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[2009-10-23] Walmart Begins Home Installation Program

October 22nd, 2009

“Walmart has begun offering home installation services for TVs, home theaters and PCs through a partnership with NEW. The services, which start at $99 for a basic TV installation and $129 for a basic PC setup, will be sold via prepaid cards displayed on descriptive merchandisers and within the home-theater and computer aisles.”

[2009-10-23] Welcome To The Growing Tribes Of China

October 22nd, 2009

“Mckinsey has created a rather unique China ‘ClusterMap’, as a way of identifying the most relevant economic and cultural units within the enormous, diverse, and rapidly changing country. The result is an understanding of the country’s economy and consumer potential as a collection of distinct mini-economies, perhaps even mini-states or nations, within the larger Chinese one. For example, attitudes towards individualism can vary by, and be due to, which cluster people live in.”

[2009-10-23] Sanyo Makes First Dual Cam with iFrame Video Support

October 22nd, 2009

“Sanyo has launched the VPC-HD2000A, a device that does double duty as a digital camera and a camcorder. The product also represents what is said to be a category first in that it offers support for iFrame, a format for editing video on computers”

[2009-10-23] The Evolution of eBooks, Part One

October 22nd, 2009

“Ten years ago in the Emerging Market Update, CEA’s own Angela Titone wrote about a technology to keep an eye on. At that time, the product in question ? e-books ? anticipated being able to store up to 10 average-length novels, and ranged in price from $199 to $1,500! How times have changed.”

[2009-10-23] Slacker’s Still Raising Money—But Ditches Its Device In Favor Of Apps

October 22nd, 2009

“After raising over $70 million to develop and sell its G2 portable music device, music startup Slacker is giving up on it—choosing instead, to focus on building a mobile app-based streaming business.”

[2009-10-23] CEA: 5 Technologies to Watch

October 22nd, 2009

“The 2009 edition of CEA’s 5 Technology Trends to Watch questions how we use command and control technologies to interact with our CE ? are we a control freak society? It also looks into the kitchen of tomorrow, full of everything from flat-panel displays and Internet connectivity on refrigerators to appliances that manage energy efficiency and decide when to run. Next, investigate a host of new display technologies reaching the market and look forward to Web 3.0 with more personalized functionality directed at the end-user. Finally, the report probes how consumer technology is being used to further medical advances and diagnosis, even using video games to fight disease.”

[2009-10-22] Every Win 7 Tablet Is a Multitouch Color Kindle (With This App)

October 22nd, 2009

“Nook better watch it. One of the “surprises” at the Windows 7 keynote: a multitouch Kindle app for Windows 7 from Amazon. Ebook reading with pinch text zooming, and yes, color photos”

[2009-10-22] Apple Applies For Free Ad-Supported OS Patent

October 22nd, 2009

“an operating system presents one or more advertisements to a user and disables one or more functions while the advertisement is being presented. At the end of the advertisement, the operating system again enables the function(s).”

[2009-10-22] Where Can WiMAX Catch a Break? The Smart Grid

October 22nd, 2009

“WiMAX might be losing attention and mindshare from telcos in the U.S., but it’s another story entirely when it comes to that oh-so-buzzy sector the smart grid. Utilities across the globe are increasingly starting to test WiMAX-based smart grid networks, and this morning we have news of a major commercial deployment from a utility Down Under.”

[2009-10-22] Disney Keychest to make buy-once view-anywhere movies a reality with Apple’s help?

October 22nd, 2009

“you’d now be paying once for ownership rights to the film, not to the physical media. If it sounds similar to DECE it is, but Disney claims that its approach is more streamlined”