How Energy Efficient is your Hohm?

With the economy in poor shape, everyone is trying to find ways to save a couple of dollars. And, by living more eco-friendly, people are not only helping the environment but also helping their wallet by cutting their utility bills.

Microsoft recently released an online power management application designed to help users save money by allowing them track their home energy consumption. And it's free.

Hohm allows users to keep track of the amount of energy their homes use. After providing information about heating, cooling, lighting, and other energy consumption, Hohm tells them where exactly their energy is going.

Hohm also gives users energy-saving recommendations such as installing new caulking on windows, removing air leaks, and installing a programmable thermostat. All recommendations are based on what appliances users have, and the characteristics of each users’ home, as well as their energy expenditure patterns.

And, if you’re tired of watching reruns on your DVR, Blue Line's PowerCost Monitors give you a chance to watch your energy consumption and expenditure in real time.

Rather than require you to have an engineering degree and keep tedious records, Hohm puts the onus on itself. And isn’t that what new media should be for?

[Contributed by Andrew Chang]

Gas-Go-Round

Don't these prices make you a bit nostalgic?

One, two, three….FOUR?!?! As prices at the pump reach a new high of four dollars a gallon, people all over feel the pressure to save as much as possible.

For some people, a full tank of gas may soon cost a $100 now, more that a week’s worth of groceries or a nice new pair of shoes.  Unfortunately in today’s hectic society people are on the move more than ever, which means more travel, not less. Which means more gas to buy, which means … you get the point.

However, hope’s on the way. Cheap Gas is a smartphone app that uses your phone’s GPS to see where you are, then to show you how much gas costs at the gas stations closest to your current location. Cheap Gas even plots the quickest route to reach your choice of station.

Imagine not eating up gas to find out where to get more. Now you can use your expensive fuel for what it was meant to do.

[Contributed by Andrew Chang]

Tweet that Mercedes!

To update its old, stodgy image for the social-media age, Mercedes-Benz hired Razorfish to launch the first-ever Tweet Race.

Each of four teams had a celebrity leader whose job was to motivate their followers on Twitter to participate. The more tweets a team received, the more gas they were allocated. The objective was to fuel the car until it arrived in Dallas, Texas where this year’s Super Bowl was held.

Overall, the campaign generated more than 150,000 tweets from 21,000 users. And it raised more than $120,000 for charity, reports BenzInsider.com.

Who ever knew that tweeting could create so much energy?

[Contributed by Courtney Brennaman]

Let's Bump!

Thanks to the power of social networking and many other new technologies, forming relationships and meeting new people is a whole lot easier.

Now, thanks to Bump, it's even easier.

Bump is smartphone app that allows people to share a variety of information with each other simply by "bumping" their phones together.

Before bumping, users can choose exactly what they want to send and the other party confirms this information after the "bump." Once confirmed, the information is automatically stored in the phone. This application has continued to evolve and nowadays, users can even become Facebook friends with a simple touch.

Bump is a quick, easy, and efficient way to exchange information. Things that would normally have to be inserted manually can now be accessed in a couple of seconds through a simple movement. Bump did not change how people receive information, it simply made it easier.

Goodbye tediously keying in others' info. Hello, Bump.

[Contributed by Christine Byun]

Drive More Efficiently With Your Phone

With gas prices quickly approaching four dollars and automobiles still remaining people’s number one means of transportation, everyone could use a break with the escalating costs.

The good news is every driver can now be aware of how much gas they use. The Drivegain app for smartphones educates drivers on their driving habits in a manner that can improve fuel efficiency, which in turn decreases carbon dioxide emissions. It helps drivers change how they drive to save them money and become more environmentally aware.

Connect your phone to your car's IT system, set your phone in a holder on the dashboard, and it tells you all you need to know. The app can be personalized to specific cars, and go so far as to explain which gear you should be in if your car is manual to whether your cruise speed is ideal.

Being knowledgeable about how to save fuel can save drivers money and will essentially save toxic amounts of carbon dioxide from being transmitted into the atmosphere. As a description of the app puts it, “United States drivers could ultimately save up to two hundred dollars a year and reduce CO2 emissions by 66kg by abiding by the apps responses.”

Drivegain fits the category of really new media because it, once set up, it allows drivers to be more conscience and proactive towards a task we all participate in.

[Contributed by Gabriella Callaway]