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March 2008
- Intel: Cheap Memory Won't Erase Profits
  
  Associated Press | Mar 5, 08 11:17 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Steep drops in the price of NAND flash memory have hit Intel's profits, but CEO Paul Otellini vows it's not going to put the company in the red, the AP reports. Prices of the chips have fallen more than 50% recently, much more than the chipmaking giant had predicted. Otellini says the company will move into new markets to offset the effect of the cheap chips. More »
February 2008
- DreamWorks in Limbo over HD DVD Format
  
  Reuters | Feb 27, 08 12:34 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Despite the fact that Toshiba lost its war with Sony’s Blu-ray disc technology, DreamWorks Animation says it plans to release its upcoming movies in the HD DVD format, unless it hears otherwise from Toshiba, Reuters reports. DreamWorks’ “Bee Movie” is scheduled for release in March. The studio said it asked the Japanese manufacturer “What would you like us to do?” More »
- LG Pulls Laptop Model After Battery Melts
  
  Associated Press | Feb 22, 08 6:54 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - LG pulled a laptop model from stores following a report that the battery melted while in use, the AP reports. A company spokesman said it had opened an investigation into the meltdown, adding that the model is no longer in production and is sold only in South Korea. More »
- Toshiba Throws in HD Towel
  
  Associated Press | Feb 19, 08 3:30 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Toshiba is quitting the HD DVD player business after taking a licking in the protracted market competition, the company announced today. Toshiba's exit, which leaves Blu-ray's technology alone at the vanguard of digital video, comes after Warner Brothers joined the crowd of Blu-ray backers, leaving HD DVD in the cold, AP reports. More »
- Toshiba Set to Cede DVD-Format Fight - WSJ.com
  
  Wall Street Journal | Feb 18, 08
  
  Toshiba Corp. is expected to pull out of the HD DVD business early this week, people familiar with the situation said, marking the end of one of the biggest and most-expensive format battles in the electronics industry since the VHS format's defeat of Betamax nearly three decades ago.
- Toshiba May Pull HD DVD Plug
  
  PC World | Feb 17, 08 2:08 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Toshiba has temporarily halted production of players and movies in the HD DVD format, and is contemplating dropping the format altogether, PC World reports. The move would cost the company tens of billions of dollars, but the defection of several studios and retailers to the rival Blu-Ray format has left HD DVD’s future very much in doubt. More »
- Wal-Mart Chooses Blu-Ray Over HD DVD
  
  CNET | Feb 15, 08 3:24 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The blows just keep coming for HD DVD: Wal-Mart announced today that it will sell Blu-Ray high-def movies and players exclusively, CNET reports. A buyer for Wal-Mart disclosed the decision on her blog, saying that the company had been influenced by Netflix and Best Buy's recent announcements by they will back Blu-Ray. More »
- Netflix Goes Blue
  
  CNET | Feb 11, 08 5:36 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The Netflix DVD rental service has decided to go exclusively with Blu-Ray as its hi-def format for customers, rather than HD DVD. By the end of the year, Netflix will no longer offer HD DVDs, reports CNET. The service made the decision based on the momentum towards Blu-Ray by Hollywood studios, including the recent decision by Warner Bros. to go commit solely to the format. More »
- Polaroid Out of Instant-Photo Biz
  
  Bloomberg | 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 digital cameras, Polaroid has faced “a technologically driven decline,” said COO Tom Beaudoin. More »
January 2008
- Cell Phone Can Read to the Blind
  
  NPR | Jan 30, 08 7:19 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - A new cell phone can read aloud to people with impaired vision—and at 4 ounces, it's the smallest such device ever made, NPR reports. The $2,000 phone can help with the myriad daily tasks that seeing people take for granted, like identifying a $20 bill. "All you have to do is snap a picture,” said a blind product demonstrator. More »
- TV Makers Scoff at Your Puny Recession
  
  Wall Street Journal | 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 LCD sales will jump 27% worldwide. More »
- Gotta Have My (Barbie) MP3
  
  Advertising Age | Jan 21, 08 2:18 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Digital music players are hot—even with the lunchbox set: A recent study shows 31% of 6 to 10-year-olds use them. This means a whole new market for kid-themed players, accessories, music and video, reports Advertising Age . Indeed, players aimed at children have proliferated in the past two years. “They have a whole wall of them in Toys 'R' Us," said one researcher. More »