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Lifehacker
Analysts knew it would be bad, but not this bad. Retail sales this year are down 5.5% in November and 8% in December overall, but electronics specifically fell by an astounding 27%.
It looks like customer service alone cannot save Best Buy in the current economy, so they've offered 4,000 corporate employees a buyout.
CNET has a story on the suitability of the major PC manufacturers' lines to survival in these tough economic times. There will be fewer people shopping for new PCs, and more notably, fewer businesses, and these manufacturers will have to make solid strategic moves to make it out (relatively) unscathed. So out of the top five PC makers, who's got what it takes?
It seems like every tech company is feeling the pinch these days, and Dell is no different. In order to cut costs, they are encouraging employees to take up to five unpaid vacation days or a severance package during Q4. CEO Michael Dell has also initiated a hiring freeze and announced that the company will be using fewer contract workers during this time. Dell hopes to trim $US3 billion off its annual spending over the next few years, and my guess is that another round of layoffs might occur if these preliminary measures don't help enough in the short term. [AP]
We've always been fans of the Dash Express, with its real-time web-delivered traffic monitoring and its constantly evolving app platform. Somewhat sad news today is that Dash Navigation will be pulling out of the consumer hardware business entirely and cutting 50 jobs (two-thirds of its work force)--enabling them to move toward licensing their innovative software platform to other GPS nav makers, as well as to mobile phones and MID platforms in the future. But in a lot of ways, the move makes perfect sense.
A clever cutout may suffice to scare the kids, but if you want your pumpkin to scare adults, consider putting down the carving set and picking up a soldering iron and a couple of 5x7 LED matrix arrays. Why? Because this tiny pumpkin displays the most frightening face of them all—the twisted horror of a 401K plan hemorrhaging funds. My guess is that if you have the know-how, this amusing concept could be scaled up fairly easily for maximum impact. Hit the link for instructions on how to build your own version. [Evil Mad Scientist via DVICE]
LG's toning down their "Life's Good" campaign in light of the fact that life really isn't so good for a lot of people right now. Instead of focusing on telling people that their existence is peachy, LG's new ads will harp on what the product can do to make your life easier. That's some pretty good agility shown by LG's ad men, similar to how Greyhound axed their "there's a reason you've never heard of bus rage" series after a guy stabbed, beheaded and ate a fellow passenger up in Canada. [Brand Republic
MacGruber hasn't checked his stock portfolio in months. So when he finds himself with a little spare time before defusing a nitrogen bomb, he pulls out his old ghetto laptop to check his stocks, "authentic" modem sound and all. What he learns is that the Financiapocalypse is at hand. Note: May not be playable outside the US. [SNL]
German artist Tom Schmelzer is one troubling dude: His proposed interactive walkway, Out of Joint, is supposed to give you a physical feeling of turmoil to match the cataclysmic ups and downs of the global financial markets. So, thanks to avalanche-simulating hydraulics, instead of just feeling sick to your stomach, you will actually be sick to your stomach.
As you may have heard, economically speaking, things have been better both here and abroad. But, as you should always whistle in times of trouble, "always look on the brooight side of life." But as the NYTimes reports today, the CE industry downturn that has already brought Circuit City to its knees could have a somewhat dark and depressing...upside--an extended Black Friday with discounts unlike any the world has yet seen.
