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EU online spending estimated to grow 16 percent, reach €232 billion in 2012
Pardon us Americans as we act surprised, but it turns out that we have one more thing in common with our Euro brethren: a growing number of us dislike shopping in stores. According to Kelkoo estimates, online spending in the European Union is projected to continue its upward trend, which is said to reach somewhere in the neighborhood of €232 billion before year's end. If the estimate holds, this would be a 16 percent increase over the €200 billion raked by e-tailers during 2011, and is naturally assumed to come at the expense of traditional brick and mortar outfits, whose growth is projected to increase by a mere 1.8 percent.The data gathered also suggest there's significant room for expansion, however, as online spending accounted for just 7.8 percent of all EU retail sales in 2011, with the UK, Germany and France being responsible for a whopping 71 percent of that tally. The 16 percent projected growth is a slight decline from 2011, which saw EU online spending grow by 18 percent -- although, Europe's growing habit for click-and-ship continues to outpace the US, which grew by only 12.8 percent in 2011. Now, since you've crammed all these numbers, why not check the funny pages?[Shopping button via Shutterstock]
OCZ reveals consumer-level RevoDrive PCIe SSD, blazing fast HSDL data interface
OCZ has a penchant for doling out new kit at trade shows, and this year's Computex is no different. The star of the new-release show was the RevoDrive, a PCIe card with between 128GB and 480GB of SSD onboard. The unit we saw here in Taipei was near-final, with a pair of SandForce SF-1200 controllers, a daughter board expansion slot (for possibly combining two in a RAID scenario) and a promised starting price of around $400 to $600 (not to mention read / write times of nearly 540MB/sec). Obviously, this hits well below the multi-thousand dollar PCIe SSD options from Fusion-io and company, and it's the first time we've seen PCIe SSD become even remotely affordable. If all goes well, the RevoDrive will start shipping within a few months. In related news, the company also announced that the Vertex 2 line of solid state solutions will be slimmed down for the 1.8-inch form factor (like you'd find in an iPod classic), but details on pricing or availability were nowhere to be found. Lastly, and potentially most importantly, the company revealed a fresh-out-of-the-lab prototype that could significantly enhance transfer rates from PCIe devices. Codenamed HSDL (high speed data link; shown above), the solution combines an industry standard SAS connector with an OCZ-built PCIe board in order to enable transfer rates as high as 20Gbit/sec. The company said a final product is at least six months out, but it's already toying with the idea of selling a single and quad-slot card in due time. Peek the gallery below for more of what's to come.%Gallery-94243%
Are you watching TV and reading this at the same time? In-Stat survey says probably
Wonder why TV manufacturers are so happy to jam the Internet into TV sets? A recent In-Stat survey reveals that synchronizing the web and TV programming could be key going forward, since so many people (up to 50% of men and 30% of women, depending on age group) already watch TV while using a computer. They'll need to figure something out to keep customers attention, with results also indicating that around 15% of consumers plan to cut back on subscription TV, Internet and mobile services over the next year, which could trim up to $5 billion in revenue. Of course, you'll have to drop $3,495 to find out more about TV viewing habits including consumer interest in Internet TV services, so we wouldn't be surprised to see the pay TV execs that cough up for this kind of data put it to use sooner rather than later.
DirecTV puts away the checkbook, plans to raise rates in 2009
DirecTV already broke our hearts once this week, and it's doing its darnedest to shatter the blood pumper once more. The satcaster, while doing fairly well with all things considered, is still looking to reel in spending and watch profits carefully in 2009. Reportedly, the outfit has decided to freeze hiring and suspend any spending on all "but the most critical capital projects." Clearly, the ill-fated HDPC-20 tuner didn't fall into that "most critical" bucket. Moreover, it's looking to ramp up promotions and raise rates as it barrels into the new year, and even though folks are spending less overall, it still "remains bullish" about the year to come. Verizon, AT&T, et al. -- it's time to mobilize and capitalize.[Image courtesy of CipherLTD]
Credit crisis hindering 3D expansion in theaters?
We're as tired of the doom and gloom economy talk as you are, but we just couldn't pass this one up. A new report from Bloomberg News has it that the current credit crunch (how's that for a buzzword?) is putting a damper on 3D cinema expansion. Which is quite funny, given the small flood of expansion reports that we've seen of late. Citing Cinedigm Digital Cinema in particular, it notes that plans to convert some 1,500 cinemas to 3D-capable venues have been replaced with plans that include 100 to 200. The lack of available 3D theater options could seriously hinder studios' ability to cash in and make back their own 3D investment; after all, who's really going to drive an hour of their way for a 3D version of a film showing just down the street? In reality, we don't expect this situation to be the rule going forward, but it'll certainly be interesting to see how studios feel about their 3D investments around this time next year.[Image courtesy of U2]
Comcast fields tons of "lower my bill!" calls in rough economy
When it comes time for the proverbial belt to tighten, what's one of the first places you turn? That outlandishly huge cable bill, we'd wager. Apparently Comcast users in particular have been calling in by the hundreds asking how the carrier can lower their monthly bills, and it has even gone so far as to create an "economy video tier that costs below $30 a month with 50 TV channels plus music channels." Of course, it also just raised rates for most subscribers along with practically every other provider in America (Atlantic Broadband notwithstanding), but hey, it can't hurt to call up and politely throw around that "switch to satellite" threat.
Poll: Do you rent or buy your Blu-ray Discs?
Look, we're as tired of hearing about "the economy" as you are, but even disregarding that, Blu-ray Discs are expensive. Darn expensive if we should say so ourselves. We get the feeling that they'll start falling to line up more evenly with Blu-ray hardware, but given that most flicks are still quite a bit at retail, we're curious to see the ratio of renters to buyers. Also, we're pretty sure most everyone would gladly answer this with "Both!," but we're concerned with what you do most. The majority of the time, are you a renter or a buyer? Has that changed since your days with DVD?[Image courtesy of Parislemon] %Poll-23404%
Survey finds over half of football fans would take an HDTV over vacation
My, my -- no wonder the rest of the world says Americans toil too often and play too little. A recent survey, which was commissioned by Samsung, found that over half (54%) of the football fanatics polled would "most likely purchase a new HDTV for the start of football season if their budget allowed." Moreover, 51% of pigskin fans would "forego a one week vacation and put that money towards an HDTV purchase," which also means that a decent chunk of committed pigskin fans would willingly accept a beating from their SO. Other expected results include: 61% felt that "HDTV is required for a successful football-viewing party, more than surround sound or alcohol," and that 62% of fans believe watching the game in HDTV "allows them to make better calls than the referees in the game." That last one explains a lot about your friend Jim, now doesn't it?
Black Friday 2008 roundup: HD deals
Let's face it -- it's easy to get overwhelmed when it comes to Black Friday. For starters, it's the day after Thanksgiving, a day in which you're likely already stressed out about what to cook, where to clean, who to invite and how to get off work early. The last thing you need is more stress when thinking about what HD gear you'll be adding to your collection a few days from now. Thus, we've scoured the intarwebz and scrubbed the deal sheets in order to present a slimmed down, easy-to-digest guide of where the best buys on high-def-related kit will be on November 28th. Hop on past the break to start making your list.[Image courtesy of SmackShopping]
Samsung warns that the handset market ain't what it used to be
Echoing sentiments 'round the globe is Samsung, who evidently understands that Q4 and beyond will be much tougher for handset makers than in quarters past. According to spokesman James Chung, "the actual global market growth on a unit basis could come short of [Samsung's] initial forecast for 9% growth (in 2008)," and "as for next year, it is possible that the market could post a single-digit or even negative growth." Of course, it's not like any other cellphone maker has it too much easier, but for folks wondering if Sammy had some kind of magical elixir for generating positive numbers, we hate to say it doesn't.[Via RCRWireless]
Blu-ray forecasts slightly lower due to wild economy
It's hard to know what to believe these days. Just weeks ago, we heard that the worldwide economic situation would actually increase at-home entertainment sales; now, we're hearing that overall home entertainment spending will likely decline 3% to 4%. Regardless of what actually happens, Blu-ray backers are still scaling back their expectations for the format, with Warner Home Video president Ron Sanders and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment president David Bishop each estimating that total BD software sales in 2008 will reach $750 million. That's compared to earlier forecasts of around $1 billion, though it was noted that Paramount Home Entertainment president Kelley Avery nailed the revamped estimate a few months back. As it stands, year-to-date Blu-ray sales have surpassed $500 million, which means BD still needs a big holiday season to hit the fresh figures -- do see you it happening?
Will tough times give RPTVs one final breath of life?
People love their money, sure, but people still love their style. A thought-provoking article over at CNET has us pondering whether or not these tough economic times will actually increase sales of thick RPTVs during the holiday season. After all, the desire for high-def isn't apt to wane while the belt tightens, but consumers may begin to sacrifice thinness in order to finally bring home a big screen of their own. In our estimation, we can't say in good faith that we think CRT / RPTV sales will skyrocket while flat-panels struggle, particularly when you realize just how cheap these wall-mountable sets will be on Black Friday and during the run-up to that final week in December. It's a cute gesture, but we're still saying the heartbeat for chunky sets is growing weaker by the day.[Thanks, Anthony]
Motorola and SE pinpointed, may face tough time "weathering the storm"
No, not that Storm silly -- that storm. As cellphone users around the globe put off that once imminent upgrade purchase in order to make the mortgage and feed the family, (most) handset makers are obviously feeling the pinch. A fresh report from The Wall Street Journal pretty much reiterates much of what we've already heard, but still dives deeper into which companies are best positioned to escape the madness. As predicted, HTC, Apple and Nokia were all pinpointed as being able to make it through tough economic times without losing their proverbial hats, but both Motorola and Sony Ericsson could be facing insurmountable odds. Granted, it's not like either firm has really been killing it of late, but it's a pretty bad time to be struggling, regardless. The takeaway? Don't be shocked to see some wild stuff go down in the mobile space -- all bets are off at this point.[Image courtesy of DayLife, thanks JagsLive]
Blu-ray surpasses 30% of all DVD recorder / player shipments in Japan
We knew Japan was warming to Blu-ray, but apparently those tepid desires have morphed into infernos of passion. According to new statistics loosed by the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA), Blu-ray Disc recorder / player shipments hit a level of 138,000, or around 107 times more than the shipments posted a year ago. Moreover, those shipments accounted for 31% of "overall shipments of DVD equipment on a volume basis." Unsurprisingly, BD equipment -- coupled with flat-panel TVs -- were the two biggest drivers of consumer electronics shipments in Japan this year, with visual equipment shipments rising 8.2% year-over-year. Blu-ray and HDTV: a match made in heaven. Or Tokyo.[Image courtesy of TVSnob]
