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60-watt LED bulb to break $15 mark, Lighting Science says

Lighting Science Group and Dixon Technologies India today touted an LED light bulb equivalent to a 60-watt incandescent that they say will hit store shelves with a price below $15.

The omnidirectional LED bulb, in the traditional A19 shape of household incandescent light bulbs, will become available in India by the end of the year and worldwide, including in the U.S., early in 2012, the companies said. It's the first in an expected series of products, including streetlights and industrial fixtures, that Lighting Science and Dixon plan to jointly manufacture and distribute.

Prices for LED bulbs meant to … Read more

3DS price drop

RIM releases the "more social" BlackBerry Messenger 6 service to share apps, the BBC launches a paid version of its iPlayer service for the iPad, and Nintendo dramatically drops the price of its 3DS handheld game device after lackluster sales.

Links from Thursday's episode of Loaded:

Nintendo loses money, drops 3DS price RIM releases BlackBerry Messenger 6.0 Verizon and AmEx partner on mobile payments Google Page Speed Service Sprint and LightSquared sign pact BBC iPlayer goes global Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) | iTunes (320x180) | iTunes (HD) | RSS (MP3) | RSS (320x180) | RSS HD

IIHS: Volvo's collision avoidance system most effective

Many cars are equipped with crash avoidance technology, but the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) says the Volvo's City Safety is the most effective at reducing low speed crashes.

By examining property damage liability claims, the IIHS determined drivers of Volvo XC60s outfitted with City Safety file 27 percent fewer at-fault driver claims than owners of comparable midsize SUVs without that technology. That means that XC60 owners are less likely to be involved in low-speed crashes in which they are at fault, namely rear-ending the car in front of them in traffic.

City Safety is standard feature on … Read more

60GHz tech promises wireless docking, USB, HDMI

Every now and again, the rules for how to build a personal computer change. One of those moments may arrive next year with a high-speed wireless technology that could let people link tablets with big-screen TVs or dock laptops when arriving in the office.

The technology, which uses the 60GHz band of radio spectrum and is designed to transfer as much as 7 gigabits of data per second, matches what many wired connections provide, either inside a computer chassis or through the profusion of ports that perforate laptop sides. A group called the WiGig Alliance is developing it, and the … Read more

Zyxel joins wireless display club with WiHD-based Aerobeam kit

D-Link's recently available MainStage would make a great accessory for those with an Intel WiDi-enabled laptop. But if you have another laptop or want to connect any HDMI-enabled devices to your big HDTV screen, the Aerobeam WirelessHD (WiHD) kit, model WHD6215, that Zyxel introduced today will make a better investment.

This is the first wireless display product the networking vendor has introduced. Similar to the D-LinkMainStage and the Netgear Push2TV, the WHD6215 allows you to wirelessly connect devices, such as a laptop or a DVD player, to a big-screen TV.

While the MainStage is based on Intel's WiDi wireless display standard, ZyXEL's WHD6215 Kit is based on the WiHD technology standard, which is again based on the 60GHz wireless networking standard, similar to that of wireless routers.… Read more

Quick Take: Sharp LC-60LE831U

Although CNET did not review the Sharp LC-60LE831U, which is exclusive to Best Buy, we did review a similar, non-exclusive TV, the LC-60LE830U.

According to the manufacturer the only differences between the two are that Best Buy's LC-60LE831U lacks Quad Pixel Plus and IP Control features, and that the dynamic contrast ratio specification on the 831U is 5,000,000:1, compared with the 830U's 6,000,000:1.

We don't expect the difference in contrast ratio specification to have a major impact on picture quality, but we can't say for sure since we haven't … Read more

Paul Allen talks Gates, guitars on '60 Minutes'

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen gave a wide-ranging interview on "60 Minutes" tonight that offers a peek into the life of the more reclusive of the software giant's co-founders.

Allen has penned a book, due out this week, that focuses on Microsoft's early years, as well as Allen's efforts as a philanthropist and entrepreneur. "Idea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft" is also a book that has been criticized as taking cheap shots at fellow Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, whom he accused of trying to take ownership stakes from Allen's share … Read more

Volvo's driving game promotes S60

If you weren't sitting in front of your computer watching YouTube videos on March 12, you may have missed one of the most ambitious mobile promotions to date. Volvo released an augmented reality driving game for iPhone and Android devices to promote the S60 sports sedan, but it was only available for one day. Even with the limited run time, Volvo hit this one out of the park.

The S60 promotion involved a lot of moving parts. To download the S60 driving game, I needed to scan an online QR code using my iPhone camera (although I later found … Read more

The Countach turns 40

Not many 40-somethings can still stop traffic just by showing up, but the Lamborghini Countach does exactly that four decades after it debuted here in Geneva in 1971.

Marcello Gandini's masterpiece is this audacious, aloof, leering thing that avoids the overly curvaceous lines that long ago became Italian cliche. Instead it's a piece of Piedmontese origami, all creased, slatted, and ducted. It looks like it was designed yesterday in the way a Mies van der Rohe building or vintage Knoll table does.

Study the pure Countach LP400 to really take in Gandini's work, though in your mind'… Read more