GREEN GADGETS AIM TO WOO ECO-AWARE SHOPPERS

London
The Economic Times

Gadget makers showed off their green credentials at a technology show in London on Friday to try to tempt consumers worried about soaring fuel bills, climate change and the financial crisis.

Amid the usual array of power-hungry televisions, stereos and computers, a handful of companies promoted high tech products designed to cut energy consumption.

London-based firm DIY Kyoto has come up with the Wattson, a wireless device that lets families monitor exactly how much power they are using at home.

It measures electricity consumption and displays the amount of power and how much it costs on a sleek portable box with a digital screen.

The device, which costs 100 pounds, glows red when households use more power than normal or blue when they are being energy efficient.

"The whole idea is to save money and to save the environment," Jason Goldman, of DIY Kyoto, told Reuters at the Stuff Live! show. "You find people try to get the reading down as low as possible."

British gadget Web site www.firebox.com displayed a Chinese-built electric scooter that it has converted for sale on the British market.

Called the Ego Street Scoota, it has a 30 to 40-mile range and a top speed of 30 mph. It costs eight pence to charge the bike using the mains electricity supply.