tech

Alpine's CDA-9885 joins Sony's CDX-520 and JVC's KD-HDR1 in the category of HD Radio-compatible car stereos. The in-dash system combines attractive styling and a easy-to-use music search interface with great-sounding output and a host of expandability options, but those upgrading to HD Radio will have to deal with a clunky module and a hefty price tag.

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How green is your Web site? CO2Stats will add up the time visitors spend at your site and then estimate how much carbon dioxide is expended in powering the personal PCs and servers involved.

The CO2Stats widget can be added to a Web site or blog just by cutting and pasting some code. Based upon visitor traffic, the service's ticker will count the carbons and then pay the equivalent in offsets to Sustainable Travel International. That nonprofit funds renewable energy and development in the developing world, in addition to green power projects in North America.

However, CO2Stats doesn't … Read more

It's easy to feel overwhelmed by the vast waste of materials at the gargantuan Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Mobile phones frozen into buffet ice sculptures just scratch the surface of the showcase of an industry that thrives on planned obsolescence.

Three years ago, I'd asked the planners of CES about its waste management, receiving befuddled looks in return. But then I stopped worrying and learned to love my free CES vinyl laptop bag, stuffed with plasticky swag that will outlast the bones of any great-grandchildren I may ever have.

Sure, there were e-waste recycling awards back … Read more

Now, your pictures can speak for themselves.

Labels That Talk, from Kailua Hawaii, has come up with software that lets consumers print high-density bar codes on strips of paper that store recorded voice messages. Scan the paper with a cheap handheld scanner--or a cell phone with a built-in scanner--and it plays back a message. The strip of paper you see in the picture can hold about eight kilobits, enough for a ten-second voice message, said Ken Berkun, president and founder.

"We're trying to get it to twenty seconds," he said.

The idea is to let consumer enhance … Read more

Snoopr is a new site with an old idea. It lets people submit deals they've found on all sorts of things from consumer electronics to food items. These items go into an upcoming feed, where others can "snoop" them up. What really makes the site stand out is its aesthetic, which serves up a clean and simple interface with a few goodies like a percentage marker that lets you know how much you're saving off retail, and a simple rating system that shows what other Snoop members think of the deal. Together the two give you … Read more

Most of the year, shoppers seeking to be ecologically correct worry about the age-old paper versus plastic bag dilemma (The answer? Bring your own bag.). Around this time of year, those who celebrate Christmas worry whether they should get an artificial or real tree.

Fake firs from the middle of the 20th century that once looked high-tech have made a retro comeback. Dressing up an old one can be relatively eco-friendly, whether it sports flocked snow, aluminum branches, or ceramic gumdrops. The Doris Day aesthetics might irk some neighbors, but at least you'd do the planet a favor by … Read more

One of the easiest ways to help Mother Earth is to ditch your petrol-guzzling, smog-bellowing harbinger of death, in exchange for a G-Wiz. It's a fully electric car, meaning you never, ever have to fill it up with petrol. Just plug it in at home or at your local garage, charge it up for eight hours, then drive to your heart's content, safe in the knowledge that you're not exacerbating Mother Nature's toxic asthma.

We recently went for a spin in one of these mobile rabbit hutches and can bring you video evidence of why you … Read more

If a holiday season free of wrapping paper and ribbons is on your wish list, there are many options for giving presents without touching anything but a computer and credit card. Services that can be ordered and received online also can be more eco-friendly than physical presents. Of course, you could always funnel funds directly into someone's PayPal account, but where's the fun (for you) in that?

That's entertainment

Netflix offers gift subscriptions from $9 for one month of movie rentals to $108 for one year. GreenCine's rental certificates for indie film buffs start at $44 … Read more

At ?8 ($16) a pop, London's congestion charge seemed eyewateringly expensive to those on this side of the pond even before the dollar went into freefall. But it's even more costly for those who drive into the congestion zone area and forget to pay the toll, who have to cough up between $100 and $300 for their absentmindedness.

Cue the Kenbuster, a device designed to save these poor souls from getting stung with hefty fines. Named in honor of Ken Livingstone, London's mayor and the brains behind the congestion charge, the Kenbuster uses a built-in GPS receiver … Read more