Recession
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HTC first quarter earnings fall a not awesome 30 percent
HTC's unleashed a barrel of bad news on the world today with their first quarter earnings statement. The company's profits fell 30 percent during that period, with a net of NT$4.89 billion -- $148 million -- down from NT$6.94 billion (or $210 million) at the same time last year. HTC still managed to best analysts estimates (shows what they know) which forecast that the company's earnings would be in the area of NT$4.64 billion ($140 million). HTC said that the profits fell in part to missed product shipping deadlines, which have been pushed into April. And the recession continues...[Via MocoNews](Warning: Read link is a PDF)
Engadget's recession antidote: win a copy of Resident Evil 5 for Xbox 360!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff / companies stop sending things. Today we've got a copy of Resident Evil 5 for Xbox 360 on hand. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Hooray for free stuff!The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one copy of Resident Evil 5. Approximate retail value is $49.99. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Monday, April 6th, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Engadget's recession antidote: win a Razer Arctosa gaming keyboard!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff / companies stop sending things. Today we've got a Razer Arctosa black gaming keyboard on hand. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Hooray for free stuff!Special thanks to Razer for providing the gear!The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one Razer Arctosa gaming keyboard. Approximate retail value is $49.99. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Friday, April 3rd, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Ritz Camera closing 300 retail stores, liquidation sales start April 4th
As part of its newfound bankrutpcy status, Ritz Camera's gearing up to close more than 300 of its around 700 brick-and-mortar stores across the US, or about 43 percent of its retail presence. Starting April 4th, the affect stores will begin liquidation sales that'll go on until -- in the words of the press release -- "everything is sold to the bare walls." Forget DSLRs, if you were needing any fancy, brick-and-mortal shelving units, now might be your chance! Hit up the read link for a PDF listing all the closing stores.
Analysts: Gaming on the rise during recession, but gamers choosing more carefully
On the heels of high February sales numbers, Reuters is reporting that the game industry is actually thriving during the economic recession (so long as you don't work for the game industry, anyway). The article notes that the games market has expanded, largely thanks to the Nintendo Wii, which has brought an influx of female gamers. Reuters states -- as have others -- that many consumers are turning to home entertainment in the current economic environment. Analysts expect the industry to continue growing, with IDC's Billy Pidgeon expecting double digit growth in 2009, though he adds that gamers "will consider purchases more carefully" given the recession. Analysts expect the recession to have other effects on the game industry as well. Interpret's Michael Cai expects used games and budget titles to take up a more significant share of sales this year. Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter, unsurprisingly, expects hardware manufacturers to cut the price of their consoles. We're assuming he wasn't referring to the PS2.[Original image: tachyondecay]
Engadget's recession antidote: FreeAgent Go hard drive for your Mac!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff / companies stop sending things. Today we've got a FreeAgent Go 320GB hard drive plus dock on offer. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Check after the break for some photos of the prize!Special thanks to Seagate for providing the gear!The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one Seagate FreeAgent Go hard drive and dock. Approximate value is $180. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Thursday, April 2nd, 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Engadget's recession antidote: Win a Microsoft PC Gaming Pack!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff / companies stop sending things. Today we've got a Microsoft PC gaming pack, which includes a SideWinder X8 mouse, a SideWinder X6 keyboard, a LifeChat LX-3000 headset, a custom mouse pad, plus PC versions of Fallout 3 and James Bond: Quantum of Solace. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Check after the break for some photos of the prize!Special thanks to Microsoft for providing the gear!The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one Microsoft gaming pack. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Wednesday, April 1st, 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Industry professionals having trouble finding work
Things are tough all over, and after months of industry cutbacks and studio closures, a number of video game professionals have been left holding the bag in one hand and a pink slip in the other. While last week's Game Developers Conference gave many jobless developers the opportunity to hand out resumes, a new report from the LA Times writes that many are still having a difficult time finding work.One issue is that with so many industry professionals pounding the streets, studios have their pick of talent. According to the Times, Ray Miller, an exec at Crackdown dev Realtime Words, collected a shopping bag full of resumes from job seekers at GDC, commenting, "We've been so busy talking to people that we haven't even touched our lunches." Still, as ECA blog GameCulture points out, all is not doom and gloom for those still on the outside, and with game sales in the US showing a steady increase so far in 2009 there is reason to hope that the recently unemployed will be able to find work soon. Then again, they could just start up their own company instead. That's working out alright for some of the downturn's victims so far.[Via GameCulture] [Image]
Engadget's recession antidote: win a pair of Audioengine A5 speakers!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff / companies stop sending things. Today we've got a pair of Audioengine A5 speakers on offer. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting!Special thanks to Audioengine for providing the gear!The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share the name of your favorite pet, that would be cool too (FYI: ours are Salvador and Penny) You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one pair of Audioengine A5 speakers. Approximate value is $349. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Tuesday, March 31st, 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Engadget's recession antidote: win an iRobot Roomba Pet 562!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff / companies stop sending things. Today we've got an iRobot Roomba Pet 562 on offer. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting!Special thanks to iRobot for providing the gear!The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share the name of your favorite pet, that would be cool too (FYI: ours are Salvador and Penny) You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one iRobot Roomba Pet 562. Approximate value is $399. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Mondy, March 30th, 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Engadget's recession antidote: win a Peek Pronto with a free year of service!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff / companies stop sending things. Today we've got TWO (2!) Peek Prontos on offer. That's right -- your chances of winning today are much higher than normal because we've got two of them to give away. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting!Special thanks to Peek for providing the gear!The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your ideas for fixing the economy, that would be cool too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winners will receive one Peek Pronto and one year of free service. Approximate value is $320. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Friday, March 27th, 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Engadget's recession antidote: win a 32GB iPod touch plus a free copy of iPodRip!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs (including the recent news that IBM seems to be planning another big round of layoffs) got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff / companies stop sending things. Today we've got a 32GB Apple iPod touch plus a copy of "the ultimate iPod copy and transfer companion," iPodRip. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting!Special thanks to The Little App Factory for providing the gear! The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your ideas for fixin' the economy, that'd be cool, too! You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one iPod touch and a copy of iPodRip. Approximate value is $420. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Thursday, March 26th, 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Engadget's recession antidote: win TeleNav GPS software for your G1 with one free year of service!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff / companies stop sending things. Today we've got TeleNav's GPS software for the G1 bundled with one year of free service on offer. Statement of the obvious: this software will be useless to you if you do not own or plan on buying a G1. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting!Special thanks to TeleNav for providing the gear!The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive the TeleNav GPS software for the G1 and one year of service. Approximate value is $110. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Wednesday, March 25th, 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Engadget's recession antidote: win a 1.5TB Drobo!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff / companies stop sending things. Today we're serving up one of the hottest giveaways yet: a second-generation Drobo (with FireWire 800), complete with twin 750GB Western Digital hard drives. You read right -- a 1.5TB intelligent storage solution to get your life completely back in order. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting!Huge thanks to Data Robotics for providing the gear!The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) second-gen Drobo and two (2) 750GB Western Digital hard drives. Approximate value is $675. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Tuesday, March 24th, 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
DSi surpasses 2 million sales mark in Japan
It's been roughly five months since the Nintendo DSi launch in Japan (144 days, actually) and the updated handheld has been selling like gangbusters. Famitsu (via VG247) is reporting the landmark number of 2 million units, a figure that amounts to roughly 14,000 units being sold per day in the country since its launch. To put that in some perspective, the DSi has been outselling the now totally boring DS Lite at roughly 7:1 on a daily basis in the country since its launch last November. 100k every week in Japan -- on average, no less! Our hats are off to you Nintendo, patiently awaiting some soup. You see there's this recession thing you might've heard of. We're not doing so hot ...[Via VG247]
Engadget's recession antidote: win a Paradigm Cinema 70 CT surround system!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff / companies stop sending things. Today we've got totally bodacious Paradigm Cinema 70 CT 5.1 surround system to let loose, offering up everything you need (on the audio front, anyway) to convert your den into the party palace. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting!Special thanks to Paradigm for providing the gear!The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) Paradigm Cinema 70 CT surround system. Approximate value is $649. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Monday, March 23rd, 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
GameStop doesn't see recession's impact on gamers
GameStop's senior vice president of merchandising, Bob McKenzie, doesn't think the recession has had much impact on gamers. Speaking with Venture Beat during the Resident Evil 5 launch event in San Fransisco, McKenzie said people are staying in more often (presumably awaiting further financial ruin) and turn to video games and other entertainment to pass the time. But has GameStop seen a spike in the lucrative -- yet controversial -- used game market since the recession? McKenzie wouldn't say "yes," but quickly pointed out that gamers today are even more aware about "tightening their wallets." Even though traffic at retail has slowed, McKenzie reiterrated that GameStop continues to post solid numbers -- recently reporting a 24 percent increase in year-over-year sales to $8.8 billion. Unfortunately, the rest of the industry isn't fairing as well. Perhaps video game publishers should get into the used game market. As long as they vow to keep all of the profit for themselves they should be able to dig themselves out of this whole "economic apocalypse" thing.
Pachter: February NPD impact 'limited,' industry 'highly recession-resistant'
Oh Michael Pachter, you're just like my mother, she's never satisfied. Wedbush Morgan's resident palm reader feels that despite the industry's pocketing of nearly $734 million last month, he expects "limited market reaction" to February's seemingly triumphant sales data. Pachter calls the sales growth "quite respectable" overall, but finds little to celebrate with giants like Electronic Arts and THQ suffering a financial beating at the cash register.Looking for the silver lining, the analyst told investors in a note that "concerns about the economy are likely to limit share price appreciation," but that steady hardware sales demonstrate strong game sales "well into 2009." Interestingly, Pachter also called the software industry "highly recession-resistant," though we imagine some on the unemployment line might have something to say about that.
Sony freezes workers' salaries, others consider following suit
It's already laid off thousands of employees and undertaken a number of other drastic cost-cutting measures, but it looks like Sony isn't quite done with the belt tightening just yet, with the company now announcing that it'll be freezing workers' salaries for the financial year starting next month. As Reuters notes, Sony normally raises employee pay annually based on their role and performance, rather than seniority like many other Japanese companies, and this latest move follows some pay cuts to many of the very same affected workers, who've recently seen their wages drop by 10 to 20%. Not surprisingly, a number of other big Japanese technology companies including Toshiba, NEC and Hitachi are also said to be considering similar moves, but they don't seem to be quite ready to announce anything just yet.
Engadget's recession antidote: win a 22-inch iZ3D 3D monitor!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff / companies stop sending things. Today we've got a 22-inch iZ3D 3D monitor on offer, ready to take you (and your mind) to a dimension rarely seen on typical computer LCDs. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting!Special thanks to iZ3D for providing the gear!The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) 22-inch iZ3D 3D LCD monitor. Approximate value is $399. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Thursday, March 19th, 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
