Tiny green computer makes big energy statement to Mac and PC

Ever wonder what happens when you leave your work computer on at night or just decide to leave your personal computer idling all day? The answer: an absurd amount of energy waste. Now, however, there may be a way to cut unnecessary consumption, even if you still mindlessly choose to leave your computer on. The solution: the fit-PC2.

Big or small. Pink or blue. Mac or PC. No matter how you slice it or dice it, computers require electrical energy to send those little messages from your computer's mouse to your computer's brain.

On average, an active computer requires anywhere from 36 Watts to 250 Watts (widespread to account for the extreme range in different computers). In comparison to other household items, that's almost 3.5 times as much energy from your computer as a sewing machine and just about the same amount as a heat lamp.

Even when a computer is idle, a desktop computer uses about 80 Watts and when the computer is off, as much as 3 Watts.

The fact is, computers use energy. So how can we reduce consumption without eliminating the very machines that continually advance efficiencies?

Try switching out the old, bulky PC for a new, innovative green computer: the fit-PC2.

The fit-PC2 offers the convenience of a micro-sized computer (and I mean micro-sized) with the efficiencies of a Windows 7 capable, low wattage PC.

In fact, according to a Compulab press release, the fit-PC2 runs fanless at anywhere between 6-8 Watts.  The fit-PC2 weighs about 13 ounces with its aluminum shell and is shaped like a box that measures 4"x4.5"x1.05."

To lend some perspective, this tiny green computer, when fully active, requires less energy than most PCs and Macs require in low power or in idling mode. According to Apple's web site, the Mac Pro requires 171 Watts in idle mode and 309 Watts in active mode. On average, that is about 25 times more energy consumption than the fit-PC2, and that is just when the Mac Pro is in idling mode.

Additionally, besides Macs, similar, comparable statistics can be found for other makes and models that use the same operating system as the fit-PC2, Windows 7.

Obviously, the fit-PC2 lacks some of the beef and brawn of a high-powered desktop computer, but for those looking for an energy-saving green computer, the fit-PC2 no doubt has the operating system to get most jobs done.

Not to mention, it idles at less than 1 Watt in case you forget, like 50% of office workers do, to turn off your computer at night.

As Irad Stavi of Compulab puts it, "fit-PC2 was a breakthrough in green computing."

Supposedly, it will be available in January of 2010.