If you care about environmental issues, then perhaps you can make a positive move by purchasing a “green” computer. ASUS is the first manufacturer to meet the requirements of the PAS 2060:2010 Standard for Carbon Neutrality with the U53SD Bamboo Notebook. This certification makes the U53SD the first notebook in the world to achieve net zero carbon emissions throughout its product lifecycle. ASUS reduced the U53SD’s carbon footprint by up to 10 percent using lightly treated bamboo instead of plastics for parts of the notebook’s chassis. The U53SD also comes with Super Hybrid Engine (SHE) technology, which significantly lowers energy consumption by up to 20 percent through a clever combination of hardware and software.
Liquid Comics has launched Graphic India (www.graphicindia.com), a digital platform to promote comic books in India and showcase young artists and writers in the country. Graphic India will feature free daily digital comic book chapters, interviews with creators, educational resources for aspiring artists and writers and pop culture film, television and game reviews. Digital comics featured on the site can be embedded and shared across social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. To further spark young Indian creators to look at graphic novels as a meaningful profession, the site is featuring a “Create A Comic Contest,” where the winning author will be awarded a contract to publish a graphic novel and win INR100,000. Over the next few months, Graphic India intends to expand its digital platform across mobile through various partnerships and apps. Beyond digital comics, content will soon include episodic animated shows, digital trading cards and social games.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X130e laptop is specially ruggedized for education, with the features needed to help students in grades K-12 get the most out of their PC technology. This 11.6-inch lightweight ultraportable has the processing performance students need for assignments requiring multitasking, with choices of AMD Fusion E-300 and E-450 or Intel second generation Core i3-2367M ULV processors. For multimedia-intensive lessons, the laptop kicks in its AMD Radeon or Intel HD-powered graphics to give students a rich visual experience. At under four pounds, students can easily carry the laptop and there’s no need to recharge during the school day as the battery lasts up to 8.5 hours. To help kid-proof the laptop, the X130e has several heavy-duty features including a top cover rubber bumper to absorb impacts to the side of the laptop and 33 percent stronger corners to reduce the chance of damage when dropped at an angle. Stronger hinges should outlast even the most frequent PC user at up to 30,000 cycles. Reinforced and recessed ports decrease the effects of student “wear and tear” and a stronger bezel, or setting, with 1.2mm thick plastic protects the LED panel. The X130e also comes with tools suited to a digital learning environment including a low-light webcam, wireless connectivity option and HDMI and VGA out. Pricing for this PC starts at $469.
At One True Media (www.onetruemedia.com), anyone can create a short, finished production of photos, video clips and other images set to music. Free accounts allow the sharing of videos up to 30 seconds in length. Upgrade to a premium account for $3.99 a month to get unlimited downloading and additional online sharing time. Premium accounts also offer the ability to use themes with pre-selected artwork, music and transitions, making video creation easier for beginners.
At this time of the year, from late night to early morning, it’s cold outside. Used to be that you could keep your hands warm in your pockets, but how can you do that if you need to operate a touch screen phone? Touch screen operation isn’t possible while wearing regular gloves, which is why Echo Design created Echo Touch Gloves. The sensors in touch screen devices respond to the electric signals transmitted through the skin. Echo Touch Gloves have a conductive fabric patch on two fingers of each hand. The gloves come in different sizes and styles and are priced from $24 to $132. See the gloves at echodesign.com and buy them in the region at Bloomingdale’s Dubai.
