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Laura Sydell Laura Sydell is the Digital Culture Correspondent for the NPR's All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Weekend Edition and NPR.org.
Laura Sydell
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Laura Sydell

Business

Auction Could Dictate Future of Wireless Devices

On Thursday, the FCC will begin auctioning off part of the wireless spectrum — space that will be vacated when TV broadcast moves to digital in 2009, and maybe the last parts of the spectrum that will be available for a long time. The buyers — and how much they buy — could dictate how mobile computing devices will work for years to come.

Auction Could Dictate Future of Wireless Devices

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Technology

Environmentally Friendly Goods Buzz at CES

A big theme at the Consumer Electronics Show is environmentally friendly products. Some of the latest gadgets boast using less packaging, recycling metals, and putting a message on phone screens that tells consumers to unplug the power pack once the phone is fully charged.

Environmentally Friendly Goods Buzz at CES

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Technology

GM Appeals to Consumer Electronics Show

General Motors' CEO Rick Wagoner has becomes the first top executive from the auto industry to address the Consumer Electronics Show — known for home and office gadgets. His appearance highlights the auto industry's interest in incorporating consumer electronics into vehicles.

GM Appeals to Consumer Electronics Show

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Technology

Electronics Show Buzz: Broadband on the Go

The word at this year's Consumer Electronics Show is wireless, and the hot products are mobile and connected. WiMax may be next big thing. The technology broadcasts broadband from a large area so the signal can be picked up while users are moving.

Electronics Show Buzz: Broadband on the Go

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Technology

What to Watch: Blu-Ray or HD-DVD?

There's a format war going on in video right now: high definition DVD vs. Blu-Ray. It looks like Blu-Ray is winning because more content is going to be produced for Blu-Ray than for HD-DVD. But at the big Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, it's hard to tell the difference in picture quality between the two.

What to Watch: Blu-Ray or HD-DVD?

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Technology

Big Gadgets Mark Consumer Electronics Show

The Consumer Electronics Show opens in Las Vegas with some 140,000 people in attendance. They will be able to get a glimpse of the world's biggest TV screen, the smallest computer and solar batteries. And they will review a lot of things that connect to each other without wires.

Big Gadgets Mark Consumer Electronics Show

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Cell Phones: Talking, Texting . . . and Tuning In?

Cell Phones Do Double Duty in India

In India, people use cell phones for more than just talking and texting — they're entertainment tools, as well. Partly because broadband Internet access isn't widely available for computers, Indians use their cell phones to download and share music and watch videos — especially swapping MP3s and watching musical numbers from Bollywood movies.

Cell Phones Do Double Duty in India

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Music Interviews

Home from India, a Reporter Still Moves to Its Beat

Laura Sydell's driver during her trip to Mumbai had a favorite tune: "Ganpat," from the Hindi film Shootout at Lokhandwala. Sydell confesses that she can't get the bouncy, mildly naughty song out of her head.

Home from India, a Reporter Still Moves to Its Beat

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Pop Culture

Ancient Indian Tales Inspire a Modern Indian Art

In Bangalore, Richard Branson, director Shekhar Kapur and the son of Deepak Choprah are working to make Indian-flavored graphic novels as popular as Japanese manga.

Ancient Indian Tales Inspire a Modern Indian Art

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Movies

Hollywood Looking for a Piece of Bollywood Action

India's billion-plus population is mad for movies, and Hollywood is hungry for a piece of the Hindi film market. Sony Pictures took the plunge recently with a highbrow romance — and found itself going head to head on opening weekend with a home-grown superstar.

Hollywood Looking for a Piece of Bollywood Action

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Technology

Frame by Frame, Animation Moves to India

As competition in the movie animation industry heats up, Hollywood firms are finding a new work force in India. Video conferencing and Internet technology are bridging the gap and allowing a new kind of intercontinental collaboration.

Frame by Frame, Animation Moves to India

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Arts & Life

In a Booming India, Artists and Their Market Adapt

Affluent professionals in India are doing what the affluent always have done: collecting art. But as prices soar, the quality of art — and of conservatorial facilities — isn't necessarily keeping pace.

In a Booming India, Artists and Their Market Adapt

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World

Mumbai's Dhobi Toil With Laundry

In Mumbai, India, a caste of people toil away doing the city's laundry by hand. It is grueling work, often done in 100-degree heat by hundreds of men, women and some children who beat the laundry on rocks they rent for $8 a month. They are Dhobis, a Hindu caste born to the job.

Mumbai's Dhobi Toil With Laundry

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World

Postcard from India's Diwali Festival

All over India this week, lights are strung up across houses and businesses as Indians celebrate the five-day Diwali festival. The Hindu holiday is often referred to as the Indian Christmas, but the meaning of Diwali is as complex as India itself.

Postcard from India's Diwali Festival

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