As Kodak's chief blogger cheerily tweets from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, where it's business as usual with product news and its marketing and sales team ensconced in a booth, the company is showing gritty resolve even as it faces possible bankruptcy. It may be having its financial troubles, but it isn’t going to allow itself to be pushed around. Cue the lawyers.Continue reading...

Ford's press preview of its sleek new Fusion sedan and an MKZ concept vehicle at the North American International Auto Show this week kicked up the kind of design-oriented buzz that the automaker hasn't seen in a quarter-century.

The Fusion's debut at CES also generated buzz, prompting tech blogger Robert Scoble to post the photo above on Instagram and comment, “The new Ford Fusion just launched at CES. Pretty cool electric.”  As the automaker's executives previewed their new-product plan for financial analysts at the Detroit Auto Show, it became evident that that the company intends to keep making this kind of noise.

After wowing thousands of auto journalists at its debut on Monday, Fusion followed up late yesterday by winning the annual Eyes on Design award for a production vehicle displayed at the show. It's determined by a panel of industry design eminences, who were impressed by the almost-fastback silhouette of the new Fusion — which could shake up the staid mid-size sedan segment — and other design cues, such as inverted-trapezoidal front grille, sweeping front-to-rear lines and what Ford calls lots of "light catchers" on the sheet-metal surfaces.

"This is extremely significant, not only because of the new design for Fusion but also because this gives Ford a lot of scope for derivative models off of a new platform," Eyes on Design judge Jack Telnack, retired design chief for Ford, told brandchannel. And Telnack should know, as he was mastermind of the design of the 1986 Ford Taurus that revolutionized the industry then with its "jellybean" design.Continue reading...

Hoping to lose a little weight but somehow don’t seem to hear that little voice in your head telling you to stop when you’re reaching for the ice cream in the fridge? You might need a talking fridge.

Recalling the old Woody Allen routine about talking appliances, LG Electronics has introduced a new high-tech refrigerator as part of its ThinQ Smart appliance line, as part of its slew of product announcements at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. The twist: the fridge knows its own contents and can help the owner with meal planning and diet goals, according to the Daily Mail and Mashable (above).

How it works: After you input your weight-loss and body-mass index goals into the fridge’s computer, it can recognition who is opening the door by its internal TV and voice-recognition technology, the Daily Mail reports. Then it can make suggestions based on what is inside.Continue reading...

PaidContent felt that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer phoned in his CES kick-off last night — the company's last hurrah at the show. While Ballmer's CES Keynote wasn't as lively as the tribute video showing Microsoft's past CES kick-offs above, he did generate buzz with a preview of product developments coming this year.

Check out Microsoft's blog post for more of the highlights from Ballmer's presentation, including Kinect coming to Window, or watch some highlights of Ballmer's CES farewell below, including a Kinect demo with Sesame Street and one of the odder moments of the keynote: a tweet choir.Continue reading...

At CES, Samsung announces content for each screen.

Apple CEO Tim Cook could end up being America's highest-paid CEO for 2011.

Coors Light blasts by Bud to become No. 2 brew.

Dr Pepper releases "I'm one of a kind" ad campaign.

Ford is on the cusp of a true financial comeback; makes 100% sustainable interior.

Myspace reinvents itself as an entertainment experience, brings Justin Timberlake to CES.

Olympus sues execs over scandal.

Suze Orman puts her name on pre-paid credit card.

Smoothie King launches campaign to help customers get fit.

Toyota and Honda plan to fight back with new product reveals at NAIAS, which saw 27 new vehicle unveilings yesterday.Continue reading...

Just because Polaroid isn’t producing the instant film cameras that dominated that marketplace for 60 years doesn’t mean it's just going to disappear from the scene altogether. PetaPixel.com reports that Polaroid and The Impossible Project are teaming up to release 6-10 Polaroid Classic-branded products each year. The first item in their collaboration: a do-it-yourself paper-camera kit. The kit (only $20) contains materials to create replicas of six classic Polaroid cameras out of paper. The set will include little fake Polaroids that will “develop when rubbed,” the site notes.

The two companies famously paired up in 2008 when cofounders Florian Kaps and André Bosman met at a party for the closing of a Polaroid plant in the Netherlands. The pair teamed up (along with Marwan Saba) and bought the plant and its machinery in order to take over the instant-photo business that creates products that work with Polaroid cameras. Now, Impossible has offices in New York and Vienna, while Polaroid is putting its energy into consumer electronics and eyewear these days. The two will also work together to sell off the final “batch of Polaroid film ever produced,” the site notes. 

The announcement of the new products came in conjunction with the kickoff of this year’s massive Consumer Electronics Show. At last year’s CES, Polaroid announced that it had partnered up with Lady Gaga to announce its new Grey Label, which was to be co-designed by the performer.Continue reading...

In China, 2012 is the Year of the Dragon, but at the Consumer Electronics Show this week in Las Vegas, 2012 bears a far catchier catchphrase: the Year of the Interface. At least that’s what Canada's CBC has dubbed it.

The New York Times' Gadgetwise tech blog sees ultrabooks taking over the show floor, along with car-related tech announcements (such as Ford's Silicon Valley lab news) aplenty — a convenient overlap with the North American International Auto Show (aka the Detroit Auto Show) taking over Cobo Hall in Motor City this week. The New York Times' big story this morning, however, dismissed CES as irrelevant, citing the pullout of Microsoft as sounding the death knell for the show.Continue reading...

Archie Comics celebrates gay marriage in new cover.

Bristol-Myers to buy Inhibitex for $2.5 billion.

CBS introduces all-new CBS This Morning show.

Cadillac unveils ATS small sedan as import-fighter at Detroit Auto Show, which signals a turnaround for the industry.

Chick-fil-A cuts calories in kids' meals.

CES loses clout as tech-industry platform.

Current TV and Keith Olbermann make up following election coverage dispute.

Denny's promotes healthier media options.

Disney marketing head MT Carney departs.

Dow sponsorship of London 2012 Olympics continues to raise hackles.Continue reading...