Destined to Reign

Sounds like Sony really took that whole Greenpeace finger-wagging to heart -- it can't be fun to be named the absolute least green of all major consumer electronics manufacturers in the midst of a global environmental movement. So with great gusto today Sony launches some, ahem, "eco-cool" Vaio FZ Graphic Splash Eco Edition laptops with a number of "eco-conscious" features (many of which are completely reaching for it, like "Slim design for minimum use of natural resources," and "Packaging comprised primarily of recyclable materials") and four obnoxiously naturalist and out of touch lid designs including -- wait for it -- an ironic-on-too-many-levels Leopard-skin pattern. The specs and "eco-friendly features":

• Prices start at about $1400 for the VGN-FZ290EGS - Spotted Life; VGN-FZ290EGE - "Clay Earth"; VGN-FZ290EGC - "Caribbean"; VGN-FZ290EGB - "Bloom"
• Machines feature a 2GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 15.4-inch display Vista Home Premium, and the rest of the usual FZ specs
• All are RoHS compliant; use "Slim design for minimum use of natural resources," "Easy-to-recycle materials for resource conservation," "Packaging comprised primarily of recyclable materials"
• Laptop and battery are eligible for future recycling under last year's trade-in program (and this year's recycling network)
• A small percent of sales to the aptly named charity 1% For the Planet. Seriously.
• Available in limited edition starting in November

You know, Sony, there's doing it, and then there's overdoing it -- which tends to lead folks like us to think you just slapped some lids on your FZs, committed 1% of sales to charity, and greenwashed the whole thing so you could put that nasty Greenpeace debacle behind you.