auction

Superman gets sold

Looking at that picture on the left, I'm reminded of the days when buying a comic book and keeping it in pristine condition was the most important thing in my life. Didn't matter which comic, either; all of them were treated with the same reverence. Ah, the good old days when I actually thought my comics would be worth something.

It's those first appearances you had to get in on. The most important first appearance took place in 1938 in "Action Comics" No. 1. That was the first appearance of Superman. Today someone will attempt … Read more

eBay reports revenue and earnings decline

Facing a tight economic climate and strong dollar overseas, eBay reported on Wednesday a 7 percent revenue drop in the fourth quarter and weaker net profits.

Shares of eBay, in after-hours trading, fell 6.25 percent to $12.45. The stock rose nearly 6 percent to close at $13.28 a share during regular trading.

The online auction giant reported revenue of $2.07 billion, down 7 percent from a year ago. That figure fell short of analysts' expectations of $2.12 billion in revenue.

eBay's net income, meanwhile, fell nearly 31 percent to $367 million in the fourth … Read more

A vintage-computer auction for a good cause

Just a quick heads-up--

Because of the current tough economic times, the non-profit Alameda County Computer Resource Center (ACCRC) is auctioning off its collection of vintage computers, video-game systems, calculators, and other collectible electronics to fund its other operations, which include job-training programs and refurbishing more modern PCs, which it donates to schools, other non-profits, and disadvantaged individuals.

The ACCRC auction is being managed by the Vintage Computer Festival organization in multiple rounds. The second set of systems being auctioned is online now, with a deadline of noon (PST) on Jan. 5; more will follow. VCF proprietor Sellam Ismail says … Read more

FCC cancels meeting for free Internet vote

The Federal Communications Commission has canceled a meeting scheduled at which it planned to vote on a controversial free Internet plan.

The group has been considering whether it should auction off 25 megahertz of wireless spectrum in the 2155MHz to 2180MHz band. In exchange for using the spectrum, the FCC would require license holders to offer some free wireless broadband service, as a way to provide free Internet access to millions of Americans who either can't afford or don't want to pay for high-speed Internet access. That Web service would have been filtered for pornography and material deemed … Read more

Rare flying car listed for sale on eBay

It's no Ferrari, but an original 1956 Aerocar--the first flying car to be deemed street-legal in the U.S.--is listed for sale on eBay. And it's only $3.5 million--if you use "buy it now."

It's presumably in good shape, with the auction stating that its engine was inspected a couple of years ago, but if you plan on flying this car anywhere I'd recommend a tune-up first--the engine hasn't been officially inspected since 1976.

Of course, for that money you could buy a top-of-the-line personal jet as well as a … Read more

Love the Android G1? You can get the G2, too

As a tribute to the newly released Android G1 phone that runs on a Linux-based operating system, the folks at gOS, maker of gOS 3 Gadgets, decided this week to hand-build an Android G2 PC.

This custom-built desktop computer is designed in the image of a new "Android." The G2 PC is based on the Via C7-based Nano-ITX board, and comes with an 800MHz processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, and 80GB of hard disk storage space. This is not much of a supercomputer, but it's powerful enough that you can do multiple tasks.

As Google's Android … Read more

Scoop up dollar deals from eBay and Amazon

Stand back! My cheapskate senses are tingling! A new site called Daily Dollar Deals catalogs soon-to-end eBay auctions that have prices below $1. Just pick a category--anything from Antiques to Video Games--and you'll see a list of all under-a-buck auctions, sorted by time remaining. (You can also drill down into sub-categories to get more targeted listings, and there's a search option as well.)

Talk about a great way to scoop up bargains! Admittedly, sometimes the stuff that's selling for a buck isn't worth much more than that, but there are exceptions. For instance, I found four … Read more

Wall Street slices eBay earnings estimates, targets

Investors pushed eBay's stock down for a third consecutive day Thursday, after the e-commerce giant reported third-quarter earnings and reduced its fourth-quarter forecast amid a meltdown in the economy.

Shares of eBay fell as low as $13.69 in intraday trading, down 12 percent from Wednesday's close. But by the market's close, eBay's shares were down a mere 2.35 percent to end the day at $14.97, as the broader markets closed out with gains.

Earlier in the day, eBay's shares were whacked as Wall Street weighed in, with a number of analysts reducing … Read more

FCC report negates free Internet interference claims

Correction: This post initially misstated the portion of spectrum cited in newly released FCC report. It was updated 3:15 PDT with corrected information and related background.

A Federal Communications Commission engineering report released late Friday essentially backs a plan to create a free wireless Internet service by dismissing concerns about interference for existing providers.

The FCC has been considering auctioning 25 megahertz of spectrum in the 2155MHz to 2180MHz band. As part of the rules for using the spectrum, the FCC plans to require license holders to offer some free wireless broadband service.

The FCC sees the plan, which … Read more

Business Software Alliance makes antipiracy push

The Business Software Alliance continues to battle distribution of pirated software on peer-to-peer and auction sites.

The trade group served more than 48,000 "takedown" notices related to BitTorrent files in the first half of this year and says BSA members lost an estimated $525 million in sales as a result of peer-to-peer piracy, according to a new BSA report called "Online Software Scams: A Threat to Your Security."

During the first half of this year BSA asked auction site providers to shut down more than 18,000 auctions in which 45,000 products, worth $22 … Read more