By Andrew Liszewski
Even though we’ve all heard the reasons why we should shut down or hibernate our PCs when they’re not being used, waiting for them to restart or wake-up afterwards can occasionally be an inconvenience. So the ecobutton is being touted as an alternative and easier way to put your PC into an energy saving ‘ecomode.’
The large green button connects to your PC via USB and is supposed to be placed next to your keyboard so it’s always visible and accessible. When you have to take a break, or make a phone call you simply press the ecobutton which automatically puts your PC into ‘ecomode’ causing it to only draw as much power as when it’s shut down. When it’s time to get back to work, hitting the ecobutton again instantly wakes your computer back up. Searching through the site I’m at a loss as to how it does this, so if anyone can explain how it avoids actually shutting down the PC, please let me know in the comments.
And since everybody loves hearing just how eco-friendly they are, the ecobutton software will even record how many carbon units and how much energy you’ve saved everytime you put your PC into the ecomode. Strangely though, the ecobutton is only available via “recognized Promotional Gift Distributors” for about $12-$18.
