Hasta La Gadget!

With the Xoom tablet and three 4G phones, Motorola had a powerful array of products at CES 2011. But its new laptop dock is what impressed this CNET editor the most.

Originally posted at CES 2011

Following its purchase of am/pm just over a year ago, convenience store chain Family Mart has completed negotiations to take over its subsidiary’s 120 Kansai region branches from March. Following the Tokyo area Family Mart is preparing now to switch Kansai and Kyushu stores to its own brand from the next fiscal year, as part of a nationwide adsorbing of am/pm into the Family Mart chain.

[Image courtesy of jpellgen on Flickr.]

Up till the takeover Family Mart actually had more branches overseas than in Japan due to aggressive expansion in Asian territories like Taiwan and Thailand. However, its aims are set on domestic rivals and now has a combined number of nearly 10,000 stores with the new purchase. In terms of sales and market share it still trails Lawson and Seven-Eleven, which also both have more stores, leading to assumptions that indeed strength of numbers is paramount.

Convenience stores are known for their eponymous convenience of course, as well as their ubiquity. They are indeed seemingly everywhere but how important are individual brands to average consumers? Despite their attempts to create brand identities and differentiate themselves — e.g. Family Mart’s range of MUJI products, Mini Stop’s popular summer ice creams — do we really pay that much attention to which chain we are buying our snacks in? Will am/pm be missed?

Well, along with all the other things that happened this year at CES, Bang & Olufsen announced a new cooperation agreement with Intel. What does that mean to you, the consumer? Not terribly much, on the outside — B&O products have carried Intel chips in the past, but this marks the first time the two companies have had an official relationship, and should mean we’ll be seeing refreshes of B&O products every time Intel brings forth new chips. And that’s always great news, isn’t it? Hit up the source link for full, flowery quotes from reps at both Intel and Bang & Olfusen. Full press release is after the break.

Continue reading Bang & Olufsen announce chip co-op deal with Intel

Bang & Olufsen announce chip co-op deal with Intel originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 Jan 2011 19:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If there is one booth at CES this year that is going all out, it’s arguably LG’s. The massive, supermarket-sized chunk of show floor real estate showcases everything from the manufacturer’s latest phones — like the Revolution, Optimus Black and Optimus 2X — to SmartTV devices, network Blu-ray players and HDTVs. You’ll also find smart appliances linked with WiFi and smartphone apps using LG Thinq, and even a scanner mouse — not to mention a mesmerizing display wall. Sample the insanity in the gallery below, and in the video after the break.

Continue reading LG’s CES 2011 booth tour

LG’s CES 2011 booth tour originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 Jan 2011 18:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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General Motors was busy making a big splash in the parking lot outside of the Las Vegas Convention Center this week, marking the North American debut of the EN-V–the Electric Networked Vehicle–a diminutive electric car the company thinks will lead the way for autos in the coming years.

The vehicle really is the polar opposite of the manner of sports utility vehicles that were all the rage, not so long ago. Six of these cars can fit into on standard American parking space. The two-seater is essentially built around a Segway–a two-wheeled gyroscopic mobility device. The vehicle can also detect obstacles in its way, including people and other cars.

GM showed off three different models at this week’s show (the vehicles will be on display again at the North American Auto Show). You can see two of them in action the video after the jump.