Dubious achievements are flooding the consumer electronics and broadcast industries. In our second annual Trasher Awards, we single out the most noteworthy companies and products. So, in the spirit of informative condemnation, our 2024 Trashers go to...
When I shopped for a motorized recliner, I rejected models with their own Internet Protocol address and built-in speakers. No need. I had already placed a smart speaker on an étagère beside the space where I had planned to put the chair. I’d have a smartphone in my hand and the room would be bathed in Wi-Fi.
We don’t often get a chance to peer into tomorrow, but spending half an hour for a free demo of Vision Pro at an Apple store is one of those opportunities not to be missed. My first encounter with the virtual reality headset that Apple refers to as “a spatial computer” was a jaw-dropping experience that had me reaching for my wallet — almost.
One takeaway from CES 2024 is that we’re going to need a longer measuring tape. Most top out at 96 inches or less, meaning they’ll fall short when measuring the diagonal on a gigantic TV set…. But wait. Pythagoras to the rescue! Just measure the screen’s horizontal (a) and vertical (b) dimensions, apply the formula (a2 + b2 = c2) we learned in geometry class, and calculate the longer number — the diagonal (c). No need to upgrade your measuring tape!
When a spokesperson for NextGenTV, the broadcasting standard also known as ATSC 3.0, appeared at a recent tech expo, he used the F-word frequently. “Free is a very powerful term,” he exclaimed...
As the year rolls to an end, awards season is upon us. But this time we’ve decided to single out the least-deserving — those companies, apps, and individuals who let us down in 2023.
In switching from a 7-year-old 55-inch LCD to a new 65-inch OLED TV, I’ve been awestruck by the transformation in picture quality. Yet, the upgrade has not been pain free.
The announcement by Netflix that it would stop mailing out DVDs changed my behavior. I now regularly race to a street mailbox before its 9 a.m. pickup to return a disc I received the previous day. The sooner the company gets it back, the quicker it will send out the next title in my ever-expanding queue.
The Netflix red envelope that defined the era between video cassettes and streaming will soon be a relic of the past. Subscribers to the disc-by-mail service were informed by email on Tuesday (April 18) that the company will ship its last disc on September 29, 2023.