Equipment Breaking News

Panasonic shows larger thin-PDP prototypes
Panasonic unveiled its largest-yet slimline PDP (plasma display panel) at the IFA electronics show in Berlin on Thursday. More..

Toshiba pushes tech that upscales content to HD
Toshiba promoted its two technologies, Extended Detail Enhancement (XDE) and Resolution+, for turning standard definition content into high definition, at the IFA electronics show on Thursday. More..

Sony to launch centimeter-thin LCD TV this year
Pushing new boundaries in LCD (liquid crystal display) TV size, Sony will launch later this year a set that's considerably thinner than others on the market, it said at the IFA electronics show in Berlin on Thursday. More..

Sharp unveils its thinnest LCD TVs yet
Sharp has developed a new range of LCD (liquid crystal display) TVs that are thinner and have larger screens than its previous thinnest televisions. More..

Maxian to show new PMPs at Berlin's IFA
South Korea's Maxian will unveil a couple of new portable media players at the IFA consumer electronics in Berlin later this week. More..

Consumer electronics will do well, says Philips CEO
The future for consumer electronics looks bright and high oil prices will help the industry, according to Hans-Joachim Kamp, who spoke at IFA in Berlin on Wednesday. More..

Cowon shows new portable media players for IFA
Gadget-maker Cowon is planning to introduce three new portable multimedia players at the IFA consumer electronics show that begins in Germany later this week. More..

Nokia launches N85, N79 and N96 for the U.S.
Nokia has expanded its N series of smart phones with two new models: the N85 and the N79. The company will also start selling an Americanized version of the upcoming N96, it announced on Tuesday. More..

LG to launch consumer, SOHO NAS system at IFA
LG is targeting home and small-office/home-office (SOHO) users with a network-attached storage (NAS) server that it plans to introduce at this week's IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin. More..

Consumer electronics expo kicks off in Berlin
Europe's biggest consumer-electronics show, the Internationale Funkausstellung, kicks off in Berlin this week More..

Microsoft completes Small Business Server 2008, preps for November launch
Microsoft Friday said it has completed development on Small Business Server 2008 and that the software will hit its targeted ship date of Nov. 12. More..

Netflix tech problem persists
A technology problem that has seriously disrupted Netflix's ability to mail DVDs to subscribers enters its fourth day Friday. More..

Netflix: Tech distribution problem solved
Netflix has finally resolved a technology problem that since Tuesday had crippled its ability to mail DVDs to subscribers of its movie rental service. More..

Best Buy will start selling the iPhone in Sept.
Best Buy will become the first retail chain outside of Apple and AT&T to sell the iPhone in the U.S., an Apple spokesperson confirmed for Macworld on Tuesday. More..

In stores this week: Madden NFL 09 (with Favre!)
A little NFL drama wasn't enough to sideline EA's Madden NFL 09, which launches for the PS3, PSP, PS2, DS, Xbox 360 and Wii (as an "All Play" title) this week. More..

iPhone & iPod case roundup: nanos and iPhones
If you follow Apple news, you might think that the only topics of interest lately are the iPhone 3G, the App Store, and the, er, somewhat unreliable MobileMe. But we know what you readers really care about, what will always remain first in your hearts: iPod and iPhone cases. More..

Intel takes on embedded market with Atom chip
Taking a jab at the embedded market, Intel on Wednesday said it was working on new x86 chips to use in devices ranging from consumer electronics to mobile phones. More..

Nintendo to retire hardcore games until next year
Hardcore Wii owners hoping for more first-party games this holiday can think again. More..

Trade group, U.S. officials rally for free trade
Free-trade agreements with other countries will create demand for U.S. products overseas and create more U.S. jobs, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and others said at a Thursday rally. More..

Cisco to buy home-network software vendor
Cisco announced plans to buy Pure Networks, a Seattle company that has developed software aimed at making home networking easier, for US$120 million. More..

Windows Home Server update fixes data-corruption issue
Microsoft has released an update to Windows Home Server that fixes a data-corruption problem some users were having with the software. More..

Intel launches online marketplace for Indian SMBs
Intel has launched an online exchange for small and midsize businesses in India that is intended to be a one-stop shop for procurement of business software and services around Intel technology. More..

Activating your iPhone 3G: What you need to know
No, it's not a lot of fun standing in line for three-and-a-half hours to buy and activate an iPhone 3G. But I'm not here to recount Friday's ordeal or pile on about the activation snags that marked the global roll-out of Apple's latest iPhone. More..

Magellan rolls out rich GPS maps
Magellan is outfitting some of its GPS devices with more advanced topographic maps that it hopes will attract off-road and outdoor enthusiasts, it said on Monday. More..

iPhone 3G
When the original iPhone arrived in June 2007, it was greeted by massive hype and long lines at Apple and AT&T stores. But a lot of people who were interested in the iPhone held back, guided by a thoughtful and careful technological principle: "Never buy version 1.0." More..