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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]
