I‘ll take a smartphone in any colour as long as it is green

CES 2013, the world’s largest congregation of gadget geeks and their objects of desire, has almost come to a close now. All the big name manufacturers were seen strutting around parading their quad-core chips, their shiny new ‘sleekbooks’ and flexing those OLED screens. If gadgets turn you on, as is the case with the geeks at tech2.com who’re following the event live through the night, this heady mix of silicon, plastic and glowing LEDs has been nothing short of a glowing, pulsating wet-dream played out in the Mecca of decadence, Las Vegas. Beneath all the high-tech wizardry on display lies an uncomfortable reality, that of increasing ecological and social conflict being fuelled by the world’s insatiable desire for gadgets. In my view, this demand should accelerate the need to overhaul supply chains and manufacturing processes so that the stresses on the environment, resources, humanity and the crucial intersection points are eliminated. That isn’t too much to ask of an industry that thrives on innovation, is it?Click here for full story