What this means. We are talking here about the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directives. Basically, these two directives require computer makers to implement product lifecycle management programs (including free take-back programs) and the elimination of certain hazardous substances like lead, by 2008 from their production process. In anticipation of these directives, which have been discussed for years and follow the lead of other eco-labeling, for example the U.S.'s Energy Star and Germany's Blue Angel, many companies have taken a proactive approach to the inevitable, by beginning the redesign of products years ago. Japan's NEC in particular has taken the lead with launch of its PowerMate eco last year. The PowerMate eco contains no lead, is made of NEC-developed, 100% recyclable "NuCycle" plastic, and uses no fan thanks to its low-power Transmeta chip and laptop components. Hewlett Packard has also started development of a line of small-footprint variations of their PC product lines. Call centers and hospitals are prime clients as is any ordinary Japanese office where workers are often clustered desk-to-desk in groups of eight, said Larry Miller, vice president and general manager, Mobile Solutions Division, NEC Solutions America. "The thing the eco does represent is a very clear stake-in-the-ground, line-in-the-sand that it is absolutely possible," said Miller. "I'd like to claim that next year all of our computers will be made in the same way, but this is the first in this way and it's made because we could. So, its the first of a parade rather than the beginning of a revolution." Overview of NEC Eco. The PowerMate eco is the first desktop PC engineered specifically with the environment in mind while also meeting the demands of a wide variety of workplaces. The "boxless" all-in-one unit has no fan, is constructed with a lead-free motherboard and contains no boron in the LCD display. As a result, it uses less power and produces less heat than traditional PCs, and is also Energy Star(r) compliant and won't pollute the environment. NEC also designed the PowerMate eco to be highly functional by matching a 900MHz Transmeta™ Crusoe™ processor with a 20GB hard drive and 15" TFT LCD display. |
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Specification. Key Features: Specifications: Memory Storage Devices TFT Color Display Interface Ports Expansion: Combination Card Slot Dimensions and Weight AC Power |