shortage

Tool tracks hard disk price increases

Wondering how high hard disk drive prices are rising because of the flooding in Thailand? Computer retailer Newegg offers a quick way to track HDD pricing.

For example, a search on a Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200 RPM, model ST31000524AS drive shows that the price jumped to $149.99 from $49.99 a couple of weeks ago.

(And that same drive is $179.99 at major reseller CDW. And see Nextag price history of drive here.)

Or check out a Western Digital 1TB 7200 RPM, model RE4 WD1003FBYX. That drive jumped in the same time frame to $249.99 from $107.… Read more

The coming hard-drive hit on PC makers

PC makers are likely to weather any hard-drive shortages in the fourth quarter since they have inventory of supplies as a buffer. The first quarter, however, could be tricky, according to Jefferies.

In a research note previewing Dell and Hewlett-Packard earnings Nov. 15 and Nov. 21, respectively, Jefferies analyst Peter Misek outlined the aftershocks from the floods in Thailand. As noted previously, flooding in Thailand has rattled hard-drive makers and their suppliers. Western Digital took the biggest hit.

Misek concludes that the fourth quarter for PC makers like Dell and HP should be solid. However, these strong quarters aren’t … Read more

B&N's new Nook Tablet

Hard drive shortages and weak sales slow down the PC market, HTC announces phones that will get the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update, and Barnes & Noble takes on the Kindle with a new lineup, including the Nook Tablet and Nook Simple Touch.

Links from Monday's episode of Loaded:

Barnes and Noble's new Nook Tablet Nook Color and Simple Touch HTC lists Ice Cream Sandwich updates HDD shortage slows PC demand Best Buy shuts down UK stores Subscribe:  iTunes (MP3) |  iTunes (320x180) |  iTunes (HD) |  RSS (MP3) |  RSS (320x180) |  RSS HD

The 404 933: Where it's the nightmare before Nokia (podcast)

What's an 8-foot-tall Lego man doing on the beaches of Siesta Key Village, Florida? We don't have the answer, but it's the third one that's washed ashore in the last three years--similar occurances were reported three years ago in Brighton, England, and Zandvoort, Holland; each bearing the same cryptic messaging: "NO REAL THAN YOU ARE."

Yahoo News did the dirty work and inquired about the phenomenon to Lego's assistant brand relations manager, who vehemently denied, on record, any affiliation with the stunt, eliminating the possibility of it being a viral stunt. Who knows, maybe it was printed on a 3D imaging device by the folks at MakerBot!… Read more

Wireless spectrum shortage? What spectrum shortage?

There is plenty of wireless spectrum available to meet the demand for wireless data services, but the problem may be that too much of it is in the wrong hands, according to a recent report from Citigroup.

A recent report from analysts at Citigroup, titled "Wireless Data: Supply and Demand Spectrum Control, Not Availability, Is the Real Constraint," suggests that the wireless industry already has a significant amount of wireless spectrum available. The problem, the analysts argue, is that the operators that control the greatest amount of unused spectrum may be under-capitalized or unwilling to build out networks … Read more

Report: MacBook supplies dwindling

While much of the attention on Macs in the past few months has revolved around an update to the MacBook Air, there are signs that Apple's entry-level notebook could soon be getting a refresh as well.

AppleInsider reports that supply of the $999 MacBook has gone dry at places like Amazon, J&R, MacConnection, and On Sale. The computer is also back-ordered at BestBuy.com and Apple authorized reseller Abt. Apple itself lists the computer as in stock, and shipping within 24 hours.

The MacBook's last update was in May of last year, with Apple bumping the existing model … Read more

Should Apple rethink iPad 2 distribution system?

I remember, last year, waiting on line one morning for an iPhone 4. I was on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, and I gave up after an hour and a half. The lines were too long and had formed hours before.

This was two months or so past the iPhone 4's launch, and it was still impossible to buy one of the phones at a store. Lines would form every morning, scoop up whatever little stock there was, and leave the Apple Store once again drained of its supply. The cause? Grey-market resellers.

Sound familiar?

We're less … Read more

The 404 623: Where honey is our Gatorade (podcast)

It's time for another Natali Del Conte Thursday episode of The 404 Podcast, but we're keeping the complaints to a minimum in deference to our guest co-host today; that is, after Wilson tells us about a 3D movie that tickled his gag reflex. Yes, we learn that Wilson officially honked after watching only three minutes of "African Adventure: Safari in Okavango" in 3D. He shares this experience with children and teenagers who might also be more susceptible to epileptic seizures and migraines as a result of watching 3D TV.

While we're on the topic of … Read more

The summer of the smartphone shortage

I can't tell you how many people I've talked to this summer who have told me that they had finally made their decision to get a new smartphone only to have their plans thwarted when they got to the store and their well-researched choice was unavailable.

This is exactly what happened to my former college roommate, Stephanie Rahill. After months of research and several conversations with me, her husband came out of the Verizon Wireless store three weeks ago and told her that she would have to wait nearly a month for her new HTC Droid Incredible smartphone.… Read more