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The University of Mississippi is letting the world in to observe its power consumption in real time.

As part of a green initiative guided by its Office of Campus Sustainability, the university is installing SmartSynch's SmartMeters to monitor and transmit data on the power consumption of lights, appliances, computers, and climate control systems in its buildings.

The SmartMeters contain software and hardware that give electrical meters their own Internet Protocol (IP) address and communicate data via the types of wireless networks used for cell phones back to a centralized virtual dashboard that can be accessed by utilities or customers.… Read more

Nobody, least of all Sony, ever said it would be easy to start cranking out OLED TVs. It doesn't help matters to be in a financial crunch.

So it should come as little surprise that according to a report in Tuesday's Wall Street Journal (subscriber access only), losses in Sony's TV division are driving the electronics giant to put a hold on future OLEDs TVs.

Citing people familiar with the matter, the Journal says that new OLED (organic light-emitting diode) production would compound the poor performance at Sony's TV division--which looks likely to lose money again … Read more

I'll admit right off the bat that I've been a pretty big fan of the Zune ever since I bought my first one back in 2007. I've also had some disappointments, which I haven't been shy about sharing--and last year's half-hearted Zune hardware refresh had me losing faith that Microsoft would be able to steer this one out of the ditch.

Well, having just geeked-out with a pair of Zune HDs for about an hour, I am tentatively reaffirming my faith in Microsoft. This thing was worth the wait, folks. Mind you, it's not going to crush the iPod Touch--a product that for all intents and purposes is more mobile computer than media player--but it's safe to say that the Zune finally has the power to make good on the promise of delivering one of the richest music experiences on a portable device.

How are they going to do it? Let's start with hardware. The Zune HD feels expensive, solid, and sexy. The metal enclosure is a little more angular than the curvy chrome of the iPod Touch, but feels just as nice and has the advantage of laying flat instead of teetering around. The body is just a little thicker than the iPod Touch, and not nearly as wide (as seen in this photo).… Read more

If you're shopping for a high-end portable media player, but the iPod just isn't your cup of tea, the Sony X-Series Walkman and the Cowon S9 are two of the best options around.

But aside from the fact that both players include beautiful OLED touch screens, they couldn't be more different. The X-Series comes with a Web browser, noise-canceling headphones, and lacks Bluetooth, while the S9 includes Bluetooth, standard earbuds, and wants nothing to do with the Internet.

To see which iPod Touch alternative offers the most bang for your buck, we've handed the S9 and … Read more

If you're following the fortunes of OLED, this little tidbit from LG CEO Kwon Young Soo that appeared on OLED-Display.net should be of interest.

"We plan to produce 32-inch OLED panels for TVs in 2012," he said, adding: "The commercial success of OLEDs hinges on how it shows its superiority compared to LCD technologies."

Both Samsung and Sony suggested they'd be selling a 32-inch OLED sets by the end of this year or by mid 2010 at the latest. And that may still happen, but the sets would be so prohibitively expensive that … Read more

Casio might be ripe to the world of mobile phones, but it certainly made a splash last night with a unique party for the launch of its Exilim C721, a versatile phone that combines rugged durability and a 5.1-megapixel camera in a stylish handset.

Casio canonized the launch by offering the Exilim mobile to several handpicked photographers with the challenge to use the short-form medium to document a week of their lives. Ricky Powell, Richard Kern, Dave Potes, and 11 other prominent artists were all in attendance at last night's event at the Stephen Weiss Studio in downtown … Read more

Long before the Sony X-Series stole the OLED portable media player spotlight, 2008's Cowon S9 blew us away with its gorgeous 3.3-inch touch-screen display, Bluetooth audio, and extensive audio and video codec support. But the gadget's fanatic attention span can only last so long before a perfectly good MP3 player just feels like yesterday's news.

In an effort to rekindle our collective fascination with the S9, Cowon has announced a new "ceramic white" color option, currently available only in Korea. To be fair, Cowon has also released a steady stream of firmware updates for … Read more

Revenue from sales of flat-panel displays is expected to rise just 1 percent annually from 2008 to 2016, a new report predicts.

That forecast contrasts sharply with the annual growth rate of 20 percent over the past eight years, according to the report released Friday by market researcher NPD's DisplaySearch.

This year's revenue will dive 20 percent over 2008 due to the sluggish economy. Revenue is expected to see a revival in 2010, rising 13 percent over this year.

The overall flat-panel market is expected to grow from $82.6 billion in 2009 to $111.5 billion in … Read more

Here's a concept phone based on the Google Android OS. Designed by Tryi Yeh from Taiwan, the Google-G0 is a touch-screen phone with a slider.

There doesn't appear to be a keyboard under it, but sliding it does reveal a camera at the back and large buttons in front. These buttons appear to be little OLED screens that change symbols according to what you are doing on the phone at any point in time, not unlike the expensive Optimus Maximus keyboard from Art Lebedev. There's even a docking station with a huge screen for use at home. … Read more