Ad: Manage updates with the Download App
ie8 fix

et

Panasonic's E series LCDs are feature-rich

LAS VEGAS--In 2013, Panasonic is releasing its largest line of LCDs yet, with seven different series to choose from. While the WT60 and DT60 sit at the high end, it's the three types of E series that make up the bulk of the company's offering.

The three E series include the 50-inch and 60-inch ET60; the E60 in four sizes (42-, 50-, 58-, and 65-inch screens); and the entry-level EM60 at 39 inches and 50 inches.

Unusually for Panasonic, the ET60 and E60 are blessed with an embarrassment of feature riches. The most "gadgety" addition is … Read more

The Asus ET2700 all-in-one joins growing roster of 27-inch all-in-ones

LAS VEGAS--Now I'm starting to wonder what it means for the vendors that have not announced a 27-inch all-in-one.

Asus joins HP, Vizio, and Lenovo in introducing a Windows all-in-one with a new large-screen display at CES. The ET2700 will appear this month at Best Buy with a 27-inch, 1,920x1,080-pixel-resolution display built in. Like HP's Omni 27, also available now, the Asus model doesn't have a touch screen. Asus reps told me at the company's booth that it will add touch in a midyear update. I've asked for pricing information, and will update when I have it.

The screen size is really the only significant news for this system. The Core i5 CPU and GeForce 540M graphics chip should come as no surprise, and the array of ports--USB 3.0, HDMI in, eSATA--is in keeping with its competition.

I'd only note that the design of the ET2700, with its edge-to-edge glass and pedal-style support foot, joins Lenovo in borrowing liberally from Apple's iMac design language. A vendor copying Apple is also not especially newsworthy, but at least the trend remains healthy.… Read more

Rambus loses 'RDRAM' case, stock drops

Micron Technology has prevailed in an important multi-billion dollar lawsuit brought against it and others by Rambus, a company not shy about suing memory chipmakers. Rambus saw its stock price nosedive as a result.

Boise, Idaho-based Micron, one of the world's largest memory chipmakers, said today that a jury in the California state court antitrust trial of Rambus v. Micron Technology reached a verdict in its favor, clearing it of all liability.

Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Rambus, a chip design house, alleged that Micron, Hynix Semiconductor and others conspired to keep Rambus-designed DRAM (RDRAM) chips out of the memory market. … Read more

SETI silences alien-seeking telescope array

Now more than ever, one imagines that we should intensify our search for life out there.

Life down here has become difficult. And how else can we maintain American supremacy, if not by muscling in on outer space?

It seems, though, that economics is putting a difficult hue on our quest. According to the San Jose Mercury News, the SETI (Search For Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) Institute has announced that it is setting aside some of its telescopes, as it cannot afford to run them.

Indeed, 42 radio dishes, named the Allen Telescope Array, are being silenced until someone can come up … Read more

The city that must vote on UFO ballot measure

Somehow, with all the strange, otherworldly people standing for office in American elections Tuesday, one ballot measure has not received quite the enormous importance that it deserves.

No, I am not thinking of Proposition 19 in California, the one supported by significant members of the tech world, the one that hopes to legalize the sale of marijuana.

This ballot measure, addressed to voters in Denver, is called Initiative 300 and it is adorned by perhaps the most ridiculous question ever asked in a political campaign: "Are you ready for the truth?" The truth that proponents of this measure … Read more

Eton hopes solar-powered Soulra has sunny future

We've seen some good portable iPod/iPhone audio systems in our time, but Eton's Soulra is one of the more intriguing products we've come across in this category.

The unit's got an aluminum and rubberized body that the company says is splash-proof has and the speakers are sealed on the inside to provide "protection from sand, water and other outdoor elements." On top of that, the $199 Soulra incorporates not only a rechargeable lithium ion battery but a high-efficiency solar panel that allows you to trickle-charge the unit while it's outside (so long … Read more

Buzz Out Loud Podcast 1152: Hacks on a plane

The FAA has asked Boeing to prove that its new connected airplane isn't so connected it can connect hackers. We also discuss why folks think women aren't as good at math when all the women we know are great at math. And we hash over some Apple tablet rumors. I mean, how could we not? We also have special guest host Clayton Morris from Fox News, and Ryan Shrout from PC Perspective.

Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) EPISODE 1152

OnLive responds to bad press, more beta testers … Read more