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Worldwide demand for used PCs is greater than supply, yet less than half of PCs entering the secondary market get reused.

Only one in five PCs targeted for reuse find their way from a mature to a developing economy, tech consulting firm Gartner said in a report.

Of those machines that actually make it, only 44% get used. Major hindrances include export tariffs and high transportation costs.

“The secondary PC market offers great opportunity to specialized intermediaries, resellers, or vendors, but it is a highly fragmented and competitive market,” Gartner analyst Meike Escherich said in a statement.

Refurbished PCs typically offer equal or better profit margins than new PCs, ranging from $10 to $50 for a 3-year-old machine. 

More at InformationWeek.

(And thanks to freegeekchicago.org for the photo.)

Tags: gartner, recycled computers

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Original post by nafiz

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Unafraid to incite elitist gamer geek unrest, respected video game industry analyst Michael Pachter has supported a prediction by GigaOM that Wii Fit will outsell Grand Theft Auto IV this year. Yeah, you read right: the latest entry into what is arguably the biggest hardcore video game franchise around is gonna get whooped by an exercise tool — we′re not shocked, we′re just laughing. GTA4 was dominating at first, but with time interest has waned while Wii Fit and its included Balance Board peripheral have stayed hot despite supply shortages. Nintendo’s hardware-focused strategy seems to be working; the Balance Board install base is approaching 12 million, or roughly 30% of all Wii owners. You can bet it’ll be put to good use in future games and other, less mainstream applications even after folks have given up on losing weight and resigned themselves once more to lifelong loneliness.

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Original post by Samuel Axon

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

If you’re wondering why you don’t have an AT&T-branded BlackBerry Bold in your hand at this very second, the answer might lie a couple thousand miles away where Orange has allegedly pulled all units off the shelves to hammer out some “software issues” that have plagued early devices in subscribers’ hands. The whole situation leaves us to wonder whether carriers jumped the gun on validating early builds of the Bold’s firmware in an effort to get it out into the market in a non-ridiculous amount of time, while AT&T may have chosen to play it safe with a longer, more excrutiating battery of tests — leading to RIM’s swipe that the October 2 miss was all AT&T’s fault. It’s just a theory, and probably a pretty meaningless one since this Orange fiasco should apparently take a couple weeks to clear up at most, and we’re still hearing occasional whispers out of the AT&T camp that they′re still pushing for an October release over there. Chop chop, guys.

[Via Mobile Tech Addicts]

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Original post by Chris Ziegler

Filed under: Wireless

The FCC doesn’t exactly have a track record of swiftness when it comes to reviewing mergers, but it looks like that little election thing might have lit a couple grey suits on fire — FCC chairman Kevin Martin says that the agency is aiming to finish looking over the Sprint / Clearwire and Verizon / Alltel deals by the end of the year. That’s right before a new administration takes over and potentially gums up the process, so we’re guessing it′ll be approvals all around, since rejecting the bids would result in some fun lawsuits for everyone, but we’ll see how things shake out.

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Original post by Nilay Patel

Filed under: Wireless

The FCC doesn′t exactly have a track record of swiftness when it comes to reviewing mergers, but it looks like that little election thing might have lit a couple grey suits on fire — FCC chairman Kevin Martin says that the agency is aiming to finish looking over the Sprint / Clearwire and Verizon / Alltel deals by the end of the year. That’s right before a new administration takes over and potentially gums up the process, so we’re guessing it’ll be approvals all around, since rejecting the bids would result in some fun lawsuits for everyone, but we’ll see how things shake out.

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Original post by Nilay Patel

Regional mobile carrier Alltel has launched NuTsie, a service that allows users of almost a dozen of the company’s handsets to stream certain titles from their PC’s iTunes collection to their cell phones.

This makes the operator the first U.S. carrier to offer such a service, which will cost $4.99 a month, or $19.99 a year.

To stream the protected and unprotected songs in a user’s iTunes library, NuTsie does not actually place-shift songs from a user’s PC. Instead, the service matches the songs in a user’s library to the licensed songs stored in NuTsie servers, then streams only the songs in its server.

As a result, not every song in a user’s PC library might get streamed to an Alltel phone or BlackBerry. Partly to compensate for that limitation, NuTsie gives users the option to stream songs not in their iTunes library.

New songs would be chosen by NuTsie based on the user’s existing library, whose playlists must be uploaded to NuTsie and will appear inside the phone’s NuTsie application. New music is also available for playback from friends’ playlists and from NuTsie programmers.

Even more at TWICE.  

Tags: alltel, blackberry, itunes, mobile phone, nutsie, twice

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Original post by nafiz

Panasonic today announced the release of the Lumix DMC-ˇ, the worlds smallest and lightest D-SLR, according to the company.

The camera weighs about 385 grams and is based on the new Micro Four Thirds System standard, which eliminates the need for an internal mirror structure, cutting the camera’s size and weight in half.

“With the LUMIX G1, we are filling a void that has existed for a long time in the digital camera market, because consumers wanted the power of an SLR, but previous models were bulky and inconvenient,” said David Briganti, Panasonic’s national marketing nanager. “The LUMIX G answers this challenge as consumers can benefit from the flexibility of changing lenses; a quick Auto Focus; and a sensor that produces high-quality photos. By packing all those powerful assets into an extremely compact body with easy-to-use features familiar to point-and-shoot users, we are excited about G, as it brings new possibilities to the consumer.”

The camera will ship with the Lumix G Vario 14-45mm/F3.5-5.6 ASPH/MEGA O.I.S lens. Another lens, the Lumix G Vario 45-200mm/F4.0-5.6/MEGA O.I.S, will also be available when the camera ships.

The 12.1 megapixel camera boasts a number of features, including AF tracking, Intelligent Exposure, Mega O.I.S., Intelligent Scene Selector, Face Detection, Live MOS, My Color Mode, and an HDMI output.

According to Pansonic, the ˇ is also the first camera with interchangeable lenses that comes in a variety of colors, including blue and red in addition to the traditional black.

Pricing will be announced next month. The camera will be available in November.

Original post by Brian Heater

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

It would have been juicier if Microsoft hadn’t announced the fall Zune lineup a day early and gone directly head-to-head with Apple’s newly refreshed iPod lineup, but the fact is that if you’re in the market for a new player the past 48 hours have delivered a slew of new options. Microsoft concentrated on the software side of the equation with Zune 3.0, but Redmond’s players themselves got a WiFi music store, some new games, and Buy From FM, while Apple added in new Genius playlists across the board and updated the iPod nano’s form factor and UI. At the high end of the capacity scale, the Zune seems to have the win on paper — both the Zune 120 and the iPod classic frustratingly top out at 120GB, but the classic’s stagnated essentially at the level of the 5.5G video iPod while the Zune 120 carries all the features of its smaller siblings. On top of all that, you have the newly-thinner iPod touch, with all of its browsing, media, gaming, and third-party application features — and the lost purity of purpose adding all features those entails. That’s a ton of choices — so c’mon, kids, what’s it going to be?

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Original post by Nilay Patel

Perhaps Nikon wanted the focus on simplicity with the Coolpix 𔚐, as PC Magazine didn’t seem to give it such a satisfactory review. Standard features include a 4x optical zoom, Vibration Reduction, and “TV Quality” video footage. Listing at $299.95, this cam is about as basic as entry-level cameras come.

The S600 is ideal for family gatherings or vacation photos where users simply just point the camera and shoot the picture. If you’re looking for nothing more than a simple and stylish compact camera, the S600 is a solid choice. However, as Reviews Producer Nicole Price Fasig points out in her review, there are better entry-level cameras out there.

Head over to the review and see if it suits your camera needs.

Original post by Chris Gampat

The Geek Squad Froze a laptop (positioned at the bottom of the image) to demonstrate how users can salvage it when it becomes too cold.

We got to spend some time with the Geek Squad down at the Black Bear Lodge today. They showed us some cool ways to tweak our home and personal tech. Everything from computers, HDTVs, cameras, and cell phones were present. Check out some good tips after the jump. Then you may want to head over to our solutions page for more expert help.

Kyle Monson’s old Kodak point-and-shoot could not be fixed by the Geek Squad–notice how the lens cover is jammed.

With the claim that if they’d be able to fix any broken gadget of ours, I took Monson’s old Kodak point-and-shoot to meet their challenge. Disappoint slapped me in the face when I was told that it couldn’t be fixed there and that they would have to send it out to their main headquarters for fixing.

Notice the saturation and contrast differences of the man’s jacket in the HDTV on the left and on the right. Geek Squad agents calibrated the television on the right so that viewers would be able to see all details with more clarity.

However, something really neat that they showed us was that your HDTV can be calibrated according to the room that it’s in–meaning that instead of looking super-saturated the way they usually do in Best Buy, it can be adjusted so that all details can be seen. The adjustments caused very subtle image noise that one cannot see unless looking very closely, but the overall image was still improved.

They also demonstrated how to salvage your phone, camera or other personal handheld device from water damage. First, users should always remove the SD cards, batteries, SIM cards, etc. Afterwards, put the device in a clear Tupperware bowl with silica gel packs (or actually, beef jerky) and close the lid. It was recommended that it should be left alone overnight and then removed carefully from the bowl. Another way was to bury it in a bowl of dried rice for a couple of hours. If the LCD does not work, then you can most likely bring it in the Geek Squad where they should be able to fix it.

Most impressive was the frozen laptop they presented. The Geek Squad said that if you keep your laptop in the car or in a very cold area for an extended amount of time that you should remove the battery and wait for both the laptop and battery to get back to room temperature to use them again.

Original post by Chris Gampat

Remember those Polaroid cameras? Of course you do; it’s only been a while since Polaroid films have been killed off. Of course, there’s also the new PoGo mobile printer for some instantaneous on-the-road photo printing. Judging by how Polaroid cameras are structured, I wasn’t quite surprised to hear that the company is releasing a digital camera with an on-board photo printer on 2009.

The on-board printer will use the same ZINK inkless printing technology seen on the PoGo printers. Additionally, the printer will be designed to produce 4×3 prints which are bigger than the current PoGo’s 2×3 ones. Detailed specs aren’t known yet because Polaroid is giving consumers the chance to take part in the development of the product. Check out the exclusive Polaroid Survey now up at Amateur Photographer for the Polaroid PoGo ProSeries cameras.

Original post by Mariella Moon

Sony introduced two consumer level cameras in the Cyber-shot T-Series today: the DSC-𔫜 and the DSC-ℝ. Both models feature slim, pocket-friendly brushed aluminum bodies, sliding lens covers, and multiple color choices. The 10.3-megapixel 𔫜 is intended to double as a high-res portable photo frame, while the entry-level ℝ comes with additional automatic shooting modes.

The Cyber-shot DSC-𔫜 also has 4GB of internal storage, and a 4x optical zoom. The camera also boasts a crisp and bright 3.5-inch, 921k-pixel LCD touch screen. The screen is comparable but better than the Apple iPhone’s. The 𔫜 will ship with software that will easily sync, transfer, and organize pictures from your computer–even those not taken on the 𔫜. The app will also automatically resize images for storage and viewing on the camera’s LCD. The 𔫜 should hit store shelves in late September for about $399.

The second new camera, the entry-level Cyber-shot DSC-ℝ, replaces Sony’s DSC-№. Like its predecessor, the ℝ has a 3-inch LCD touch screen and a is only 0.6 inches wide. It also has a 4x optical zoom, more features to its automatic shooting mode, including upgrades in the anti-blink, red-eye reduction technologies, and improvements to the Smile Shutter function. The ℝ should also be available in late September and will keep the №’s price of $299.

[Via PC Mag]

Original post by Chris Gampat

Nikon today unveiled a number of new point-and-shoots. The models ship this September.

According to PC Mag, there are, “six new models in all, highlights include the slim, sexy S60 with a 3.5-inch touch screen, the Wi-Fi-enabled S610c, and the P6000 a powerful yet portable shooter with built-in GPS capability.”

Priced at $249.95, the budget Coolpix 𔙨 camera is designed for extreme ease of use and intended for novice shooters. It’s equipped with 15 scene modes to make capturing life simple. The camera features a 10-megapixel sensor, a 2.7 inch LCD screen, a 5x zoom lens, and an ISO setting that goes up to 3200.

The $349.95 Coolpix S60 is available in various colors. The camera offers 10 megapixels, a 5x zoom lens, and HDMI connectivity for outputing images and slideshows to HDTVs, and a 3.5-inch touch screen, which lets you navigate and even perform quick edits on your shots.
Billed by Nikon to be speed demons, the Coolpix S610 and S610c both have 10 megapixel image sensors, 3.6x zoom lenses offering a wide 28mm view on its wide end, and a swift promised start-up time of 0.7 seconds. The S610c has built in Wi-Fi capability. With it you’ll be able to e-mail pictures to friends and family directly from the camera, or just upload them to Nikon’s my PictureTown online storage and photo-sharing service. Expect the S610 and S610c to run for $279.95 and $329.95, respectively.

Nikon’s S710 has a sharp 14.5-megapixel sensor and a 3.6x zoom lens with optical image stabilization. One of the camera’s amazing features is an extremely sensitive ISO settings ranging up to 12800–something not even seen on some DSLRs. Compose your shots using the S710’s 3-inch LCD screen for just $379.95.

For enthusiasts, Nikon has introduced the $499.95 Coolpix P6000. The 13.5-megapixel camera offers seems to be direct competition to Canon’s G9. The device has RAW file capture, pop-up flash, and an optical viewfinder. You can also attach external flash units to the camera for more flexible lighting control. Even more amazing is the GPS capability, which lets photographers “geotag” the exact position, time, and date of their shots. Strange though is the Ethernet port instead of Wi-Fi capabilities.

Original post by Chris Gampat

PC Magazine readers have spoken. 20,000 of them rated support for tech products ranging from from desktops to media players. This time readers evaluated their experience with over 19,000 PCs (both desktops and notebooks)–and that was just the beginning. They′ve also rated the reliability of company support for printers, cameras, cellular phones and their providers, HDTVs, VoIP, ISPs, and more.

Certain companies remain consistent leaders; but many smaller vendors don’t make the cut at all due to the 50 response minimum. For example, Sony might make the overall list for desktops but not the list for desktops less than a year old. Not enough readers rated Sony in the latter category to be considered.

It’s interesting to note that Windows Vista appears to be growing on people, although readers still preferred XP. Tables are available for statistics on cell phones/services, desktops, cameras, HDTVs, ISPs, media players, notebooks, printers, routers, and VoIP. From well-known services like FireDog and Geek Squad to smaller outfits like SupportSpace, you′ll get all the info you need.

Original post by Chris Gampat

You wouldn’t know it by walking outside, but it’s the holiday season here in Magazineland. With that in mind, Samsung held its annual holiday showcase yesterday in Manhattan. Located in what is essentially someone’s ridiculously expensive renovated three-floor Greenwich Village apartment space, the show hit just about every one of Samsung’s diverse electronics categories–from MP3 players to washing machines.

Check out some of our favorites, after the jump.

The SC-MX20 is Samsung’s newest entry into the “YouTube camcorder” space. The camera runs $280 and has an SD/SDHC card slot, a 2.7-inch swivel LCD, 34X optical zoom, and Advanced Image Stabilization. It’s also a snazzy-looking device, available in red, white, black, and blue next month.

Speaking of snazzy, the TL34HD is the company’s high-end point-and-shoot. It offers 14.7-megapixel shooting with a 3.6X optical zoom and a Schneider lens with a 28mm wide-angle focal length. The camera will be available in September for $329.95.

Samsung’s S2 Pebble offers a lot of style for a $40 Flash-based MP3 player. Of course, for that price there’s not screen and only 1GB of storage, but beggars can’t be choosers, right?

The new Touch of Color (ToC) line are combination HDTV/PC monitors that feature built-in digital ATSC/QAM tuners, offer front and rear HMI ports, and 5-ms video response times. The T240HD and T260HD offer 1080p resolutions.

Original post by Brian Heater