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Incandescent bulbs making a comeback, GE still launching new LED lights
On the eve of Christmas 2007, quite a few obituaries for incandescent light bulbs were penned. News was slow, time was short and Congress had just outlined a new energy plan that would essentially force these energy-wasting bulbs out by 2012. Now, however, legions of scientists are racing the clock to develop new incandescents that will still meet the upcoming guidelines, with a Deposition Sciences technology paving the way for a post-2012 model from Philips. Without drowning you in technobabble, let's just say that said tech has seen 50 percent efficiency gains in the lab, which is more than enough to please even the most outspoken tree hugger in Washington. In related news, GE has issued two more LED light bulbs: the 7-watt Energy Smart LED PAR20 and 10-watt LED PAR30. Both of 'em are aimed more at commercial customers than at actual homes, but you'll be hard pressed to find a better option for lighting up your makeshift basketball court.Read - Incandescent bulbs stage comebackRead - GE Energy Smart bulbs
General Electric makes breakthrough in microholographic storage
Technical VersionGeneral Electric researchers announced today that the company has made a breakthrough in the development of microholographic storage discs for mainstream use. Using G.E.'s current technology, a single holographic disc could ostensibly hold 500 gigabytes of data -- about 100 times the size of a standard DVD -- and still be readable. Better still, these discs should be commercially viable when they're introduced in 2011 or 2012, coming in at around 10 cents per gigabyte (a pittance compared to Blu-ray's initial price of $1 per gigabyte).Layman's VersionYou know those holographic Jurassic Park stickers you have on the spine of your middle school Trapper Keeper? They're putting those on CDs to make them bigger! That is to say, on the inside. They'll be the same size on the outside, and should still fit snugly within your Saved By The Bell CD case.[Via Engadget]
GE microholographic storage promises cheap 500GB discs, Blu-ray and DVD compatibility
Ah, holographic storage -- you've held so much promise for cheap optical media since you were first imagined in research papers published in the early 60s. Later today, GE will be trying to keep the dream alive when it announces a new technique that promises to take holographic storage mainstream. GE's breakthrough in microholographics -- which, as the name implies, uses smaller, less complex holograms to achieve three-dimensional digital storage -- paves the way for players that can store about 500GB of data on standard-sized optical discs while still being able to read DVD and Blu-ray media. Better yet, researchers claim a price of about 10 cents per gigabyte compared to the nearly $1 per gigabyte paid when Blu-ray was introduced. The bad news? We're talking 2011 or 2012 by the time microholographics devices and media are introduced and even then it'll only be commercialized for use by film studios and medical institutions. In other words, you'll likely be streaming high-def films to your OLED TV long before you have a microholographic player in the living room.Update: And out pops the press release.
Video: GE bringing 3D HD baggage screening to airports
Certain airports have already taken the whole "walk through the metal detector" thing to the next level, but things are about to get stepped up once more thanks to TSA certification on a new product from GE Security. The CTX 9800 DSi, which happily sits in the company's explosives detection systems (EDS) line, is now free to waltz into airports in order to "protect travelers with advanced high-definition 3D imaging baggage screening technology." We're talking 360 degree, finely-detailed views of baggage contents, which will undoubtedly cause immense embarrassment when a given TSA agent sees your prime selection of underwear, nose hair trimmer and pink nail polish. Here's hoping this won't slow security lines down even further, and if you're interested in seeing what all this thing can do, just mash play on the video above.
GE quietly delays premium HDTV line
General Electric came clean with its intentions to delve into the wide world of HDTVs last September... and then the economy, as well as GE itself, fell apart. Earlier this year, we were actually clued in on some of the details surrounding the Tatung-built sets, but now we're hearing that the company is pushing everything back by around three months. GE maintains that the setback is due to "marketing rather than operational or manufacturing issues," though we all know right about now isn't the greatest time to introduce new high-end televisions. We also get the idea that GE may use the time to better implement connected HDTV features given just how prevalent those were at CES, but again, we're really just shooting in the dark here. Oh, we forgot to even ask -- does anyone care that GE's getting back into the TV biz, let alone that its forthcoming sets are delayed?
GE's G3WP waterproof point-and-shoot snoozefest
Of all the 12.2 megapixel cameras we've seen from General Imaging this week, this is certainly one of them. But that ain't all -- it's waterproof up to 10 feet! Pretty awesome, right? The G3 WP fits in nicely with the rest of the new GE-branded lineup, including 4x optical zoom, auto scene detection, and pan-capture panorama. This guy sports a 2.7-inch LCD and ambient light sensor, with no word yet on price or availability. And to its credit, it does look more like a camera than our other waterproof offering this week. Additional pic and PR after the break.
GE intros nine new point-and-shoots, no one notices
GE, that iconic brand that has brought so many things to life -- from clock radios to locomotives to widespread air and water pollution -- is back with a new digital camera lineup to amuse and titillate the easily amused and titillated. The nine new devices (manufactured by General Imaging) feature auto scene detection, pan-capture panorama, optical image stabilization, and all but two boast at least 12 megapixels. These guys hit the UK in April, and all are priced at less than £150 (about $215). Full details after the break.
GE lets loose premium details about premium HDTV line
When we heard last September that General Electric was aiming to enter the "premium" HDTV market, we all had a brief laugh and continued on about our day. Apparently, our doubts are completely unfounded. According to an interview with numerous GE executives tied in with the initiative, the GE-branded sets will be serious contenders. In fact, bigwigs are hoping to make their sets "a top-tier brand that rivals the likes of Sony, Samsung, and Sharp." The secret sauce is the differentiation, as GE is looking to stuff internet connectivity, wireless audio and many other "advanced features" onto its sets in order to show up rivals. Among the early prototypes shown at CES earlier this month was a 46-inch HDTV with a GLT edgelight that utilized white Luminus LEDs and GLT's lightguide blades. It's also looking to expand into wireless video boxes with 1080i support, which means the sky really could be the limit here. Obviously, we're keeping our skeptic hats on until a commercial device hits the market, but you can definitely color us intrigued.[Image courtesy of DecoRadios]
GE frees CFL lighting from the tyranny of ugly
Was it Arthur C. Clarke who said that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic? If he was correct, it would follow that GE's new Energy Smart CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulb is most magical. A true product of "ecomagination" (their word), the imagineers (Disney's word) at GE have taken the their tried and true CFL hardware and housed it in the form factor of a traditional light bulb. Of course there are already a vast number of options for homeowners wishing to go green on the lighting front, but we're hard pressed to find something that works across the board in traditional lighting fixtures (at least without looking awful as it does so). The product gets its national outing at Target on December 28, and starts popping up at more retailers over the coming months. To tide you over until then, we've provided some earth shattering video after the break.
GE intros E1055W, E1050TW and A1030 point-and-shoots
Hurry on over! We had originally thought that Kodak had this award in the bag, but now that General Imaging (GE) has pumped out a trio of cameras that nearly put us to sleep, we'd say the race for the lamest introduction at Photokina is officially back on. Up first on the chopping block is the E1055W, a GE-branded point-and-shoot with a 3-inch LCD monitor, 10.1-megapixel sensor, blink / smile detection and a 5x optical zoom. Following that is the E1050TW, which packs most of the same hardware but also includes a 720p movie mode. Lastly, we've got the 10-megapixel A1030, which features a 3x optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD, ultrathin design and super-simplistic button arrangement. All three cameras should be landing real soon for under three bones each, and no, they aren't really that awful... on paper.[Thanks, David]Read - GE E1055W Read - GE E1050TW Read - GE A1030
General Electric partners with Tatung for "premium" GE-branded HDTVs
Who says there are too many players in the HDTV realm? With current mainstays partnering up like it's going out of style, we've found two firms that see something no one else does. General Electric has just announced a joint venture with Taiwan-based Tatung in which the pair plans on making two million HDTVs annually when production gets going in 2009. The two hope to capture at least 5% to 10% of the global TV market in due time, and according to Peter Weedfald, president of North America and global chief marketing officer for the JV, the resulting product will be a "premium brand" that will be "very competitive with current leadership brands." We'll be interested to see what all becomes of this, and hopefully we'll have some prototypes to gawk at come CES / IFA / CEDIA 2009.[Image courtesy of VintageTVSets]
US Department of Energy pours $30 million into plug-in hybrids
While some automakers are already promising to have plug-in hybrids on the road by 2010, the US Department of Energy is now pouring some cash into a slightly less ambitious joint effort with Ford, General Motors, and General Electric, which would see plug-ins capable of driving 40 miles on a single charge roll out by 2014. Under the new effort, General Motors will be tasked with improving lithium-Ion battery packs and charging systems, and integrating them into its own research with a test fleet by 2011, while Ford will be aiming to speed up the mass-production of plug-in hybrids, as well as improve its batteries and build prototype vehicles. Rounding things out, General Electric will be partnering with Chrysler to develop a dual-battery system, which promises to let vehicles travel 40 miles on a charge. All of that is still subject to appropriations by Congress, however, and the aforementioned companies would obviously be pouring in a good chunk of change themselves, as a mere $30 million isn't exactly quite enough to shake up the auto sector these days.
GE's E850 digital camera gets reviewed: it's not so good
GE sounded pretty cocky when it announced its first entries into the crowded digital camera market earlier this year, with the company's lead of sales is running around saying things like, "Our aim is to be Number 1 in all aspects – quality, technology, performance and value – and these cameras will do that." Unfortunately, however, it doesn't look GE is going to reach that goal as fast as they'd hoped -- Photography Blog got their hands on the 8 megapixel E850 model and although the design and price are attractive, the camera itself took "horrible" pictures and suffered from sluggish performance. According to the reviewer, the E850 has "the worst noise performance" he's ever seen, and the higher ISO settings make "great impressionistic paintings out of your photos." Ouch. All in all, it looks like you're better off spending your $200 elsewhere -- sorry about that, GE fanboys.
GE slaps its brand onto a line of... digital cameras?
We're so used to GE staying above the fray -- at least for the most part -- with it's snazzy medical imaging devices and non-stick plastics, that it's rather odd to see them really going head to head with the likes of Canon, HP and Sony in the consumer digicam space. No word on the use of non-stick plastics in the development of these things, but it looks like GE is playing it pretty safe for the moment. Its lineup, which will be announced in March and available mid-April, will range from 7 megapixel shooters with 2.5-inch LCDs on up to 12 megapixel cameras with 3-inches of screen. The cameras will be designed, manufactured and distributed exclusively by General Imaging, a new player on the scene formed of former "photo industry veterans" including CEO Hiroshi Komiya, a former president of Olympus. Apparently all of the cameras will include image stabilization, high ISO and panoramic stitching as a standard feature, and there will be a photo printer joining the ranks as well. Otherwise we're in the dark besides that concept render up above, but it seems like we'll be hearing a good bit more about these down the road, 'cause according to Rene Buhay, lead of sales: "Our aim is to be Number 1 in all aspects – quality, technology, performance and value – and these cameras will do that."[Via PhotographyBlog]
Segway's new loan program offers scoot now, pay later
It seems the makers of everyone's favorite self-balancing scooter (sorry i-swing) have finally realized the average consumer might need a little time to come up with the $5,000 the Segway's price tag demands. The company's execs have tapped the consumer financing arm of General Electric to instate a loan program, much like the one car dealerships have been using for decades, letting buyers pay in monthly installments. This comes as part of an effort, which may eventually include the sale of shares to the public through an IPO, to regain company funds lost to lower-than-expected sales. Of course buyers will have to qualify for the loan and accept the increase in total cost that'll come from interest, so rich guys like crooked hand-held gaming executives will be better off paying cash, then trying not to crash their shiny new Segway into pole at 125 mph.[Via ZDNet]
