One of the recurring themes in the technology industry is that very successful companies become arrogant and start taking unnecessary risks or abusing customers -- the two aren't mutually exclusive. That behavior can accomplish what competitors have failed to do: It can kill them. I was in IBM in th...
TiVo was one of the first to enable consumers to time-shift their TV viewing via DVRs, and now the company is targeting place-shifting capabilities as well with out-of-home streaming via the TiVo Roamio Pro and TiVo Roamio Plus DVRs. The two Roamio devices were launched earlier this year, but on Thu...
Netflix may be angling to provide streaming content to cable subscribers. It apparently is exploring deals with Comcast and Suddenlink Communications to launch an app for set-top boxes. Netflix streams its content through Web-connected TVs; media players such as Apple TV and Roku; video game consol...
A Tesla S caught fire last week. I have a lot of experience with cars, with lithium-ion batteries -- and with both cars and batteries catching fire. For a time, I was the lead battery analyst in the U.S., and my house nearly burned down when a lithium-ion battery pack decided to fail while charging....
There's another video game console fight coming, and Microsoft's latest -- the Xbox One -- has a hard act to follow as it joins the fray. The Xbox 360 has been outselling both the Nintendo and Sony consoles for some time now. I'm guessing Microsoft felt it had an unfair advantage, because it apparen...
Microsoft has released an unboxing video for its upcoming Xbox One video game console, which will arrive this holiday season. In addition to the console, gamers will get a number of accessories, including an unexpected headset. Microsoft has also shed some light on the features that will be availabl...
Sony issued an invite Thursday to an event on Feb. 20 that could give gamers their first glimpse at the PlayStation 4, the company's next-generation console to go head-to-head against Nintendo's Wii U and whatever Microsoft unveils later this year. Sony had previously hinted that it would provide PS...
As I look back on 2012, a number of products stand out as memorable. I figured I'd use my last column of the year to take a moment to recall each one and what made it special. For years I wondered why someone didn't use the technology that was used to cool astronauts and race drivers in consumer clo...
Boxee on Tuesday announced a new device, Boxee TV, which combines live TV, Web apps and a digital video recorder with cloud storage. The box hardware is based on a new chipset from Broadcom and runs software written from scratch for the device. The Boxee Box, which is the predecessor to Boxee TV, wi...
IBM's Sequoia supercomputer headed the latest Top500 list of the world's fastest supercomputers. The twice-yearly roster was released at the 2012 International Supercomputing Conference in Hamburg, Germany, in June. Delivered to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 2011, Sequoia is schedule...
Good - It's entertaining and makes sporting events more interesting.
Bad - It increases the risk of gambling addiction and financial loss.
Neutral - The benefits and drawbacks are equally significant.
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