While computer chips are known for doubling in capacity every two years or so, battery improvement is at a measly 10% a year. And experts in the field seem to have even more bad news: (a) things are unlikely to change, and (b) the situation may get worse before it gets better. Since computer chips are shrinking so rapidly, the consumer electronics industry is able to include more bells and whistles as part of your gadget. But those extra features tend to drain batteries faster than ever before.
Category: Tech News
Google Goes Mobile Even More, Now Wants to Sell You Stuff
According to the Wall Street Journal (subscription required), which cites its favorite source of “people familiar with the matter,” Google is working on a new search service for cellphones that will help consumers search for and buy ringtones, games, and other mobile content. Google has even considered including a “social-networking component” (whatever that means in…
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First Magazine Offered as a Complete Audio Edition
I subscribe to the Economist and received an intriguing email yesterday. It looks like the Economist might be getting into podcasting, er, sort of. This comes not long after the magazine decided to implement RSS, though this latest move is a bit more unique. Check it out:
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How I Used Blogging to Sell Computers.net for $155,000
As promised, I thought I’d share how I sold Computers.net and made the move to TechConsumer. Back in June of 2005, I approached the original owner of Computers.net (who I had known for sometime) and asked what his plans were for the site (which was nothing more than a survey page at the time). As it turns out, he had always been interested in selling it but felt it was worth more than the highest offer he had received at that point: $50,000.
So I offered him a deal he couldn’t refuse: I would put together a blog, generate traffic, get advertising revenue, and then put Computers.net up for sale. In the process, I’d pay him a percentage of the ad revenue generated in exchange for a portion of the final selling price. Since he had done nothing with it since 1995, he figured my offer was worth a shot.
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The old Computers.net is now the new TechConsumer
Hi everyone! We’ve sold Computers.net (long story which I’ll share soon) and have moved all our previous content to our new site here: TechConsumer. More coming soon… If you have any questions, feel free to email us: TechConsumer at gmail dot com. *Update* Check out the About page for more details.
Amazon to Buy Netflix? Cool. But Then We’d Have to Pay Sales Tax
There are rumors afloat that Amazon may be purchasing Netflix. One source has the purchase price at around $1.5 billion while another pins it at $2.1 billion. As a result, Netflix shares are up 5 percent today. The online video rental/download/purchase market is still in its infancy even if crowded with the likes of Apple, Blockbuster, Netflix, Amazon, and even Wal-Mart. And those are just the big boys playing in that space.
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Going Paperless Can Complicate Lives of Loved Ones After You’re Gone
The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) has a valid point in explaining the under-anticipated downside of going paperless. Once you’re gone, your family may not know where to begin to look for your accounts, assets, insurance policies, retirement plans, etc. So you should write all that information down and keep it in a safe place, right?
Well, not exactly. Having a list of your passwords and private information all in one place is asking for trouble.
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Amazon One Ups Apple: All Music Not Only DRM-Free But Also MP3
Looks like the rumors are true, Amazon has officially announced its plans to start an online music store later this year with “millions of songs” and the same major label offering (EMI) as Apple. The news comes only a month and a half after Apple announced its DRM-free agreement with EMI. The biggest difference being that Amazon appears to be sticking with the all or nothing mentality rumored earlier: all songs will be DRM-free and MP3.
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