electronics

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New Nanotech Could Lead to Heart-Powered Phones

First commercially viable nanogenerators unveiled

(Newser) - Scientists say a big leap forward in nanotechnology has put them on the road to creating electronics that won't run out of juice until their owners do. Researchers say they have made the first commercially viable nanogenerators, which can use tiny movements like a pinch of a finger or even...

24 States Now Ban Tossing Electronics

Those old TVs and computers have to be recycled instead

(Newser) - Nearly half the states in the US now have laws requiring that most electronic equipment be recycled instead of dumped in the trash, the AP reports. Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina are the most recent states to ban simply tossing out old TVs, computers, video game consoles, stereo...

Congo Tucked Into Depths of Financial Reform Bill

Provision targets conflict minerals...used in your cell phone

(Newser) - Hidden in the recesses of the financial reform bill is a provision that could rock the US electronics industry. From now on, companies will be required to disclose what steps they’re taking to ensure their products—think cellphones, laptops, and medical devices—don’t contain minerals from the Congo,...

'Suicide Factory' Workers Relocated to Avoid Raises

Only iPhone workers will get hefty wage hikes promised by Foxconn

(Newser) - Here's one way to avoid paying the hefty raises promised to 300,000 workers at the suicide-plagued Foxconn electronics plant in Shenzhen, China: move most of them to less expensive, remote plants in other parts of the country. Foxconn is apparently keeping the iPhone workers in Shenzhen, but moving Hewlett...

NASA: Get Ready for Space Storm Havoc

Sun is 'waking from deep slumber'

(Newser) - There's stormy weather ahead for the sun and that spells trouble for 21st-century society, NASA scientists say. The sun will wake "from a deep slumber" and enter a period of increased activity sometime around 2013, hitting the Earth with magnetic energy that has the potential to disrupt everything from...

Toyota: We're Sorry for Slow Response

Driver of runaway car says 'shame on you' to company, feds

(Newser) - The president of Toyota's US operations insisted today that electronic problems did not contribute to sudden acceleration of its cars, drawing sharp criticism from lawmakers. "We are confident that no problems exist with the electric throttle control system in our vehicles," James Lentz told a House panel. Rather,...

Sales Rise Even Though Shoppers Spend Less
 Sales Rise Even Though 
 Shoppers Spend Less 
thanksgiving weekend

Sales Rise Even Though Shoppers Spend Less

$41.2B weekend total beats 2008 haul by $1.2B

(Newser) - Thanksgiving weekend retail sales totaled $41.2 billion, a .5% jump over last year's $41 billion, but the average shopper spent 8% less than in 2008, $343.31 against $372.57. Discounts, especially on electronics and toys, were the overwhelming attraction as cautious consumers pried open their wallets, Bloomberg reports....

What Not to Buy on Black Friday
 What Not to Buy on Black Friday 
Farhad Manjoo

What Not to Buy on Black Friday

Netbooks, e-books and other bad deals

(Newser) - Step away from the gizmos. Even if you make it through the Black Friday crowds unharmed, you may do serious damage to your wallet, writes Farhad Manjoo in Slate , who runs down what to buy and bypass at the big box store: Don't Buy:
  • E-book readers: The market is heating
...

Race for Better Light Bulb Heats Up

Philips bids for US government's $10M 'L Prize'

(Newser) - Dutch electronics giant Philips has created an LED light bulb that, if it lives up to its billing, could claim the US government’s coveted “L Prize.” More important, the new bulb could inherit the 60-watt bulb’s throne. The Energy Department is offering $10 million—and a...

Scientists Capture Detailed Image of Molecule

Technique could help improve electronics, drugs

(Newser) - In a scientific first, IBM researchers have produced a detailed image of a molecule’s structure, the BBC reports. The stunning image, made with an atomic force microscope that vibrates like a tuning fork, is so finely detailed that it shows chemical bonds. Such intricate familiarity with the molecule opens...

NEC to Lay Off 20,000
 NEC to Lay Off 20,000 

NEC to Lay Off 20,000

Japanese electronics giant hammered by falling demand, stronger yen

(Newser) - The Japanese electronics giant NEC announced today that it will cut 20,000 jobs worldwide after posting a fourth-quarter loss of $1.45 billion, reports the Wall Street Journal. NEC's losses ballooned as demand fell for its semiconductors and chips, and the strength of the yen further hurt its bottom...

Sonos Zaps Tunes to All Rooms
 Sonos Zaps Tunes to All Rooms 
Product Review

Sonos Zaps Tunes to All Rooms

Listen to downloaded and internet music where you want it, when you want

(Newser) - A Sonos Music System has revolutionized the musical life of producer/director Barry Sonnenfeld. "It may be one of the electronic devices I can't do without," he writes in Esquire. What a Sonos can do:
  • It streams music wirelessly throughout the house, sending different tunes to different stereos
...

Recession Bites Into Apple
 Recession Bites Into Apple 

Recession Bites Into Apple

November sales down, stock falls

(Newser) - Even apparently recession-proof Apple is now beginning to show signs of strain, and some analysts are predicting a major slowdown for the computer giant next year, the Wall Street Journal reports. US sales of Macs last month declined 1% over a year ago, while PC sales rose 2%. One analyst...

Transistors May Migrate to Paper
Transistors
May Migrate
to Paper

Transistors May Migrate to Paper

Circuit-carrying cellulose undercuts silicon on price

(Newser) - The future of electronics may be etched on paper, reports the Economist. Researchers have found a cheaper, easier way to make transistors using cellulose, paper’s key ingredient. Paper could soon replace silicon as a surface on which to mount transistors, which control the flow of electric currents and power...

Pragmatism Dictates China's Religious Policy

Strategic chip firm given leeway for Christian worship

(Newser) - China officially sanctions religious worship only at state facilities, but the Christian Science Monitor finds that plenty of wiggle room exists in the business world. It profiles one company whose Christian CEO is allowed to put up a church at every worksite. Why such accommodation in a formally atheist state?...

Chill Chips May Take Heat Off Computers

Tiny cooling system could eliminate bulkier fans, enable new leaps

(Newser) - Researchers have developed a tiny refrigeration system to keep computers cool, an invention that will do away with the clunky fan currently used—and potentially lead to much smaller and faster devices, Computerworld reports. The team at Purdue University expects the technology to be ready for installation within 2 years.

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...

Chip Makers Tussle for Gadget Niche
Chip Makers Tussle for Gadget Niche

Chip Makers Tussle for Gadget Niche

Intel, competitors stake out mobile internet device market

(Newser) - Following the lead of Intel, builders of high-tech microchips are shifting their focus to portable gadgets dubbed MIDs—mobile internet devices that are bigger than cell phones but smaller than computers. industry leaders like Samsung and Nvidia are dashing to release the more powerful chips that boost battery life and...

Italian Firm to Buy DRS Technologies
Italian Firm to Buy DRS Technologies

Italian Firm to Buy DRS Technologies

$5.3B sale gives Finmeccanica entry into US defense market

(Newser) - Italy's biggest defense contractor has agreed to buy DRS Technologies Inc. for $5.3 billion and grab a share of America's defense market, the Wall Street Journal reports. Finmeccanica will purchase the defense-electronics firm for $81 per share, a 32% premium on share price, pending approval by Washington. The deal...

Sony Profit Up, Forecast Down
Sony Profit Up, Forecast Down

Sony Profit Up, Forecast Down

PlayStation 3 is finally in the black, but outlook for consumer electronics is weak

(Newser) - Slowing US consumer spending and a strengthening yen are prompting Sony Corp to cut its profit forecast for the fiscal year that ends in March. Estimates released yesterday were cut nearly 8%, to $3.85 billion, despite its PlayStation division showing a profit for the first time in two years,...

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