Productopia | Carl Laron

As widely expected, Sony announced its next generation PlayStation 4 last night in New York. I say announced rather than unveiled as Sony didn't actually have a console on hand to show off. It also stayed mum on pricing details, though we'd expect it sell for no less than the current Sony PlayStation 3, and probably a few dollars more. The console's actual release date was also kept under wraps, though it is promised to be available in time for the 2013 holiday season. So, then, what exactly did Sony talk about during its sometimes glacially paced, near two-hour event? Lot's, though not all of the news will be warmly received. Read more

Not long ago, it became clear that it was time to add a new tablet to the collection of technology here at the Laron household. There were a few reasons for that, but the main one was that my access to our existing Apple iPad 2 had become extremely limited. My wife, Maryanne, while not exactly a Luddite, is slower to "warm" to new tech than I am. However, she recently decided to find out what all this tablet talk was about, and once she spent some time with my, um, our slate, that, as they say, was that. So what did we get, and why? You'll have to follow me after the jump to find out. Read more

In the midst of last week's Black Friday week hubbub, Nintendo launched its new Wii U video game console. To say there was a bit of pent up demand would be an understatement. Originally announced at the E3 show in June 2011, anticipation for first completely new video game console since 2006 had built to the point where the Wii U was sold out through normal retail channels on its release date (November 18), with USA Today adding that a total of 400,000 units were sold in the first week. But despite some predictions of possible months-long Wii U shortages, some retailers, such as ToysRUs.com, were showing that  the Wii U Basic set (*Est. $300) was in stock for immediate shipping as of Tuesday afternoon. The better value, we think, Wii U Deluxe set (*Est. $350) looked to be available at some Walmart stores (but only in stores, not on line). That suggests that supplies are loosening up faster than anticipated. That's good news for you as it means you might still be able to score a Wii U console for the holidays -- and without paying the marked up prices some secondary retailers are charging. But it could signal bad news for Nintendo and the future of video game consoles. Read more

During the Black Friday shopping season, those looking for a new TV might easily be overwhelmed at first glance by the literally hundreds of "deals" that can be found in the various circulars and sales posted at sites like BFads.net. Drill down a little further, though, and you'll quickly realize that many of these are the same exact set, often -- but not always -- being offered at the same exact price, give or take a dollar or two, at each store. Drill down further still, and it becomes clear that some of the bargains aren't exactly spectacular -- modest savings on modest sets from brands you've heard of, with deeper savings on sets from makers whose names aren't even remotely familiar. In other words, when it comes to snagging a deal on a TV, it's just a typical Black Friday. Or is it? Believe it or not, we actually spotted some deals that could be worth losing sleep over, along with some you can snag without losing much sleep at all. Read on for the details. Read more