companies evaluated, eight companies including Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, LG Electronics, Toshiba, Motorola, Philips, and Sharp scored above 5/10. Last year, only two companies, Sony Ericsson and Sony scored above 5/10.

Aside from introducing the new criteria, Greenpeace said it also tightened the requirements on electronic waste (e-waste) and toxic chemicals. The newly added energy criteria, the group said, require companies to show their political support for global mandatory cuts in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

In the previous survey, improvements in the take-back programs of mobile phone manufacturers Nokia and Motorola provided a big lift in their standings. The Greenpeace scorecard cited Nokia’s improvements in its take-back program in the Philippines and Thailand.

Gaming company Nintendo remained in the cellar, not moving from last place since Greenpeace started the survey. It managed a paltry score of 1 (0.8 in 2008).

In a statement recently released to the media, Greenpeace stated, “the information and communications technology (ICT) sector currently accounts for 2 percent of global GHG emissions, equal to the aviation industry. As one of the most innovative and fastest growing industries, Greenpeace expects the sector to take leadership in tackling climate change by reducing both their direct and indirect climate carbon footprint.”

Listed below is the score of the 18 technology companies surveyed in Greenpeace's Guide to Greener Electronics:

Nokia (7.45 points) – Scores top marks for leading competitors on toxic phase out

Samsung (7.1 points) – Holds second position for commitment to reduce absolute emissions

Sony Ericsson (6.5 points) – Up two places with better product energy efficiency reporting

LG Electronics (5.7 points) – Up two places but needs to eliminate hazardous chemicals from all products

Toshiba (5.5 points) – Moves up two places with an extra point for promising to cut GHGs

Motorola (5.5 points) – Scores higher and climbs two places because of use of renewable energy

Philips (5.3 points) – Falls from 4th to 7th position and needs to put its commitment to responsible recycling policies into practice

Sharp (5.3 points) – Rises from 9th to joint 7th place with its energy efficient products

Acer (4.9 points) – Put 16 new models of a monitor that are almost free of hazardous chemicals and climbed two places from 11 to 9 but still need to sort out the power cord

Panasonic (4.9 points) – Advance from 12th to 10th place for energy efficiency and pvc free product range but still bad on e waste

Apple (4.7 points) – Drop one position to 11th with no change in scores but get kudos for their green MacBook

Sony (4.5 points) – Plunges from 5th to 12th place for inadequate commitments on eliminating hazardous chemicals, e waste policy and cutting GHGs

Dell (3.9 points) – Stays at 13th place because of backtracking on toxics phase out

HP (3.5 points) – Is at 14th position and has no products on the market free of toxic substances

Microsoft (2.5 points) – Loses a point for a poor recycling policy but stays in 15th position

Lenovo (2.5 points) – Down two places with no set timeline for toxics phase out on all products

Fujitsu (2.4 points) – Debuts second from last with no products that are free of hazardous chemicals

Nintendo (1 point) – Stays put in last position with a glimmer of hope with partially pvc free consoles

The Information Technology Journalists Association of the Philippines web site at http://www.cyberpress.org.ph/ posted a story on Monday about its newly elected officers for 2009.

BATANGAS CITY, Philippines – CyberPress, the country’s only organization of IT writers, also known as IT Journalists Association of the Philippines (ITJAP), has elected on Saturday its new set of officers for 2008 to 2009.

The election was held at the Taal Vista Heights resort in this city, right after the press club conducted a Writers Workshop on: “Legal Issues Affecting Online Reporting and Blogging” with Atty. JJ Disini as resource speaker. He is an MA graduate of the Harvard Law School.

The new CyberPress board members are: Jing Garcia, president (TechTimes Section Editor, The Manila Times, and Editor of Speed Magazine); Red Samar, vice president for external affairs (InfoTech
Section Editor, The Manila Bulletin); Melvin Calimag, vice president for internal affairs (reporter, The Manila Bulletin, editor of TechFrontiers Journal, and Contributor of ZDNet Asia); Tom S. Noda, secretary (reporter, Computerworld Philippines); Alma Anonas, membership chairperson (correspondent, BusinessMirror); Vernadette T. Joven, finance officer (reporter, Computerworld Philippines); Marlon Magtira, election and constitutional amendments officer
(editor, TechFrontiers Journal, PC Buyer's Guide Philippines/ PC Direct and PC Shopper); Maricel Estavillo, sectoral representative for online (editor, BusinessWorld); and Ed Geronia, Jr., sectoral representative for print (editor-in-chief, T3 Philippines).

Calimag, the two-time president of CyberPress and now elected vice president for internal affairs, said the induction of the new officers will take place this coming December, coinciding with the organization’s annual Christmas party. The place and time of the event will yet to be announced.

Meanwhile, Garcia, in his acceptance speech, expressed optimism that CyberPress will grow bigger and stronger in 2009. “I hope everybody will do better” the newly elected president said, adding that he plans to encourage more membership in the IT press club.

“We would reach out to other media companies and organizations in the regions of Visayas and Mindanao,” Garcia announced.

According to Calimag, 2009 will be a more productive year for CyberPress. “We expect to accomplish more as a group,” Calimag said, as he informed that CyberPress is preparing to do its last workshop activity for this year also in December. The forum will be about Green
IT, an advocacy for companies to practice environment-friendly
technologies.

Now with a total of 31 members, CyberPress remains to be the only IT press organization in the Philippines. It is the first IT press club established in South East Asia (SEA) in mid-1996.

The organization’s list of member publications are: BusinessMirror, BusinessWorld, Computer World Philippines, Enterprise, Gadgets Magazine, GMA News, TechFrontiers Journal, The Manila Bulletin, The Manila Times, Manual Magazine, Maxim Philippines, Outrage Magazine, PC Buyer's Guide, PC Direct, PC Shopper, PC World Philippines, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippine Star, PsiCom Publishing, Speed Magazine, T3 Philippines, Tech Frontiers Philippines, The Daily Tribune, and ZDNet Asia.

Google partners with T-Mobile to launch Android-powered smartphone

Google ventures the smartphone market with the introduction of T-Mobile G1, the first phone to feature the Android operating system. Android is a Linux-based software platform designed for mobile devices developed by Google in collaboration with Open Handset Alliance.

With features that directly compete with Apple’s iPhone, the Internet-centric G1 smartphone will initially become available in the U.S. and Europe at about US$400.

Manufactured by High Tech Computer (HTC), the T-Mobile G1 runs on Qualcomm MSM7201A 528MHz processor with 128MB of RAM. Its main features include a 3” 480x320-resolution touchscreen, a QWERTY keyboard, 1GB flash memory, GPS, a microSD, built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 3.1MP camera and so on.

The T-Mobile G1 comes pre-installed with a host of Google web-based service incluing Search, Maps, Gmail, Calendar, Talk, Amazon MP3, and YouTube. The G1 also features Android Market, which includes a number of applications and mash ups.

I was browsing through the CNet Asia web site when I stumbled upon Isabella Chen’s Chick Click blog entry “Real spaces, digital memory” about GPS Film, a Singaporean government initiative project for developing a new motion picture technology designed for GPS-enabled handheld devices like PDAs or mobile phones. GPS Film automatically selects clips from an extraordinarily produced movie based on the location of the viewer.

Considerably a breakthrough in the movie industry, GPS Film will provide a new opportunity for the viewer to explore the actual environment via digital content. GPS Film’s "picture moving, not a moving picture" catchphrase sets a new type of movie experience where viewers don't just take movies on the road but movies will actually take viewers to the road.

According to the GPS Film web site, 

"GPS Film invents a new form of film-viewing experience by using the place and movement of the viewer to reveal the story.

"As the viewer travels by walking, bus, or taxi, the movie unfolds by passing through different areas. 

"By exploring a park, a neighborhood, or even a city or country, GPS Film continually ‘reads’ the location of the viewer and plays scenes that are tied to those places. The more the viewer travels, the more of the film they see."

In her blog, Isabella talks about dead spaces and dead times where people are forced to go through in between productive situations. She wrote,

“The more time you spend in spaces like these, the more brain dead you become.”

Well, GPS Film would definitely give life to our dead brains during dead times. And dead spaces will actually take an important role in the process.

Click here to go to Isabella Chen's Chick Click blog.
Click here to go to Isabella's "Real space, digital memory" blog entry.
Click here to go to CNet Asia.

This Buying Guide was published on PC Shopper Philippines magazine (August Issue).

If you intend to use your PC for graphics-intensive applications, the video card is definitely one of the most important components that will make or break your tasks. With the rapid evolution of hardware and software that require constant upgrades, browse through our advices to make sure you will get the right add-on card.

Fast Facts

• If you’re running 3D and heavy graphics, your system mostly depends on the graphics card. A weak video card will slow down PC performance even if you have a strong CPU or a massive memory module. Other components may complement, but video output quality is loaded based on the graphics card’s ability to handle the technologies. This is why some high-end video cards are actually more expensive than any other components in the system.

• Graphics cards are usually rolled out between six to twelve months period before a new faster and powerful series than the previous models is introduced to support new technologies. Current mid-range to high-end video cards bring a lot of new highfalutin technologies that are often times blurry for most of us.

• PC Gaming publishers usually release new products every year, giving way to new system requirements, making your head turning to find out why your PC gets outdated quickly. If your PC is more than three years, maybe it's too old to have an upgrade so it’s better to get rid of it. No, don’t throw it away. Sell it and buy a new rig.

• Graphics card upgrade may require upgrading of other components such as CPU, memory, hard drive, and even the power supple depending on the applications and video card type you will use.

• Graphics cards are also called “expansion cards” or “add-on cards” specifically designed for the motherboard’s AGP or PCI-Express slots. They called “expansions” or “add-ons” simply because there are cheaper video solutions that are integrated or built-in on the motherboard with special slots for discreet video cards. Built-in video may run 3D applications and games but this is generally slow and works well on daily office tasks and e-mail access.

AGP and PCI Express
Current motherboards usually have AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port or Advanced Graphics Port) or PCI Express (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express or PCI-E) expansion slots for add-on graphics cards. You should determine the slot type on your motherboard because AGP or PCI Express graphics cards are designed for one slot type only. The big difference between the two is the bandwidth they offer. Manufacturers claim that the higher bandwidth is better.

The descendant of PCI parallel-interface video cards, AGP is being slowly driven away by PCI Express. Providing sufficient bandwidth for new applications with 2.1GBps bandwidth, the latest AGP 8x graphics cards and motherboards are still widely available.

PCI Express is the latest species in the evolution of video cards following on the component transition from parallel to serial for an increased bandwidth. It theoretically offers 2 – 4 times more bandwidth than AGP. Since all PC components are gearing towards the serial interface, most new graphics cards designed for PCIE. The latest PCIE (x16) 2.0 can run about 8 GBps bandwidth. Most motherboards with multiple PCI Express x16 slots are designed to operate SLI and CrossFire functions.

If your PC system is more than two years old, it probably has an AGP slot. Upgrading to PCI Express will be expensive since you'll need to replace the motherboard, CPU, and memory, but if your system is more than two years old, it might just be the right time to upgrade your entire PC anyway.

Graphics Card Stuff: What you may not know

• Fill Rate – GPU’s speed in drawing pixels depending on the number of ROP (raster operations pipeline) units of the graphics card.
  
  
• GART (Graphics Address Remapping Table) – a capability of reading textures directly from memory without the need to copy them to video memory.
  
  
• GBps (Gygabyte per second) – bandwidth measured in the number of Gygabytes processed per second.
  
  
• Pixel Pipelines –pixels pass through a GPU unit called “pipelines” which crunch complex vertex and pixel-shader programs for lighting and other effects. The more pipelines, the better. Cheaper cards usually have 4 pipelines while mid-range to high-end 8-16 or more.
  
  
• Pixel Shaders (also called “pixel processors”), Vertex Shaders Units (also called “vertex processors”), and Unified Shaders – Usually used for realism gaming, Pixel and Vertex Shaders are GPU units that execute pixel frequency and control colors that apply an effect on images like shadows and explosions. Unified Shaders combines and executes both Pixel and Vertex Shaders.
  
  
• RAMDAC (Random Access Memory Digital-to-Analog Converter) – converters used to store color palette that generate analog signals for the monitor.
  
  
• SLI (NVIDIA’s scalable link interface) and CrossFire (ATI) – New technologies that allow two or graphics cards installation for certain intensive graphics applications.

It’s not all about memory
The most popular error in pronouncing a graphics card’s performance is judging it by its memory size. Well, that was true during PCI video cards heydays. Memory size is important, but the real deal in determining video card speed is the capability of the GPU. Of course, higher memory can provide a certain effect but there are more important considerations to measure performance like the GPU’s memory bus, clock, and pipelines that affect bandwidth. Take a look at pipelines and clock speed specs

Current graphics cards use 64 - 512-bit bus witch 400 – 2000MHz clock, so a 512-bit bus with high clock speed can definitely give the card a boost as compared to 64-bit. Current memory types are designed on DDR and GDDR modules ranging from 128 MB to 1024 MB. A few years ago, video cards with 16-32 MB could do well with graphics programs. Today, many games and applications like Adobe CS3 require at least 128 MB to run.

What’s on the card?

• Analog D-Sub (also known as VGA or DB-15F) – 15-pin connector for analog monitors.
  
  
• DVI (DVI-Integrated and DVI-Digital) - standard interface used to provide digital video signals to LCD monitors.
  
  
• HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) - simultaneously transmitting visual and audio data via the same cable.
  
  
• DisplayPort - new digital video interface designed for upcoming multimedia devices.
  
  
• GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) – The brain of the graphics card, GPUs operation is measured in megahertz (millions of information processed per second).

nVIDIA or ATi?
ATi and nVIDIA are the only two consumer graphics card vendors that clashes head to head in the market today (If there are others, please let me know). They have their own price ranges and I can’t say which is better or worst because each has its ups and downs. If you don’t have any budget constraints, grab a high-end solution to get the highest quality images and best performance.

Being the so-called “computer’s brain” which executes all applications, the processor is obviously the most vital component of the PC. Distributors highlight the processor on top of the specs sheet because of its impact on the over-all performance of the PC system.

Fast Facts

• CPU - The PC processor called the CPU (Central Processing Unit). To avoid confusion, the “CPU” term tends to be dropped in the market because it also refers to the CPU package that includes all components inside the case. Current video cards also feature processors which is called a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit).
  
  
• Clock Speed - Clock speed is a processor rating that measures a certain number of information processed per second. 2.0GHz means 2 billions of data processed per second. Current applications require millions of data to run so the higher clock speed means faster processing. Multi-core processors are just making this impression a lot more complex as we see lower clock speeds compared to single cores. Logically, a dual-core processor with each running at 1.5GHz should be equivalent to a 3.0GHz single-core. This will not work if applications designed for single-cores are executed on multi-cores.
  
  
• FSB - The Front Side Bus (FSB) serves as the processors’ connection to the system memory. FSB data transfer speed allows better the processor performance.
  
  
• L2 Cache - The cache enables the processor to speedily access recently used information. Current processors operate on Level 2 (L2) cache which provides faster data transfer between the processor and main system memory.

Top-of-the-line
Here are the current most powerful and most also most expensive processors in the market. You might want to grab one of these if you want to get the best performance for your PC.

• Intel Core 2 Extreme Quad-Core Q9000 series
  Processor Numbers: QX9775, QX9770, QX9650
  Architecture: 45 nanometer technology
  L2 Cache: 12 MB
  Clock Speed: 3.20 GHz (QX9775, QX9770), 3 GHz (QX9650)
  Front Side Bus Speed: 1600 MHz (QX9775, QX9770), 1333 MHz (QX9650)
  Slot/Socket Type: LGA771- DX5400 (QX9775, QX9770), LGA775 (QX9650)
  
  
• AMD Phenom X4 Quad-Core 9000 series
  Model Number: 9950
  Frequency (MHz): 2600
  L2 Cache Size (KB): 512
  Manufacturing Tech (CMOS): 65nm SOI
  Socket: AM2+
  System Bus (MHz): 4000
  
  
• AMD Phenom X3 Triple-Core 8000 series
  Model Number: 8750
  Frequency (MHz): 2400
  L2 Cache Size (KB): 512
  Socket: AM2+
  Manufacturing Tech (CMOS): 65nm SOI
  System Bus (MHz): 3600

Overclocking
Overclocking is the term used in pushing a processor (CPU or GPU) to operate higher than what is officially rated by its vendor. It is claimed that overclocking enables the system to extend its capabilities by more than 25%, definitely a high boost to computer performance.

It is widely assumed especially by PC gamers who are hungry for more computing power, that out-of-the-factory processors are usually underrated by manufacturers for increased reliability. The processors bit rating determines the largest number of information that a processor can handle depending on the clock speed. A processor clock cycle is measured at 2 to the power of the bit rating so 32-bit can handle up to 232 or about 4.3 billion processed information per cycle. In turn, 64-bit can execute 264 or about 18.4 quintillion. Clock speeds are said to be lower than the maximum number of information that many tech buffs would like to get hold of the extra unrated power of processors without spending more and take the system a further step higher in its class.

• Caveat!
  While there are overclocked processors that can actually take smooth operation, a user should have the necessary technical know-how in forcing the processors to its limits because hitches may result such as increasing heat dissipation, reducing lifespan or completely wrecking the component.

Multi-Core Processors
Initially designed to serve the server market, multi-core processors are now finding its way to personal computing with the new generation of software that require higher speeds and processing power.

Multi-core design integrates multiple physical processors on a single chip dividing the applications between the processors to allow the system to function faster by running multiple threads. Multi-tasked applications generate multiple threads or streams of data. A processor can only handle a single thread at a time. This means that the more applications are executed the slower a thread is processed.

A multi-core processor enables the system to handle more than one thread at a time by switching the threads between the cores to provide faster information processing.