Consumer

Report: Sony to cut 2,000 jobs, shutter two Japan TV factories

Sony plans to close two television factories and shed 2,000 jobs in its home country of Japan, according to a Bloomberg report Wednesday.

The report says CEO Sir Howard Stringer will make the announcement in a news conference but doesn't say when.

When asked for confirmation of the planned cuts, a Sony representative told CNET News that the company has nothing new to announce.

Now, that can be interpreted many ways, but here's what's likely going on: While Sony may very well close some factories in Japan, it's probably not a new round of cuts, … Read more

Best Buy selects incoming CEO

Best Buy President and Chief Operating Officer Brian Dunn is set to be promoted to CEO this summer, when current Chief Executive Brad Anderson retires, the company announced Wednesday.

Anderson, who's led Best Buy for seven years, plans to retire from the electronics retailer at the company's annual meeting in June. He'll keep his position as vice chairman of the board of directors in order to help with the transition.

Dunn began his career at Best Buy as a store associate 23 years ago, rising through the company's ranks to become president and COO in 2006. … Read more

Podcast: Dreaming about a converged gadget future

Everybody and their mother-in-law knows that the world of computers and consumer electronics is converging--often in ways that we still cannot imagine. But figuring out exactly how the pieces will fall into place is the hard part. At the recently-concluded Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, there were several announcements which have triggered speculation about the timetable for this hungered-for golden age of convergence. Webware's editor-in-chief, Rafe Needleman, who was at the show, stops by for a chat about this latest tech trend.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Today's stories:

CES and the recession: What was the impact?… Read more

Palm's Pre arrives on smartphone scene

A correction was made to this story. Read below for details.

One of the biggest surprises of CES was Palm's Pre smartphone that some are calling an iPhone killer. While I don't expect this or anything else to kill the iPhone, it does appear that Palm could again become a major player in the smart phone market.

As a product reviewer I will reserve final judgment until I can carry one around and put it through its paces, but based on the few minutes I got to use the phone at the Consumer Electronics Show, I am very … Read more

CNET News Daily Podcast: Deconstructing Ballmer

Microsoft's CEO went to the Consumer Electronics Show to hype his company's upcoming replacement to the Vista operating system. But Steve Ballmer had more on his mind than Windows 7 and he shared some very frank opinions with CNET News' Ina Fried. Ina stops by for a visit to our studios to offer her assessment.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Today's stories:

Apple at CES? Unlikely

Dell officially unveils Adamo, Mini 10

Obama's stimulus plan: The energy debate

AMD aims supercomputer at mobile gaming, movies

Goldman Sachs: IT-spending growth to halt

Green gadgets get middling report card at CES

Consumers are increasingly demanding better environmental attributes in their digital gadgets, but the consumer electronics industry can go a lot further to make gadgets "green."

Environmental watchdog Greenpeace held a press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Friday to announce results of its second annual survey called "Green Electronics: the Search Continues."

The good news is that manufacturers are using fewer hazardous chemicals, such as PVC plastic, and are running more electronic take-back programs. Another positive trend is the use of LED screens for notebooks, which are relatively energy efficient and use … Read more

Gimmicky gadgets at CES

Based on some of the things I've seen so far at the Consumer Electronics Show, 2009 might be remembered as the year of the gimmick. If gimmick is too strong a word, perhaps we can settle for "incredible technology in search of a practical purpose."

Take Casio's new EX-FS10 compact camera. The camera itself is marvelous, but the use case seems a little weird. Like a couple of larger SLR cameras Casio introduced at last year's show, this smaller consumer camera is capable of taking still pictures at up to 30 frames per second.

Now, … Read more

Intel warning casts cloud over CES

Intel's fourth-quarter warning is not only bad news but bad timing. With the Consumer Electronics Show kicking off Thursday adorned by all those bright, shiny gadgets, Intel effectively said: gadgets maybe, but not so bright and shiny.

And for an Intel warning, this one was particularly dire. The biggest chip bellwether said it now expects only $8.2 billion in revenue for the quarter, a 23 percent drop from the year-earlier period, and 20 percent from the third quarter. And this comes after issuing a warning on November 12.

So what's happening? The clearest example of the gloom … Read more

CES plan: Damn the calories, pass the egg rolls

The first event at the Consumer Electronics Show, called CES Unveiled, actually takes place a couple of days before the show officially opens. The press reception, which is sponsored by CES' host organization, the Consumer Electronics Association, is an opportunity for a small group of exhibitors to preview what they plan to show at CES.

As usual, products range from somewhat wacky to actually practical. One of the more unusual products was a 3D Webcam from Manchester, U.K.-based Promotion & Display Technology.

The Minoru 3D Webcam has two lenses, which makes it look a little like a cute … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 885: CES 2009 preview

How about a little preCES prediction? We talk about the things we expect to see at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Listen now: Download today's podcast