circuits

LAS VEGAS--Asked about the state of the U.S. economy, Best Buy CEO Brad Anderson said on Tuesday that it is clearly a concern.

"People that are getting their first (home heating) oil bills at $3 a gallon," he said, even as the U.S. mortgage crisis continues to hang over the economy. "The share of mind that the 'r word' is getting in the media has us concerned," he said, alluding to but not uttering, the word recession.

But Anderson said it was the transition to digital television that posed the biggest threat to his … Read more

Most of the time here on The Digital Home, I tell you about some of the trends, news stories, companies and products that annoy me. Other times, I'll tell you about something a company is doing right or something I applaud. This time, it's the latter.

Now, before I begin, I should probably mention that I don't own any Amazon stock because at least one cynical knucklehead reading this column for the sole purpose of finding fault in it will ask if I do own Amazon stock. Sadly, I'm not allowed to own any tech stocks because it's a departure from the ethical standards that I agreed to when I became a journalist. Does that satisfy you?

So why is Amazon the world's best tech retailer? Well, I guess I should first say that this title isn't exactly the most prestigious in the world. Who else would sit atop the list? Certainly Best Buy wouldn't with some of the questionable practices it employs and our friends over at Circuit City certainly don't have a clue about how to bring the right kind of experience to consumers.

But unlike all of its competitors, Amazon has been able to bring products to us in a timely manner without the need for frequent call backs and lengthy delays for no reason. Is it perfect? Not a chance -- some products sell out in a matter of seconds, there's no indication that anyone actually wants to buy groceries online and its customer service still leaves much to be desired. But beyond that, I have enjoyed my time using the service.

So what makes Amazon so great? The way I see it, there are three main components.… Read more

According to a recent report from Ina Fried, Circuit City is having quite a bit of trouble turning a profit and making something out of its business.

Fried reports that the big box retailer will post another loss for its fourth quarter (its busiest) after a staggering $208 million loss over the past quarter. Even worse, the company's stock price is floundering at just $4.75 and once it posts these losses, look for that to tank even further.

Of course, the story doesn't quite end there. Circuit City's major competitor -- Best Buy -- is enjoying a $52.48 stock price and a $228 million profit last quarter alone. Amazingly, Best Buy posted a $1.377 billion profit over the 2007 fiscal year, while Circuit City is poised to lose about $200 million during its own year.

And while Circuit City is still a major retailer with about $12 billion in revenue, it can't sustain these kind of losses if it wants to even have a fighting chance to stand up to the Best Buy juggernaut. After all, take a look at CompUSA and try to tell me Best Buy isn't capable of outright destruction of any and all opponents.

It may happen sometime down the road, but trust me, if Circuit City doesn't change its ways, look for it to be just another victim of Best Buy.… Read more

Circuit City posted a steep quarterly loss on Friday and warned the operating losses will continue into the current quarter, which includes the bulk of the holiday shopping season, traditionally when retailers make most of their money.

"We are very dissatisfied with our third quarter results," Circuit City CEO Philip J. Schoonover said in a statement, adding that the company saw fewer sales of profitable items like accessories, services, and extended warranties.

"We believe that these issues are primarily self-induced and are within our control to improve," he said.

I can't say I was surprised … Read more

My partner and I decided to brave the Black Friday crowds and got up at 6 a.m. to do some bargain hunting.

We planned to head to Circuit City first, given that its day-after-Thanksgiving sale had the most things we wanted. When we arrived at the suburban Los Angeles store--nearly two hours after the store had opened--there was a long line of people just waiting to get in the store.

Figuring that the most-sought-after items were likely gone anyway and that the line might be shorter in a few hours, we headed to the nearby Best Buy in Sherman … Read more

A worker at a circuit board factory in Redwood City, Calif., was found dead in a waist-high vat of sulfuric acid over the weekend.

Even more disturbing, the man's body was discovered by his father.

If this hadn't been reported by respectable news agencies, it would have "urban myth" or "bad mafia movie" written all over it.

The news, however, was reported early Sunday by the San Mateo Daily Journal and later expanded by the San Jose Mercury News.

According to the Mercury News, Fernando Jimenez Gonzalez, 18, was working at the Coastal Circuits … Read more

Once, again, Boston has been subjected to a bomb scare concerning an odd circuit board.

Star Simpson, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology student, was arrested at gunpoint Friday morning at Logan Airport when authorities suspected she had a bomb strapped to her chest.

Simpson was wearing a black sweatshirt that had a circuit board with wires, green LED lights and a 9-volt battery attached to it. When an airport employee asked about her shirt, Simpson walked away without answering so the employee called the authorities, the Boston Globe has reported.

The back of Simpson's sweatshirt said "socket to … Read more