HP Photosmart A646 Compact Printer

HP Photosmart A646 Compact Printer

In the old days of film cameras, you'd go on vacation, come home, dither for a while, then take your film to a developer (or mail it off) and end up with a handsome set of blurry 4x6 prints of family members with the tops of their heads cut off.

The good news is that nowadays with digital cameras we can perfectly compose works of art using the screens on the back of the cameras and store hundreds or even thousands of photos on a single memory card.

But somehow - most of the time - nobody actually has time to sort through all those images and print out the best ones.

I know that we've got years of photos sitting on hard drives and stored on photo-sharing websites, but only a handful of prints.

That's why I was so eager to test the HP Photosmart A646 Compact Printer. As HP says, the printer lets customers view, edit, create and personalize photos using the TouchSmart control panel.

What makes it eco-friendly? First of all, it's small. It's hard to tell from the picture, but the whole package isn't much bigger than a small toaster. Making something small generally means using fewer raw materials.

Second, it's Energy Star-rated as energy efficient.

In addition, nearly 1/3 of the printer's body is made from recycled plastic. You'd never know this just by looking at the printer, as it looks and feels as solid and sleek as any other piece of electronics these days. I continue to be impressed at the way that recycled plastic can look just as good as 'virgin' plastic.

And the printer itself is so small and compact that it can easily be carried from one place to another using the included reusable tote made from recycled plastics. (By shipping the printer within this tote, HP has really managed to cut out a lot of unnecessary packaging waste.)

How did the printer work in action? Initially, I thought the quality was a little below photo lab standards. Looking closely at certain parts of the picture, I could see a linear pattern where the printer had put down ink. As the printer got warmed up, the quality seemed to improve, although I still feel like you'll get somewhat better quality from a lab.

What HP does give you is convenience and ease-of-use. We printed photos both by connecting the printer to a desktop computer with a standard (not-included) printer USB cable, and also by plugging a memory card directly into the printer. Both worked just fine, although the computer option seemed to work better since I had trouble locating specific images on my memory card using the printer's touch-screen display.

We also had some issues where printed photos were cropped a bit differently than they displayed on the computer. The issue seemed to occur a bit randomly and did not necessarily seem to be linked to the size or shape of the image as displayed on the computer screen. To be honest, I didn't delive into the instruction manual to see if there was some way of getting around this cropping problem.

Also note that you'll need to take both paper and ink costs into account when determining if the printer is right for you. We typically managed about 40 photos per cartridge. HP did include a handy, eco-friendly postage-paid envelope (folded nicely into a tiny package) for returning spent ink cartridges for recycling.

What's the final verdict? Between its recycled plastic content, its energy efficiency and its small size, the printer seems like a fairly Green product. I may not be smitten with the print quality, but for procrastinators like myself an HP Photosmart A646 Compact Printer could be just the ticket for getting some of your photos off the screen and into the real world on paper that can be handed around, put in a wallet or in a frame and hung on the wall.

Finally being surrounded by physical, tangible reminders of happy moments from the last few years? That's pretty sweet.

Where to buy:

Buy directly from HP for $149.99 or from Amazon.com for $99.99.

Disclosure - HP loaned me an A646 printer for testing. I sent it back when the test was complete.

Compaq Presario CQ2009F Desktop PC

Compaq's energy-efficient CQ2009F desktop computer

There are lots of websites that will talk about the exciting scientific research moving forward on powering our homes with fuel made from algae or other exotic substances.

Hey, I like algae as much as the next guy, but in the meantime, we get most of our energy from 'dirty' sources like oil, coal and nuclear.

So...what really gets me in a tizzy is when manufacturers makes quantum leaps forward in terms of efficiency, materials and affordability.

My last desktop computer was a Compaq. I bought it around late 2001 or early 2002. I spent around $1000 on it. It weighed approximately 27 lbs and (as I found out when I reviwed the Kill-a-Watt last year) used between 70-109 watts of electricity.

That old Compaq performed admirably for a while, even if it did look clunky and take up a significant chunk of my workspace. But then it started suddenly turning itself on and off without warning. And this thing was loud. It's not fun to be wakened in the middle of the night by the giant 'whoosh/click/whirrr' of your computer coming to life.

I had two choices - hire a computer exorcist or buy a new machine.

After looking high and low, I surprised myself by settling on another Compaq.

Compaq doesn't get much respect these days. Businesses are focused on brands like Dell and Lenovo. The hipsters all love their Apples or maybe their Acer eee box.

But I think the Compaq CQ2009F surpasses them all. Here's what I like:

1. Energy efficiency. My old desktop needed 70-109 watts of electricity. As measured by the Kill-a-Watt, the CQ2009F so far seems to draw only 29-32 watts no matter what it's doing. That's an efficiency improvement of approximately 60-70 percent!

2. Size/materials. As mentioned, my old desktop weighed approximately 27 lbs and took up a massive amount of desk space. The CQ2009F is much smaller (4.41" x 10.71" x 9.69"). It weighs only 7 lbs and requires much less space on the desk. That's a 74 percent weight reduction! So this desktop obviously needs much less in the way of raw materials - and since those raw materials tend to be made of plastic (oil) or metal, less is certainly better from an environmental standpoint.

3. Noise pollution. The CQ2009F is much quieter and unobtrusive than my old machine. Less noise pollution is always a good thing.

4. Features. Energy efficient machines are always great, but they're especially impressive when their feature set matches what other machines can do. In this case, I really wanted the ability to read and burn DVDs. The Asus eee box and some of the other tiny desktops don't have any DVD/CD drive, but the CQ2009F has one built in. It also has a handy little card reader so I can take the SD card right from my digital camera and plug it into the desktop without worrying about finding a USB cable.

5. Design. Remember when PCs used to be boring beige or grey boxes? The CQ2009F is sleek and sexy, slightly curvaceous, but not outrageous.

6. Price. It's nice when someone builds a great eco-friendly product, but if that product is out of reach for all buy a few millionaires (i.e. the Tesla electric car), then the practical environmental benefit is minimal. What's so beautiful about the CQ2009F is that it costs less than $300 (not including monitor)! That's a very competitive price these days and far less than I paid for a much less efficient machine just 7-8 years ago.

Why would anyone in the market for a desktop PC buy any other machine? I can think of just a few reasons:

- You're a serious gamer or video producer and need more RAM/power for your PC. (The CQ2009F has plenty of juice for typical home word processing and Internet browsing, but probably not enough for heavy gaming or video editing.)

- You want the smaller size and more efficient energy use (20 watts, according to Asus) of the eee box and you don't care about having the DVD drive.

- You're a Mac user, in which the Mac mini is probably your best eco-friendly bet (as discussed on Metaefficient).

Incidentally, the Dell Studio Hybrid also looks like a good eco-friendly option for PC fans, but it is a bit more pricey than the Compaq CQ2009F and according to the same Metaefficient article, a bit more power-hungry (26-44 watts).

Where to buy:

You can purchase the Compaq CQ2009F through various only retailers including Compaq's own website ($279.99 with free shipping) and Amazon.com ($269.99 with free shipping).

Amazon Kindle 2.0

In case you haven't heard, Amazon.com recently announced the upcoming February 24 release of its second-generation e-book reader: Kindle 2.

What makes the Kindle 2 such an eco-friendly product? After all, isn't this just another electronic gadget that place additional demands on the electrical grid?

Well, one general Green principle we endorse is that fewer resources required = a better product (i.e. less is more).

The 10.2-ounce, 1/3-inch thick Kindle 2 can hold more than 1,500 books.

Can you imagine the environmental cost in paper, gasoline and electricity of cutting down trees (or even recycling paper) to produce, print, package and ship 1,500 books?

It's surely much higher than the one-time cost of producing the slender Kindle 2, plus the occasional cost of recharging the device.

On the recharging front, there's good news there too. Amazon says the Kindle 2 battery is now 25% longer - the battery apparently charges in 4 hours and lasts for 4-14 days of reading (depending on whether you have the sophisticated 3G wireless network switched on).

The e-books themselves supposedly only take 60 seconds to download and you can choose from among more than 230,000 options in the Kindle Store. If you think that sounds impressive, Amazon says it's aiming to eventually offer any book ever printed in any language through the Kindle 2.

From what we hear, you can also access newspapers and magazines through the Kindle 2 - again reducing printing and distribution costs associated with hard copies of the same. (The environmental case is even stronger with periodicals since they are usually read once and then trashed or at best recycled.)

We hope to have the chance to test Kindle 2 first-hand in the weeks ahead, but if you can't wait for our review, feel free to get on the pre-order list now.

Like other observers conditioned to falling technology prices, we're slightly disappointed that Amazon didn't make Kindle 2 even more affordable than the previous edition. But even at $359, the idea of an elegant device that puts an entire library at your fingertips (with all the e-books you buy backed up online in a digital Amazon library) makes the Kindle an attractive proposition.

Where to buy:

At Amazon, naturally!

Targus Grove Computer Bags

So you're a modern business roadwarrior, but you care about the environment too?

Check out Targus' new line of Grove™ laptop bags. Available in four styles (Sling, Convertible Messenger/Backpack, Messenger and Topload), all the Grove bags are labeled PVC-free.

PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is a common plastic used to make everything from sewer pipes to clothing, but health concerns linked to PVC and the plasticizers (such as phthalates) added to the PVC have led to concerns over its continued use. Indeed, the California legislature has even considered a bill to ban PVC packaging.

Indeed, the Center for Health and Environmental Justice calls PVC "The Poison Plastic" and says that PVC cannot be effectively recycled. They claim that just one PVC container accidentally added into the recycling stream can spoil a batch of 100,000 recyclable PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles.

So basically it's a good thing that Targus has eliminated all PVC from the Grove bag. Instead, they've chosen to use recyclable plastic hardware. Theoretically, you can take the bag apart, remove the plastic pieces (i.e. the feet) and take them to a recycling center or put them in your recycling bin. (Though you'd need to make sure that your recycler could handle thermal plastic rubber used in the feet and the other types of plastic the bag contains.)

We should also mention that the stylish metal accents on the bags are nickel-free. Since some people are allergic to nickel and since the nickel refining process may be hazardous to the health of its workers (according to Environment Writer), this also seems like a good thing.

From a purely functional and design standpoint, Targus has done a good job with the Grove series. The olive and black color scheme with 'sedona' (i.e. burnt orange) accents looks rugged and stylish in an understate way. Lots more sedona coloring on the inside, good padding in the laptop section (holds up to 15.4" notebook) and a plethora of pockets and clips make the Grove bags both versatile and fun to use.

Is Grove the greenest solution ever to carrying your laptop? Probably not. You could always throw your computer in a organic cotton case like the ones from Passenger Pigeon (scroll down the page - sorry no direct link to product). But if you want something more rugged and structured, the Grove bags definitely seem like a Green step in the right direction.

Where to buy:
Purchase directly through the Targus website ($49.99 - $79.99) or offline at major nationwide retailers listed here.

HP Deskjet D2545 Printer

Sure, you recycle paper.

Way to go! Good job! (Pat on the back.)

But do you use a recycled printer? Hm? Thought not.

Well, thanks to HP's new D2545 Deskjet model, you can change your ways for the greener.

More than 80% of the total plastic weight on the D2545 comes from recycled plastic, including 100% of the printer's outer casing and trays.

Even better, the ENERGY STAR®-qualified D2545 comes in 100%-recycled product packaging.

Weighing just 6.2 lbs., the compact D2545 still has impressive performance specs: up to 26 pages per minute (ppm) black printing capability, with as much as 20 ppm in color.

One more green benefit to buying an inkjet printer from HP -- the company supports recycling of inkjet cartridges in 42 countries and territories around the world through a free postage-paid return-and-recycling program.

Want more details on all the D2545 product benefits? Download a PDF here.

And remember, even if you do recycle, you're not participating fully in the recycling chain unless you also buy products (like the Deskjet D2545) made from recycled materials.

Where to buy:
Purchase directly through HP's Home & Home Office store or via Walmart.com.