Filed under: Earnings reports, Home Depot (HD), Sears Holdings (SHLD), Lowe’s Cos (LOW) Well, seems like Lowe’s Companies, Ic. (NYSE: LOW) did much better than expected during the third quarter. And I was apparently too pessimistic in my earnings preview. The call was for $0.28 per share. The home-improvement retailer beat expectations by $0.05 per share, according to Thomson Reuters estimates. Hey, I tip my hat to management. But I wouldn’t buy the stock just now (unless, of course, you have a very long-term horizon, are willing to ride out the bear market, and intend on improving your cost...
Filed under: Industry, Blu-ray, Players, Tuners, OthersSo, apparently sales of Blu-ray players and DTV converter boxes are on the up and up now that the format war is over and the DTV transition is quickly approaching in the USA -- who would've thunk it? According to reports, Funai's latest quarter saw an operating income increase of 108.8%, and it didn't hesitate to thank sales of Blu-ray players and DTV converters for such a surge. The outfit also proclaimed that sales of CRT TVs and DVD decks were down, and even though the boost from converter boxes will be short lived,...
Filed under: Handsets, Motorola, CDMA As we'd heard back in August, the scrappy little VE240 candybar from Moto is destined for a pair of regionals -- Cricket and MetroPCS. It's got stereo Bluetooth, MP3 support, expandable memory up to 4GB, and that's about it; nothing to get terribly excited about, but the light spec sheet should keep things affordable. It's available now in Cricket's Tulsa market with wider availability coming to both carriers in the next few weeks.Motorola VE240 officially coming to Cricket, MetroPCS originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:36:00 EST. Please see our terms...
Filed under: Gaming, PeripheralsHacking the PSP has long been a popular pastime, but the 3000 model has proven a tough nut to crack. Don't pop open the champagne just yet, though, Sony -- Datel has revealed a special battery peripheral called the Lite Blue Tool that boots the handheld console into service mode, where downgrades to earlier, cracked firmwares are possible. Of course, most older PSPs could be downgraded without any additional hardware and you only needed a battery like Pandora if you failed the idiot test and bricked your system, but be patient, pirates totally legit homebrew types --...
Filed under: Gaming, HDTV, Home Entertainment Just hours before the Xbox 360's newest dashboard update hits tomorrow morning (10:00 a.m. GMT), our friends at Joystiq noticed the list of movies available for Netflix Watch Instantly streaming has suddenly dropped. The culprit? Sony Pictures Home Entertainment subsidiary Columbia Pictures, flicking previously available titles like Superbad, Bad Boys, and We Own the Night over to "Not available on Xbox" status (curiously, SPHE movies are still available to all.) Word from the official Netflix blog cites "the ebb and flow" of what is available on license at any given time causing a few...
Filed under: Media streamers, Other hardware Just hours before the Xbox 360's newest dashboard update hits tomorrow morning (10:00 a.m. GMT), our friends at Joystiq noticed the list of movies available for Netflix Watch Instantly streaming has suddenly dropped. The culprit? Sony Pictures Home Entertainment subsidiary Columbia Pictures, flicking previously available titles like Superbad, Bad Boys, and We Own the Night over to "Not available on Xbox" status (curiously, SPHE movies are still available to all.) Word from the official Netflix blog cites "the ebb and flow" of what is available on license at any given time, causing a few...
Filed under: Personal finance While researching opinions for a column I’m writing about people’s current retirement attitudes, I’ve been led to one particularly important question: what would I myself do if I had money to invest for retirement? The first part of my answer is simple. I have a fairly well performing 401k account through my employer and I stick as much money in that account as I can stand. But what if I had excess funds which I wanted to put into safe haven for the future, what would I do right now? At this point, I believe...
Filed under: Desktops, Gaming You likely don't need any reminders that the likes of Gateway and Dell (and Alienware) have released some new systems based around Intel's flagship Core i7 processor, but it's a whole other matter to sort out the multitude of options available from some of the smaller PC manufacturers out there, and we thought we'd take this opportunity to shed a bit light on some of those slightly lower profile contenders for the desktop throne. Ready to get started? Then check your bank account and head on past the break. Continue reading Intel Core i7 desktop roundup:...
Filed under: Software, Mac 101New to the Mac? Welcome back to our Mac 101 series, which explores the basics of Mac OS X, provides tips and tricks, and dives into key features of Apple's bundled tools. As a Mac user, you've got several options for chat clients -- Adium, Fire and IRC are all worthy -- but in this post we're going to focus on Apple's iChat. Create an account When launched for the first time, iChat will prompt you to create an account. You've got five options, namely MobileMe AIM Jabber Google's GTalk Jabber Make your selection and enter...
Filed under: Handhelds It's barely been two days since we heard that "Dan" at Peek had opened a suggestion box for would-be customers to recommend "minor" tweaks for their email only handheld, so we assume today's news is unrelated. Regardless, there was a pretty decent upgrade to the device last night, adding the ability to view image attachments, as well as text messaging capabilities. Texting works through an SMS email gateway, with users entering numbers in the "To:" field, but we're not going to start nitpicking about technicalities. Seriously though, if they add a way to make calls to this...
Filed under: Handsets, Samsung, Verizon Wireless, Windows Mobile, EV-DO, CDMA What are you talking about? The picture's clear as a bell -- you really need to get your eyes checked, friend. Naw, we're just messin' with you -- we know this is some of the finest artwork Mr. Blurrycam has to offer -- but it's the first time we've seen the Verizon-branded Omnia in the wilds (notice the VZ Navigator and Visual Voice Mail icons on the screen) which makes it a notable find in our books. Our tipster tells us he's been told to expect the 5-megapixel, 8-gigabyte package...
Filed under: Misc, Other hardware If you've been befuddled by the complexities in those corporately-geared HD videoconference systems, have a look at this piece. The EyeCrown system was designed for use in everyday homes with everyday high-speed internet connections; the kit contains a set-top-box and a camera, and thanks to some fancy form of compression, a dedicated T1 line isn't required to video chat in high-def. Unfortunately, one EyeCrown only works with another EyeCrown, so unless you plan on buying your mother one as well, you can forget about making one play nice with something else. Folks across the pond...
Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals Fans of the old-timey GameCube will rest easier tonight knowing that Hori is now manufacturing its variation of the classic controller, creatively named the "Classic Controller." We've seen other gamepads in this style, but not many that get it as close to the original design as this -- plus it has those insane autofire switches. These bad boys available in black, white, and blue on December 4th in Japan, and you can pre-order now for $29.90 over at Play-Asia.[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy] Hori's Wii Classic Controller: if you're really into autofire originally appeared on Engadget on...
Filed under: Desktops Well, we can't say we didn't see this coming -- Judge William Alsup in the federal Northern District of California today dismissed Psystar's antitrust counterclaims in Apple's copyright infringement lawsuit against the wannabe Mac cloner. According to the judge, Psystar's hotshot legal team failed to provide facts "plausibly supporting the counterintuitive claim that Apple's operating system is so unique that it suffers no actual or potential competitors." Not only that, but the judge also found that Psystar actually contradicted itself in pointing out that Apple has to advertise heavily to promote OS X against competing operating systems...
Filed under: ABC, CBS, The CW, Discovery-HD, ESPN-HD, NBC, ListingsWhat we're watching tonight: Fox (720p) has House at 8 p.m. and Fringe at 9 p.m. MyNetworkTV (1080i) presents Jail at 9 p.m. CW (1080i) drops in 90210 at 8 p.m followed by Privileged CBS (1080i) lines up NCIS at 8 pm. followed by The Mentalist and Without a Trace ABC (720p) brings Dancing With the Stars at 9 p.m. and Eli Stone at 10 p.m. Discovery (1080i) has Dirty Jobs at 9 p.m. and Extreme Loggers at 10 p.m. Sci Fi (1080i) contributes ECW at 9 p.m., Cha$e at 10...
Filed under: Handsets, LG, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA Not that it wasn't official already or anything, but nothing demonstrates dedication to a product like an exclusive home on the web. Yep, LG has just launched a standalone microsite for the altogether sexy Prada II, and while you already know about the specs -- HSDPA, WiFi, 5-megapixel camera, 3-inch 400 x 240 pixel capacitive multi-touch display and quad-band GSM connectivity -- you probably weren't aware of the matching Prada Link Bluetooth watch. As you'd expect, the timepiece syncs with your Prada II and shows your incoming calls / texts, and we'll go...
Filed under: Cellphones Not that it wasn't official already or anything, but nothing demonstrates dedication to a product like an exclusive home on the web. Yep, LG has just launched a standalone microsite for the altogether sexy Prada II, and while you already know about the specs -- HSDPA, WiFi, 5-megapixel camera, 3-inch 400 x 240 pixel capacitive multi-touch display and quad-band GSM connectivity -- you probably weren't aware of the matching Prada Link Bluetooth watch. As you'd expect, the timepiece syncs with your Prada II and shows your incoming calls / texts, and we'll go out on a limb...
Filed under: Design, Text, ProductivityDesigners know the words "lorem ipsum" all too well. If you've mocked up a layout for anything with chunks of text in it, you've probably run across the infamous Latin paragraphs that commonly show up as filler. Where do you get your lorem ipsum, though, and how do you make sure it's the right fit for your design? Lorem2 is one great way to do it.Lorem2 is a nicely laid-out collection of lorem ipsum paragraphs and bullet points, both short and long. If you're the kind of person who keeps a text file full of this...
Filed under: CBS, Primetime, DaytimeSouth Bend, Indiana got more than a win from their Fighting Irish this weekend -- they also got a heavy dose of HD news. WSBT-TV, the area's CBS affiliate, became the first in the region to air its newscasts digitally just days ago, and moreover, the first to broadcast in high-definition. Viewers are being treated to clearer views of their favorite anchors and more information on a wider screen platform, including additional weather data on the margins of their TV screens. The station's news director Meg Sauer has also asked for forgiveness if any glitches crop...
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video If you were this close to snapping up a new Zune after Microsoft pushed out its 3.1 software update, boy, are you glad you held off. At least, if you've been eying a Zune of the flash-based variety. Beginning today, the US Zunes are coming a little more in line with their Canadian brethren by falling from $129 to $99 (4GB), $149 to $139 (8GB) and $199 to $179 (16GB). The Car Pack / Dock Pack are also seeing a $10 decrease while the Home / AV pack is being reduced $20. You already...
