Black Friday Sales Hit $3 Billion, 4K Television Outpacing HDTV, Electricity From Rain

Black Friday Sales Hit $3 Billion, 4K Television Outpacing HDTV, Electricity From Rain

Black Friday Sales Hit $3 Billion with almost $1 billion coming from Mobile

Final numbers from Black Friday show a record-breaking day with sales pushing past the $3 billion mark for the first time in history reaching $3.34 billion according to Adobe. It was also the first day that mobile passed the $1 billion mark hitting $1.2 billion in mobile sales for a 33 percent increase. More than half of all smartphone and tablet owners used mobile devices to shop. In 2015, approximately 103 million shopped online while 102 million shopped in-stores. This year, 108 million bought with online while 99 million bought in stores.  The most popular items were gadgets like Apple iPads and Samsung 4K television sets.

 

 

38% of Adults are Likely to Use 4K Television, Outpacing HDTV Transition

One of the most popular gadgets from Black Friday was the 4K television with next-gen video formats climbing in sales. According to the NDP Group, 38% of adults are “very, or somewhat likely to use a 4K TV in the future.” Meanwhile, 87% of installed 4K TVs had active internet connection. “While younger consumers are watching more video on their smartphones, they are also driving consumer interest in 4K streaming on TV, as these behaviors are not mutually exclusive,” John Buffone, executive director, industry analyst, NPD Connected Intelligence, said in a statement. “As consumers make the shift to 4K capable hardware, content providers will be working to distribute 4K content, and in-home broadband speeds will become an important consideration for viewers to ensure a smooth 4K streaming experience.”

 


 

 

Amazon Limits Reviews to 5 per Week after Complaints of Fake Reviews

Amazon plans to cap the number of product reviews a customer can submit to five products per week except for products that have been verified as purchased. Books, music and video are exempt from the limit, but the rest of the Amazon’s products are effected by the latest move to reduce the number of fake reviews on the website. Earlier this year, Amazon sued networks of fake reviews targeting over 1,000 fake reviewers in an attempt to keep customer trust.

“We are introducing a policy change around customer reviews,” said spokeswoman from Amazon Angie Newman via email. “Customers can now only submit a limited number of non-Amazon Verified Purchase reviews a week. The limit is five and the count is calculated from Sunday at 12:00am UTC through Saturday 11:59pm UTC. Customer’s ability to submit Amazon Verified Purchase reviews will not be impacted. This policy also does not apply to Vine reviews or reviews on digital and physical books, music, and video.”

 

 

Chinese Scientists Produce Electricity From Rain By Adding Graphene to Solar Panels

Four Chinese scientists have developed a way to coat traditional solar panels with graphene, producing electricity. The natural salts in the water, such as ammonium, calcium and sodium, interact with electrons transforming the solar panel. This would allow the solar panels to create electricity in stormy weather. Graphene is a one-atom thick layer of carbon, and is the most electrically conductive material known to exist with a discovery dating back only 10 year ago.

 

Beth Kindig
Beth Kindig writes the "This Week in Tech News" column covering the most essential headlines of the week in abbreviated form. Her readers are busy professionals and casual tech enthusiasts who want to effortlessly stay on top of the latest news. Follow her on Twitter @Beth_Kindig

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