Tag Archives: CNBC

3-D gifts for do-it-yourselfers

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Crowded 3d giftsmalls. The eternal search for a halfway decent parking spot. Waiting for hours—only to see the gift your son or daughter desperately wants sell out right before you get to the front of the line. Who needs this version of the holiday spirit?

Imagine if you could buy yourself a gift that makes whatever you want for others—it’s not the ingredients for a home-baked fruitcake to send to friends and relatives, either. 3-D printing companies like MakerBot are making a bet that you won’t need Amazon.com, a bricks-and-mortar retail giant or a bunch of Santa’s elves in the North Pole workshop to cover everyone naughty and nice. A holiday trend of the future will be stockings stuffed and trees underlined with your own 3-D printed designs.

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Great gifts for the leading lady in your life

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Finding gifts for hera gift for the woman in your life—whether that’s a spouse, sister, mother or co-worker—isn’t easy. There are plenty of products to choose from, of course, but too many are items that might seem like a good idea initially, only to be met with a semitepid response when the gift is opened.

While the perfect gift really all depends on the person you’re buying for, we spoke with gift experts about what items women really want this year. Here’s what they suggested.

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How Disney plans to keep kids hooked on TV

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This minnie mouseyear is shaping up to be one of the worst customer retention years in the history of pay TV. Cable, satellite and phone companies that offer video services lost 113,000 customers in the third quarter, according to a report by MoffettNathanson.

So what are cable and satellite companies’ frenemies—the broadcast partners and content kings—doing to ensure that the television status quo continues into the next generation of viewers? They’re cutting the cord themselves, to a degree. Networks with a strong mobile presence are using the basics of cord-cutting against the next generation’s would-be cord cutters, roping children into the existing ecosystem in a roundabout way.

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Wines under $20 to impress your holiday party guests

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Sure, winewe’d all like to host the party that serves Château Lafite and 1941 Inglenook cabernet, but for most people entertaining these days is done on a budget.

While holiday parties are stronger than ever, you’re more likely to find value wine being poured there than you were five years ago. But just because the bottle doesn’t command a $100 price tag doesn’t mean it has to be swill.

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What’s fueling the explosion in start-up accelerators?

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The accelerator programs2005 formation of Y Combinator kicked off an explosion of accelerator programs in the U.S., leading to hundreds of entrepreneurs finding financial backers as well as mentors. But as the movement swept through America, the rest of the world largely ignored it.

Today that’s changing, and the momentum is fierce. Accelerators are popping up all over Europe, even in areas like Africa, as countries begin farming their own entrepreneurial talent.

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10 hot gifts for the gadget lover

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Not gadget gift guide 2013sure what to buy someone? It’s hard to go wrong with technology.

Gadgets are a perennial topper on holiday wish lists. The Consumer Electronics Association, in fact, estimates 74 percent of holiday shoppers will purchase some form of consumer electronics as a present. But determining what’s worth your money can be tricky if you haven’t kept pace with the industry for the past year. Here are a few can’t miss suggestions for your tech-loving friends or loved ones.

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The bully you don’t believe exists: Your own kid

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Professional cyber bullyingfootball players do it. White House officials probably come closer than they should to doing it. But could your “sweet” kid also be involved? Or, even more heartbreaking, be a victim?

The digital world has become a haven for cyberbullying—bullying that takes place with the help of smartphones and computers and via methods including email, social media and text messaging. What’s more surprising is how widespread this behavior has become—and the gravitational effect it has on children who might otherwise not be part of the bullying process. While parents may think they understand how modern bullying works, their kids beg to differ.

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10 must-have video games this holiday season

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With game guide cnbcthe launch of Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One this month, there’s a lot of focus on next-generation games, but that shouldn’t overshadow the fact that many of the year’s best titles were made for current generation systems.

The end of a console cycle typically is a boom time for gamers as video-game developers take advantage of their knowledge of the systems and look to send them out with a final hurrah. In many cases, those same games help supplement the launch of new consoles as well.

Whether you’re buying for the person on gaming’s bleeding edge or who’s happy with the game system that’s already in their house, there are plenty of good choices.

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With console launches, it’s game time for Sony and Microsoft

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Let ps4the games begin.

The unveiling of Sony’s PlayStation 4 on Nov. 15 and Microsoft’s Xbox One on Nov. 22 doesn’t just mark a new console cycle but is a new start of sorts for the companies: The former is trying to right the ship after years of losses, while the latter is moving to expand its empire beyond the PC desktop.

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Video game companies hope for a bountiful holiday

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There gamersare two stories to follow this holiday season in the gaming world: Hardware and software.

With the high-profile launch of two new gaming systems and a slew of new games still to come, the video-game industry is hoping Santa brings it a turnaround this year. U.S. consumer spending on video games at brick-and-mortar retail stores has fallen nearly 30 percent in the past three years. In 2010, the industry took in $18.6 billion on sales of hardware, software and accessories, according to the NPD Group. In 2012, that number had slipped to $13.26 billion.

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