Save Money: Join Cult of the Somewhat Delayed

Finally, a device that makes people want to pay for content

(NEWSER) - Michael Gerson is a self-proclaimed bibliophile who once loved “everything about used bookstores—the musty smell of decaying paper, the reading copies and remainders, the treasure hunt for a bright volume of an old favorite.” But he hasn’t visited one in years, thanks to his Amazon Kindle, and now that the iPad has arrived, he believes he’s seen the future of print media. Sure, he’s nostalgic, but it’s time to “embrace a new kind of magic.” More»

Netflix takes leading role in company's imminent bankruptcy

(NEWSER) - With Blockbuster, once the dominant US video-rental chain, on the verge of bankruptcy, Daniel Indiviglio takes a look at three crucial factors in the demise of an outfit whose “fate was mostly sealed by its failure to embrace technology quickly enough.”

• Netflix: “Its business model merged technology, convenience and good customer service,” Indiviglio writes for the Atlantic—and it doesn’t have the overhead costs of ubiquitous stores, like Blockbuster.

List includes advancements from iPhone, Amazon and Netflix

(NEWSER) - David Pogue runs down the best tech ideas of 2008 in the New York Times, “the flashes of genius that somehow made it through committee, past the lawyers, and into the marketplace.” Highlights include:

• Headache-free packaging: Amazon’s plastic-free alternative is good for the environment and does not require the jaws of life to open.
• Freehands gloves: Type away on your PDA—effectively—without exposing your paws to frostbite.