Blackle
| File:Blackle.jpg Screenshot of Blackle.com | |
Type of site | Search engine |
|---|---|
| Available in | English, Portuguese, French, Italian |
| Owner | Heap Media Australia |
| Created by | Toby Heap[1] |
| URL | http://www.blackle.com/ |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | No |
Blackle is a custom version of the Google search engine developed by Heap Media Australia.[1][2]
Principle
The principle behind Blackle is based on the fact that the display of different colours consumes different amounts of energy on computer monitors.[3] The creators of Blackle cite the US Department of Energy’s Energy Star information page which states that a monitor displaying white uses 74 watts, while a monitor displaying black uses 59 watts.[4] They also cite a 2002 study from Roberson, who tested a variety of CRT and LCD monitors and found that an all black screen consumed less energy than an all white screen on all of them.[3]
The creators of Blackle state that the idea behind the site came from a blog, which estimated that a black Google would save 750 Megawatt-hours a year[1]. On the Blackle homepage, the creators of Blackle provide a count of the number of watt-hours that they claim the users of Blackle have collectively saved.
Functionality
Since it is not owned by Google Inc., the Blackle site lacks many of the features of conventional Google, including the 'Cached' and 'Similar Pages' options, and it does not have as many of the corresponding links that can be found on the Google homepage. These links include items such as preferences, advanced search, language tools, images, groups, news and scholar. However just like Google, Blackle links have a visited option, where once a link is followed it turns a different colour (in Blackle's case green). The iGoogle feature is also lacking in Blackle.
Blackle is a Google Custom Search partner, which allows for the customization of the returned search results. As such, a search in Blackle does not necessarily return the same results as a Google search.
Criticism
The creators of Blackle have been criticised for lack of clarity regarding the type, size and manufacturer of monitor that the power usage claims refer to.[4] One critic, a technology journalist who reviews computer hardware, tested 4 cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors and 23 liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors, and found that power was saved by the CRT monitors, but was less than that claimed by the blog post that inspired Blackle. The LCD monitors tested showed increased power use in the majority of cases, although most of the larger (24 inch) monitors did use less power displaying a black screen.[1][5][6]
References
- ^ a b c d Moses, Asher (August 1, 2007). "Search site cashes in on eco-guilt". Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ "Google goes black to go green". Metro. July 30, 2007.
- ^ a b Roberson, Judy; Homan, Gregory; Mahajan, Akshay; Nordman, Bruce; Webber, Carrie; Brown, Richard; McWhinney, Marla; Koomey, Jonathan (July 2002), Energy Use and Power Levels in New Monitors and Personal Computers (PDF)
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ a b Yates, Darren (July 26, 2007). "Black Google power saving figures are wrong". Techlogg.com.
- ^ Yates, Darren (August 2, 2007). "Blackle energy saving claims still do not add up". Techlogg.com.
- ^ Yates, Darren (August 8, 2007). "Blackle vs Google power savings – the final test". Techlogg.com.
External links
- ecoIron - Black Google Would Save 750 Megawatt-hours a Year - Blog post that inspired Blackle, according to its creator. [1]
- Google - Is black the new green? - Google takes note of Blackle, but doesn't believe it saves energy.
- US Department of Energy - DOE Energy Star Desktop Information: Monitor Energy Information