consumer electronics

Stories 101 - 120 | << Prev   Next >>

Computer Shopping? No Need to Go for Broke
Computer Shopping? No Need to Go for Broke
product review
Oct 30, 2008 10:36 AM CDT

Computer Shopping? No Need to Go for Broke

Typical users don't have to break the bank: Mossberg

(Newser) - Economic conditions being what they are, you might not have a ton of dough to spend on a new computer. So in his annual PC buyer’s guide, Wall Street Journal tech expert Walter Mossberg adopts a budget-focused mindset. His advice:
  • The current Mac OS, Leopard, is much better than
...

Sony Profits Plunge 72% on Strong Yen, Slow Exports

Japanese Electronics maker sees profits tumble 72% for quarter

(Newser) - A strengthening yen and declining demand—especially from the US—for consumer electronics provided a one-two punch that knocked Sony profits down 72% for the third quarter, reports the New York Times. Sony shares slid to a 16-year low on Monday, and are down 67% for the year.

A Midsummer Night's Screen: The Best Outdoor Projectors
A Midsummer Night's Screen: The Best Outdoor Projectors
PRODUCT REVIEWS
Aug 19, 2008 8:26 PM CDT

A Midsummer Night's Screen: The Best Outdoor Projectors

A drive-in movie buff takes tech for a backyard test run

(Newser) - Though the drive-in movie theater has gone the way of the buffalo, Barry Sonnenfeld writes in Esquire, with the right projector you can recreate the outdoor film experience in your back yard. But take notice: A projector is only as good as the screen it’s projecting on, so make...

Is New iPhone Apple's Vista?
 Is New iPhone Apple's Vista? 
Jul 28, 2008 1:21 PM CDT

Is New iPhone Apple's Vista?

Analyst says continued tech, customer-service turbulence could do real damage

(Newser) - It’s still exceedingly tough to get a new 3G iPhone due to limited supply, and myriad technical problems persist in registering and operating the eagerly awaited gadget. Apple has apologized for the lines, and the bugs in its new syncing software, but one analyst tells USA Today that the...

Recycled 'E-Waste' Can Be Toxic

Old TVs, PCs can pollute developing countries

(Newser) - Recycling old computers, cell phones, and TVs may sound like a good idea—but be sure you know the destination before you dump such material, USA Today advises. While such “e-waste” recycling programs are springing up everywhere these days, some pose a threat. Often, the materials end up in...

Forget Batteries —Get Ready for Fuel Cells

They could soon be a better choice to power laptops, phones

(Newser) - Think fuel cells are just for cars? Think again. Their real value may be to power portable electronics such as laptops and cell phones. Fuel cells that use methanol, rather than gasoline, could replace batteries in electronics. They last much longer and take just a moment to refuel—and they're...

Skip the Ties and Tools: Dads Want Gadgets

High-tech is the way to make dad feel like a million on his special day

(Newser) - Lose the power tools and the landscaping implements this Father's Day, ABC News suggests. The kind of cutting edge Dad really wants can't be found at the hardware store. Among them:
  • For dads who want media at their fingertips, the enV2 by LG hosts music and video via V CAST
...

New iPhone GPS Would Rock Nav System World

Added technology could spell doom for portable navigation devices

(Newser) - Apple is likely to announce the addition of GPS to the iPhone tomorrow—and that’s bad news for makers of portable satellite-navigation systems, Wired reports. It could also be a dangerous distraction for those on the road, as drivers increasingly turn to tiny mobile-phone screens for directions. The number...

Most Returned Electronics Aren't Broken

Consumers often can't figure out how to use them

(Newser) - Just 5% of the electronics that consumers return to stores actually don’t work, though often the buyers believe they’re broken, a new study says. In 68% of cases, “they thought it was defective when it wasn't, or there was an expectation gap,” an executive of the...

US Slams EU Over Tariffs on High Tech

Washington appeals to WTO to end levies on $70B worth of goods

(Newser) - The US butted heads with the European Union today over import tariffs on more than $70 billion worth of computer screens and other technology products, Reuters reports. "The EU should be working with the United States to promote new technologies, not finding protectionist gimmicks to apply new duties to...

Sony Deal Ends Cable Box Era
 Sony Deal Ends Cable Box Era 
May 28, 2008 12:19 PM CDT

Sony Deal Ends Cable Box Era

Strikes deal for accessory-free TV

(Newser) - The days of set-top cable boxes are surely numbered, thanks to Sony, the first consumer electronics company to close a deal to produce TVs that need no accessories to receive digital cable signals. The memorandum of understanding, signed by all the major cable companies, doesn’t just apply to Sony;...

'Lifelike' Sony TV Wows Viewers
 'Lifelike' Sony TV Wows Viewers 
product review
May 1, 2008 12:34 PM CDT

'Lifelike' Sony TV Wows Viewers

3mm-thick wonder trumps LCDs, plasmas — though it's tiny, and pricey

(Newser) - Sony’s new XEL-1 television is neither plasma nor LCD: it uses organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology, and “its picture is so incredible, Sony should include a jaw cushion,” David Pogue writes in the New York Times. Sony is the first to sell TVs using the system, which...

Broken Tech Becomes Gold Mine, Literally

Commodity prices have 'urban miners' panning discarded electronics

(Newser) - No matter how broken it is, your old cell phone is still valuable to some people. That’s because it, like most electronics, is loaded with copper, iridium, gold, and other commodities that are becoming more expensive by the day. “To some it's just a mountain of garbage, but...

Samsung Head Indicted for Tax Fraud
Samsung Head Indicted for
Tax Fraud
Apr 17, 2008 6:43 AM CDT

Samsung Head Indicted for Tax Fraud

Electronics giant vows reform as chairman faces trial

(Newser) - The chairman of electronic giant Samsung will stand trial for tax evasion and breach of duty after special prosecutors alleged corruption in South Korea's largest industrial corporation. Lee Kun-hee was indicted in Seoul today for evading $114 million in taxes and for incurring losses at Samsung while installing his son...

North American TV Sales Drag Philips Down

Profits off 28% in first quarter as electronics giant feel pinch

(Newser) - An expanding health-care sector in China couldn’t help Royal Philips Electronics offset poor television and video sales in North America, as the world’s leading lighting company reported core profits fell 28% in the first quarter, Reuters reports today. The company said it expects the global economic slowdown will...

Blockbuster Makes $1.35B Bid for Circuit City

Movie-rental chain takes its $6-$8 per share bid public

(Newser) - Movie-rental chain Blockbuster went public today with an offer to buy struggling consumer electronics retailer Circuit City for between $6 and $8 a share, reports the Wall Street Journal. Blockbuster made the offer—worth up to $1.35 billion—in February, but said Circuit City hasn’t opened its books....

Cuba Loosens Limits on Home Ownership, Salaries

State workers can now own houses; salary cap is gone

(Newser) - Raul Castro continues to lighten up on some of Cuba's least popular restrictions, ending salary caps and allowing retiring state workers to take title to the homes they live in. Government employees, including members of the military, sugar and construction workers, doctors, and teachers, will now be able keep their...

New Gadget Strikes a Chord
 New Gadget 
 Strikes a Chord 
Apr 7, 2008 12:24 PM CDT

New Gadget Strikes a Chord

Tuning electric guitar becomes hands-off job

(Newser) - One less thing is standing between you and a perfect jam session: tuning your electric guitar. A newly launched battery-powered compact device that mounts on the instrument's body is accurate to within 2% of a note, reports the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. "It's just a dream, being able to pick up...

Cuba Ends Cell Phone Ban
 Cuba Ends Cell Phone Ban 
Mar 28, 2008 12:50 PM CDT

Cuba Ends Cell Phone Ban

Still-pricey service is signal of new president Castro's promised reforms

(Newser) - The Cuban government said today it will lift restrictions on mobile phones for the first time, the BBC reports—a sign new leader Raul Castro is following through on reform pledges. Cell phone service will be made generally available next week; service fees will have to be paid in foreign...

iPod Touch Paves Way for Pocket PCs
iPod Touch Paves Way for Pocket PCs
COLUMN
Mar 13, 2008 11:25 AM CDT

iPod Touch Paves Way for Pocket PCs

With a bit more Apple wizardry, device could be 'micro-Mac'

(Newser) - Take Apple’s iPod Touch, give it a little more innovative juice, and you get the next big thing in handhelds, blurring the line between consumer electronics and computers, writes Arik Hesseldahl in BusinessWeek. The Touch, now considered the “flagship” iPod, can already run the major media formats—music,...

Stories 101 - 120 | << Prev   Next >>