| Your feedback is important to us. Click here to email us your feedback. |
| CEA SmartBrief |
| January 13, 2009 |
Shapiro gives Obama team a five-step alternative to DTV delay
CEA President and CEO Gary Shapiro has given the incoming Obama administration a five-step alternative plan to delaying the DTV transition. Shapiro said that moving off the Feb. 17 date at this point might end up "engendering skepticism, confusion and distrust" about the transition as well as any future government program that involves widespread public action. TWICE (1/12) Broadcasting & Cable (1/12)
Are there too many Energy Stars in the TV constellation?
TV manufacturers are doing such a good job of achieving the EPA's Energy Star certification that a stricter set of specification may be put into place later this year. More than 450 models have won the desirable certification since the current guidelines went into effect last November. ElectronicHouse.com (1/12)
Other News
Sony may report first annual operating loss in 14 years
Sony on Jan. 29 could report an annual operating loss of $1.1 billion, according to these reports. The Japanese company has struggled because of the combination of the sluggish global economy, stockpiling inventories and the more expensive yen. If the loss actually occurs, it would be the firm's first in 14 years. 
ClipSyndicate/Bloomberg (1/13) Reuters (1/13)
Forecast: Apple to knock off Nokia by 2013
Apple's share of the global smartphone market is likely to grow as high as 40% by 2013, a seismic shift that would unseat Nokia as the world's No. 1 handset manufacturer, according to a report from Generator Research, a U.K. market-analysis firm. The study compared Apple's model for its iPhone to its successful music-platform strategy for the iPod and iTunes Music Store and said Apple was well-positioned to develop its smartphone into a long-term high-growth business. Cellular-News.com (U.K.) (1/12) Digital Trends (1/12)
Other News
LG, Apple agree on OLED deal across devices
Apple will buy organic light emitting diode displays from South Korea's LG Display that the iPhone maker will install on its handsets, iPods and computers, LG announced. LG added in a government filing that Apple would send the world's second-largest maker of LCD screens a $500 million advance under the five-year deal. OLEDs are next-generation flat panels that not only will improve current LCD performance and use less power but also enable companies to build thinner devices with longer battery life. International Herald Tribune/Reuters (1/12) Softpedia (Romania) (1/12)
Monster, HP bring high-speed cable options under one roof
Monster Cable and computer heavyweight HP have joined forces to develop a line of high-speed cables that can connect all the advanced devices found in today's tricked-out homes. The line includes cables for DisplayPort, HDMI, Ethernet, USB, FireWire and DVI monitors, as well as Monster's energy-saving GreenPower line of power centers. Dealerscope (1/12)
More states eye online sales tax
Cash-strapped state governments increasingly are considering levying new taxes on Internet retailers, a group that has, until now, enjoyed the benefits of offering their wares to consumers free of sales tax. According to one analyst, if all online sales were taxed, it could add as much as $3 billion to state coffers. USA TODAY/The Associated Press (1/12)
Blu-ray uptake said to surpass other breakthrough technologies
After being available for just 2 1/2 years, Blu-ray players have reached a nearly 8% household penetration level, a rate of uptake that surpasses that of color TV, compact discs and traditional DVDs in a comparable amount of time, according to research cited by Andy Parsons, the chairman of Blu-ray Disc's promotions group. He added that more than 30 million Blu-ray discs have sold in the U.S. alone since the format became available. TWICE (1/12)
In U.K., Carphone cuts Nokia music price 35%
Carphone Warehouse is offering U.K. consumers a $65 discount off a Nokia XpressMusic phone bundle, which comes with a year of the handset maker's Comes With Music service and a Nokia 5310 phone, the retailer announced. The $119 deal is only for pay-as-you-go customers, and Carphone did not disclose why it was discounting the bundle, which had cost about $190 when first introduced in October. Pocket-Lint.com (U.K.) (1/12)
Other News
Featured Content
|
Sound matters
CEA's Laura Hubbard recently received a firsthand demo of the power of high-performance audio at CES from Thiel Audio. Like most people who listen to the majority of their music on an MP3 player or in their car, Hubbard said the experience was engulfing and gave her a new appreciation for sound that comes closest to live performance. Learn more at CEA Digital Dialogue.
Link up with the Audio Interconnections Working Group
CEA's Audio Systems Committee has formed a new standards work group, R3WG9 Audio Interconnections, to develop standards and technical documents relating to the analog audio input/output for consumer equipment and accessories. The work group's first order of business will be to develop standard CEA-2036, Preferred Voltage and Impedance Values for the Interconnection of Audio Products. If you would like to participate, please contact standards@CE.org for further information.
Road warrior guide to accessories
On the road in the new year? Whether you're traveling by plane, train or automobile on a business trip, telecommuting or on a long commute, you'll want to have access to your consumer-electronics devices. An impressive array of accessories makes it effortless to take gadgets along, even making them easier and more fashionable in the process.
|
--Maya Lin, |
Email: cea@smartbrief.com
Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004
Legal and Privacy information at
http://www.smartbrief.com/legal.jsp
Unsubscribe
For the most part, things never get built the way they were drawn."