Consumer Electronics
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Apr 30 | News
Cochlear
implants have restored basic hearing to some 220,000 deaf people, but
the microphone and electronics can be cumbersome and can prevent them
from participating in certain activities like swimming. Engineers have
designed a tiny prototype microphone that can be implanted in the middle
ear, and its form factor has been tested on cadavers. Tests on live
humans are still a few years away.
Apr 18 | News
Philips
recently announced that its EnduraLED 12.5 W bulb has met or exceeded
the quality and energy efficiency requirements for a 60 W light-emitting
diode (LED) equivalent set forth by the Environmental Protection
Agency’s Energy Star program. Philips was the only company to enter the
Department of Energy’s L Prize contest, which sought a product like the
EnduraLED.
Apr 10 | News
Short
of smashing it to bits, the world’s most exasperating alarm clock
cannot be defeated. Once it goes off, you must get up, go to another
room, and punch the day's date into a telephone-style keypad. According
to its inventor, a 25-year-old engineer, he fears his own creation so
much gets up before it ever gets a chance to deliver its annoying sonic
payload.
Apr 6 | News
Earlier
this week, Google gave a glimpse of "Project Glass", an effort to bring
the features of a smartphone or tablet computer to a pair of glasses.
While wearing a pair, a user can see directions to a destination appear
before her eyes, can talk to friends over video chat, can take a photo,
or even buy a few things online.
Mar 21 | News
Hewlett-Packard
Co. will combine its printer and PC divisions to save money, part of
the technology company's effort to turn around its business. The move
announced Wednesday comes at a time when sales of printers and ink, once
HP's lifeblood, are falling as people increasingly share documents and
photos online.
Mar 7 | News
Financially
troubled Proview Electronics Co., a computer monitor and LED light
maker, says it registered the iPad trademark in China and elsewhere more
than a decade ago and wants Apple to stop selling or making the popular
tablet computers under that name. Whatever the outcome, the dispute
highlights the rising stakes of the trademark name game in the
increasingly lucrative China consumer market, one that most global
companies cannot afford to miss out on regardless of the risks.
Mar 1 | News
Apple
was already the world's most valuable company before its market
capitalization topped half a billion dollars, a mountain peak where few
companies have venture, and few have remained for long. But analysts say
Apple’s rally has some legs, because the way it earned its value
differs from others who have reached this level, including Exxon and
Microsoft.
Jan 20 | News
Kodak
is at a crossroads: It could go the way of Circuit City, or it could
prosper after bankruptcy like General Motors. Even in bankruptcy, the
company boasts some enviable strengths, including a rich collection of
photo patents, and more than $4 billion in annual sales. But it may be
too late for a transition.
Jan 19 | News
Although
still two years away for consumers, the next generation of mobile
technology will be up to 500 times faster than 3G smartphones. Approved
this week at a United Nations radio communications meeting, the
technology standard is called IMT-Advanced and will use the radio-frequency spectrum much more efficiently.
Jan 13 | News
At
the International Consumer Electronics Show, the gigantic gadget
conclave in Las Vegas this week, several companies demonstrated how they
can make mobile devices shake and rattle with great realism, employing a
technology that uses plastics that function like muscles.
