TWICE News

• PMA: Feb. Camera Sales Up 3%, Year Still Down
  
  By TWICE Staff, April 30, 2009
  Jackson, Mich. — Bucking recent downward sales trends, digital camera sales showed a little life in February, posting a 3 percent increase over the same month last year, according to the PMA.
  
• Mitsubishi Posts Lower Annual Sales, Earnings
  
  By TWICE Staff, April 30, 2009
  Tokyo — Mitsubishi Electric reported consolidated net sales were $37.8 billion, down 9 percent, while net income was down 92 percent to $124.9 million in its fiscal year, ended March 31.
  
• Kodak Sales Drop, Net Loss Triples
  
  By Steve Smith, April 30, 2009
  Rochester, N.Y. — Eastman Kodak reported a 29 percent decline in sales and a net loss three times higher than last year’s first quarter, as well as issuing more cost-cutting measures.
  
• DEG: Q1 Home Video Revenue Down 5%  
  
  By Greg Tarr, April 30, 2009
  Los Angeles — Consumer spending on prerecorded home-video entertainment declined 5 percent from a year ago to $5.3 billion during the first quarter of 2009, according to a study released this week by the Digital Entertainment Group (DEG).
  
• Motorola Q1 Sales Fall, Cuts Losses
  
  By Joseph Palenchar, April 30, 2009
  Schaumburg, Ill. — Motorola’s revenues shrank in the first quarter on a year-over-year and sequential basis, but the company lost markedly less money on a sequential basis, the company said.
  
• OfficeMax Q1 Sales, Earnings Decline
  
  By Alan Wolf, April 30, 2009
  Naperville, Ill. — OfficeMax reported a 79 percent drop in net income to $13.1 million, and a 17 percent decline in net sales to $1.9 billion, for the first quarter, ended March 28.
  
• Pure Digital Adds FlipUltra Camcorders
  
  By Greg Tarr, April 30, 2009
  San Francisco, Calif. — Pure Digital Technologies introduced Thursday the second generation of its Flip Ultra camcorder line, featuring both standard- and high-definition models.
  
• Harman Posts Loss, Lower Sales In Qtr.
  
  By Joseph Palenchar and Steve Smith, April 30, 2009
  Stamford, Conn. — Harman International was hit hard by the downturn in the car industry and reported a 42 percent drop in sales and increased losses for its fiscal third quarter, ended March 31, but said it will turn itself around.
  
• Sirius XM Adopts ‘Poison Pill’ Plan
  
  By Amy Gilroy, April 30, 2009
  New York — Sirius XM Radio adopted a stockholder plan on Wednesday that is often used to thwart takeover attempts, although Sirius XM denied this is the purpose of the plan.
  
• In-Stat: 802.11n To Lead Wireless HD Video Market
  
  By Joseph Palenchar, April 30, 2009
  Scottsdale, Ariz. — Wi-Fi 802.11n will be the dominant technology used by CE suppliers for at least the next several years to transmit HD video wirelessly, research company In-Stat contended.
  
• Epoq Launches Wi-Fi Pocket Radio Line
  
  By Joseph Palenchar, April 30, 2009
  Boca Raton

  , Fla.

  – The portable, pocket-size six-transistor AM radio of the early 1960s has evolved into a Wi-Fi-equipped Internet radio.

  
  
• Half of Car Buyers Want iPod Link
  
  By Amy Gilroy, April 29, 2009
  Southfield, Mich.a — Almost half of consumers preparing to buy a car want to connect an iPod to their vehicle.
  
• Mother’s Day CE Spending To Fall 37%: Report
  
  By Alan Wolf, April 29, 2009
  Los Angeles — Moms will be receiving fewer and less-expensive consumer electronics for Mother’s Day, according to a new report by industry research firm IBISWorld.
  
• OnStar Generates More Than $1B: iSuppli
  
  By Amy Gilroy, April 29, 2009
  El Segundo, Calif. — While General Motors faces possible bankruptcy, its OnStar service is quite healthy, raking in $1 billion in business annually and creating a platform that saves the company millions in other ways, said iSuppli.
  
• SlotRadio Debuts 1,000-Song Cards
  
  By Joseph Palenchar, April 29, 2009
  Milipitas, Calif. — The first four 1,000-song SlotRadio music cards became available through SanDisk Web site www.slotradio.org and will be available soon in RadioShack stores nationwide.
  
• CEA: Web-Enabled TVs Garner Attention
  
  By Steve Smith, April 29, 2009
  Arlington, Va. — Demand for Internet-enabled televisions is growing rapidly, according to a new study by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).
  
• AVAD Partners With B&K Components
  
  By TWICE Staff, April 29, 2009
  Van Nuys, Calif. — AVAD, the custom home electronics distributor, has signed a distribution agreement with B&K Components to offer the manufacturer’s multi-room and high-end audio components and home-theater components.
  
• Advanced Auto Parts Carrying Car Wi-Fi
  
  By Amy Gilroy, April 29, 2009
  San Francisco — Autonet mobile is now selling its Wi-Fi hotspot for the car through more than 3,300 Advance Auto Parts.
  
• Runco Ships ’09 LCD, PDP Flat-Panel Lines
  
  By Greg Tarr, April 29, 2009
  Beaverton, Ore. — Planar’s Runco International said Tuesday it is now shipping the majority of its 2009 flat-panel displays, and is sticking with its strategy of delivering both plasma and LCD models tailored to the custom-installation channel.
  
• Audit: PMA ’09 Traffic Was Down 23.7%
  
  By Greg Tarr, April 29, 2009
  Jackson, Mich. — The economic downturn and bad weather took its toll on last month’s Photo Marketing Association PMA 2009 International Convention and Trade Show.