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Latest by Geoff Duncan

DEG Claims Blu-ray Sales Up 91 Pct

The Digital Entertainment Group says sales of Blu-ray movies are up 91 percent in the first half of 2009...but still only account for $407 million.

Facebook Violates Canadian Privacy Laws?

Canada's privacy commissioner says Facebook has "serious gaps" in the way it protects users' personal information, and violates Canadian law by keeping information from deactivated accounts.

NPD: Video Game Sales Post Biggest Drop Since 2000

NPD has released its video games sales figures for June 2009...and the industry managed to post its biggest drop in sales since 2000.

Amazon Relents on Replacing Cracked Kindle Screens

Amazon has dropped its $200 fee for replacing Kindle screens allegedly cracked by its own protective covers...but the class action suit is still out there.

Averatec Rolls Out 22-Inch, Dual-Core All-in-One

Averatec's D1005 all-in-one computer packs a 22-inch display, an Intel Pentium dual-core CPU, 3 GB of RAM, and a 2 megapixel Web cam for $799.

Verbatim SureFire External HDDs Sport USB 2.0 and FireWire 800

Verbatim's new line of SureFire portable external hard drives sports USB 2.0 and FireWire 800 ports...and come in 250, 320, and 500 GB capacities.

iLuv Pops Out iPhone/iPod Headphones with Integrated Mics

iLuv's new iEP515 and iEP315 headphones for the iPhone 3GS combine a high-quality music experience with mics for voice memos and calls.

Buffalo Gear Maker Pays Microsoft for Linux Patent Immunity

Melco Group, the makers of Buffalo-branded networking gear, has paid Microsoft an undisclosed amount for patent immunity for NAS devices and routers running Linux.

Palm Open Doors To webOS SDK

The first step to having a successful app store is having apps, and now Palm has officially opened access to its Mojo SDK for the Palm Pre's webOS.

Asus Eee T91: It’s a Netbook and A Tablet PC

Asus's new Eee T91 is the first netbook that can swivel its screen and become a Web-enabled tablet computer...but it costs $499.

Nokia Profit Tumbles 66 Pct in Second Quarter

Nokia is still the world's largest mobile handset maker, but the Finnish giant is slashing its forecasts after its second quarter profit dropped 66 percent.

Microsoft to Launch Retail Stores this Fall

Once again, Microsoft says it's going to open its own retail stores...and this time the company is planning to plunk a few down right next to Apple Stores.

Pre-empted: Apple Nixes iTunes Syncing for the Palm Pre

You knew it was coming: iTunes 8.2.1 no longer supports syncing with the Palm pre, although third-party solutions continue to work.

Survey: 12 Pct of Email Users Have Responded to Spam

A new survey finds that a whopping 12 percent of email users have replied to spam or clicked a link in a spam message.

Apple App Store hits 1.5 Billion Downloads

Think the mobile application thing is just a fad? Apple iPhone and iPod touch users have downloaded more than 1.5 billion - yes, billion - applications.

AT&T Rolls Out Cyber-shot and Walkman Phones

AT&T customers needing a little Sony Ericsson fix can now check out the C905a Cyber-shot and W518a Walkman phones...at a price.

Apple Hopes Music Fans Have Time to Play B-Sides

Apple's Digital 45s harken back to the days of jukeboxes and record stores, inviting users to grab a hit single and a "b-side" second track at a discount.

Fon Launches 802.11n Fonera 2.0 Router in U.S.

Co-op Wi-Fi hotspot operator Fon is now offering its 802.11n Fonera 2.0 router in the U.S., with USB capability, improved performance, and power savings.

Class Action Suit Seeks $5 Mln for Cracked Kindles

A class action suit filed in Seattle seeks $5 million in damages for cracks in Kindle screens allegedly caused by an optional $30 protective cover.

NPD: Netbooks Sales Even Hotter Than Expected

A new forecast shows netbooks sales are even hotter than earlier predictions, on track to sell 33 million units in 2009.

New Logitech PC Speaker Sets Promise 360-Degree Sound

Logitech has unveiled four new sets of PC speakers that feature omnidirectional acoustics for 360-degree sound.

Samsung Takes on Flip with HMX-U10 Compact Camcorder

Samsung is talking on the popular Flip HD with its new HMX-U10 compact camcorder, capable of full HD video recording and 10 megapixel stills.

eMachines Intros Stylish, Inexpensive All-in-One

eMachines plays the style card, unveiling its new EX1601-01 all-in-one computer with a bit of a look of an iMac...and a fraction of the cost.

Samsung Inks Deal with Blockbuster for OnDemand Video

Samsung HDTVs, home theater systems, and Blu-ray players will be able to tap into Blockbuster's OnDemand video services via the Internet later this year.

Feel Secure with IronKey’s S200 USB Flash Drive

Got sensitive data? The IronKey S200 Flash drive offers FIPS 140-2, Level 3 validation, cryptographic storage, and a self-destruct mechanism.

Survey Finds Companies Aren’t Rushing to Windows 7

A new survey finds only 5.4 percent of companies plan to upgrade to WIndows 7 by the end of the year...and 60 percent of no plans to upgrade at all.

Hitachi Rolls Out Consumer HDDs and Network Storage Adapter

Hitachi has introduced its first consumer storage products since its acquisition of Fabrik last year: two hard drives and a network storage adapter.

AT&T Hopes to Surge Forward with Nokia

The Nokia Surge sports a QWERTY keypad, full HTML browsing with Flash, video and social media capabilities...and it's coming to AT&T for $79.99.

Free Microsoft Office Web Apps to Take on Google

Microsoft has formerly announced Microsoft Office 2010, including Web-based versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote...available for free.

Microsoft Flips the Switch on Silverlight 3

Microsoft has released Silverlight 3, with beefed-up support for streaming high-definition content as well as the ability to run in applications outside a Web browser.

Sprint Outsources Billions in Network Operations to Ericsson

In a cost-cutting move, Sprint has announced it has made a seven-year deal with Ericsson to manage its network...with Ericsson picking up about 6,000 Sprint employees.

Chrome OS Means Google CEO Reviewing Role on Apple Board

Google's announcement that it plans to enter the operating system market means Google CEO Eric Schmidt will have to review his role on Apple's board.

Vizio Clears Customs

U.S. Customs has certified that current Vizio televisions don't infringe on Funai patents, so they can be imported into the United States and sold to consumers.

Dell Brings Inspiron 15 Notebook to its Design Studio

In a move that seems like common sense, Dell is making its Design Studio artwork covers available on the Inspiron 15, its most popular consumer notebook.

LaCie Adds High Definition Its LaCinema Rugged HD

LaCie has added high definition output to its LaCinema Rugged HD portable hard drive/media player, so users can pack up their HD video and push it out to any HDTV.

Getac 9213 Rugged Notebook Combines Small and Tough

Getac's new 9213 rugged notebook offers the durability and power of a traditional notebook...but weighs in at only 3.7 pounds.

TiVo and Best Buy Announce Broad (and Vague) DVR Partnership

TiVo and Best Buy have announced a deal that has Best Buy heavily promoting TiVo products, and looking at ways to integrate TiVo tech into Best Buy products.

Netflix Skips the PlayStation 3 and Lands on Sony Bravia TVs

Sony has struck a deal with Netflix to bring streaming movies to Bravia Internet-capable televisions...but the PlayStation 3 gets no Netflix love.