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The recession may indeed be forcing you to cut back on some cellphone and cable television services, but apparently it will only get your high-speed Internet access when it pries your computer mouse from your cold, dead hands. The latest Pew Internet and American Life Project study, released Wednesd...

Computers are the cause of a surprising number of serious injuries every year -- usually to children. The number of acute computer-related injuries increased by 732 percent -- from nearly 1,300 to approximately 9,300 injuries per year -- according to a study conducted by the Center for Injury Resear...

For the last decade, the PC market has kind of sucked. Against the massive growth of the '90s, and with the exception of Apple, which didn't do well in that decade, the PC market has been a poor reflection of the excitement that once surrounded it. Part of the problem was the focus on computation an...

For the last 30 years, many people have invested a lot of money and effort chasing an unrealized promise of hoped-for explosive growth in home automation. With not a lot of commercial progress, it might be seen as foolish to pursue opportunities in this space. However, the promise of addressing lat...

Last week, I got into an argument about whether Microsoft was using TomTom to go after Linux. I also attended several events where the massive costs of the AMD vs. Intel litigation were discussed. I got to thinking how both entities -- AMD and FLOSS -- are currently defined by the dominant company i...

Television network, meet social network. Hulu, the online video lovechild of Fox and NBC, announced Thursday the addition of Hulu Friends, which gives users the opportunity to set up profiles, share favorite episodes of hit shows like "24" or "The Office" and leave Facebook-style updates on each oth...

You are ready to purchase your dream SLR digital camera, and like most people, you are unsure where to start. If you want to maximize your fun and creativity, capturing images that will make your family, your friends, and yourself proud, it is crucial you conduct the proper research before making th...

ANALYSIS

Powering Up Smart Grid Technology

The U.S. still has relatively low-cost electricity compared to other countries, but consistent rate increases and an aging, inefficient electrical distribution system are prompting demands to update the country's utility grids. IBM's chief executive Samuel J. Palmisano recently estimated that 67 per...

OPINION

Super Bowl Swings at 3-D and Misses

Last week was an unusually interesting week. We started the week with one of the biggest 3-D attempts ever -- both Super Bowl ads and an episode of "Chuck," both of which showcased the problems with 3-D. At the same time, I was playing "World of Warcraft" in 3-D, and that was working just fine. Towa...

OPINION

Ramblings of a DTV Conspiracy Theorist

With apologies to Oliver Stone, I have a conspiracy theory of my own regarding the real reason for the recent delay in the transition from analog to digital television. Those endless public service announcements reminding us all of the previous February switchover date have become just so darn popul...

Ten years ago, the "smart home" was all the rage. Almost every company in our market had a concept center or display house that showed the functionality of the digital home. I remember a visit to GTE's offices in the Dallas area, where they had a multiroom digital home display that showed a variety ...

This was the first chance since Steve Jobs returned to Apple that Microsoft had to slam-dunk Apple. The biggest thing at Macworld was Tony Bennett. Windows 7 was releasing in Beta and reports have been glowing, with a number of the folks I travel with actually living on the pre-beta code and raving ...

Let's say a Slingbox and a set-top digital video recorder meet during a very wild weekend in Vegas. After many drinks and much lascivious talk they decide to get married at 3 a.m. at the First Church of Elvis. Nine months later, you might end up with something like the ViP 922, which is being billed...

LIVE FROM CES

Toshiba Gives HDTVs New Tricks

Toshiba kicked off its CES press conference by reminding the audience of the ad space it bought right underneath the ball at last week's New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square. Perhaps the company liked the idea of kissing 2008 good-bye -- it was around this time a year ago that Warner Bros. dec...

LIVE FROM CES

LG at CES: Look Ma, No Wires!

Wires will find few friends in Las Vegas this week. Companies showing off their wares at CES are committed to cutting the cord and going wireless, whether you're talking about home network connections or high-definition TV content. Wireless HD was one highlight of LG's showcase here Wednesday mornin...

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