HDTV

Get a Leaf indoor HDTV antenna for $29.99

Remember when TV was free? All you needed was the airwaves to watch all your favorite network shows.

That's still true. In fact, with a decent antenna, you can tune in all your local stations in glorious high-def.

For many folks, that "decent antenna" has been the tough nut to crack. In my edge-of-suburbia neck of the woods, for example, I had to put a powered set of rabbit ears in my attic and run a cord through walls and floors to my TV -- hassle city.

Too bad I didn't know about the Leaf Indoor … Read more

Get a 55-inch Insignia LED HDTV for $899.99

When shopping for a replacement for my recently departed Toshiba TV, which died after just a few years of service, I paid a lot more attention to warranty. Sadly, few of the models I looked at offered more than the standard one year.

Too bad I missed out on this one: Best Buy has the Insignia NS-55E560A11 55-inch LED HDTV for $899.99 shipped, plus sales tax in most states. The only thing more amazing than that price is the warranty, which covers parts and labor for a full two years.

And if I'm not mistaken, you can stretch that an additional year … Read more

Cisco launches app-enabled router

While Netgear and D-Link introduced their approaches to app-supporting and cloud-enabled networking products at CES 2012, Cisco, which didn't have anything to announce at CES, turns out to be the first to materialize the new concepts.

Cisco today unveiled a line of Linksys Smart Wi-Fi routers that promises to change the face, and the body, of home networking.

The Linksys EA4500, EA3500, and EA2700 -- the "A" designation being short for "app-enabled" -- look like models in the earlier E Series but have more-powerful hardware and support Cisco Connect Cloud, the next generation of Cisco … Read more

Sony, Toshiba, Hitachi kick off flat-screen JV Japan Display

Sony, Toshiba, and Hitachi today announced that Japan Display, a company they formed with government-funded Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ), has initiated operations. The companies, which announced the startup today, said that the official operation start date was Sunday.

Nikkei Business Daily was first to report on the joint venture.

The companies announced plans to form Japan Display last year. Under the terms of the merger, Sony, Toshiba, and Hitachi have combined their small and medium-sized touchscreen LCD operations into the new corporation, and each own 10 percent of the firm. INCJ owns the remaining 70 percent.

Japan Display … Read more

Next Xbox reportedly shipping with Blu-ray, not DVD

Although Microsoft has said the next Xbox won't be launching anytime soon, the rumor mill just won't quit.

Gaming blog VG247 is now reporting that Microsoft is hard at work on the next Xbox, and when it finally launches late next year, it'll come with a Blu-ray player. The device will also ship with two AMD GPUs, making it "like two PCs taped together," the blog's sources say.

Those reports aren't necessarily groundbreaking. AMD has hinted from time to time that it'll be Microsoft's partner in the next Xbox. Gaming blog … Read more

Philips, TPV finally ink television joint venture

It was nearly one year ago that Royal Philips announced its desire to reduce its reliance upon televisions. And now, it has finally gotten its wish.

The company today announced that the transaction to complete a joint venture with TP Vision (TPV) has finally happened, and the companies are now moving forward with offering sets to consumers around the world. TPV will own 70 percent of the venture, while Philips will control 30 percent of the new operation.

Philips and TPV announced their partnership last April. The companies initially planned to start their joint venture late last year, but the … Read more

Samsung spins off display unit -- already world's biggest

The display business is a tough one. And now, Samsung has made a move to shake it from the books.

Samsung Display Co. has officially been spun off from Samsung Electronics and has become new corporation, the technology giant announced today. Samsung Display plans to start operating as an independent entity later this week after it completes its incorporation.

It didn't take long for Samsung Display to set a record. In a statement today, the company said that its 20,000 employees and five production facilities worldwide make it the world's largest display manufacturer. And its $20 billion … Read more

Turning in an old Xbox? Consider hard drive data, report says

Microsoft's Xbox 360 might not be protecting user data after the console is restored to factory settings, according to a new report.

In an interview with gaming blog Kotaku, Ashley Podhradsky, a researcher at Drexel University, said when Xbox 360 owners trade in their consoles after restoring the device to factory settings, their personal data might be left open to malicious hackers.

"Microsoft does a great job of protecting their proprietary information," Podhradsky told Kotaku. "But they don't do a great job of protecting the user's data."

Podhradsky, along with other researchers at … Read more

Three-deal Thursday: $139 Kindle Fire and more!

No hilarious jokes or personal anecdotes today. This is time-sensitive, so I'll cut right to the chase.

Today only, and while supplies last, Amazon has the refurbished Kindle Fire tablet for $139 shipped.

I'm reluctant to even post that deal, because I suspect it'll sell out before the morning is over -- heck, before I finish typing this paragraph. That's an insanely good deal on one of the best 7-inch tablets to date.

Update: Well, kudos to Amazon for having enough inventory to last most of the day...but as I expected, the refurbished Fires are … Read more