Technology continues to evolve faster than most of us can follow -- if you blink, you might miss the next-best thing and find yourself surrounded by obsolete devices. My pale-pink iPod Mini is less than 3 years old and already worthy of mockery -- and don't get me started on my embarrassingly large collection of single tapes. MP-what?

At least Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) is helping prevent consumers from unknowingly buying a television that will quickly be seen as a relic. It's taking all analog television sets off the market. The familiar electronics retailer told its store locations to drop analog offerings at the beginning of October and focus exclusively on selling flat-panel and high-definition sets.

By February 17, 2009, all U.S. television programming will be required to be digital, as ordered by the Federal Communications Commission. Those holding on to old analog sets will be able to convert to the sharper signal using boxes, satellite equipment, or other methods of conversion. More than 60 million U.S. viewing households still watch their favorite shows via analog cable or antennas, and the government plans to offer coupons that can be used to purchase converter boxes. Where can one redeem such coupons and acquire such boxes? Well, Best Buy, of course, beginning early next year.

Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.

My guess is that the majority of television-watching American have no idea that in about two years, those analog television signals beaming TV programming to all those television sets will go away permanently in favor of the newer all-digital signals.

In fact, the radio spectrum that is being vacated by the shutdown of those analog television signals is being highly sought after for all kinds of uses; mainly, high-speed Internet access over wireless devices or another radio band in which companies can provide wireless voice service, including possibly Google.

What can leading consumer electronics retailers like Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY), Circuit City Stores, Inc. (NYSE: CC) and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) do to alleviate the pain? How about capitalizing on this in perfect promotional fashion and sell newer high-definition sets like never before? There are also concerns that will come from the advertising industry, and who will make the devices to allow older TVs to tap into the newer digital airwaves? Many questions abound. Read on.