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Related articles
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Father of HDTV Honored in New York |
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Register for the 2010 International CES |
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Dell Sees Continued Weakness in Demand |
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Survey Finds Consumer Confusion Over Netbooks |
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Four Days Left Until Digital Transition Deadline |
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Panasonic Develops World's Lightest HD Camcorder |
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Panasonic Prepares to Ship World's First Portable Blu-Ray Player |
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LCD Industry Shifting Focus to 3D |
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Household Spending on Electronics Down 12% |
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Flat Panel Supply Not Keeping Up With Demand |
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Blu-ray
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VIZIO Leads U.S. Flat Panel HDTV Shipments |
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Demand Increases For Energy Saving Technology |
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Blu-Ray, Game Console Demand Remains High Despite Economy |
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Panasonic Expands Consumer Electronics Recycling in Southeast |
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Study Finds Increasing Demand for Multi-Room Audio |
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Mini Notebook Shipments Rise as Discretionary Income Falls |
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Game Console Shipments Strong as Nintendo Prepares to Launch DSi |
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LG Commits to Increased R&D Despite Economy |
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Video Game
Console, Software Sales Continue to Climb |
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Technology's Role in Economic Development Anchors CES Day Two |
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Video: Microsoft's Ballmer Kicks off 2009 CES |
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Features Trump Price in Consumer Electronics Buying Decisions |
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Robert Perry Named Panasonic Executive Vice President |
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Ultra Slim LCD TVs;
The Next Big RTO Thing |
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Study Shows Consumers Want Diversity in Audio Equipment |
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Sony
to Cut Five Percent of Workforce |
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Mini-Notebok Shipments Buoy PC Market in Q3 |
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Panasonic Continues to Dominate Plasma; Q3 Plasma Shipments Rise Sharply |
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Consumer Electronics Association
Announces 2009 Board |
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Comprehensive Research Study on the Changing Face of Videogamers |
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Samsung Blu-ray Disc Players Offer Upgrade to
Stream Video |
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Millions Still
Unprepared for Digital Transition |
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Matsushita Electric Becomes Panasonic
Corporation |
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Republicans Rave Over LG's Role in Convention, Hurricane Relief |
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Microsoft, Sony and Ford CEOs to Keynote 2009 CES |
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GalleryPlayer Pulls Support for Mitsubishi LCD Photo Service |
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LG Exec Honored as Father of Digital Television |
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Lower Price-points Lift U.S. Flat Panel Shipments |
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Plasma TV Myths Busted; Some Sets Rated to Last 100,000 Hours |
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Steel Named Samsung's
North America Senior VP Marketing |
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Smaller Screen Sizes Drive 25% Increase in LCD-TV Sales |
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Survey: One in Four Seniors Unaware of Digital TV Transition |
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Panasonic
Studying What it Means to Live in HD |
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Nintendo Surpasses Xbox in Sales; Wii Number One Console in America |
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LCD Maker Vizio
Recognized for Growth, Innovation |
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Sony Shipping Next Generation Interactive Blu-ray |
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U.S. PC Shipments Slow; Portable Adoption Key to Growth |
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Arkansas Teacher Wins "Rabbit Ears Pioneers" Contest |
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Consumer Electronics Spending Will Rise 10% in 2009 |
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Olevia LCD Maker Syntax-Brillian Files Chapter 11 |
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Dell Adds Blu-ray Player to New Studio Brand |
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Report; 2012 Before Blu-ray Outsells DVD |
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Wal-Mart Pushes VIZIO to Country's 1 and 2 Best Selling Plasmas |
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Father of Stereo FM Carl G. Eilers Dies at 83 |
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2009 CES Online Registration Available |
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Wireless HDTV the Next Big Thing? |
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Blu What?; Only 6% of Consumers Plan Blu-Ray Purchase |
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Digital to Analog Conversion Trivia |
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Panasonic
Web-Enabled Plasma HDTV to Ship In June |
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Some TV Markets Transition to DTV Early |
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No Flat Panel Recession; U.S. Consumers Increase Flat-Panel Buying 46% |
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Consumers Yawn as DVD Format War Ends; Blu-ray Player Sales Flat |
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Nintendo's Wii Tops Canadian Sales |
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OLED Predicted to Make Advances Against LCD |
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Association Enlists Florence Henderson to Help Seniors Get Ready for the Analog-to-Digital TV Conversion |
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Father Of The VCR To Be Inducted Into CE Hall of Fame |
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U.S. Commerce Secretary Gutierrez to Address Washington Forum |
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LG Awarded Mark of Excellence for Super Blu |
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Electronic House Expo Spring 2008 Expected to Draw 10,000 |
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Europe's HDTV Transition Falters As Economic Reality Kicks In |
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New Age Electronics Appoints Michael Bertolani to Lead and Expand Rental Division |
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Multi-Room Entertainment System Sales to Double in Five Years |
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Worldwide LCD TV Shipments Surpass CRTs for First Time |
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Conflicting Data on Consumer Awareness of the DTV Transition |
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Plasma TV Shipments Smash Previous Record |
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Consumers Have Major Misconceptions About Digital TV Transition |
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Former LG Electronics VP Bob Perry Joins Panasonic As Senior Vice President |
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Super Bowl To Drive 2 Million HDTV Rentals, Sales |
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Women, Thirty Somethings Drive Increased Game Console Sales |
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Nintendo Dominates Game Hardware Sales; Over Half of All Systems Sold In US Are Nintendo |
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PC Shipments Rise 15% In Q4 |
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Almo Appoints Steve Bell Vice President of Product Management |
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Consumer
Electronics Manufacturers Agree On WirelessHD Standard |
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LG Electronics Plans 2008 Launch of Set Top Box For Streaming
Movies From the Internet to the TV |
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New Education Initiative to Ensure Safe Installation of Flat Panel TVs |
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More Than Half of U.S. Households Own a
Digital Television |
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LCD
TV Production Costs To Decline 16% Annually Through 2010 |
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Matsushita To Unveil 150 Inch Plasma At CES |
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LCD Competition Forcing Manufacturer Alliances; Hitachi, Canon,
Matsushita To Collaborate |
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Sharp And Toshiba Form LCD TV Alliance |
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Thirty Percent Of Households Affected By Digital TV Transition Unaware Of Deadline |
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Two Day Specialty Specialty Retailer, Installer Seminar Planned For January CES |
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Plasma Expected To Grow 27% In 2008 |
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Digital TV Transition Takes Next Step; Consumers May Request Converter Coupons January 1, 2008 |
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Who Cares About the Format War; LG's Super Blu Multi-Format Player Removes The Guesswork |
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GPS Portable Navigation Devices Enjoy High Customer Satisfaction Levels Despite Problems
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Notebook PC Shipments Up 24%; HP Dominates But Acer Gaining |
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Nintendo
Reports Record Sales Week; Wii and DS Continue Dominance in Game
Hardware |
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Samsung Number One TV Brand For Fifth Consecutive Quarter; LGE Revenue Drops To Third Behind Sony
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Fourteen Percent Of All Consumer Electronics Are Purchased Online |
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Pioneer Electronics Sees Luxury Buyers As Growth Area After
Re-branding |
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LG Electronics Wins CES 2008 Innovations Awards In Five Categories |
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DSI Partners With Consumer Electronics Exchange
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Dell Launches Spanish Language Sales, Support |
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Sharp Reclaims Top Position in LCD and Flat Panel TV Shipments;
Panasonic Leads In Plasma |
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Only 13% Of US Households Have HDTV; Nielsen Releases HDTV
Household Estimates |
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HD DVD Versus Blu-Ray Format War - Who Cares?; Consumers Avoid
Both Formats |
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More
LCD Units Shipped In Third Quarter Than In All of 2003 |
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Microsoft Arcade Xbox 360 Hits Retail Shelves Today |
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Component Shortages Could Raise PC Prices This Quarter |
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P.C. Richard & Son Named Nation's Best Electronics-Appliance
Retailer |
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Sharp
Opens Second Mexico LCD TV Plant; Added Capacity Will Speed
Shipments |
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Westinghouse
To Competitors "Keep Cutting Prices, We'll Keep Selling HDTVs";
Blasts Competitor's Pricing Strategy |
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The Best
Flat Panel TV Ever Made? Independent Testing Company Claims
Panasonic's 50 inch TH-50PZ700U Best Ever Tested |
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Association Defends Digital Television Transition; Consumer
Education Efforts Key to Successful Transition |
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Sony Expands
VAIO Line; High End Head Turners and Low End Fashion Forward |
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Panasonic Launches
Environmental 'Giving Back'
Program |
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HDTV Prices To Plummet; Units Will Top 2007 Holiday Shopping
Lists |
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Digital
Camera Inventor Steve Sasson Gets Consumer Electronics Hall Of
Fame Nod |
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Gateway Tops Customer Satisfaction Poll
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HP Maintains Top Position in Worldwide Notebook PC Shipments |
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Toshiba
Shipping World's Thinnest LCD TV |
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Apple Launches Wireless iTunes; Wi Fi Downloads Expected To
Boost Already Soaring iPod Sales |
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Best Buy Founder Richard “Dick” Schulze Voted into Consumer
Electronics Hall Of Fame Hall of Fame |
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Sharp Increase European LCD Capacity With Plant Opening In
Poland |
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General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner To Keynote 2008 Consumer
Electronics Show |
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Samsung
Leads LCD Shipments In July |
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Canon Named Best Manufacturer Of Digital Cameras |
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Vizio Who?; American Company Outpaces Samsung, Sharp to become #1 Seller of Flat Panel HDTVs in the U.S. |
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Government Awards $120 Million Contract For Digital-to-Analog
Converter Box Coupon Program Services; Consumers May Request
Coupons Starting January 1, 2008 |
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LG
Electronics Hopes To Draw Celebrity Trendsetters To "LG House
Malibu" |
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Survey Shows Game System Owners Unaware Of Console Features |
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The 640
Pound Home Theater System |
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LCD TV
Shipments Double Plasma In 40 inch Plus Category; LCD Share
Reaches 68% |
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Blu-ray or
HD?, Consumers Still Confused; Blu-ray Gains Slight Lead In
Sales Forecast |
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Kenwood And JVC Having Affair; Considering Marriage |
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Sharp Introduces Worlds First THX Certified LCD TVs |
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LG
Reports Record Q2 Sales; Company Sees Increased Demand For 40
Inch Plus LCDs |
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Dell, Sony Among Top 10 Most Recognized Brand Names |
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LCD
Sales Outpace Plasma |
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Sony Slashes PS3 Price;
Will Ship New 80 GB Model In August |
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Microsoft’s
Bill Gates, Panasonic’s Sakamoto, Intel’s Otellini to Deliver
2008 CES Keynotes at The Venetian |
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Sharp
Introduces Slim G-Series LCD; 26 to 52 Inch Models Less Than 3.5
Inches Thick |
|
One Third
Of US Households Own an HDTV; Most Buy HDTV For Movies, Gaming |
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New
Standard Aims At Easing Set Up Of Digital Electronics |
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Over 70% Of Online Adults Listen to Audio On PC; Quality Is
Everything |
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Apple iPhone May Not Be All That |
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HD
DVD Players Capture 60% of HD Set-Top Market; Highest Attach
Rate of Any Format |
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Sony
Shipping Sub $500 Blu-Ray Player |
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Recycling
Tax Proposed For Consumer Electronics; Consumers To Pay At Point
of Sale |
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Price
Deflation Drives Hitachi and Panasonic Plasma TV Business
Partnership |
|
Sony
PS3 Loss |
|
Association
Encourages Retailers To Have Digital Converter Boxes In Stock By
January; Says Availability "Critical" |
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Designers Embrace Flat-Screen HDTV Technology |
|
Microsoft Leveraging Summer Blockbuster Movie Season To Promote
Xbox 360 |
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LG Taps Weinstock as Marketing VP; Unveils HDTV Refrigerator |
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Sharp USA
Names Former Toshiba Exec Alex Rivera VP Regional Sales |
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Average American Household Owns 25 Consumer Electronics
Products; Spends $1,200 Per Year On Electronics |
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Sony
Unveils Worlds Smallest High Def Camcorder; 15 Ounces With
Battery |
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Brian Rosen
Joins Gaming Manufacturer Intec As National Sales Manager |
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HD DVD First
to Reach 100K Players Sold in the U.S. |
|
European HDTV Ownership Will Reach 70 Percent By 2012 |
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Home
Theater Seminars at Home Entertainment 2007 |
|
Toshiba Files Suit To Stop 17 Companies From Importing DVD
Technology |
|
Apple
Makes History; Over 100 Million iPods Sold |
|
Tom
Malone Named President of Audiovox |
|
Exhibitors, Dealers Prepare For Home Entertainment Show 2007 |
|
Consumers Report High HDTV Satisfaction Rates; LCD Owners More
Likely To Download High Def Content From Use Internet |
|
HP
Unveils Gaming Push; Demonstrates Seamless Curved Display |
|
The
50 Best Tech Products of All Time; Salute to the All Time Best
Tech Products of the Digital Age |
|
Consumer Demand For High Def Drives Microsoft To Introduce Xbox
360 Elite |
|
Changes in Consumer Behavior Will Fuel 11% Increase In
Electronics Accessories |
|
Panasonic
Plasma Wins Home Theater Magazine RAVE Award; PS3 is Product of
the Year |
|
HD
DVD Establishes Promotional Group in Europe |
|
Microsoft Continues Game Console Push; Xbox LIVE extends to
Windows Vista to create single online gaming service starting
with “Halo 2” |
Consumers Want Premium Services with Their Electronics
Purchases; Study Finds
Services Complete the ‘Total Entertainment Experience’ |
|
Sony Unveils
3D Online Community To Pump Up Playstation 3 |
|
Toshiba
Expands Recycling Program to Include Free Computer Take-Back |
|
DLP Continues Market Lead into 2007; Slim Form Factor Models
Drove Increased Share in 2006 |
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Digital TV
Transition Begins Critical Phase; March 1 Signals Shipment Date
for DTV Tuners in all Analog Tuner Products |
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Filippo Joins DBL Distributing |
|
Former
Sharp Exec Named LG Electronics USA VP Sales |
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Association Warns Congress Not To Derail Digital TV Transition |
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LG
Electronics Claims Two Of Five Finalist Nominations For Best
Video Display in 2007 |
|
Plasma
Shipments Disappoint; First Quarter Over Quarter Decline Since
2003 |
|
Frequent Movers Buy More Consumer Electronics |
|
Industry Forms LCD TV Association |
|
2007 CES
Wraps; Record 140,000 Attendees |
|
LG Multi Format DVD Player Named Best of CES
2007 |
|
2007 CES Kicks Off In Vegas; Largest Show Floor in CES History
|
|
Claim;
Consumer Electronics Revenue Will Surpass $155 Billion in 2007 |
|
Samsung
Unveils Double-sided LCD Display |
|
HP Recaptures Lead from Dell in Notebook PC Shipments;
Rapid Adoption of Wide Notebooks Continues |
|
Samsung Appoints Former Sony VP Tim Baxter Executive Vice
President of Sales and Marketing for the Consumer Electronics |
|
Sharp
To Double LCD Production |
|
Sony, Panasonic, Samsung Lead Race to Dominate the Connected
Home |
|
Now Come
The Lawyers; Class Action Filed In Nintendo Wii Wrist Strap Case |
|
JVC Launches Slim HD-ILA Rear Projection HDTVs |
|
LG
Philips Subpoenaed In Anticompetitive Conduct Investigation |
|
Nintendo's Wii Outselling Xbox, Playstation 3 Combined |
|
Next
Generation Game Systems To Debut At 2007 CES |
|
Push
Toward Digital Television Transition |
|
Xbox 360 Banks On Availability, Movie and TV Show Downloads To
Maintain Consumer Loyalty |
|
Electronics Manufacturers Launch Blu-ray Disc Marketing Campaign |
|
LG.Philips LCD Opens First Service Center in the
United States |
|
9,000
Attendees Kick Off EHX Fall 2006; Professionals Gather for the
Largest Electronic House Expo Show in History |
|
CBS
President and CEO Leslie Moonves To Keynote 2007 CES at The
Venetian |
|
50% Surveyed Want Playstation 3, Xbox, LCD |
|
Cell
Phones Now Account for Nine Percent of Primary Still Image
Capture Devices; Digital Still Camera Market Growth Depends On
Upgrades |
|
Convergence of
Consumer Electronics and PCs Driving Demand for Both Markets |
|
Online Digital Television Buying Guides Published |
|
Low
Quality MP3 Dumming Down Audiophiles Says Association; CEA
Partners With Rock Band 3 Doors Down to Promote Quality Audio |
|
Sony's Playstation 3 Among 2007 Consumer
Electronics Design And Engineering Honorees |
|
Gateway Shipping 24-Inch and 22-Inch High-Definition Widescreen
LCDs |
|
Monitoring Online Communities Can Identify Consumer Electronic
Trends Claims Nielsen |
|
LCD
Revenues Rise 9% on 56% LCD Area Growth |
|
Format Wars, Price, Compatibility May Keep DVD Consumers On The
Sidelines |
|
No More
Cables; TV Manufacturers Aim For Wireless High Definition
Connections By Spring 2007 |
|
Zune No
Threat To iPod In Short Term; iPod Dominance Unthreatened Over
Next 18 Months |
|
Audiovox CEO Pat Lavelle To Lead 2007 CEA
Executive Board |
|
Sony PS3 Online Platform and Peripherals Revealed |
|
Plasma TV, LCD Inventors Among Twelve Named To Consumer
Electronics Hall of Fame |
|
more.... |
|
Apple leads
the pack with seven products making the list, two of them in the
top 10.
As a nod to great technology
products both past and present since the dawn of the personal
computer age, PC World today revealed "The 50 Best Tech Products
of All Time" with Netscape Navigator (1994) topping the list at
number one for bringing the Web to the masses.
To be considered for the list, a product not only had to be
superior in quality, it also had to be life changing in some
regard. PC World editors considered hundreds of products through
the decades before coming up with the top 50. Each item was
rated on popularity, staying power, degree of innovation, and
overall influence on the world of technology. Though some items
on the list may have had a short lifespan due to the nature of
an ever-changing industry, they are still acknowledged because
their influence continues to be seen in many of today's
commercially-available products.
Apple leads the pack with seven products making the list, two of
them in the top 10. From the early model Apple II at the
beginning of the personal computer era to the ubiquitous iPod so
many of us tote around today, the list covers a broad spectrum
of technology through time. Some of the products that have been
around for a while such as Tetris are still used today, while
others have been replaced by newer, faster incarnations of
themselves such as the Nintendo Entertainment system. One thing
they all have in common is that they have left indelible marks
on the technology timeline.
Here are PC World's 50 Best Tech Products of All Time with
descriptions of the top 10:
1. Netscape Navigator (1994): In 1994 Marc Andreessen launched
Netscape Communications, offering his new Navigator Web browser
(based on Mosaic) to the world. Finally, users outside of the
academic world would get a taste of HTML, and nothing has been
the same since.
2. Apple II (1977): While the Apple II was by no means the first
personal computer ever made, it was inarguably the first one
that actually did something useful--not to mention the machine
itself looked a lot cooler than anything else on the market.
It's safe to say that this machine really ignited the personal
computing industry.
3. TiVo HDR110 (1999): With the ability to pause, rewind, and
record anything on the air, TiVo changed the way in which people
watched television. No longer would people be using their
cumbersome VHS machines, or fear missing out on a favorite TV
show with this innovative breakthrough.
4. Napster (1999): No, not the Napster that is now strictly
regulated and subscription only, but the one started by Shawn
Fanning that sparked a national copyright upheaval. Napster will
not only go down in history for its groundbreaking peer-to-peer
technology aspect, but also for bringing record labels to their
knees by forcing them to recognize the growing presence of the
digital music world.
5. Lotus 1-2-3 for DOS (1983): Lotus was the PC's first ever
critical application--a huge milestone for the PC community. It
served as the standard spreadsheet application until it was
superseded by the rise of the Microsoft era.
6. Apple iPod (2001): iPods were not the first portable music
players by any means, but they were however, the first ones to
simplify the way in which we can enjoy our portable music. Sleek
in design and convenient to carry, the iPod has changed the way
we procure and record music.
7. Hayes Smartmodem (1981): In 1978, with $5,000 in hand, Dennis
Hayes launched what would become one of the most noteworthy tech
companies of the '80's. With the invention of the Smartmodem,
Hayes personally spearheaded the telecommunications revolution.
8. Motorola StarTAC (1996): The first mobile phone to establish
that design matters as much as functionality, leading to today's
profusion of stylish cell phones.
9. WordPerfect 5.1 (1989): An incredibly innovative application,
WordPerfect laid down the groundwork for future word processing
programs. It endured for many years until Windows became the
prominent operating system for business and personal computers
alike.
10. Tetris (1985): Alexey Pajitnov's simple take on the video
game was a groundbreaking achievement for the gaming industry as
Tetris was one of the first games that required actual brain
use. After 20 years, Tetris continues to inspire different
variations and knock-offs of this basic but challenging game
involving falling bricks.
11. Adobe Photoshop 3.0 (1994)
12. IBM ThinkPad 700C (1992)
13. Atari VCS/2600 (1977)
14. Apple Macintosh Plus (1986)
15. RIM BlackBerry 857 (2000)
16. 3dfx Voodoo3 (1999)
17. Canon Digital Elph S100 (2000)
18. Palm Pilot 1000 (1996)
19. id Software Doom (1993)
20. Microsoft Windows 95 (1995)
21. Apple iTunes 4 (2003)
22. Nintendo Game Boy (1989)
23. Iomega Zip Drive (1994)
24. Spybot Search & Destroy (2000)
25. Compaq Deskpro 386 (1986)
26. CompuServe (1982)
27. Blizzard World of Warcraft (2004)
28. Aldus PageMaker (1985)
29. HP LaserJet 4L (1993)
30. Apple Mac OS X (2001)
31. Nintendo Entertainment System (1985)
32. Eudora (1988)
33. Sony Handycam DCR-VX1000 (1995)
34. Apple Airport Base Station (1999)
35. Broderbund The Print Shop (1984)
36. McAfee VirusScan (1990)
37. Commodore Amiga 1000 (1985)
38. ChipSoft TurboTax (1985)
39. Mirabilis ICQ (1996)
40. Creative Labs Sound Blaster 16 (1992)
41. Apple HyperCard (1987)
42. Epson MX-80 (1980)
43. Central Point Software PC Tools (1985)
44. Canon EOS Digital Rebel (2003)
45. Red Hat Linux (1994)
46. Adaptec Easy CD Creator (1996)
47. PC-Talk (1982)
48. Sony Mavica MVC-FD5 (1997)
49. Microsoft Excel (1985)
50. Northgate OmniKey Ultra (1987)
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only independent source of news for the rent-to-own, rental-purchase,
lease-purchase trade. RTO Online (Rent to Own Online) represents the choice
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