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A TV in your contact lenses? What?

I am all for progress. But I am also all for my eyeballs. I went to the eye doctor the other day, and he said those strange flashes in my eye were nothing serious.

Now I'm thinking I'm part of an experiment, one I know nothing about.

You see, Ian Pearson, a man whose job title is 'futurologist', claims that in 10 years' time, we will all be able to insert a TV screen onto our eyeballs via contact lenses.

He told the Daily Mail: "You will just pop it into your eye in the morning and … Read more

Laptop shopping made easy: Retail laptop review roundup, Q1 2009

We've scoured the retail shelves of big box electronics stores, searching for the specific laptop configurations and models you'll find boxed up and ready to go, or listed in Sunday newspaper sales circulars (be on the lookout for Presidents' Day sales on many of these).

Bookmark this page and check back regularly to follow these links to the full reviews, which we'll be publishing over the next several weeks. We'll also be picking our favorite in each category, showing you who offers the very best bang for your buck.

Entry level ($599 or less) Compaq CQ60-215DX [… Read more

Sprint Palm Treo Pro shows up at Best Buy

Last week, several blog sites, including Engadget Mobile, reported the appearance of the Palm Treo Pro on Sprint's Web site, but as soon as it appeared, it disappeared.

While this may be a case of someone getting a little too trigger-happy, the idea of a Sprint Treo Pro is certainly not a fluke, and in fact, the smartphone is now up on Best Buy's Web site.

The Windows Mobile smartphone is advertised for a whopping $699.99 (though we suspect and certainly hope the price will drop with a service agreement) and is currently listed as backordered. Up … Read more

NetApp tops 'Best Companies to Work For' list

Storage maker NetApp ranked No. 1 on Fortune magazine's list of the top 100 companies to work for, bumping Google from its perch, according to a report in the publication on Thursday.

NetApp, which employs nearly 8,000 people worldwide, was selected for its "employees enthusiasm," along with its benefits from nearly $11,400 in adoption aid to five paid days to do volunteer work.

And even better still, the company is one of the few in the hiring mode during these recessionary times, seeking to fill 55 positions as of January 13.

This year's ranking … Read more

Best Buy selects incoming CEO

Best Buy President and Chief Operating Officer Brian Dunn is set to be promoted to CEO this summer, when current Chief Executive Brad Anderson retires, the company announced Wednesday.

Anderson, who's led Best Buy for seven years, plans to retire from the electronics retailer at the company's annual meeting in June. He'll keep his position as vice chairman of the board of directors in order to help with the transition.

Dunn began his career at Best Buy as a store associate 23 years ago, rising through the company's ranks to become president and COO in 2006. … Read more

Bedlam breaks out at Circuit City

After Best Buy mega-stored Circuit City to oblivion, the hapless retailer has quickly gone to pieces.

On Friday, Circuit City said it was liquidating all of its stores. Then, on Saturday, there was a big liquidation sale at my local Circuit City--up to 30 percent off. The checkout line was almost as long as the lines you encounter on a typical Saturday at Fry's--the mostly California- and Texas-based sprawling electronics warehouse. (The line actually snaked to the back of the store.)

Understand that I'm not giving Fry's any backhanded praise. Fry's is so big, so unwieldy, … Read more

Circuit City: A eulogy

Circuit City, the world's second-largest electronics retailer announced on Friday that it has been forced into liquidation after attempts to sell itself to a third-party failed.

Circuit City's liquidation is sad, but it shouldn't come as a surprise. The company has been facing serious financial issues for the past few years and was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange after filing for bankruptcy and witnessing its stock price plummet to near worthlessness. Moreover, the economic crisis had a severe impact on Circuit City, and fewer creditors were willing to offer the company attractive rates as it tried to purchase goods for sale.

But it wasn't always like this for Circuit City. The company once enjoyed great success, and it can trace its roots all the way back to 1949.… Read more

Buzz Out Loud 891: Jazz hands and a testosterone venti

Leo Laporte joins the cast today to discuss, of course, Steve Jobs' medical leave of absence, the problem with filters (yes, it's the problem you think it is), the future of bendy gadgets, and how to dance like Bollywood. Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 891

Apple: Jobs to Take Medical Leave of Absence http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/01/14/apple-jobs-to-take-medical-leave-of-absence/

Analysts: he probably won’t come back http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2009/01/why-jobs-isnt-c.html

In the interim, who’s leading Apple? http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10143030-37.html

PC shipments up just 1.1 … Read more

Palm Pre wins Best of CES 2009 and People's Voice Award

On Saturday, CNET, in partnership with the Consumer Electronics Association, handed out its Best of CES 2009 Awards, including Best in Show and the People's Voice Award. And this year's big winner? The Palm Pre.

The Palm Pre smartphone took home both honors and became the first cell phone/smartphone to win the Best in Show since CNET started presenting the Best of CES awards in 2006. The Palm Pre went up against some stiff competition, including the Sony DSC-G3 and the Sony P-series Lifestyle PC. So why the Pre?

Well, it was a combination of things. First, … Read more