IOGEAR Fined $208,000 By EPA For Germ-Free Mice Claims

Jason Chen — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 12:00:23 EDT

IOGEAR's Germless Portable Laser Mouse isn't quite so germless after all, which is why the Environmental Protection Agency levied a fine of $208,000 on the company for "unsubstantiated public health claims regarding unregistered products, and their ability to control germs and pathogens." In other words, these things aren't killing any germs, and you probably shouldn't be buying them in hopes that they will. And as a result of the fines, IOGEAR's also stopped claiming that their germ-killing mice (now just "mice") kill germs. [IOGEAR via Crave via Gadgetell]

Lenovo Cranking Out Energy Star 4.0 Qualified Laptops Early

kevinhall2 — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 10:40:00 EDT

The Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star 4.0 revision hits July 20th, but Lenovo isn't worried about making the cut. Three days before the revision, Lenovo plans to have the T61p, its first Energy Star 4.0 configured machine, out on shelves. The T61p won't skimp on power to save energy, either. It has a suite of features seen across the Lenovo lines before, but never in the same machine: Santa Rosa platform, NVIDIA Quatro FX 570M, a 15.4-inch screen, and ultra-wideband, all for under $2,000. Those specs are an easy way to get us excited about saving energy.

The revision will cut the number of currently Energy Star eligible machines from around 90% to 25%, so performers will be distinguished. The company plans for all of its X-, T-, and R-series machines to get the new Energy Star sticker, as well as any Santa Rosa machine Lenovo makes. Any of its Santa Rosa systems can qualify after a free, simple download, Lenovo says. It looks like Lenovo is taking the revision seriously, which other companies would do well to imitate. [Crave]

Gizmodo: Environmental Protection Agency

IOGEAR Fined $208,000 By EPA For Germ-Free Mice Claims

Lenovo Cranking Out Energy Star 4.0 Qualified Laptops Early