Reporters Notebook
TWICE reporters give you a deeper look into their areas of expertise.
Is ‘Showrooming’ A Salvation For Big-Box Stores?
Critics are writing off Best Buy in particular and big-box specialty retail in general as showrooms for Amazon and other online-only retailers. But two recent developments suggest that converting its real estate into actual showrooms for manufacturers could be the salvation for that channel. According to a report in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Best Buy’s chief marketing officer Barry Judge ...... Read More
Comments (2)Walmart Plays Games With ‘The Avengers’
Discount store behemoth Walmart is really stretching its high-tech legs this month. First, it added Sharp’s 60-, 70- and (in some stores) 80-inch mega-sized Aquos LCD TVs to its in-store flat-panel TV assortment; then it rolled out the first-ever in-store disc-to-digital campaign. Now, effective Thursday, it has introduced the first-ever “augmented reality” merchandising camp ...... Read More
Comments (0)Facebook: 900 Million Followers And Growing
Facebook has 900 million followers. That is a ridiculous figure. My first thought upon reading that factoid was that outside of organized religion, I cannot think of another thing human beings do voluntarily that has attracted that many followers. And I was basically correct. With a little help from Google, I tried to discover some other event, pastime or activity that might attract people on a sc ...... Read More
Comments (2)Filling The Looming Cellular Spectrum Gap
In offering to auction off some of its own 700MHz spectrum if it’s allowed to buy Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) spectrum from cable companies, Verizon Wireless seemingly undercut arguments that the wireless industry faces a spectrum crunch. In announcing its plans, Verizon effectively admits that it has all the spectrum it needs, at least for some time into the foreseeable future. Well ...... Read More
Comments (0)Walmart Helps Customer Take Disc-To-Digital Plunge
On April 16 Walmart begins its new disc-to-digital program that will offer customers at more than 3,500 stores across the country the chance to bring in their old and new DVDs and Blu-ray Discs to register for Cloud-based digital copies. These digital copies can then be accessed from a wide variety of connected devices. But a recent overview for the East Coast press at an outlet in North Bergen, N ...... Read More
Comments (0)April Fools Fun
Even though April 1 fell on a Sunday this year, that didn’t stop the CE industry from having some April Fools fun. Of course, what’s even more fun is seeing how many news outlets fell for the joke. Here are just some of the examples that flooded our inboxes over the weekend: Sony went all out with a video for its quarter-sized Vaio Q Ultrabook. TigerDirect entered the nuclear generat ...... Read More
Comments (1)To Lock Or Not To Lock
Consumers have grown used to carrier-subsidized cellphones, and they understand the deal. In return for a deeply discounted device, you commit to a two-year service contract and buy a locked phone, which protects a carrier’s investment in the subsidy because you can’t activate the phone on a competing carrier’s network. Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn isn’t so sure the tradeoff ...... Read More
Comments (1)iPad Announcement Coming March 7?
Cupertino, Calif. - Apple sent out invitations to the press for a March 7 event in San Francisco, and although the secretive company didn’t say what would be announced, the invitation shows a finger touching an iPad. The invite says only that “We have something you really have to see. And touch.” The launch could herald the first 4G LTE-equipped iPad. ...... Read More
Comments (0)What’s The Frequency, Heinrich?
Google is commemorating the 155th birthday of German physicist Heinrich Rudolf Hertz today with an animated search-page “doodle” of a sine wave. As students of CE, we all know that Hertz gave us conclusive proof of the existence of electromagnetic waves. Audio folks pay tribute each time they cite a loudspeaker’s specs, and his pioneering research helped give us radio, televis ...... Read More
Comments (0)TelyHD Brings Skype Video Calling To The Big Screen
Those who may have been intrigued by news of Skype video calling features being added to some of the latest advanced HDTVs can relax in the knowledge that they can now get that Jetsons experience today without buying a whole new set. Privately held Tely Labs, based in Menlo Park, Calif., is selling a product it calls TelyHD that offers as close to a plug-and-play experience as you are likely to fi ...... Read More
Comments (0)What Will Google Bring To Wireless Multiroom Audio?
Google reportedly wants to offer a wireless multiroom-audio system under its own brand. From the looks of things, Google won’t be offering anything new. In fact, Google’s system, as reported, appears to limit a consumer’s choice of streaming and download services. A Wall Street Journal report indicates some sort of residential gateway will access the Google Music service and d ...... Read More
Comments (2)When Phones Crossover To Cameras
So when is a phone a camera and a camera a phone? The lines of distinction are becoming harder and harder to discern, and International CES 2012 will make that evident like no other showcase. All over the convention floor attendees will notice cameras, from point-and-shoots to more advanced pro-sumer models, incorporating Wi-Fi connectivity and, in some cases, Android platforms and apps to send im ...... Read More
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