Smartphones: Android Going Green

The advancement in smartphone technology has lead to a lot of big players jumping in on the action. Manufacturers teaming up with development heads devise and design strenuously for newer and better operating systems and software's supporting the dynamic platform of their machines, in this case smartphones.

Android is the mobile operating system released by Google after the company acquired Android, Inc. The word Android literally translates to something which has a biological foundation and closely mimics a human being. Any phone that uses an Android operating system is an Android smartphone. From a technological point of view, Android consists of; an operating system, middle-ware and key application. Android Smartphone's uses a version of the Linux kernel that has been modified to serve the mobile environment. Hence it is an open source Operating System (unlike Microsoft's Operating Systems).

Smartphone using Android OS

 The Android operating system was first released on 21 October 2008. Since then, various updates have been seen. These updates have mostly taken care of security issues or added new features.

According to a latest Global Network Research, Android surpassed iPhone OS market share for the first time on global basis in March 2011. Android is growing at a faster pace than iOS and now holds 14.5% of global impression share on the InMobi network. Globally, mobile impressions continue to grow rapidly, increasing by 21% on the InMobi network over just 90 days, driven primarily by smartphone growth of 34%. Android OS should exceed 40% share of smartphones worldwide with Samsung, HTC and Motorola leading the way with handsets based on the open-source platform.

In Q4 of 2010, Android passed Nokia's struggling Symbian as the leading operating system worldwide. A growing list of vendors who have made Android as the cornerstone of their respective smartphone strategies is propelling the growth of Android. The vendors include Samsung, HTC and Motorola, all of which have doubled their smartphone market share in the course of cranking out and selling various Android handsets.

The success amongst the investors about this open-source platform is worth noticing as well. Recently, Tapjoy, mobile monetization company, is starting a $5 million fund to make it easier for app creators to shift their apps to the Android mobile operating system. It's a vivid sign that one small company is finding it easier to business on the Android platform. Moving on, Google Nexus, one of the benchmark for quality Android devices over the past two years has gotten upgraded to Nexus 4G.

 Nexus 4G is rumored to be packing a dual-core Snapdragon processor. It will also run Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich"; judging from Google's past Nexus devices, it will likely be the first phone to run the new OS.

Android application development has also picked pace as its market share and productivity sky-rocketed globally. Android developers and prospective Android application development agencies are working in tandem and delivering the best Android mobile applications for Android Marketplace. One of the most common and popular Android application is the smartphone game, Angry Birds.

Global winds of technological development specifically mobile application developments are bringing glad tidings for Android open-source. The future is no longer fruity and Apple blue, its Android green.

E-Waste Market Size Continues to Grow

 The disposal of electronic waste is pretty much affected by cost concerns resulting in as much as 80 percent of e-waste ending up overseas where it is recycled in an un-environmentally friendly way.

In countries including China, India and Nigeria, the precious metals are removed by hammers, gas burners and bare hands, which results in lead and mercury being leaked into the air. Safety costs in the U.S. make shipping off these electronics to other countries a more cost-effective measure, as it can cost up to 10 times more to recycle electronics in the U.S.

Foreign countries are starting to crack down though, as Hong Kong authorities already returned 85 containers of electronics in 2007, including 20 from the U.S. China also now produces one million tons of e-waste itself according to Greenpeace China, and this number is on the rise.

As every thing in this world is based on profitability, many companies prefer to ship these wastes to places where the man power is cheaper and where quality and environmental standers are lower. Then we'll wind up in a closed loop that will not help our environment. We need to force companies to recycle for the sake of earth and not for the sake of making piles of money.

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E-Waste Market Size Continues to Grow

E-Waste Market Size Continues to Grow

The modernization and digitization have proved to be worthy for the entire world and humanity but it has also given us a menace in the form of e-waste. With the increasing use of electronic devices and electrical equipment, the collection of e-waste is also mounting.
E-waste or electronic waste is a term used for those electronic equipment that has reached its end of life in the hand of its current user. These devices when disassembled or destroyed are either taken for reuse or slated for hazardous disposal. Some of the electronic waste can be recycled and they are called as a "commodity" while those which cannot be reused is categorized as "waste".

E-Waste Market Size

The global market of electronic waste is estimated to be $7.2 billion in 2004 and it is predicted to increase at average annual growth rate of 8.8% till 2009 to $11 billion.

• Due to the rising demand of high value engineered plastics, the recycled plastics sector will register the maximum revenue growth. It will grow at 10.2% AAGR.
• The recycled metals market will continue to be dominated by the growth in metals mined from end of life electronic waste, growing at an AAGR of 8.1%.
• Recycled glass is low valued hence the recycled glass market continues to be stagnant. Glass cullets sold into the marketplace will continue to command modest prices.
• The cathode ray tube recovered from the old CRTs are vastly used in the new CRTs. The market demand for recovered cathode ray tube feedstock is growing and getting stronger. Due to this higher value glass-to-glass recycling the market will grow at an AAGR of 7.5%.

Reasons for Increasing E-Waste

Due to the increasing areas of information society and the dependency of businesses on computer and Internet, the e-waste has been mounting. Perhaps e-waste is the fastest growing segment of the municipal solid waste stream. E-waste has been mounting rapidly with the rise of the information society. In developed countries, e-waste constitutes 1% of solid waste but it is expected to grow to 2% by 2010. In developing countries, the percentage of e-waste out of solid waste ranges from 0.01% to 1%. But in recent future, the developing countries including, China will be the fastest growing segment of the e-waste market. Over the next five years, the electronic waste in developing countries has the potential to triple the amount at current.
The rising mount of electronic waste isn't going to be cut recently. Computer sales are growing at a rate of 10% worldwide and sale of DVD players are doubling every year. Along with that the rate of obsolescence of electronic equipment is increasing. The life-cycle of the electrical and electronic equipment are shortening. The life period of a television set is reduced to 10 years while that of a computer remains only 2-3 years. All the above mentioned facts are equally responsible for the rising e-waste. In spite of such horrendous situation manufacturers and governments have not kept pace with electronic waste policy and practice. Eventually a high percentage of electronics are ending up in the waste stream releasing harmful toxins into the environment.

Pattrick is working as an industry analyst in the electronics and electrical industry for last fifteen years. He is working on a blog where you can get a lot of information on electronics industry, news, innovations, tradeshows, etc. http://myelectronicsblog.blogspot.com/ He is associated with one of the best electronics and electrical industry marketplaces http://www.digitivity.com/

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New technologies are now arising, polymers are helping easier management of e-wastes!

Are We Aware Of The Impact Of Ewaste On Our Health And Environment?

As swanky electronic gazettes have become the new lifestyle status symbols of the modern society, more and more people have started taking to adapting and flaunting latest technology equipments. The usage of mobiles, laptops, mp3 players, computer, LCD TVs and home equipments with advanced technologies have become common. With new upgrades in technology everyday, old equipments are fast phasing out because of obsolence. This obsolete, non-working, non-repairable but durable equipments obviously find there way into the garbage.

According to N.M. Taphani, Regional Officer, Pollution Control Board, this Electronic Waste is highly dangerous for environment and hence should not be disposed with the regular garbage. Electrical and electronic equipment are made up of a multitude of components, some containing toxic substances which can have an adverse impact on human health and the environment if not handled properly. They should be segregated and disposed as per the norms However, according to him the disposal of all domestic waste is the responsibility of Municipal Corporation or civic authorities. Hence, they have not been taking any action on the matter. The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) of the Government of India has developed a special guide for issues and problems created by eWaste. However, the workgroup for this divison are currently functional only in Bangalore, Mumbai and New Delhi.

Vendors in the business of used computers says, they often come across non-working computer parts whose repairing may cost more than a new one. They usually throw such parts like display cards, network cards or mother boards of old computers into the nearest dustbin alongwith other garbage. According to Dealers of home equipments, used Television and Electronic equipments are purchased by dealers as buyback. This second hand equipments if working are usually resold to small vendors from nearby villages otherwise they are sold to scrap dealers in town. These scrap dealers in turn use some of the useful material from the equipments and throw away the rest of then things in garbage. According to Mobile phone showroom owners, when they come across non-repairable phones, they keep the working parts of the phone into their inventory and throw away the stripped phone. There are many people who change handphones almost every 6-8 months as the one he is using either gets outdated or becomes non-repairable due to extensive usage. They normally sell the old phones for peanuts to second hand vendors. Environmentalist Dr. Vinod Pandya say the toxins and chemicals released by disposing this waste creates dangerously harmful effects to human body. According to him, the quantity of eWaste is drastically increasing in our environment and if it is not controlled using specified methods, it will create unpredictable harm to the environment. According to an Assistant Engineer working in the Solid Waste Management department of the civic authorities, they do not collect Industrial Waste and Bio-medical Waste in their garbage. The rest of the waste collected is send to the Porcessing Plant. At processing plant they segregate solid wastes received during garbage collection, however, he is confident that they are not receivng any eWaste with the garbage. He believes that there are many Rag Tickers who pick up this waste material from dustbins and hence, these waste do not reach the Processing plant.

Sove of the eWaste generated due to common human activities are as follows :

1 Breaking, Recycling or disposing Releasing of toxins into the soil, air and groundwater Of Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)

2 Burning of wires Induces formation of dioxins

3 Burning of Printed Circuit Boards Induces alarmingly high formation of dioxins

4 Destroying Circuit Breakers Creates Leaching of Mercury

5 Breaking or CRT Glass Leaching of Lead

Nischal Sanghavi, B.E.(Electronics), MBA, Businessman and Freelance writer for The Times of India.

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Know How to Make Your Own Biofuel - Save Money Using It

With the dependence on traditional fossil fuels through this years, the world is so much crippled that there is an impending oil crisis that will not only affect governments and businesses but on a deeper and more profound level, citizens. With this, the advent of revolutionizing alternative sources such as plants has become one of the last hopes we have, not only to save us from economic downfall but also to the plagues that traditional fossil fuels have caused the environment.

If you think the idea to make your own biofuel is too ambitious confined only to oil companies who have the logistics and enough funding and far from being done on your own, you are wrong. The FuelPod2 was invented to make everything in the process easier. This device though might at first be costly for you a beginner who is just trying it out to make your own biofuel.

Simple steps with just the simple ingredients and utensils with the right kind of vision are just what you need to make your own biofuel right in the comfort of your home while you don't have your sophisticated Fuelpod2 just yet. Yes, right inside your home. All you need is your waste vegetable oil as your main actor, the appropriate amount of lye to create a perfect chemical reaction producing the biofuel, alcohol needed during the heating and mixing proper to separate the glycerine from the final biodiesel fuel extract, and water of course for the final washing.

So, why know how to make your own biodiesel?
It's simple: Because the benefits are outstanding. The most important benefit is that you will reduce pollution of our planet, and if we start using more biofuel and less petrol our planet will be cleaner for our kids. The second benefit is the money that you can save. If you get a guide and learn how to make your own biodiesel you will spend 0$ on gas for your car. You will run your car on biodiesel and your engine will not be affected by running on biofuel.

These guides will show you exactly how to make your car run on biodiesel and how to make biodiesel in your own house. Don't you want to save at least 90% on gas costs?

Get 0$ Gas without modifying your car or your engine and without investing any money on your car.

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How Does Mining Affect the Environment

As most of us are aware, mining is one of the most environmentally unfriendly industries. Mining can seriously affect land, air, and even water systems. The greatest challenge confronting the mining industry today is to find ways of extracting and processing mineral and metal with minimum damage to our ecosystem.

The adverse environmental impacts of mining operation start with mineral exploration, continues throughout the extraction and subsequent processing and at times persist even after the entire operations are over. Mining can cause serious land degradation, large-scale denudation of forest cover, weakening of biodiversity, pollution of air, water and soil. The fall out can extend well beyond the mining area and lead to many social, economic and political disturbances. To mitigate the adverse impacts of mining and restore the mining-affected areas, it is imperative to conduct proper research and find ways and means to protect the environment.

Undertaking E-Waste Management For a Greener Tomorrow

The problem of e-waste management warrants greater attention in India due to the increasing volumes of e-waste dumps, particularly computer waste, by developed countries. Of late, a number of SMEs have also woken up to the gravity of the situation. In order to dispose the e-waste dumps, these SMEs are implementing environment friendly e-waste management technologies for minimising the waste volume.

India, one of the leading countries in the global IT and telecom domain, generates huge volumes of electronic waste (e-waste) every year. According to industry estimates, electronic equipment manufacturers and assemblers in India generate around 1250 tonnes of electronic waste annually.

As formal waste recycling and disposal technology is still in a nascent stage in India, it has aggravated the problem of toxic pollutants that are disposed in open environment. Kurian Joseph, Associate Professor, Center for Environmental Studies, Anna University, says, "In India, waste recycling and disposal have been performed through informal techniques, which has given rise to serious environmental hazards."

United against e-waste generation

Speaking about the initiatives taken by the government to alleviate the problem of e-waste generation in the country, Prof. Joseph says, "A recent legislation passed by the government mandates e-waste generators to collaborate with licensed waste management firms to bring down wastage volume and recycle it safely."

In addition, a slew of small and mid-sized firms are seen entering into tie-ups with various international firms to exploit green technologies for reducing e-waste. K Vijaya Lakshmi, VP of Development Alternatives, shares, "A Bengaluru-based NGO has recently brought together several SME sector firms to initiate community programmes aimed at e-waste management".

Innovations leading the way

Innovations such as green data centres and virtualisation can play a significant role in e-waste management. In addition, these technologies can optimise the use of space and power in the IT and telecom sector. Furthermore, manufactures should strive for waste minimisation by using non-hazardous materials during their production process itself rather than managing the wastes later.

"Along with implementing green technologies, both SMEs and bigger firms should ensure proper waste handling across their supply chains, and waste recycling should only be performed by licensed firms", says Dr Lakshmi.

Dr Lakshmi also emphasised that waste management is the responsibility of both consumers and Manufacturers, who should reduce the use of hazardous substances and dispose waste properly.

David Parks is a well known author and has written articles on SME finance Guide, B2B Portal, B2B Products, suppliers, Manufactures and many other subjects.

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