Companies that sell refrigerators, washers, hairdryers, or TVs in the European Union will need to ensure those appliances can be repaired for up to 10 years, to help reduce the vast mountain of electrical waste that piles up each year on the continent. Euronews reports: The “right to repair,” as it is sometimes called, comes into force across the 27-nation bloc…
Tag: TVs
Best Buy Lays Off 5,000 Workers, Will Close More Stores
Best Buy said it laid off 5,000 workers this month and is planning to close more stores this year as more consumers buy electronics online. From a report: The news comes at a time when big chains face growing competition from Amazon and other sites that sell items like TVs and laptops. Fry’s Electronics said Wednesday that it would abruptly close…
Smart TVs Running Google TV Will Have a ‘Basic’ Option
An anonymous reader shares a report: If you go out and purchase a new TV today, it’s going to have smart TV features allowing access to streaming services and the internet. However, if that new TV is running on the Google TV platform, it’s possible to easily disable all the smart features during setup. The option to make your TV dumb…
LG Says It Will License webOS To Other TV Makers
LG will make its webOS software available to other companies. From a report: The proprietary software on LG’s own sets will be able to be licensed by outside TV brands, the company announced Wednesday. Notably, TV brands that choose to bring LG’s software to their televisions will also get its Magic Motion remote, LG’s very good cursor-like wand. It would also…
The iPhone 12 Mini Was Apple’s 2020 Sales Flop
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Bad news for lovers of smaller phones: the iPhone 12 mini has sold poorly compared to other phones in the iPhone 12 lineup — poorly enough that analysts wonder whether Apple will remain committed to the smaller phone design moving forward. A data firm called Counterpoint Research found that the iPhone 12…
Customized Apple-Themed Game Boy Color Doubles As An Apple TV Remote
Italian YouTuber Otto Climan modded an original Game Boy Color handheld to act as an Apple TV remote. Gizmodo reports: Otto Climan started with an original Game Boy Color handheld that they upgraded with a backlit LCD display because the GBC arrived well before Nintendo stopped using dim screens that strained your eyes. For the custom white case adorned with Apple’s…
Google Stadia, Nvidia GeForce Now Support is Coming To LG’s 2021 TVs
Game streaming has been slowly growing in recent years with the launches of Nvidia’s GeForce Now, Google’s Stadia, Microsoft’s xCloud and Amazon’s Project Luna. This year, however, it looks to finally be picking up more steam. At CES 2021, LG announced that some of its 2021 TVs will support apps for playing games from Google Stadia and GeForce Now right on…
Roku Buys Quibi Content For Less Than $100 Million
phalse phace writes: After days of advanced talks to sell Quibi’s content library to Roku, the companies have finally reached a deal. According to Deadline, Roku will acquire most of Quibi’s content for less than $100 million. “The acquisition covers most of the Quibi library, but some daily news shows are not part of the package,” reports Deadline. “A key draw…
Roku Tops 51 Million Accounts, Becoming the Biggest Smart TV Platform in North America
Roku’s bet on smart TVs is paying off: Seven years after the company first began licensing its operating system to TV manufacturers, it has become a market leader in North America. Roku and its hardware partners sold more smart TVs in the U.S. in 2020 than competitors like Samsung, LG and Vizio, according to data from the NPD Group released by…
Sony TVs Get Brighter OLED, Cognitive Processing, Google TV Streaming in 2021
Sony is probably the most storied TV brand still standing and while it’s no longer a top 5 seller, it remains a powerhouse among high-end models — aka TVs that cost a lot of money. Its 2021 lineup of new sets, announced in advance of CES, includes lots of impressive technology and will likely cost a pretty penny too. From a…