Miscellaneous

The Netbook is on life support and the industry is just about to pull the plug, according to a forecast by IHS iSuppli.

For 2013, Netbook shipments are expected to fall to 3.97 million units, down 72 percent from 14.13 million in 2012. In 2010, netbook shipments hit a high of 32.14 million.

IHS iSuppli's bet is that the Netbook will be extinct by 2015 as units drop to 264,000 in 2014 before going to zero.

It's obvious what happened -- Apple's iPad. The Netbook wasn't powerful enough to be a real … Read more

Verizon has kicked off a new prepaid plan to lure in feature phone buyers.

Launched yesterday, the new no-contract plan costs $35 a month and offers 500 anytime minutes of talk as well as unlimited text and Internet. Tipping over the 500 monthly minutes will ring up an extra 25 cents per minute.

The deal is geared strictly toward feature phones, so smartphone owners need not apply.

Verizon offers four feature phones along with the plan -- the LG Cosmos 2, the Samsung Gusto 2, the Samsung Intensity 3, and the LG Extravert. All four phones are heavily discounted when … Read more

As I understand it, Bitcoin is the currency we will all use to buy gruel and grits when the current financial world's gills turn green.

It seems to be based on the idea of one person trusting another, which is an idea that has caused more wars, divorces, tears, and surgeries than any other.

Recently, Bitcoin endured something of a correction in value. This has not stopped those who have ideas ahead of their time, and even above their station, to invest.

The New York Times tells me today that the Winklevoss brothers -- yes, they who claimed Facebook was their idea … Read more

This might seem like Fred Astaire and Carrot Top.

It might resemble that little-known double-act Putin and Tutu.

For some, it might even conjure Jerry Falwell and Jenna Jameson.

Here, you see, is news that the squeakiest of squeaky clean musical acts, the Jonas Brothers, are getting together with slightly more controversial gadget maker Huawei.

A breathless announcement is currently dancing before my eyes. It reveals that Huawei is to sponsor the Jonas Brothers' new tour, which, as you know, begins July 10 in Chicago. … Read more

TOKYO--Yodobashi Camera is a massive electronics complex in Tokyo's bustling Shinjuku district. You walk through the neon-lined entrance into a maze of computer, smartphone, TV, and other displays. It's designed to overwhelm.

The plastic shines under the glare of fluorescent lights. Add to that fumes from the bus depot outside, yelling salesmen, and a looped company jingle on the PA system based on "The Battle Hymn of the Republic."

It's a sensory assault. … Read more

The U.S. Navy is continuing its flirtation with laser weapons.

The latest tip-toeing move toward a more serious relationship came today with word from the Navy that it plans to deploy a solid-state laser weapon system aboard the USS Ponce in fiscal year 2014. Other than that, though, the announcement was absent any details about the capabilities of the particular laser weapon system or the expectations for its performance, though the Navy talked up the virtues of laser weapons in general as a countermeasure against threats including aerial drones and fast-moving small boats.

The Navy also described the deployment … Read more

If the first quarter is any gauge for U.S. venture capital funding, there's not a lot to look forward to for the rest of the year.

The number of funds that raised money for venture capital in the first quarter of 2013 was fewer than any other quarter in the last 10 years, according to a new report by Thomson Reuters and the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA).

Thirty-five funds contributed to venture capital fundraising last quarter, which is a 14 percent decrease in the number of funds from the final quarter of 2012. The slowest quarter in … Read more

The home computing revolution of the 1980s and '90s was defined by a battle between two titans: Apple and Microsoft. After its IPO and the introduction of the Macintosh, Apple was riding high.

The company started losing the PC market in the '90s, though. Microsoft released Windows 3.0 as a cheaper alternative to the Macintosh in 1990, but it was the release of Windows 95, which brought a comparable GUI (graphical user interface) to PCs, that really hurt Apple. And Apple also suffered from a lack of vision, owing to the absence of its visionary leader, Steve Jobs, from … Read more

Long gone are the days of clipping coupons from the weekly mailer. Sure, you can still find good deals there for your favorite products, but it's a time-consuming process that often feels futile since coupons expire so quickly. These days, more and more consumers are turning to smartphone apps to find savings on their regular shopping trips. Not only is it a more environmentally friendly way to shop and save, since there's no printing of paper, but users say it's convenient too, since we're never without our smartphones.

Consumers such as Elvira Gomez have jumped on … Read more