Off track: America's economy is losing its competitive edge, and Washington hasn't noticed.
There is a moment in the lifespan of every cool new gadget--two years after Bill Gates buys one, a year and a half after the popular press gets wind of it--that its price drops enough to show up in significant numbers on the shelves at Best Buy, the electronic...

Kodak to extend Atlanta kiosk test indefinitely. (Kiosk corner: a look at the photo kiosk market).
Since last October, the Eastman Kodak Company has been overseeing what has been perhaps the most ambitious test of the viability of the digital imaging kiosk market to date. More of a consumer research program than a product scorecard, the test has involved placing some 500 Kodak Picture Maker...

The PMA 2004 showdown: print-at-retail vs. print-at-home; if you don't catch your customers soon, you could lose their digital processing business forever.
The recent PMA Show was a divisive eye opener. Two factions lined up to defend their business models. The print-at-home folks were pushing their latest devices, while their cross aisle competitors showed off their print-at-retail solutions. Most of the print-at-retail competitors are concerned about the print-at-home faction...

Clear itself.
Increasingly, letters to the editor and calls to talk radio are kicking off with: "If this were a sane country . . ." It isn't, of course. People deprived of rational thought always go bonkers. Our deprivation continues apace. Recently in an electronics store at the mall,...

FreshBrain Launches Social Networking Site.
ENTERTAINMENT CLOSE-UP-3 July 2008-FreshBrain Launches Social Networking Site(C)2008 - CloseUpMedia - newsdesk@closeupmedia.com FreshBrain announced a social networking site, freshbrain.org, for students age 13 to 18 who want to unleash all their best ideas with the assistance of the latest technology tools. The Web site gives...

Visteon Offers Integrated In-Dash Entertainment/GPS System.
ENTERTAINMENT CLOSE-UP-3 July 2008-Visteon Offers Integrated In-Dash Entertainment/GPS System(C)2008 - CloseUpMedia - newsdesk@closeupmedia.com The Visteon Navigation Radio System, a fully integrated replacement in-dash entertainment system featuring GPS navigation, iPod/MP3 command and control, Bluetooth hands-free phone operation with audio streaming, DVD video, and other premium functionality, is now...

Best Buy Survey: DTV Awareness is High, but Many Wait.
ENTERTAINMENT CLOSE-UP-24 June 2008-Best Buy Survey: DTV Awareness is High, but Many Wait(C)2008 - CloseUpMedia - newsdesk@closeupmedia.com In a recent survey, Best Buy found that while nearly nine in ten (88 percent) consumers are aware of the digital broadcast transition (DTV), Americans are still confused about why...

Airport Wireless Looks to Transfor Airport Stores Across the Country.
TRAVEL AND LEISURE CLOSE-UP-12 February 2008-Airport Wireless Looks to Transfor Airport Stores Across the Country(C)2008 - CloseUpMedia - newsdesk@closeupmedia.com Airport Wireless, a wireless and mobile electronics retailer in airports across the nation, said that it is driving a change in strategy for significant growth and expansion in...

In your face.
All That I Will Ever Be Written by Alan Ball Directed by Serge Seiden Studio Theater, Washington, DC THERE'S A SCENE in Alan Ball's All That I Will Ever Be, as staged by director Serge Seiden last March at Washington's Studio...

Mobility Electronics' iGo Universal Chargers Rolls in the UK.
ENTERTAINMENT CLOSE-UP-18 February 2008-Mobility Electronics' iGo Universal Chargers Rolls in the UK(C)2008 - CloseUpMedia - newsdesk@closeupmedia.com Mobility Electronics, a provider of portable power solutions, said that its iGo universal power adaptors and accessories are now available in select Maplin retailers throughout the United Kingdom. The...