Consumer electronics
Caravan for game fetishists
Alienware has brought its customised caravan filled with powerful computers to woo video game enthusiasts at CeBIT.
Google appoints lawyer to run Motorola Mobility
Dennis Woodside picked to head mobile phone maker as search giant enters hardware business for first time following $US12.5bn acquisition.
Facebook who? Apple brand hits $183bn
Gadget maker Apple has cemented its position as the world’s most valuable brand, heading a top 10 list laden with technology companies.
Retravision Southern nears liquidation
Retravision Southern, the consumer electronics buying group that went into voluntary administration on Monday owing creditors more than $30 million, appears to be heading towards liquidation.
App reviews | Google Drive and Your World
How good is Google’s new cloud computing personal storage app? And can a fun app help us better know our place in the world?
Technology briefs
In further evidence that science fiction is slowly becoming science fact, a 58-year-old woman paralysed in 1996 by a stroke was able sip coffee from a flask using a robotic arm controlled by her brain.
Rivals hot on Kindle’s heels
As with any good idea in technology, competition is never far behind. For the Kindle this has come in two forms – dedicated e-readers and tablets.
There’s nothing like a good, old-fashioned ebook
Lest the good reader hasn’t noticed while picking up provisions from the local Woolworths, the retailer has been stocking Kindle ebook readers under an exclusive distribution arrangement with Amazon.com.
Pakistan restores Twitter after outcry
The Pakistani government blocked access to the social networking service Twitter for much of Sunday, after publicly holding Twitter responsible for promoting what it described as a blasphemous cartoon contest taking place on Facebook.
AMD doubles down on entertainment
Intel’s chief rival AMD has launched its second-generation Accelerated Processing Units (APUs), claiming the new chips will have twice the performance per watt over the last generation, allowing PC makers to build laptops that run all day.
Flying high with the Iconia Tab A510
We struggled to get close to the 15-hour battery life claimed for this tablet. But in our other tests, the A510 performed a good deal better.
Retravision buyer appoints administrators
The company that purchases white goods and electronics for more than 100 Retravision stores in Victoria, southern NSW and Tasmania has gone into voluntary administration.
New Wii U image leaks on Twitter
Has Nintendo radically redesigned the controller on its next home console? A new photo suggests some big improvements.
Apple, Samsung CEOs to hold patent talks
The chief executives of Apple and Samsung Electronics are used to running the show at their global tech empires, but they will be in for a different experience when they arrive at a San Francisco federal courthouse.
Cash-flow trouble hits Retravision
A five-year plan to merge Australia’s three Retravision licensees has been thrown into doubt by cash-flow problems at the consumer electronics retailer’s southern division.
HP poised to cut up to 30,000 jobs
Hewlett-Packard is reportedly poised to eliminate up to 30,000 jobs to help offset dwindling demand for personal computers as more people connect to the internet on smartphones and tablets.
LG gives gamers the whole picture
An ingenious twist on LG’s excellent passive 3D technology, Dual Play lets two gamers playing on a split-screen see two completely separate full-screen views on the one TV screen.
Japanese firm unveils gesture controls
Japanese technology titan NEC has unveiled a gadget that allows users to control their TV, mobile phone or tablet computer using a virtual input device.
Samsung replaces Nokia as leading phone maker
Samsung became the world’s No.1 phone maker during the first quarter of 2012, with Gartner research showing that Nokia had been knocked off its perch for the first time in 14 years.
Reframing perception for profit
John Lyons on how to zoom in or zoom out on a situation to see where the opportunity is.
Apple plans larger screen for next iPhone
Apple plans to use a larger screen on the next-generation iPhone and has begun to place orders for the new displays from suppliers in South Korea and Japan, sources say.
Self-serving regulation
The economics of deregulation is supposed to be straightforward; business groups support it, community groups oppose it, and governments “get the balance right”.
West Wing writer tapped for Steve Jobs biopic
Sony Pictures has enlisted the writer behind political drama The West Wing to adapt last year’s best selling Steve Jobs biography for the big screen.
Jury considers Oracle patent claims against Google
A California jury has started another round of deliberations in a high-profile trial over allegations that Google’s Android mobile platform violates Oracle’s intellectual property rights.
New Kindle e-readers could have own light source
Is Amazon about to release e-readers with their own lighting system? There are rumours of colour e-ink displays, too.
Nokia gets aggressive in developing markets
Nokia has introduced two low-priced dual-SIM card mobile phones designed for the fast-growing developing markets in Europe, Asia and Latin America.
Shorten monitoring Game collapse
Employment Minister Bill Shorten has expressed concern over the fall of GAME Australia and the potential loss of 500 retail jobs from 92 stores.
Amazon tipped to launch front-lit Kindle
Amazon.com will launch new versions of its Kindle e-reader and tablet, including a monochrome e-reader with front lighting, according to a source who has seen the prototype.
Smartphone battery life solved(ish)
Could this be yet another reason to head into a Brookstone store the next time you’re in the USA? As if another reason were necessary.
Object if you must, but the K-01 is AOK
The Pentax K-01 is a very unusual looking camera. Its designer, Marc Newson, has apparently not designed a camera before. Either that, or he has double jointed fingers.
