The Surface by Microsoft is a crossover between a laptop and a tablet. The Surface Pro is a business tablet that has a detachable keyboard, stylus and a kickstand. Putting the Surface Pro above other tablets is the aptitude to run Microsoft Office programs including Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Microsoft released a television commercial for the Surface Pro, “The Vibe”, starring Daniel ‘Cloud’ Campos from the original Surface Commercial.  This enthusiastic campaign includes professional dancers as “business people” showing the capabilities of the Surface Pro. Similar to Windows 8, Metro “Modern” UI; the commercial has the same ambiance.

According to IDC, Microsoft has finally made its way to the Top 5 for Tablets. In the first quarter of 2013, Microsoft has 1.8% Market Share. Unlike the first quarter of 2013, Microsoft has 0% Market Share. Also, ASUS moved up from #4 to #3, knocking Amazon down a space.

Takeaway:  Tips for making environmental choices whether buying a new computer or maintaining your current one.

To reduce energy intake you can use a power strip, monitor usage with utilities and unplug components when not in use.  Deciding to go green for current computers or buying a new computer can help with power management to cut down on wasted energy and costs.

Energy Star is a voluntary energy efficiency program that prevents greenhouse gas emissions with strict guidelines.  EPEAT is an assessment tool to help users compare and purchase computer equipment.  Both provide tools to help make an environmental choice.

Buying a New Computer Tips:

• Research:  Find out if it is Energy Star rated, how much energy the computer will use and power management options.
• Recommendations:  Check out product reviews from previous purchasers and from non-profit organizations that provide accurate feedback (Such as EPEAT and Energy Star)
• Purify New PC:  Read the Hazardous Material Use Policy on manufacturer’s site.
• Don’t be Greenwashed:  Research the company to make sure that their “Green Computer” is not a marketing campaign with few benefits towards the environment.
• Green Guide:  If you would like user ratings and reviews for products, several websites provide these options as well as advice for purchasing new equipment. 

Upgrading Current Machine Tips:

• General Health Check:  The three major components that play a role in energy are graphics card, microprocessor and monitor.
• Replace CRT Monitor:  CRT Monitors may contain Lead, Mercury, Barium and more toxins.  Replace your old monitor with a new LCD or LED Monitor to save energy and money. 
• Upgrading Memory:  Upgrading your RAM will increase the speed of your machine while lowering the power intake, which is a quick, inexpensive fix.
• Greener Battery:  Similar to CRT Monitors, older laptop batteries contain hazardous chemicals such as lead.  Companies are starting to manufacturer Green Batteries that have a longer life expectancy using earth-friendly features.
• Greener Power Supply:  The ability to scale the power required for particular actions with your power supply is an efficient way to save energy; while regular power supplies emit a steady rate of power at all times.

On April 8, 2013 Hewlett-Packard took a fairly dramatic departure from traditional server designs with the release of the Moonshot Server.

Moonshot uses low-power smartphone style processors to optimize data center servers.  Although, Moonshot looks traditional, the Moonshot 1500 Chassis contains shared power, cooling, networking, storage and 45 pluggable servers.  There are several chipsets available.

Instead of putting together another server that requires intense power and cooling, HP reconstructed the server design.  Moonshot provides a vast amount of resources such as scalability while reducing the use of physical space, cooling and power.

Many companies partnered with HP on the Moonshot Project including:  AMD, Intel, ARM, Citrix, Cloudera, Redhat, SUSE and many others.

Disadvantages for the Moonshot server could range from an unenthusiastic entrance to the risk of a minimal hardware component failure that could bring down 45 critical servers because an entire rack of servers are set in one box.

If you are looking to purchase new equipment please contact us at (856) 745-9990.