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The old saying used to be, "If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all." Then the Internet came along, and the saying changed to, "If you can't say anything nice, then invent a fake user name and go to town." The Web has allowed us to get away with saying some pretty awful things...
Chinese PC maker Lenovo, best known for office computers like its ThinkPad laptop line, has announced four new products aimed at the consumer home market. One is its first home theater PC, the IdeaCenter Q700. Another is its first home server, the IdeaCenter D400. The other two are the Q100 and Q110...
New technologies are changing the way we watch video. DVRs, VoD, and online video are freeing us from the broadcast schedules that previously dictated when we could watch programming. The latter two, combined with an ever-growing number of channels, are dramatically increasing what we can watch. The...
When Microsoft rolled out its beta version of Hohm on Wednesday -- a Web site that helps consumers save electricity -- it pulled off a veritable hat-trick. First comes the good publicity from positioning itself as a public benefactor. Second is a live test of its Azure cloud service, first announced...
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...
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...
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...
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 ...