February 22 - 3:35pm EST   Not willing to wait until the official shutdown of production in March, Japanese retail shops are already pulling all their HD DVD drives and movies off of shelves, according to reports. Although less than a week after Toshiba's withdrawal of the HD DVD standard, several high-profile shops such as Edion and Yodobashi Camera have already halted selling either the players or the movies. Most are reportedly in discussions with Toshiba to send back unsold players and, in the case of Edion, are planning exchange programs where customers can potentially receive a Blu-ray player as a free or low-cost exchange for a now-obsolete HD DVD player. [full story]

December 27 - 11:35pm EST   In brief: A CompUSA in Lexington, Kentucky is discounting its entire stock of Apple merchandise, Zannel has optimized its web-based multimedia sharing site for the iPhone, and MacNN has posted reviews of a website creation app called Shutterbug, and the leather Cobra iPod CoverCase. CompUSA is offering discounts of 5-percent on Apple desktops, laptops, and iPods, 10-percent off of Apple Cinema Displays, 15-percent on Apple software, and a 20-percent discount on Apple accessories. While CompUSA is currently having a sale on its website, it is unclear if this is the same offer, or if this is being offered outside of Lexington. [full story]

December 7 - 9:35pm EST   Troubled electronics retailer CompUSA today said it has been sold to investment firm Gordon Brothers Group, ending a significant component of the company's business. The plan will see CompUSA sell off some of its physical stores as well as its company website and its TechPro technical support service. The 103 stores that have remained since the company's previous round of closures will remain open until the end of the holiday season. Key Gordon Brothers Group principal Bill Weinstein will take over from current CompUSA headman Roman Ross as part of the deal. [full story]