electronics news stories on Newser

Honda Unveils Segway Competitor: the Uni-Cub

Dustin Lushing — Sat, 19 May 2012 13:11:00 CDT

Watch out, Segway, there's a new player in the high-end scooter game. Honda has revealed the Uni-Cub, a personal mobility device that, like the Segway, is driven by shifting one's weight. It "looks like a trash compactor on wheels," reports the Los Angeles Times . (The Wall Street Journal thinks it's...

With Eye on Amazon, Best Buy to Close 50 Stores

Kate Schwartz — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:16:46 CDT

With Circuit City now long gone, everything should be coming up roses for Best Buy, right? No such luck. America's biggest electronics retailer today announced that it will be shuttering 50 of its big-box stores after posting a fiscal fourth quarter loss that was due partly to restructuring charges. It...

Apple Can Bring Those Jobs Back

Neal Colgrass — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:59:14 CST

Apple's claim that it can't bring manufacturing jobs back to America rings false to Dan Lyons at The Daily Beast . "Apple says no, but of course it can: American workers build BMWs and Boeings, and they certainly could build all of an iPad’s components," Lyons writes. He talks to Clyde...

iPhone App of the Year Is... Instagram

Dustin Lushing — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 11:40:05 CST

The retro-styling photography app Instagram scored the honor of 2011's "iPhone App of the Year," as bestowed by Apple in its annual year-in-review rankings called iTunes Rewind. Instagram allows users to retool photos with Polaroid-esque filters and then share the snapshots through social media. The iPhone app has upward of...

Time to Relax Rules About Electronics on Planes

John Johnson — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:09:25 CST

C'mon FAA, it's time to rethink the overly strict rules governing the use of electronic devices aboard planes, writes Nick Bilton in the Disruptions blog at the New York Times. There's just no evidence to suggest that somebody with an ebook or video game will endanger a takeoff or landing....

This 'Tattoo' Is a Computer

Rob Quinn — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 04:46:41 CDT

Scientists have blurred the line between man and machine with a revolutionary new device. The "electronic tattoo" sticks to the skin like a temporary tattoo, moving and wrinkling like skin does. The device, created by researchers seeking to create less obtrusive medical monitors for premature babies, monitors vital signs, but...

Cops: TSA Agent Took $50K in Electronics From Bags

Tim Karan — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 16:56:05 CDT

Passengers traveling through a Florida airport might have noticed their luggage feeling a little lighter upon landing. Police say a TSA agent at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport was caught shoving a passenger's iPad down his pants, and that's just the beginning, reports CBS Miami . The agent—responsible for screening luggage...

New Nanotech Could Lead to Heart-Powered Phones

Rob Quinn — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 08:55:25 CDT

Scientists say a big leap forward in nanotechnology has put them on the road to creating electronics that won't run out of juice until their owners do. Researchers say they have made the first commercially viable nanogenerators, which can use tiny movements like a pinch of a finger or even...

24 States Now Ban Tossing Electronics

Nick McMaster — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 15:04:15 CST

Nearly half the states in the US now have laws requiring that most electronic equipment be recycled instead of dumped in the trash, the AP reports. Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina are the most recent states to ban simply tossing out old TVs, computers, video game consoles, stereo...