10 Businesses Not Long for This World

Hold off if you can on TVs, iPhones, and laptops: Wirecutter

(NEWSER) - Good things come to those who wait, and technology is no exception. At the Wirecutter , Brian Lam lists a few hot items not to buy yet, or you'll be kicking yourself later.

• TVs and home theater equipment. The reviews for the latest TVs will be available around mid-year, and Samsung's new plasma offering won't be around until next month.
• iPhones. Hold off about five or six months, and you'll be the first to get the next generation.

Yes, including digital ones

(NEWSER) - It's the end of an era: Eastman Kodak, the company that invented the hand-held camera, announced today that it intends to stop making them in an effort to save money—and yes, that includes digital cameras. It will also stop making pocket video cameras and digital picture frames, reports the Democrat and Chronicle . Executives say the move is a "logical extension" of their current strategy, and will save Kodak more than $100 million a year. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month. More»

It uses data hidden in old photos to scan the web for new ones

(NEWSER) - The Consumerist takes note of a nifty website that might help you track down a stolen digital camera. The site, stolencamerafinder.com , works on a relatively simple formula. You drag and drop one of your old photos taken with the camera, and the site extracts signature data from it and scans the web for matches. (You can also type in the serial number.) If the thief has uploaded a photo to, say, a Facebook page or another site with a profile, you might have your culprit. Of course, it's then up to you to figure out how to get it back. More»

Picture-perfect phone closes the shutter on camera phone rivals

(NEWSER) - Adding a camera to a phone isn't exactly a novel concept, but the Motozine ZN5 breaks the mold by making it a proper digital camera instead of a feeble afterthought, David Pogue writes in the New York Times. For quality, he raves, "the ZN5’s photos trump anything offered by any carrier in the United States." More»

It will make enough film to last through '09, then turn focus to digital

(NEWSER) - The Polaroid photo company, whose familiar white-bordered snapshot has become an "icon," is leaving film behind to zoom in on digital equipment, Bloomberg reports. The Massachusetts company was founded in 1937 and in 1948 released the first instant camera, pulling in huge profits—but with the popularity of digital cameras, Polaroid has faced “a technologically driven decline,” said COO Tom Beaudoin. More»