Gadgets

The company that makes parts for popular electronic reader devices, including the Kindle, is buying out the company behind the technology used in the displays. Though the two firms say it will be good for consumers, there are some claims it might ... limit competition. The deal involves Prime View International of Taiwan, which is set on buying E Ink, based in Massachusetts, for $215 million. Prime View is today responsible for the display screens on both the Amazon Kindle and the Sony Reader. Electrophoretic Film: Otherwise Known As Electronic Paper E Ink, a company started by Massachusetts ... (view more)

Adaptive Sound Technologies (AST) has now released a new tabletop device that induces sleep through the soothing sounds of nature. Dubbed 'Ecotones,' it measures sleeping patterns in terms of how long it takes a person to fall asleep, how often a ... person tosses and turns at night, and similar. The Sleep Machine That Never Sleeps What sets Ecotones apart from the dozens of similar products on the market is its responsiveness to disturbing noises and its ability to camouflage them without missing a beat. If a person sets their Ecotones to thunderstorms, for example, the pitter-patter of ... (view more)

When heard the term "smart phone," most people visualize a mobile phone that comes with a whole bunch of interesting features. But when people have to make a phone call and are not out living their busy lives, they still tend to use a landline-based ... home phone. It is this logic that spurred the new Verizon "Hub"; a home phone model that provides a multitude of Internet-based features similar to a "smart phone". The Hub comes with a cordless handset that rests atop its charger like many home phone models, but attached to it is a miniaturized flat-panel screen. The Hub Versus Smart Phones The ... (view more)

Casino operators have warned that a new card-counting program for the iPhone could earn sneaky players a felony violation. That's because using electronic devices in such a way is barred nationwide. The application, which costs $3.99, helps players ... take advantage of the fact that used cards aren't always replaced in the deck before each hand of blackjack. Keeping track of the cards which have already played can give players a better chance of predicting which cards will come up in future hands, letting them place higher or lower bets accordingly. Card counting such as this isn't illegal in ... (view more)

Are you a big fan of the plasma flatscreen television? It might be harder to get your sticky hands on one in the future, with recent announcements that two of the most popular plasma TV manufacturers have decided to terminate production. Although ... the plasma market has been struggling for some time, it's hard to ignore the role played by a stagnant U.S. economy in driving down interest in tech products. The most stunning news came earlier in the week when technology giant Pioneer announced it would bow out of the television business altogether. To the average consumer who has in the past ... (view more)

Three-dimensional (3D) viewing may just be the wave of the future in television! Don't believe it? Well, the technology on display at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) suggests there's little room left for viable innovation in the field of ... high-definition sets. The industry trade fair in Las Vegas is an annual event that's theoretically a forum for manufacturers to discuss industry issues and trends. That does happen, but for most companies it's more of a chance to show off the latest inventions in home entertainment. Previous shows have seen the first public appearances of devices ... (view more)

It's not uncommon to see a person walking around town wearing sunglasses on their face or headphones in their ears. But if that person is wearing the latest pair of Vuzix sunglasses, there may be more going on under those shades than meets the eye. ... While the Vuzix Wrap 920AV looks like any normal eyewear product, it also doubles as a video player. In fact, it is the first pair of glasses to use "see-through" optic technology. What does that mean? Plug the Vuzix Wrap into any digital music player, portable DVD system, or laptop and it displays video and plays audio instantly. Now you can run ... (view more)

The long-rumored end to Circuit City has finally arrived. Beaten down and finally booted by Best Buy over the holidays, the electronics retailer has begun liquidating its assets in stores across the United States. In November Circuit City revealed ... that it had entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection , but no one really knew what that meant for its remaining stores. Most employees appear to have been completely unaware that their stores might be closing, with one Circuit City worker telling CNET's Brooke Crothers that he didn't expect his place of employment to shut down for a long, long time ... (view more)

Sony has finally unveiled its first netbook just in time for the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. About the same size as your average bottle of Coca-cola , it's tiny, slim, and surprisingly expensive. As expected, smaller, cheaper, ... and portable laptops -- otherwise known as 'netbooks' -- have stolen the spotlight from glitzy televisions and Blu-ray players at the 2009 CES. However, Sony's Vaio P Series Lifestyle PC is breaking the mould, at least in part. Though it's definitely small (no longer than a mousepad and about as thin as your everyday cell phone), the size of the ... (view more)

Didn't get that sleek, stylish Apple iPhone for Christmas as you wished for this past year? Well, if you're looking for a cheap version of the very popular handheld device, you might just be in luck: big box electronics retailer Best Buy recently ... announced that it will be selling a discounted refurbished version of the iPhone in hundreds of its stores. In an announcement made yesterday, Best Buy Co. Inc. revealed that it would sell resurrected versions of the 3G iPhone for approximately $50 less than their brand-spanking-new counterparts. In other words, the refurbished 8 GB model will retail ... (view more)