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Lux

Batteries set to become $60 billion industry by '13

So far in 2009, battery companies have received over $600 million in venture capital funding, compared with $478 million garnered for 2008, according to research analyst Lux Research.

The investment isn't without reason. In a report released Tuesday, Lux predicted that the energy storage market will grow to become a $60 billion industry by 2013.

But for now, it's hard for even the experts to predict who will emerge as the victorious innovators. Instead of a few key players, there's a plethora of both established and start-up companies developing a wide range of approaches to power storage … Read more

Customizable speaking clock

Speaking Clock Deluxe is a customizable clock that can alert users to the time in a variety of ways. The clock's various features and simple interface make it an appealing choice.

The program's interface is fairly intuitive, although some features that seemed like they would be accessible in the Settings menu could actually only be accessed by right-clicking on the program in the system tray. No matter; that's about as complicated as the program got. Although there were some aspects of the text-to-speech features that weren't intuitive, the built-in Help file explained everything clearly. The interface … Read more

Conquer the world or conquer the universe: iPhone apps of the week

The Game Developers Conference (GDC) was in San Francisco's Moscone Center this week, and I got a chance to walk the show floor in search of new iPhone games and sample gaming technologies on the horizon for other platforms. As I walked the floor, I was lucky enough to be able to talk to a couple of iPhone game developers, including the guys from Subatomic Studios, developers of Field Runners ($2.99), as well as Phil Hassey who created Galcon, one of the games I mention below.

It's exciting to see the iPhone and iPod Touch on display … Read more

Pentax president raves about Leica D-Lux 4

Most imaging companies' employees probably wouldn't be caught dead using their competitors' products, but it seems Ned Bunnell, president of Pentax Imaging (USA), thinks otherwise.

On his personal blog, he wrote about how impressed he was with the Leica D-Lux 4 (equivalent to the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3), and gave a short, positive review of this shooter. Bunnell commented that the "lens is sharp and distortion seems to be very well controlled."

His affection for a competitor's shooter garnered some pretty interesting comments from readers. Some people are baffled as to why the president of Pentax would be raving about Leica's products when he should be more focused on his company's direction. However, some Netizens think Bunnell is doing an excellent job by looking at the current market and trying to improve on it with future Pentax cameras. … Read more

Limited-edition Leica D-Lux 4 on the way

Famed camera and optics maker Leica has announced that it will launch a limited-edition version of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 equivalent, the D-Lux 4, in January.

The collector's item will have a limited run of 10,000 and come in a silver-gray finish, instead of the usual black. But what makes it more exclusive would be its matching leather case, which its press release says will be in the same hue as the shooter.

At an earlier press event, Leica told us the retail price for the normal D-Lux 4 is $635.75, which is approximately $133.84 more … Read more

Philips relents, gives MP3 players real names

Interested in buying a Philips SA1948? How about a Philips SA1929? No. What about a Philips Raga? If that last one sounds a little better, it's because some marketing genius at Philips finally figured out that people enjoy products with actual names. Let's pray this is a trend Sony will adopt, too.

The result of Philips' new name game is three new MP3 players: the GoGear Luxe; GoGear Spark; and GoGear Raga. The Spark and Raga are hitting the shelves as we speak, offered in 2GB and 4GB capacities for less than $60. The Luxe won't be … Read more

Review: Loving 'Lux Touch' for iPhone

I cannot stop playing Lux Touch for the iPhone. It's far and away the best game I've played yet on the device. While not quite perfect, it's an intensely addictive and fast-paced version of the board game classic Risk, but with a modern twist. And it's a free download.

You play the blue forces. Each turn, you get three armies, which you place in your territories. At certain times you can cash in "cards" (which you get as you conquer new regions), and those can be traded in for more armies. Get a full … Read more

Bob Metcalfe cheers global warming bubble

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--Self-described "Internet tycoon" and venture capitalist Bob Metcalfe said that the world can solve global warming by transferring Silicon Valley-style entrepreneurship to the plodding energy field.

Metcalfe on Monday reprised his EnerNet talk where he draws on the history of the Internet to challenge today's thinking on energy. The co-inventor of Ethernet and current clean-tech investor at Polaris Ventures spoke at the Lux Research's Executive Summit here.

Overall, Metcalfe is optimistic that technology can solve the problem of global warming, either through through new technologies or geoengineering.

But he argues that many people are … Read more

iPhone apps of the week

Last week I asked readers if they had the same iPhone app update problem I have, and it's good to hear I'm not the only one. I found one method in the comments that seems to work, but it forces you to make a tough decision. Of course, you should only try this if all other update attempts through the usual methods have been unsuccessful.

To get rid of a stubborn program's update notification, you need to delete the app from your iPhone and download it again using the app store on your iPhone or from the … Read more