consumer electronics

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GE Launches Disc That Stores 500GB

(Newser) - General Electric has announced a new DVD-sized disc that holds 500 gigabytes of data—the equivalent of 20 Blu-Ray discs or 100 DVDs. Aimed at archivists but likely headed for the consumer market, the micro-holographic disc saves more data by storing it in three dimensions rather than on the disc's...

$250 Google Netbook Debuts This Summer

(Newser) - The first netbook running the Google-backed Android mobile operating system could be available within 3 months for $250, ComputerWorld reports. The petite, no-frills Alpha 680 with a 7-inch wide screen will be the smallest netbook yet, weighing a dainty 1.5 pounds and meansuring 8.5 by 6 inches. It's...

Why Game Boy, at 20, Still Rules
 Why Game Boy, 
 at 20, Still Rules 
OPINION

Why Game Boy, at 20, Still Rules

(Newser) - Nintendo's Game Boy portable gaming system has been around for 20 years today, and even has a spiritual successor in the DS. Benj Edwards takes a look at why the franchise is a lasting one on Ars Technica.
  • Tetris: "Every new hardware platform needs a 'killer app,'" and
...

Stands That Keep Your Lap&mdash;and Laptop&mdash;Cool
 Stands That Keep Your 
 Lap—and Laptop—Cool 
PRODUCT REVIEW

Stands That Keep Your Lap—and Laptop—Cool

(Newser) - Laptops may be convenient, but the heat they produce often makes them uncomfortable to use where their name suggests you should. Enter the cooling tray, which usually comes equipped with a USB-powered fan to keep your legs from getting scorched. Katherine Boehret runs down a few choices in the Wall ...

Tiny New Fibers Draw Power From Wind, Flowing Blood

(Newser) - Scientists have developed electricity-generating fibers that can be embedded in clothing and other materials and draw power from the smallest of movements, LiveScience reports. The zinc oxide nanowires are as small as 1/5,000th the width of a human hair and produce energy when they vibrate, even from blood flowing...

Blockbuster to Rent Movies on TiVo

(Newser) - Blockbuster kicked off its latest reinvention effort today, announcing a new plan to beam on-demand movies through TiVo DVRs. One senior VP called the deal “step one in getting to the places that consumers care about.” Blockbuster will also sell TiVo DVRs in its stores, as part of...

New iPod Shuffle Is Smaller, Holds More, Talks

(Newser) - Apple today unveiled the newest iteration of its iPod Shuffle, which is just 1.8 inches by 0.3 inches, can speak titles in 14 languages, and holds 1000 songs, Macworld reports. Smaller than a AA battery, it’s half the size of the last version, but more functional. The...

Melinda Keen on iPhone; Bill Says No

Apple's wares illegal in Gates household

(Newser) - Apple products are banned in the Gates home, the New York Post reports—but Melinda “wouldn’t mind” picking up an iPhone, she told Vogue. There isn’t much “on the banned list in our household. But iPods and iPhones are two things we don't get for our...

Hearst to Roll Out E-Reader for Newspapers, Magazines

Publishing giant aims to save periodicals with new device

(Newser) - Hearst Corporation aims to do for periodicals what the Kindle's doing for books with a new electronic reader, CNN reports. The company—which publishes an array of magazines and newspapers, including Cosmopolitan, Esquire and the San Francisco Chronicle—hopes the device will help cushion revenues in light of sinking ad...

Kindle 2 Is a Whole New Book
 Kindle 2 Is a Whole New Book 
PRODUCT REVIEW

Kindle 2 Is a Whole New Book

(Newser) - The Kindle 2 e-reader unveiled by Amazon today is great if you love computers, Tom Leonard writes in the Telegraph. "Wafer-thin," it's more "fragile bird" than book and boasts a tiny keyboard perfect for the i-Pod/Blackberry crowd. But the clear, no-glare screen and grayscale display are...

Sony's Profit Off 95% in Q4
Sony's Profit
Off 95% in Q4

Sony's Profit Off 95% in Q4

Company blames slow economy, strong yen for 25% sales slump across the board

(Newser) - Slumping demand, a strong yen, and increased competition knocked Sony’s third-quarter profits off 95% from a year ago, reports CNN. Sony reported profits of $110 million for the quarter ended Dec. 31, down from $2.2 billion a year ago. Sony’s gaming segment was hit especially hard, with...

Sony Swings to First Annual Loss in 14 Years

Global downturn, strong yen reverse earlier expectations

(Newser) - Sony announced today that it would go down to its first annual loss in 14 years, after having forecast just months ago that it would turn a profit. The Japanese electronics giant said it expected to lose $1.7 billion, the result of declining demand from the global recession. The...

Circuit City Liquidation Sales Will Begin Tomorrow

Consumer-electronics chain has $1.3B in inventory to get rid of

(Newser) - Circuit City will begin the liquidation of $1.3 billion in inventory across 567 stores in special sales tomorrow, Reuters reports. The company hasn’t said anything specific on the discounts it might offer, but markdowns are likely to be deep. Gift cards from the chain will be redeemable at...

Recession Takes Bite Out of CES Buzz

Attendance down at Las Vegas electronics expo

(Newser) - Whether or not the gadgets make a splash, this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas is certainly a low-voltage affair, Reuters reports. The sputtering economy has slashed turnout at the expo, which in years past hosted “so many people it’s hard to walk around.” And tech...

Intel Losses Dull Luster of Gadget Show

Revenue slump looms over Consumer Electronic Show

(Newser) - Intel's prediction today of abysmal holiday losses has cast a shadow over the year's flashiest gadget show, which starts tomorrow, writes Brooke Crothers of CNET. Fourth-quarter revenue is expected to be down 23% from 2007 and 20% from the third quarter. Intel is the world's biggest chip maker, and the...

3D in the Comfort of Home
 3D in the Comfort of Home 

3D in the Comfort of Home

Pushes failed in the 50s, 70s, but experts think we're ready to enter a new dimension

(Newser) - Twice before, the entertainment industry has tried to get people excited about watching 3D movies and sporting events in their own living rooms. The idea fizzled both times, but this time it has a chance, reports the Los Angeles Times. At this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, manufacturers...

Panasonic, Sanyo Merging Into Electronics Dynamo

(Newser) - Panasonic has begun a $9 billion takeover of Japanese rival Sanyo, hoping that transforming into one of the world's biggest electronics companies will help it weather the toughest business conditions in a century. Top shareholders, including Goldman Sachs, had been haggling over the price with Panasonic since last month, but...

No More Kindles for Christmas
No More
Kindles for
Christmas

No More Kindles for Christmas

Amazon's ebook reader sells out again, thanks to Oprah

(Newser) - Thanks no doubt to an endorsement from Oprah—who described Amazon.com’s Kindle as her “new favorite gadget”—the ebook reader is once again out of stock for the holidays, the Wall Street Journal reports. In fact, the $359 device won't be available again until February at...

'Bleak Friday' May Keep TV Prices Down All Season

Deals on flat screens could extend all month

(Newser) - If your holiday wish list includes a flat-panel TV, you may not have to battle crowds on Black Friday to land a deal, reports the Wall Street Journal. Struggling electronics retailers anticipating a bleak holiday season are likely to extend traditionally low day-after-Thanksgiving prices—which could top 50% savings on...

Circuit City Files for Bankruptcy
Circuit City Files for Bankruptcy

Circuit City Files for Bankruptcy

Dropping consumer spending, tightening credit hurt the electronics giant

(Newser) - Circuit City Stores has filed for bankruptcy protection today, about a week after it said it would close 20% of its stores. The electronics retailer, based in Richmond, Va., has struggled as nervous consumers spend less and credit tightens.

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