Green gadgets

The word “consumer” may seem at odds with the environment. Yet greener gadgets at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this month reportedly were ubiquitous. You may have had to walk past 150-inch plasma TV screens to get to them, but still.

A few highlights include:

• Solar-powered cellphone chargers

• A solar-powered Bluetooth headset called Iqua Sun.

• Light-emitting diode (OLED) TV sets from Samsung and Sony, allowing for a brighter image on less energy.

• Energy-efficient automotive IT cooling fans from Delphi

• Corn-based laptop cases from Fujkitsu

• Green Plug introduced the first eco-friendly DC power hub, which collaborates among your electronics and their power sources to produce the right amount of energy your gizmos need with no extra waste.

• GM announced that half its fleet will carry Flex-fuel energy alternatives by 2012.