With home movies, video game systems and television programming all moving into the high-definition realm, consumers must surely wonder if they need to take out a second mortgage just to purchase a high-quality TV that takes advantage of these new formats. Fortunately, the answer is a resounding "no," as Mitsubishi has released a new line of affordable televisions that offer top-notch visuals in an attractive package.   NEW TVS - Mitsubishi's 2007 DLP televisions, including its 57-inch ... [full story]

By unleashing the XBOX 360 a year earlier than the competition, Microsoft has a head start on the next generation of console gaming. But Sony and Nintendo are now ready to enter the virtual boxing ring with their new consoles, the PlayStation 3 and the Wii. While Sony seems to be directly competing with Microsoft by trying to create the most technologically advanced gaming console ever created, Nintendo is going in another direction. Rather than ... [full story]

Each year shoplifters become more brazen and crafty, dreaming up new and audacious ways to steal everything from baby formula to Levi's jeans to Crest White Strips. To keep up, retailers are coming up with new ways to thwart would-be shoplifters. Those technologies were on display recently at the National Retail Federation's Loss Prevention Conference and Expo in San Diego. No longer relying only on run-of-the-mill sensor tags and video surveillance cameras, stores are using ... [full story]

From hanging chads to computer glitches that mysteriously lose thousands of votes, Lori Steele figures there has to be a better way to run elections. Steele, a former investment adviser, became so obsessed with improving elections that she left her job to become CEO of Everyone Counts, a California company that specializes in Internet voting software for public and private elections. "I thought if the right technology were employed, we could have irrefutable elections," she ... [full story]

The small, monochrome display screen on the Acoustic Research music and phone headset seems so retro at first glance - unless that first impression happens in broad daylight.   LIGHT BRIGHT - This working prototype of a Qualcomm phone display can be viewed in direct sunlight because it reflects light instead of using a backlight. CNS Photo by John Gastaldo. While it looks like the small screen on last decade's pagers, this display remains vibrant in direct ... [full story]

Consumers still grappling with digital transitions in television, music and photography have yet another digital turn in the road ahead - HD Radio. The new format - with improved sound quality for AM and FM broadcasts - is emerging on the airwaves across the country. Unlike the recent innovation of satellite radio, HD Radio programming is free to listeners. For consumers willing to buy new digital radios, it means more programs to choose from. The ... [full story]

The game begins with a static image of meadow grass and wildflowers that fills most of the computer screen. The image of a small bird briefly flashes on the left side of the meadow. At the same time, a letter appears elsewhere on the screen. And then both disappear. Players have to simultaneously click on the spot where the bird appeared and remember the letter. The better they perform, the more difficult the game gets. ... [full story]

The video game controller is dead. Long live the video game controller. Sherrie Baker blasted enemy soldiers recently in the Los Angles Convention Center using a white plastic gizmo that was shaped like a rifle and looked nothing like the stalwart gamepad that's been around since the early Atari systems. "It's great," Baker said of the $19 controller that converted the two-piece Nintendo Wii Remote joystick into a single, gunlike device, allowing her to more ... [full story]

Like many people who follow technology, I waited for Apple's recent earnings report for the first glimpse of how the shiny new iPhone has been selling. The hype and long lines outside stores led to a cash-register frenzy, but neither Apple nor AT&T, the iPhone's exclusive carrier, would say how big of a frenzy. There were, of course, educated guesstimates from analysts who sometimes have the inside track and who generally have a vested interest. ... [full story]

Irish rockers U2 created a buzz at the recent Cannes Film Festival with a 55-minute preview of a high-tech concert movie, "U2 3D." By pushing the technical limits of 3-D digital cinema, the film will showcase the strengths and weaknesses of cinema made without celluloid. Producers plan to limit release of the final 90-minute version to theaters equipped with digital, 3-D projectors. Unlike animated 3-D movies such as "Chicken Little" and "Monster House," "U2 3D" ... [full story]

So you're planning a vacation, trying to decide how many Hawaiian shirts you'll need, when a chilling thought arises. What about your phone? You never go anywhere without your phone. What if you need to arrange an elephant ride in Thailand? Or reserve a table at a Paris restaurant? Or seek medical advice in case of Montezuma's revenge? Will your phone work outside the country? And if it does, will calls be outrageously expensive? The ... [full story]

Occasionally, I have the version of the American Dream where I want to chuck it all and move to some quiet, rural town. Picket fences. Porch swings. Autumn pumpkin festivals. But of course, every Mayberry has its Barney Fife. (For you twenty-somethings, that's a reference to a bumbling deputy from the bad old days when we only had three TV channels. Look for "Andy Griffith" on YouTube.) Take Sparta, Mich., for example. Instead of Barney ... [full story]

Buying a gadget can mean running a gauntlet of confusing questions. How many gigabytes? Mac or Microsoft? What about megapixels? Plasma, LCD or DLP? How long is the battery life? How much are you willing to spend?   A LITTLE EXTRA - Do you want the extended warranty? Before you say no, you might want to think of the added protection it would provide for the expensive consumer products you're buying. CNS illustration by Cristina Martinez ... [full story]