Hasta La Gadget!

It’s been a slow, painful death, but it’s about time to just pull the white sheet over ultra-wideband and let the wireless standard rest in peace. After Intel pulled its support for UWB and proponent WiQuest shut down late last year, all that the format really had left was TZero. After successfully surviving some legal issues, we thought the company was good to go in fighting a hopeless battle against wireless HD upstart AMIMON. Now, it seems that WHDI (that’s AMIMON’s magic) is free to take the market by storm, but only time will tell if wireless HD is even remotely close to mainstream. In one sense, we’re sad to see competition die, but on the other hand, it’s always good to see fruitless format wars fade away. Don’t be too down on yourself, TZero — it’s not like anyone really had high expectations for you or anything.

Filed under: Wireless

TZero closes up shop, UWB all but dead originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 22:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We can’t say the economic crisis has been too kind to every industry, but it’s been a best friend to Netflix. As consumers divert their out-on-the-town dollars to sit-on-my-arse-and-watch-Netflix dollars, the by-mail and streaming movie rental company is just breaking records left and right. After closing a stellar 2008 with 9.4 million customers, the company has today announced that the 10 million mark has been crossed. For those struggling with basic math, that means that it has added 600,000 net subscribers since January 1st. So, where does Netflix go from here? Into every nook and cranny it can, of course, so don’t be shocked to see Watch Instantly creep onto your next HDTV, set-top-box, Blu-ray player or portable microwave. Seriously, it could happen.

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Netflix breaks the 10 million subscriber mark, keeps on truckin’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 10:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It was the number one concern of about-to-be-swallowed Alltel customers going into this merger deal, and now it’s finally time for those individuals to breathe a huge sigh of relief. In a prime example of great decision making, the suits at Big Red have decided to not only allow ex-Alltel subscribers to keep their My Circle plans, but it’s bringing the circle to “current and future customers [read: both VZW and Alltel] as a flexible way to control wireless spending.” The news was shot out this morning in a message to employees (posted in full after the break), though there’s no word on when Verizon Wireless customers can look forward to enjoying 5, 10 or 20 numbers of free calling each month. So, AT&T — now that you’re cornered between myFaves and My Circle, what’s the reaction going to be?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Verizon Wireless adopts Alltel’s My Circle as ‘Friends & Family’

Filed under: Cellphones

Verizon Wireless adopts Alltel’s My Circle as ‘Friends & Family’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 08:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bad news Kuro fans, the rumors were true and Pioneer is leaving the TV manufacturing business. On the upside, the restructuring deadline is March 2010, so a predicted net 130 billion yen ($1.44 billion) loss shouldn’t be enough to get between you and the plasma HDTV of your dreams. The company’s U.S. and U.K. plants are shutting down by April and February of this year, respectively, and product development for TVs beyond what’s currently on the market is ending, seeing no prospects for improving profitability even after combining plasma efforts with Panasonic and LCDs with Sharp. Overall, there will be 10,000 fewer full time and temporary Pioneer employees than there were at the end of last year, while pay and bonuses for execs have been cut. The future for Pioneer? Mostly car audio, including in-car Blu-ray players and networked electronics, while its home electronics business focus on audio, DJ equipment and cable TV boxes, with a focus on using its expertise in improving sound. All other ugly details are contained in the press release, mourning the passing of another plasma supplier is in the comments.

[Via Bloomberg and AV Watch, thanks Carl H.]

Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment

Pioneer officially leaving the TV biz by March 2010, focusing on audio originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 03:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Safe to say that satellite radio is far down the list of priorities for Uncle Sam’s bailout bucks, so Sirius XM CEO Mel Karmazin pounded some pavement today, hitting up DirecTV and its parent company Liberty Media to try and save his bankrupted radio hydra. Apparently Smelly Melly isn’t as hot for EchoStar owner Charles Ergan to buy Sirius XM out as was previously rumored, but there’s a showdown brewing: Ergan’s been busy taking control of Sirius XM’s debt, so any deal with Liberty / DirecTV would result in feuding ownership interests. Making things even more interesting, it sounds like Ergan and Karmazin don’t really get along, so this deal with DirecTV is basically his last shot at keeping his job. Desperate men do desperate things — we’ll see how this one shakes out.

Read – Reuters
Read – NYT

Filed under: Portable Audio

Sirius XM in bailout talks with DirecTV originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Feb 2009 23:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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