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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: consumer electronics

consumer electronics stories: 81 news summaries

61 - 80 of 81 Stories | << Prev 1 2 3 4 5 Next >>

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Samsung Head Indicted for
Tax Fraud

Electronics giant vows reform as chairman faces trial

Apr 17, 08 6:43 AM CDT
(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... More »

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South Korea • corruption • Samsung • tax fraud • consumer electronics • Lee Kun-hee

North American TV Sales Drag Philips Down

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

Apr 14, 08 10:15 AM CDT
(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... More »

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China • television • global economy • corporate earnings • Philips • consumer electronics

 Blockbuster Makes
 $1.35B Bid for Circuit City 

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

Apr 14, 08 7:53 AM CDT
(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.... More »

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retail • Blockbuster • acquisition • consumer electronics • Circuit City

Cuba Loosens Limits on Home Ownership, Salaries

State workers can
now own houses; salary cap is gone

Apr 12, 08 7:59 AM CDT
(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... More »

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Cuba • wages • housing • salary • Raul Castro • consumer electronics

 New Gadget 
 Strikes a Chord 

Tuning electric guitar becomes hands-off job

Apr 7, 08 12:24 PM CDT
(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... More »

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music • entrepreneurs • guitar • consumer electronics • invention • N-Tune • Zero Crossing

 Cuba Ends Cell Phone Ban 

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

Mar 28, 08 12:50 PM CDT
(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... More »

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cell phones • Fidel Castro • Cuba • Raul Castro • consumer electronics

COLUMN

iPod Touch Paves Way for Pocket PCs

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

Mar 13, 08 11:25 AM CDT
(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,... More »

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Apple • iPod Touch • Bluetooth • consumer electronics • gadget • handhelds

Polaroid Out of Instant-Photo Biz

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

Feb 8, 08 7:40 PM CST
(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... More »

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camera • digital camera • consumer electronics • Polaroid

Apple Boosts Memory on
Hot Gadgets

16GB iPhone, 32GB iPod cost $100 more, allow movie rentals

Feb 5, 08 3:55 PM CST
(Newser) - Apple released new iPhone and iPod Touch models today that cost $100 more than their predecessors and have double the memory. The new iPhone boasts 16GB of memory, and the new iPod Touch has 32GB; each costs $499. "For some users, there's never enough memory," an Apple VP... More »

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cell phones • iPhone • iTunes • Apple • iPod Touch • movie rentals • consumer electronics

TV Makers Scoff at Your Puny Recession

Say buyers will continue snapping up flat panels; investors not so sure

Jan 29, 08 2:04 PM CST
(Newser) - Who cares if there’s a recession? The Super Bowl’s on! Even after the worst retailing Christmas in years, the makers of flat-panel, high-definition TVs are confident their trendy product will keep selling, spurred by falling prices and prime tube-watching events like the Olympics. One market-research firm is predicting... More »

MORE ABOUT:
television • Sony • recession • flat screen TVs • Sharp • consumer electronics • Best Buy • LCD TV • Circuit City • Wal-Mart

TV Content Stars at Vegas Show

What viewers see, more than what they see it on, in focus at CES

Jan 10, 08 9:23 AM CST
(Newser) - Televisions were all over the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, including some of the biggest, thinnest ones around, showing the crispest pictures ever, the New York Times reports. But exhibitors' focus was much more on what viewers will be seeing on those TVs, with several manufacturers unveiling... More »

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television • technology • NBC • Las Vegas • HDTV • consumer electronics • Consumer Electronics Show

OPINION

A Rocky 2008 Forecast for Consumer Tech

Subprime jitters, lack of new gadgets may mean bad year for buying

Jan 3, 08 2:36 PM CST
(Newser) - As the tech industry prepares for two huge events—the Consumer Electronics Show and Macworld—MarketWatch’s Therese Poletti takes a look at the year ahead, and has little nice to say about consumers’ continued appetite for buying. Few big products are expected to debut—“the commonly stated mantra... More »

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iPhone • Apple • consumer electronics • subprime crisis

NetFlix Box Will Bring Web Movies to TV

DVD firm teams up with LG Electronics to make stream-to-set device

Jan 3, 08 4:24 AM CST
(Newser) - DVD rental company NetFlix is teaming up with LG Electronics to make a set-top box that will let customers stream movies from the web straight onto their TVs, Reuters reports. NetFlix hopes to have the device ready later this year. The deal looks set to make the crowded web video... More »

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television • Internet • Netflix • consumer electronics • web video • movies

Semiconductor Sales Rise While Prices Fall

Main growth in Asian-Pacific region

Dec 3, 07 1:52 PM CST
(Newser) - Semiconductor sales in October went up 5% worldwide from last year, thanks to strong growth in the Asian-Pacific region and Japan, and an industry association forecasts 3.8% growth for the year, reports the Wall Street Journal. Meanwhile prices have dropped rapidly -- "Consumers are reaping huge benefits from... More »

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electronics • computer chip • hardware sales • semiconductor • consumer electronics

Screw G.I. Joe and Barbie, Gimme
an iPod

Tech toys fly off the shelves, as young kids imitate grown up gadget lovers

Nov 29, 07 10:43 AM CST
(Newser) - Toddlers are getting their geek on, thanks to the rash of technological toys flying off the shelves this Christmas. The long-stagnant toy industry has found a growing market in kiddie versions of grown-up gadgets like laptops and digital cameras, the Times reports. “Toy companies don’t even call... More »

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children • toys • holiday shopping • consumer electronics • gadget

Shoppers Swoon for Zunes

Thanksgiving shoppers on the hunt for 'iPod killers'

Nov 23, 07 11:04 PM CST
(Newser) - Microsoft's new Zune digital music players have been flying off the shelves, reports PC World. But big retailers have been running out, frustrating hordes of Thanksgiving shoppers attracted by big discounts and plenty of hype. Microsoft,  which seems to have seriously misjudged demand for the best-selling model, the Zune... More »

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Microsoft • Apple • iPod • digital music • Zune • MP3 • consumer electronics

Amazon Tries Something Novel With E-book Reader

But similar devices haven't captured the public's imagination

Nov 15, 07 9:58 PM CST
(Newser) - Online retail giant Amazon.com will unveil its highly anticipated electronic-book reader on Monday in New York,  an industry source tells CNET. In the works for more than a year, the Kindle is equipped with a Wi-Fi connection that taps into an Amazon e-book store, which users can access... More »

MORE ABOUT:
digital downloads • WiFi • Jeff Bezos • consumer electronics • electronic books • Kindle • Amazon.com

Snap Together Devices Could Revolutionize Electronics Biz

'Bugbase' & modules available within weeks

Nov 14, 07 3:02 AM CST
(Newser) - A line of electronic devices that snap together like Legos could revolutionize the consumer electronics industry. Discovery News reports a New York software developer came up with the system, which is open source, so that numerous innovators can contribute new devices. A hub called a Bugbase contains the basics electronics.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Linux • consumer electronics • Bug Labs • Bugbase • Bugmodules • Eclipse • Peter Semmelhack

iPhone Software Creation Kit Coming in Feb.

Jobs says delay is to ensure security against viruses and malware

Oct 17, 07 4:09 PM CDT
(Newser) - Apple will release a software development kit for the iPhone and iPod touch in February, CEO Steve Jobs wrote in a letter on Apple's website. The kit will allow third-party developers to create native applications for the devices. Jobs said the delay was needed to ensure that the platform would... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Steve Jobs • iPhone • Apple • iPod Touch • consumer electronics

Meet the New Zunes

Microsoft rolls out its second generation of mp3 players

Oct 3, 07 12:20 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Zune is getting three shiny new models in November, Microsoft announced yesterday, including nano-like flash-integrated 4GB and 8GB players, and an 80GB hard drive model, all priced just like corresponding iPods. They’ll sport new features like wireless syncing, touch-sensitive navigation pads and a redesigned, DRM-free marketplace. But they... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Microsoft • Apple • mp3 • digital music • Zune • consumer electronics

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