E-Commerce Report: When Gadget Parts Break or Get Lost
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New services are helping appliance makers and consumers find spare components.
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By Jim Wasserman, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.  Mar. 2--Pity the full-fledged computer store in a retail era when consumers can pluck their electronics off the shelf, along with shampoo and shoes, at big discount stores like Costco and Wal-Mart.
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(InfoWorld) - The U.S. Commerce Department reported that 1,137 laptops have been lost or stolen since 2001, with 249 of them containing some degree of personal data. The department couldn't determine whose data may have been on the machines, of which 672 belonged to the Census Bureau. It wasn't aware of any data having being used improperly, it said Thursday. The findings are from a Commerce Department review covering 15 agencies that use a total of 30,000 laptops. It comes as businesses and governments try to tighten their control over mobile devices after several high-profile incidents concerning theÂ loss of sensitive data. The Census Bureau's laptops -- used for collecting census data in the field -- rarely contain data on more than 100 households, and the data can't be accessed by the surveyors, many of whom are temporary, hourly employees. the department said. However, the Census Bureau also lost 15 handheld computers used to gather survey data. As a result, the department is contacting 558 households. The risk of the data being misused was "extremely low," it said, since the data is encrypted and two passwords are required for access. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which falls under the Commerce Department, lost 325 laptops, three of which had personal data. One of the laptops was stolen after a fire at one of its buildings in Seattle, Washington. The machine contained addresses, birth dates and Social Security numbers for 146 employees, the department said. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez said the agency plans toÂ strengthen accountability standards, encrypt data on all department laptops and implement two-factor authentication. U.S. government agencies have been stung by hardware losses in recent months. In May, aÂ laptop and external hard drive was stolenÂ from the home of a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs employee containingÂ data on 26.5 million veteransÂ and active-duty military personnel. The laptop was recovered, and two teenagers were arrested in June. Â
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No current figures exist for how much e-junk is recycled, but industry experts believe it's a sliver of the total. People don't know where to take their used electronics, and toxic components are a mounting problem.
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By DUNKERLEY, Adam  Many businesses start trading without a technology plan, and possibly with no more than a PC, a modem and a printer.   As time goes by, various elements are added - another PC here, another printer there.
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Why your beloved gadgets die so young. By Kris Wagner from Wired Test.
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Some of this year&#39;s products: iPod copycats, iPod copycats that smell, laser pointers, Sushi discs. NEW YORK  - Sometimes the innovation elves just miss the mark.
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If you own a Dell, Lexmark, or IBM laser printer there is a recall you need to know about. The printers could short-circuit and cause an electric shock.
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Also: When iPods die. Read these stories and more from around the Web on News.com Extra.
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But LCDs, consumer electronics are tough
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This application lets inside salespeople place customer orders at the prices quoted by the sales reps on the street. But somethings wrong: Every morning, everything in one division's order log disappears. ...
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Stores are stocked with an abundance of featherweight gadgets. But some of these tiny gadgets raise a new question: how small is too small?
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Restrictive hardware and convoluted rights management crimp consumer choices.
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A new kind of gadget can save your data -- and your hide -- when your laptop is damaged or lost.
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Question: We're in the early stages of startup and beginning to shop for technology. We'll need basic hardware and software, plus many other technology and Web-based services to sell online, service customers and keep it all secure.
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Analysis: The company admits that most of its toy recalls were due to its own design flaws, not Chinese manufacturers. Lesson: Mattel needs China as much as China needs Mattel
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By Oren Dorell  The same technology that keeps cellphone users in touch with their cellphone companies can also help locate people who are lost.