In the aftermath of last night’s State of the Union speech, the fallout was not limited to partisan rhetoric. Technology companies, such as Sprint, issued statements letting the President know the company supported many of the to-dos listed in the speech. Are these signs of support just publicity stunts with mere platitudes? Let’s find out. more »

According to Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)® surveys, Americans want the market to determine what goes in their phones, not government. The studies shows increasing wariness about governments behavior regarding their interest in whats in our phones. What prompted the study? Broadcasters are pushing congress to add mandatory FM radios to phones. In what could be more »

If you have Cablevision, then you probably know about its remote DVR features, which allow you to record TV shows remotely for later viewing within Cablevision offices. Previously, there was a petition questioning the legality of remote DVR usage which reached the Supreme Court. Once there, the United States Supreme Court disposed of the petition, a move greatly appreciated by the CEA.

CEO and President of CEA, Gary Shapiro, had this to say about the remote DVR technology, “The ability to record television programming has become commonplace to millions of Americans which has benefited consumers and allowed the consumer technology and content industries to contribute billions of dollars to our economy and create millions of jobs.”

He goes on further to say that it doesn’t matter how you record shows, whether it be a box, or in an office. Another argument used by Shapiro is the fact that Apple and Google already offer similar services, so it makes sense that remote DVR technology such as this is allowed to prosper.

This always seemed like an odd case. Why would remote DVRs be illegal when regular DVRs were legal? If you had a very long cable between your hard drive and your set top box, that would be illegal? With the Supreme Court denying to review the lower court’s decision, expect more cable providers to start setting up remote DVR functionality. Just imagine never filling up your hard drive space on your DVR. Or just imagine the cable companies telling you that you get 5 hours of DVR space and for a fee you can get more space. Hmm…one of those options seems a lot more realistic than the other.

Remember back in the old days when you had to take pictures with film, then get it processed, and then finally order prints? Nowadays, you can press a few buttons on your cell phone, and your friend across the country can receive your picture. You can even upload digital pictures from your camera onto your computer for safekeeping, and then order prints with ease.

The Consumer Electronics Association sponsored a study called, Digital Imaging: A Focus on Sharing. In one part of their study, they found that 65% of all consumers are happy with the options that they have in sharing photos, protecting photos, and backing them up.

The transition to digital television is still set to take place on February 18th, 2008 with the last analog broadcasts airing on February 17. At that time, televisions without digital tuners will not be able to receive television over the air.

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) does not want the transition to be subjected to a delay by the Obama-Biden administration. The Obama-Biden presidential transition team co-chair asked for a delay so the poor and elderly can handle the switch.

Gary Shapiro, CEO and president of CEA, offered five answers to possible problems…

According to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), over 50 percent (approximately 57 million) of American households now own a digital TV. Figures are based on market and research data from the manufacturers of television and consumer electronics that compose the association as well as consumer research. Revenue for digital TV sales is expected to grow more »