AMERICANS WANT THEIR LAPTOPS, CELLPHONES GREEN PLUG-ENABLED; ‘BRAVO!’ ‘WE NEED THIS – GET IT TO MARKET,’ CONSUMERS SAY

‘I Want My Green Plug’ Social Media Campaign Also Shows Big Support for Enabling Digital Cameras, MP3 Players; ‘A No-Brainer,’ One Proclaims

SAN RAMON, Calif., February 2009 – Consumers have spoken, and the early results are in: we really do want our Green Plug.

At http://iwantmygreenplug.com, they’re responding in droves in support of universal power for consumer electronics devices. In the words of one consumer, “I will purchase the product from any maker that leads the way in this Green Plug concept.”

Late last year, Green Plug, the first developer of digital technology enabling real-time collaboration between CE devices and their power sources, organized I Want My Green Plug (IWMGP), an online movement with a clear goal: to let consumer electronics companies hear the voice of the people. At the site, consumers have been voting for the CE product they’d most like to “Green Plug-enable” – and, collectively, letting manufacturers know that they’re at the ready, eager to buy compliant brands that deliver convenience and eco-friendliness.

Manufacturers, take note: based on votes thus far, we especially want Green Plug technology embedded in our laptop computers and mobile phones. We’re also keen on universal power for digital still cameras, MP3 players and computer printers. Following behind are external hard drives, cordless phones, networking gear and Bluetooth headsets.

“Thousands have responded since we launched the campaign in December to, as one person put it, ‘end corded madness!’” said Seth Solocow, VP Corporate Marketing.

“These consumers are eager to put their money where there sentiments are. They’re ready to buy Green Plug-enabled products right now – especially notebook computers and cell phones.

“The I Want My Green Plug campaign is ongoing,” Socolow said. “Consumers can continue to ‘vote’ with one click, joining those across the web who are sending a powerful, positive message to the industry — green and hassle-free is the way to the consumer’s heart.”

Green Plug is the first green technology company to apply two-way digital communication to convert a universal power source to a device’s specific power requirements. Stylish DC power hubs enabled with Green Plug’s Greentalk™ digital protocol are able to simultaneously power multiple devices, each with its own specific voltage and power requirements. Green Plug technology minimizes e-waste by enabling consumers to keep their chargers for use with future devices after their current devices have become obsolete.
The company’s business model is based on sales of embeddable, component technology that makes external power adapters universal and enables intelligent standby power shutoff. For this reason, the company is licensing the device-side Greentalk protocol and the universal connector design royalty-free.

The People Speak

Consumers are not only voting, they’re speaking their minds. Whether citing cost, convenience, power management, or simple practicality and common sense, the consensus is that universal power is an idea whose time has come:

“We humans are making way too much stuff. Some of it is necessary, or at least we think so. Incompatible AC adapters are not necessary.”

“Stop the madness. Go green. One universal plug just makes common sense.”

“Absolutely wonderful idea. Why has nobody done this before?”

“It's bad enough that power supplies aren't interchangeable between different manufacturers but it's ridiculous that in most cases they aren't even interchangeable between different devices from the same manufacturer.”

“When I travel, my chargers take up more space in my luggage than my accessories.”

“This is such a logical and efficient idea, I can't believe the industry hasn't adopted a DC power standard before now. We've had standard AC plugs for 100 years... why is this taking so long?”

“I've got a boxful of useless adapters at home and I don't want a single new one.”

“This is something I've been wanting for ages. Whatever products support this idea will influence my purchasing decision.”

“One plug? That would be a dream come true.”

“The world needs this.”

Beyond the ability to vote, http://iwantmygreenplug.com includes social tools for sharing with friends, embedding a widget on a blog or web site, bookmarking it on social sites, joining IWMGP groups on social networks, and following the Green Plug blog (http://blog.greenplug.us) for updates and news announcements. To view additional consumer comments, please see http://www.iwantmygreenplug.com/comments.php

Green Plug is the first developer of digital technology enabling real-time collaboration between electronic devices and their power sources, allowing manufacturers to standardize on one universal power connector and eliminate environmental waste. Consumer electronics, residential and commercial builders, power tools and power supply manufacturers license Green Plug’s embeddable power supply technology to provide universal and safe connections, promote environmentally friendly reuse, make their products more affordable, and generate customer loyalty. For the company’s thoughts on universal power for consumer electronics, please visit http://blog.greenplug.us. Green Plug, headquartered in San Ramon, Calif., is privately held.

Source: Edge Communications, Inc.
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