ex

Toshiba will introduce new USB 3.0 flash drives next week at the Consumer Electronics Show next week in Las Vegas, as products using the faster USB interface begin to trickle out.

"SuperSpeed" USB 3.0 is about 10 times faster than current USB technology and will become standard in virtually all laptops when Intel's Ivy Bridge silicon begins shipping this spring.

Toshiba says its TransMemory-EX flash drive will deliver speeds up to 22 times faster than previous models. That's read and write speeds of 220 megabytes per second (MB/s) and 94 MB/s, respectively. … Read more

You might have already read that we're anticipating 4G phones and products dominating this year's CES.

That's why it comes as no surprise that companies are banking on some users wanting even more of a boost on their 4G network.

So far, at least two new cell phone signal boosters will be announced at CES 2012.

The first is from Wilson Electronics, which you may remember debuted its Sleek Cell Phone Signal Booster at last year's CES. The company also released a signal booster for the iPhone in 2009 called the iBooster.

This year, the company … Read more

'Tis the season to be a jolly courier and toss packages with gay abandon.

After the heightened enthusiasm that surrounded a FedEx courier who tossed a Samsung monitor over a rather fetching fence, I bring news of a UPS guy who not only tossed a Zappos package, but also really pulled his finger out: the middle one, which he offered to a security camera.

The footage was reportedly captured December 15 on Long Island. Unlike the FedEx case, where the company declared it would take its recalcitrant employee through a disciplinary process, UPS has been more forthright.

For, according to NBC New York, … Read more

Have your online-shopped gifts already arrived? Or did you order at Best Buy, where they appear to have experienced a few problems?

I ask merely because I believe your local FedEx courier will be extra careful over the next 24 hours.

For the company has issued a video apology for the behavior of its most famous employee.

Should you have been buried beneath a pile of Christmas ornaments recently, you might not have heard that one particular FedEx courier tossed a Samsung monitor over a fence instead of, say, delivering to the recipient's front door.

FedEx's apology, entitled &… Read more

I always wondered how Santa gets things down the chimney without them being covered in soot.

Which sometimes makes me wonder how, at Christmas time, those nice men from FedEx always ensure the package arrives absolutely, positively in one piece.

Then I saw this YouTube video, one that suggests that, perhaps, FedEx guys don't always try to ensure things arrive whole. In this case the package was a Samsung computer monitor.

It is unclear where this video was taken or who the poster is. Which will, of course, lead to some skepticism as to its real-lifeness.

However, the poster … Read more

Are you afraid to leave your home because you're expecting a package? With mobile package-tracking apps, you can track your packages right from your Android phone so you can relax and go get lunch, run an errand, or take your kids to the park. When your package is delivered, you'll know when to come home.

All the major shipping companies have mobile apps. UPS, FedEx, DHL, and USPS have basic tracking components in their apps (DHL's app tracks freight only). Most of them also allow you to find local shipping locations as well. However, the carrier apps … Read more

A new firmware update for Sony's Bravia TV series has arrived, enhancing the built-in YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter widgets.

The YouTube experience on Sony's TV sets now has the ability to play HD video. Previously, the output was mediocre at best, but it should now should offer a crisp, high-definition image for videos with that capability.

Those accessing their Facebook accounts can now look at photos and videos in full-screen resolution. Posted URLs on Facebook are now accessible in the built-in Web browser found in most current Sony televisions. Unfortunately, that browser is somewhat slow and due to the lack of processing power, operates worse than the one included with the PlayStation 3. … Read more

Sony has typically been a peg or two more expensive than its rivals but is now producing some value-conscious, high-enough-quality screens.

The Sony EX523 series is an example of a television with a decent feature set and image quality that stands up well against the competition. The main difference between the EX523 and the EX520 it replaces is onboard Wi-Fi. The EX523 is an edge-lit LED TV that performs about as well as the LG LV5500, although each has its strengths and weaknesses. If you're a stickler looking for accurate colors or are bothered by uniformity issues, it's … Read more

Apple surprised many when it introduced quad-core processors into its MacBook line for the first time in February. But a Commodore 64 packing quad-core?

For the uninitiated, the Commodore 64 Keyboard PC was introduced back in 1982 packing a MOS Technology 6510 1MHz (yes, that's one megahertz) chip running the Commodore kernal accessed via BASIC commands.

That model competed with the Apple II and Atari computers.

Well, a lot has changed in 30 years. After resurrecting the Commodore name in April of 2010, the company came out with an Intel Atom-based design in April of this year. That's … Read more