Glossary

E

Energy Star Computers Programme

An energy conservation programme launched by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with the primary aim of promoting the manufacture and marketing of energy-efficient office automation equipment. Companies joining this programme must be willing to commit themselves to manufacturing one or more products capable of going into a low -power state (< 30 W) either after a period of inactivity or after a predetermined time selected by the user.

RETURN TO TOP OF THE PAGE

L

LCD Liquid Crystal Display

An alphanumeric display using the unique properties of liquid crystal to form characters. The latest flat-panel displays comprise a matrix of hundreds or thousands of individual LCD cells that generate text and colorful graphics on a screen. They consume little power though they do require external lighting to make them legible to the user.

RETURN TO TOP OF THE PAGE

U

USB or Universal Serial Bus

A smart plug for PC peripherals. USB automatically determines resources (like driver software and bus bandwidth) required by peripherals. USB makes necessary resources available without user intervention.

USB eliminates "case angst" -- the fear of removing the computer case to install add-on peripherals. And USB also eliminates adjustment of complicated IRQ settings when installing new peripherals.

USB does away with "port gridlock." Without USB, PCs are normally limited to one printer, two Com port devices (usually a mouse and modem), one Enhanced Parallel Port add-on (scanner or video camera, for example) and a joystick. More and more peripherals for multimedia computers arrive on the market every day. With USB, up to 127 devices can run simultaneously on a computer.

USB permits "hot plug-in." There's no need to shut down, plug in, reboot and run set-up to install peripherals. And no need to go through the reverse process to unplug a device.

In short, USB transforms today's "Plug-and-Pray" into true Plug-and-Play!

Hub

file:///D/Grace/03771/english/150p3ac/glossary/glossary.htm (2 of 4) [1/30/2002 2:37:23 PM]

Page 26
Image 26
Philips 150P3C user manual Energy Star Computers Programme