Retail: Features

When the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) program was first announced in 2005, media attention centered on two aspects: the US$100 price tag and the humanitarian nature of the project. Three years later, the environmental genius of these award-winning laptops still not only burns bright but even inspires copycats. Vendors such as Asustek and Via are working to bring their own low-cost, low-power computing devices to emerging markets and education.

Aggressive pricing and competition is going to make it a tough year for projector vendors and their channel partners, but rising demand in the consumer market and the promise of smaller and portable models means there's still plenty of opportunity out there.

A US woman whose lawsuit against the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) was thrown out by a federal judge last month plans to file an amended complaint in a move that could finally force the industry group to share details about its controversial techniques for investigating alleged file sharers.

You might think that measuring return on investment is one of those things that never changes. You'd be wrong.

The surge of Internet TV entrepreneurs promise movies and TV programs on any screen, anywhere, anytime, yet little attention is focused on the monumental challenge and new technologies needed to make video ubiquitous.

So the high-definition DVD war's over, and to the victor go the spoils.

The high-definition movie disc battle between HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc can be traced all the way back to 2000, when companies began experimenting with using new blue lasers in optical disc systems.

It's the epic, age-old battle that just keeps being resurrected. Chip-giant Intel and the underdog Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) go head-to-head for desktop dominance. So what will 2008 hold for desktop processors? We've uncovered both company's plans for 2008 to allow you to decide just which purchase will suit your home or small business.

If you want a demonstration of the speed at which the technology industry works these days just consider Sharp's thin TVs. The first time we heard about them was when the company unveiled prototypes in the middle of last year. At that time Sharp talked vaguely about them hitting the market sometime before the end of the decade. They seemed a little way away.

Video is all over the Web, and no wonder. With the advent of superfast broadband connections running at over 5Mbit/sec., widescreen monitors that have finally replaced the boxy CRTs of the past and a plethora of fresh and funny content, there's a perfect storm for video to gain even more momentum.

Quick looks at the coolest new devices for the Apple fans in your life.

The Cool Stuff Holiday Gift Guide is back, with tips for the very best gifts to buy for the tech lovers in your life. This year, be the one whose gifts are the biggest hits.

"Choice" is undoubtedly a value proposition for the Samsung FP-T6374 -- some would say too much of it.

If you have trouble finding cheap buys during the holiday shopping season, here are some inexpensive gadgets that could make for great gifts.

You see it. You want it. You buy it. That's what e-commerce sites are banking on this holiday shopping season.

Until recently, I thought "second life" referred to one of those places the Bible says we'll go after we depart this life.

The hundreds of thousands of people entering the Tokyo Motor Show are getting a chance to see more than just the latest cars -- there's a whole section of the mammoth exhibition devoted to the gadgets and gizmos that are increasingly becoming part of motoring in the 21st century.

Most of us take it for granted that we can check e-mail with our mobile phones. But not long ago, this was a truly disruptive technology that changed how we did business and stayed in touch when we were away from home and the office.

Japan's largest electronics show, Ceatec, kicks off October every year with all that's new and coming from the country's consumer electronics vendors. The 2007 show was certainly no let down and provided visitors a chance to catch some world-first technology, like a 3-millimeter thick TV, a laptop with super-charged graphics processing and new high-def video recorders.

Consider the similarity between Angelina Jolie and the One Laptop Per Child project. Both garner gobs of favorable publicity for their humanitarian work that overshadow, in Jolie's case, her recent dry spell at the box office, and in the OLPC's case, its lack of a proven business model.