Electronic Equipment

A thirst among shoppers for stylish cellphones that can do more than make calls and take grainy snapshots has helped Apple Inc. ring up sales of more than 1 million units of its high-end iPhone 3G S just three days after the device went on sale, the company reported Monday. "Even with a down economy, food, shelter, clothing and now smart phones are becoming an essential part of people's lives," quipped Ken Dulaney, an analyst at Gartner Inc.

If you received a TV, DVD player or other electronic device for the holidays, you may find yourself wrestling with wires and cables trying to connect the new equipment to what you already have. Wirewize aims to help, offering connection instructions for your exact combination of electronic components. At the home page, click on "Get started."

Television manufacturers showed off their biggest and brightest models at the Consumer Electronics Show on Monday. And wow, were they big and bright. Panasonic lugged in the world's largest plasma TV set, at 150 inches, or 12 1/2 feet, measured diagonally. It's 11 feet tall, for those already measuring space in their living rooms. "The only plane that could carry it was the Boeing 747 jumbo jet," Panasonic President Toshihiro Sakamoto said.

While the consumer electronics world is watching Las Vegas this week, many manufacturers are also keeping an eye on foreign markets where they can build and sell their latest gadgets. The head of the trade group behind the International Consumer Electronics Show used the stage to drive home a political message Monday: Foreign trade is key to the growth of the industry and the overall health of the U.S. economy. Gary Shapiro, president and chief executive of the Consumer Electronics Assn.

Apple Inc. may unveil a version of the iPhone for Canada as early as today, but China Mobile said Monday that talks over the launch of iPhone handsets in China had been called off. Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs may make the announcement about the iPhone for Canada during his speech at the Macworld conference in San Francisco, said RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky. Apple probably will outline an agreement with Rogers Communications Inc.

The company behind the BlackBerry smart phones said a three-hour e-mail outage Monday was caused by an upgrade designed to increase capacity. Research in Motion Ltd. said Tuesday that the upgrade was part of "routine and ongoing efforts," and that similar upgrades in the past had caused no problems. The outage, which started about 12:30 p.m. PST, annoyed subscribers who are used to checking and writing e-mail whenever they're in cellular coverage and able to make voice calls.

As the capital of information technology, Silicon Valley may have more gadgets per capita than any other place on the planet. Yet, even here, "always on" can be a real turnoff. Frustrated by workers so plugged in that they tuned out in the middle of business meetings, a growing number of companies are going "topless," as in no laptops allowed. Also banned from some conference rooms: BlackBerrys, iPhones and other devices on which so many people have come to depend.

It might not be long before the Verizon Wireless pitchman asks: "Can you see me now?" With 89% of U.S. adults signed up for cellphone service, carriers are trying to boost revenue by getting customers to receive more data on their phones -- and nothing contains as much data as video. The big carriers have done little to promote video, in part because most handsets can't show moving pictures. But that may change soon, industry executives said.

"Whoso walketh in solitude, and inhabiteth the wood . . . into that forester shall pass . . . power and grace." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson But what if I snap my ankle? Or blow a cardiac gasket? Or fall or get stuck on a mountain where I can't go up or down, what climbers call getting "cliffed out"? What then, Ralph Waldo? I won't give a tinker's damn about power and grace then. I'm going to be looking for that orange-and-white rescue whirligig in the sky. Swing low, sweet Stokes litter.

Have you chosen your new hands- free headset yet? Armed with a photovoltaic cell, the new Iqua Sun is the world's first solar-powered model, which means Angelenos, beach bums, baseball players and gardeners will rarely have to recharge. -- Elizabeth Khuri -- Iqua BHS 603 Sun Bluetooth headset, $89.99, at Fry's Electronics and www.iqua.com