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TECHNOLOGY by Marauder

TECHNOLOGY

As Amazon’s Kindle 2 e-book reader starts shipping, bookseller Indigo Books & Music on Thursday will launch Shortcovers, an e-book reading program that works on the iPhone, Blackberry and other devices. The service lets users share comments and Twitter while they read. (Iwantmedia 2/24, http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/02/23/kindle-2-arrives-and-so-do-rivals 2/23)

When Muvico opens a 14-screen movie theater this week in Thousand Oaks, Calif., the real star will be Sony products. The theater will use Sony’s 4K SXRD digital projectors, which will get on-screen billing before the show starts, Sony LCD TV screens at the concession stand and PlayStation 3 consoles in the arcade. The New York Times (2/23)

Apple on Wednesday will convene its first annual shareholders’ meeting since Steve Jobs, the company’s iconic leader, took an extended leave of absence for health reasons. The event will give investors an opportunity to question Apple executives about how the company will transition to a Jobs-less future. Bloomberg (2/23)

While the gap between smartphones and netbooks has converged along certain lines, such as system cost and complexity, other, more wide-ranging differences will keep the segments from competing with each other in the short term, according to this analysis. EE Times (2/23)

Blu-ray discs are moving beyond their “early adopter” status and are becoming a mainstream product for top-quality video. According to a study by Futuresource Consulting, U.S. sales of Blu-ray discs topped out at 24 million last year and will reach more than 80 million in 2009. PC Magazine (2/23)

The makers of the latest flat-panel TVs are rolling out a series of technological advances designed to make their sets more eco-friendly. Companies such as Vizio, Funai, Sharp, Samsung, Sony and Panasonic are developing models that reduce power use in a number of ways, including changes in back-screen lighting and complete system shutdown when the TV is off. The Wall Street Journal (2/24)

Looking to offer a sound experience that will match the visual excellence of its Cinema 21:9 TV, Philips is offering a new home-theater sound system that includes the company’s HD AV receiver and a 7.1 speaker system. The package also includes four floor-standing tallboy speakers, two satellite speakers, a center channel and an active subwoofer. Pocket-lint.co.uk (2/23)

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