Greenpeace advises IT firms to adopt individual, not collective, takeback scheme

Precisely because they know what substance they put into their own products, local subsidiaries of IT companies were urged by an environmental group to assume the responsibility of getting their junk products individually and not rely on the government’s effort to gather them on a collective basis.

At the recent CyberPress Forum held at the Filipinas Heritage Library in Makati City, high-profile environmental organization Greenpeace said tech firms such as PC and mobile phone makers have the moral, if not legal, obligation to recover and recycle their electrical and electronic wastes.

Representatives of IT companies who took part in the conference did not make an issue with the proposal, with top executives of computer producers Lenovo and IBM saying they would suggest to their headquarters to implement an individual takeback scheme in the country.

For its part, Board of Investment director Domingo Bagaporo said the government recognizes the merits of the suggestion and will thus consider it as the trade department winds up its cellphone waste collection and recycling program. The pilot project, which has Glorietta, Greenhills, SM Megamall as collection points, was conducted last December.

Beau Baconguis, toxic tech waste campaigner of Greenpeace Philippines, said a “takeback” policy is one of the crucial criteria that the group uses in rating the environmental-friendliness of a technology company.

In the recent quarterly issue of the Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics, game consoles came out as the least environment-friendly electronic gadgets because of its lack of takeback policy. The report, first launched in August 2006 and rates PC and mobile phone manufacturers on their environmental practices, was expanded to include gaming consoles and television sets.

Video game market leader Nintendo lands at the bottom of the ranking guide with a score of zero out of a possible 10 points, followed by TV manufacturer Philips (2.0), and Microsoft (2.7). The global games consoles sector is the fastest growing sector of the electronics industry and is dominated by only three companies, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft.

The new edition of the quarterly guide also shows important changes at the top of the ranking. Sony Ericsson has now taken the top spot, followed by Samsung, and Sony. Nokia, which has held the top spot since June 2007, has slid down to number nine, and, along with Motorola has been given penalty points.

During the forum, it appeared that the Philippines does not have a definitive law or clear-cut policy governing e-waste and recycling of electronic products.

IT stalwart Gus Lagman commented that the country does not even have a junkyard where harmful components of technology products can be processed safely.

The head of Sun Microsystems Philippines, another tech vendor, noted that although the government has embarked on some initiatives in addressing e-waste, a lot more needs to be done in terms of keeping the pressure on electronic companies to observe proper waste disposal and recycling.

Sun, along with EMC Philippines, revealed that they have the studied these environmental issues early on and have implemented energy-saving features that can maximize power resources. (Reported by I.T. Journalists Association of the Philippines @ www.cyberpress.org.ph)

All New GECUBE 1550 and 1050 Series for enhancing Vista experience

Full Windows Vista Support from the Radeon 1000 Series

With its official launch date schedule for January 2007, Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows Vista is expected to ignite a wave of hardware and computer upgrades. As this new operating system will emphasize its strong support for home entertainment, GECUBE stands by to provide improved video quality for an exciting digital experience in the world of Vista.

Windows Vista emphasizes its home entertainment capabilities and includes many new functions as well. Through these new and improved functions, Vista will allow users to enjoy watching TV or recording programs on their PC. With Windows Vista, home computers or even the Xbox 360 can be used to access photos, music, movies and videos.

The new GECUBE graphics card from Info-Tek Corp is geared to provide an enhanced ultimate multimedia experience from Vista. GECUBE kicks off 2007 with the launching of the GECUBE 1550 and 1050 product lines in PCI-Express and AGP 8X interface, all certified as Windows Vista compliant. The new 1550 series uses 80nm manufacturing technology while offering better heat dissipation and improved performance. With complete Vista support, the 1550 and 1050 series can use HyperMemory to access 1G or 512MB (PCI-Express only) of system RAM memory for a boost to graphics performance. With the arrival of the 1550 and 1050, the Radeon 1000 series now offers a comprehensive line of the latest graphics card, providing better display quality for a lower cost.

GECUBE VGA supporting Microsoft® Windows Vista
PCI-Express 16X
RADEON 1950 Series
RADEON 1900 Series
RADEON 1650 Series
RADEON 1600 Series
RADEON 1550 Series
RADEON 1300 Series
RADEON 1050 Series
RADEON 550 Series
RADEON 300 Series

AGP 8X
RADEON 1950 Series
RADEON 1650 Series
RADEON 1600 Series
RADEON 1550 Series
RADEON 1300 Series
RADEON 1050 Series
RADEON 9600 Series
RADEON 9550 Series

GECUBE is on the web at http://www.gecube.com/. The new 1550 and 1050 series site is at http://www.gecube.com/products-02.php?prod_cat_pid=8&prod_cat_id=185.

Multi-Core shift

Here comes a new advent of multi-core processors. Many devices are now running applications that require a level of performance that has exceeded the capability of single-core processors. Built with two or more processors that have been integrated into one package for an enhanced computing performance with less power consumption, multi-core technology is the latest in the new generation of top of the line PCs and gaming systems.

Computer chip manufacturers including Intel and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) are set to shape the current PC and server landscape with dual and new quad core CPUs (central processing units). Sony and Microsoft have also integrated multi-core technologies with the latest gaming consoles. Squeezing in more brainpowers in a single slot, this will promise faster processing of information for current applications that demand high computing power especially for the business and gaming segment.

The latest gaming consoles are geared for displaying more advanced and crispier real-life like graphics. Sony Play Station 3 clutches eight SPUs (synergistic processor units) and Microsoft Xbox 360 is built with three-core processing units.

A recently released statement from Intel points out that “in addition to new levels of performance,” multi-core processors will provide users “multitasking capabilities that enhance the way they create, experience and enjoy digital entertainment.” Intel Core 2 Quad processors are specifically designed to multitask in playing high-definition videos while running graphics intensive software applications.

Similarly, new AMD multi-core processors promise to improve “system efficiency and application performance for computers running multiple applications at the same time.”

AMD affirms that multi-core processors are essential in the current “demands of complex 3D simulations, streaming media files, added levels of security, more sophisticated user interfaces, larger databases, and more on-line users.” Dual-core AMD 64 and quad-core Opteron new-generation processors are designed to provide “sufficient resources to handle most compute intensive tasks in parallel.”

As the developments in digital data processing and online information access expand, multi-core processors represent a giant leap in computing technology. Businesses and home users will continue to require higher performance and productivity beyond single-core processing.

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