When Philips announced its Eco TV. The 42-inch, 1080p resolution, flat-panel LCD, model 42PFL5603D (due in March, $1,399 MSRP), is packed with power-saving features.

Chief among them is the ability to dim the backlight–by up to five times peak brightness–in response to program material, much like the “local dimming” found on Samsung’s LED-based LN-T4681F. Dimming the backlight in darker scenes has the dual benefit of saving power and improving black-level performance, according to the company. The backlight can also be dimmed via a room lighting sensor, so in dark rooms it will use less power. There’s also traditional a “power-saving” mode that caps the peak light output. All of these features can be turned on or off at the viewer’s discretion, which should please videophiles since many of these features’ potential effects, such as black-level fluctuation, could negatively impact home theater image quality.

With this trifecta engaged, we saw the panel’s power consumption dip to an impressive 75 watts during the in-booth demo–Philips had hooked up a Watt’s Up to track consumption. That’s a bit more than a standard incandescent light bulb and 30 watts less than the most miserly 42-inch LCD we’ve tested ourselves so far, Philips’ own 42FL7432D measured after calibration (more info). The Eco TV’s standby power is also less than 0.15 watt according to the company, also among the best we’ve seen.

Until we test it over a period of time we have no idea how much money this HDTV will save on your annual power bill–the dimming backlight introduces too many variables–but we don’t expect it to be more than $50 over a standard 42-inch LCD, assuming average energy costs. Philips also built in a few other non-power-related greenie features, including lead-free materials and only “trace” amounts of mercury, which enables it to comply with strict ROHS and State of Vermont standards, respectively. And yes, even the box is made from recycled material.

The 42PFL5630D lacks the company’s patented Ambilight technology, which is actually another power-saving perk since those lights draw more juice. It also lacks the high-end features such as the 120Hz technology found on its more-expensive brethren–this is strictly a mass-market TV, and one that should be more satisfying to environmentalists than any large-screen flat-panel we’ve seen so far. [CNET.com]

Toyota has developed a motorized stand-up-and-ride Segway lookalike designed to help people scoot around at malls and airports.

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But the “Winglet,” shown Friday in Tokyo, takes some getting used to. A demonstrator was visibly worried about its safety while accompanying a reporter who cautiously tried it on a short course in a Toyota showroom.

Toyota officials insist anyone can learn to ride it with some practice, including the elderly — its major target buyer. Still, Toyota Motor Corp. has no plans yet to turn the Winglet into a commercial product. The Japanese automaker will start testing the two-wheeler this year at an airport and resort complex and next year at a shopping mall, all in Japan, to get user feedback. Overseas test plans are undecided.

The Winglet goes up to 3.7 mph, about the same speed as pedestrians, far slower than 12.5-mph Segway, which costs $5,000. The Winglet can go about 3 miles before needing to be recharged. It is designed to stop easily with little pressure, pivot full-circle and go smoothly over bumps on roads. And it is designed to respond almost intuitively — moving forward when you lean to the front, and turning when you sway to the right or left, similar to skiing. One of three models shown comes with a protruding handle that can be grabbed and used like a steering wheel.

Toyota executive Takeshi Uchiyamada, who zipped around on a Winglet as though he was on a skateboard, said the company is experimenting with new ways of mobility as part of a company strategy to spread robotics. “We hope to create friendly robots that can exist side by side with people,” Uchiyamada said. “Winglet will help everyone move around safely and stay active.” Winglet evolved out of Toyota’s takeover of parts of Sony Corp.’s robotics division last year. Sony, reshaping itself under Chief Executive Howard Stringer, decided to focus on electronics and wipe out its Aibo pet robot and other peripheral businesses.

Toyota envisions a future in which Winglet will be packed with wireless technology so it relays shopping information at stores. Or it may move on its own, Uchiyamada said. So it might go recharge its batteries itself, or come pick you up when you beckon it, toting your luggage. [Yahoo]

Airbus’s A380 superjumbo touched down at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on Friday, marking the first commercial arrival of the giant, double-decker passenger plane on U.S. soil.

The Emirates aircraft, carrying 489 passengers in varying degrees of luxury, landed smoothly and on time after a 13-1/2-hour flight from Dubai.

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“Some of us were lucky, we had showers before got off the airplane,” Emirates President Tim Clark said, shortly after disembarking, losing no time in marketing the plane’s two “shower spas,” 14 first-class suites, bar and lounge.

The plane, fitted out with lie-flat beds, flat screen televisions and spacious, windowed bathrooms in first and business class, is set to return to Dubai on Friday evening. Emirates, owned by the government of Dubai, is the second airline to put the A380 into service, following Singapore Airlines, which started A380 flights to Sydney in October. The plane, costing $327 million at list prices, did visit New York and Los Angeles in March last year for route-testing purposes, but Friday’s flight was the first regularly scheduled arrival of an A380 in the United States.

With its huge capacity and relatively fuel-efficient engines, airlines hope the world’s biggest passenger jet will be the most cost-effective way of serving high-volume routes linking big cities, especially in light of soaring oil prices. Airbus, part of aerospace group EADS, says an A380 uses up to 20 percent less fuel per seat than a Boeing 747, and claims that when fully loaded and flying long distances it is more fuel efficient, per passenger, than a small family car. The touchdown marks a hard-won victory for Airbus, which spent $10 billion and more than a decade on Europe’s largest industrial project, in the face of widespread skepticism.

Airbus now has orders for about 200 of the planes from 16 airlines. The company is still struggling to iron out production problems after an 18-month delay in getting the first one out of its Toulouse, France, plant. The delays ended up pushing Airbus into loss and toppling its management, and are still causing political aftershocks in France. [Yahoo]