Fuugo aggregates video content for your phone, tablet, or PC, makes it more touch-friendly
For the average consumer -- the kind that doesn't consider BitTorrent a way of life, that is -- video content discovery can still be a pretty big challenge, particularly if you dare venture outside the friendly confines of YouTube and Hulu. A new service called Fuugo looks to clean that mess up a bit, offering to aggregate a variety of online services along with support for the full suite of digital over-the-air standards around the globe: one-seg for Japan and Brazil, DVB-H and DVB-T for Europe, and
ATSC-M/H for North America. Fuugo's app is tailored for devices ranging from smartphones to touchscreen all-in-one PCs, featuring what appears to be a solid UI powered by gestures -- swipe to change channels, for instance -- that heaps content from various online and offline sources together into one hot mess of brain-melting programming. It's being shown off for the first time here at CES this week -- we'll be sure to track it down, but in the meantime, follow the break for the full press release along with a video preview.
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WHDI breaks out at CES 2011, brings 1080p streaming to TVs, PCs, tablets and a projector
We've felt the rush a-comin', and it looks as if 2011 may finally be the year that
Amimon (along with its competitors) gets the break it has been yearning for in the consumer market. With
wireless HD streaming options becoming more plentiful (and prices heading southward into a realm of feasibility), the
WHDI standard is making a stand at this year's CES. Right around a dozen new products will be introduced this week with WHDI embedded, including HDTVs from Haier, PC-to-TV adapters from
Asus and LG Innotek, tablets from First International Computer ('Jacob' prototype shown above), Malata and Gemtek / Ampak, a projector from Vivitek and a mobile-to-TV solution from 35.com. The goal here is pretty obvious -- Amimon would love for you to have a house full of WHDI-equipped gear, in turn creating an ecosystem where these devices could talk to one another and stream in a variety of directions. We'll be scouring the floor to see who's buying in, but it sounds as if that won't be too difficult a chore.
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AT&T to get future BMWs online, marque in danger of becoming Ultimate Downloading Machine
You'd have a hard time finding a car without power windows these days and, the way things are going, it won't be long before you'll have to look similarly hard for a disconnected car. The latest to push the trend is
BMW, signing on with
AT&T to enable the next-generation of Bimmers to have an always-on connection to pull down traffic information, weather conditions, and probably some less useful stuff too. No word on which cars this will first make an appearance in nor whether it'll allow for
Leaf-like remote car maintenance nor, indeed, how much it will cost. For those answers and more you'll just have to wait for the future -- or look for a secret clue hidden in the PR below.
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Smartfish Engage keyboard automates ergonomics, is finally available
It's been two years in the making, but
Smartfish has finally released its opus into the world: the Engage keyboard. It's been known as the
Pro:Motion and
ErgoMotion over the years, but now it's got a new moniker, a classy all-black look, and a $150 pricetag. Outside of the tilted design and large palm rests, the keyboard has an internal motor that moves the position of the two halves of the keyboard based on your typing frequency. The periodic position adjustments help fight off fatigue, an approach developed in conjunction with The Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. We'll try to play around with the keyboard at CES -- last year's prototype wasn't terribly impressive -- but if it's anything as good as the
Smartfish Whirl Mini Notebook Laser Mouse, we might have a new carpal tunnel warrior in our arsenal.
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Toshiba Satellite C655D puts AMD Fusion in a big boy laptop
There's been no shortage of new
AMD Fusion laptops here at CES -- we've seen the
Lenovo X120e,
HP dm1, and
MSI Wind U270 already -- but all of 'em have put the new
Zacate E-Series chips in 11.6-inch shells. Well, Toshiba's changing it up with its C655D, and is releasing the sub $400 15.6-inch laptop with AMD's E240 APU. Clearly meant for the budget conscious, the 5.5-pound machine will support up to 4GB of RAM and pack 320GB of storage along with a regular DVD drive. Like most of these
Fusion laptops, Toshiba's claiming it should last for about six hours on a charge and provide all the multitasking prowess you need for basic everyday tasks. No word on the exact pricing and availability of the system, but there
is one more picture after the break.
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Sony's PlayStation Phone finally gets Xperia, PlayStation logos
We've
heard of the mysterious, still-totally-unofficial
PlayStation Phone running Android 2.2 in the past, but we'd also heard it could run 3.0 -- thing is, that was back before we knew
Gingerbread would be 2.3, so it's possible that those 3.0 rumors ended up materializing as 2.3.
Capiche? Anyhow, this is the first time we're seeing the Xperia Play (or Zeus Z1, or whatever it'll end up being called) running 2.3 in the wild, doing its thing next to a white Xperia X10 to give you an idea of scale. The lucky poster actually has two of the phones available, so they seem to be leaking out of factories in sufficient quantities now to suggest that it'll likely be announced soon -- or so we hope, anyway.
CES?
MWC? We'll know soon enough. Follow the break for the 2.3 evidence up close.
Also notable: these appear to be new hardware builds that feature refined touch surfaces -- notice the engraved circles -- along with PlayStation-themed and Xperia logos at the bottom (notice the telltale square, triangle, X, and circle shapes). The screen shots call out a model number of R800i, which has previously been associated with the Zeus... so this is definitely lining up nicely.
[Thanks,
Sze]
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Garmin StreetPilot app does turn-by-turn on the iPhone and iPad for $40
When Garmin
curtailed its hardware partnership with Asustek late last year, you had to
know the company would make a comeback to the mobile front in some shape, fashion or form. Starting today, the iPhone and 3G iPad both get the all-new StreetPilot app, which costs $39.99 and provides you with turn-by-turn navigation from the guys who make their living from the stuff. It undercuts
TomTom's $49.99 offering for iOS, while offering real-time traffic data, voice commands, lane assist, address book integration so you can navigate directly to your buddies' addresses, and multitasking support. It's looking like a pretty comprehensive piece of premium navigation software, which, if previous rumors bear out, should be landing on BlackBerry devices as well pretty soon. Jump past the break for the press release.
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Iomega Personal Cloud devices host your data, not your water vapor
Finally, a new flavor of Iomega that the EMC fanboys can find palatable. The bigger company consumed the smaller
back in 2008 and, while we've seen plenty of products since then, none have really brought the two together like the new Personal Cloud edition of the Home Media Network Hard Drives. In theory, anyway. The idea here is that this is a smart
NAS, creating your own little puff and hosting your data for general availability but avoiding the "
careless computing" curse by retaining control of your data. It'll naturally play nice with the
new Iomega TV and, if you buy two of the things, you can have one perform an automated remote backup to the other. That's the sort of feature that should make a tight-budgeted IT manager's ears perk up. How tight? The first two models of Iomega's Home Media Network Hard Drive Cloud Edition devices launch this month: 1TB for $169.99 and twice that for $229.99.
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Samsung's WiFi-enabled SH100 shoots in 14.2MP, uses your Android as a viewfinder
WiFi cameras are hardly anything new, but there are a few features on this
Samsung SH100 that caught our attention. For one, this 14.2 megapixel imager lets you use your Android smartphone --
Galaxy S is specifically mentioned here -- a "real time" remote viewfinder and trigger over WiFi! Additionally, users will also benefit from the camera's
DLNA and wireless PC sync capabilities. While this sounds all awesome, we'll have to wait until March before our wallets take a $199.99 damage. Full spec sheet after the break.
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Atheros debuts first Bluetooth 4 / 802.11n system-in-package
You know
Atheros, right? The company known for its various wireless networking products has just announced a little something called the AR6233. Billed as "the first SIP solution to support the new Bluetooth 4.0 standard," this system-in-package (that's what SIP stands for -- but you already knew that) sports the aforementioned Bluetooth radio, as well as 802.11n "with a near-zero impact on the battery life of portable devices." Sounds like just the thing for your handcrafted boutique cellphone startup! The architecture works with ARM or x86 processors, and is expected to be in volume production in Q2, 2011. PR after the break.
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Thrustmaster T500RS, the official Gran Turismo 5 wheel, unboxed and tested (video)
Wondering how
Thrustmaster's upcoming$599
T500RS wheel stacks up to the competition from
Logitech and
Fanatec? Haven't had your daily dose of heavy metal backing music? You'd better click play on the video embedded below.
InsideSimRacing has managed to get one of the first wheels in the country and, while we're mildly jealous, we won't stop from passing on their impressions -- which aren't universally positive. The trick flip pedals that go from "F1" to "rally" style? Gimmicky. Rubber instead of leather? C'mon. Price? Astronomical. The rest of the impressions? You'll just have to start streaming to find out.
[Thanks, Chris]
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Sleek Audio teases wireless headphones, 50 Cent provides inspiration
What's this? Wouldn't you like to know. Now that Dr. Dre and HP have teamed up to
strike gold in the consumer audio space, it looks as if
Sleek Audio is doing its darnedest to replicate success. Sleek -- which tickled our ears quite pleasantly with last year's
SA1 -- is apparently gearing up to unveil something special here at CES. Mum's the word on what, exactly, but judging by the image above, we're assuming it'll be a pair of high-end wireless (
Kleer?) headphones with the backing of 50 Cent. You'll also notice a svelte carbon fiber exterior, which ought to flex just right as the low-lows are passing through its drivers. Head on past the break for the full image, and keep it locked right here as we dig for more.
Update: An eagle-eyed tipster has spotted a gallery's worth of shots on 50's Twitter page, and lo and behold, it looks like he's already scored a pair!
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Tesla Model S to have 17-inch infotainment console powered by Tegra; BMW using NVIDIA tech too
Tesla is touting the world's biggest center console for its upcoming
Model S today: a titanic 17-inch touchscreen display powered by NVIDIA's Tegra chip. Infotainment, climate control and navigation will all be managed using the vast dashboard dominator, while NVIDIA's hardware will also take responsibility for keeping the 12.3-inch instrument cluster LCD updated. Considering the Model S, like the
Roadster before it, is an all-electric vehicle, you'd expect energy efficiency to be a pretty important consideration in the choice of infotainment system and Tesla points that out as a key advantage of Tegra, describing it as "power-stingy." Another motor company hooking up with NVIDIA is BMW, who promises that
all of its upcoming models for 2011 will benefit from Green Team GPUs powering their iDrive navigation and information systems. We don't know what exact GPUs will be used, but a "visually rich" next-gen UI is being promised, stretching out to a 1280 x 600 resolution. You'll find both press releases after the break.
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HTC EVO 4G Shift handled on video by Wirefly
Kind of unusual for a top-tier third-party retailer to beat everyone else (including the manufacturer and carrier) to the punch with a detailed live video of a new smartphone -- but hey, really, who are we to complain? Wirefly has posted a nearly 10-minute introduction to the
EVO 4G Shift that Sprint just made official this morning, comparing it to both an original
EVO 4G and a
Droid 2 so you can get a feel for the diminutive dimensions (relatively speaking, anyway). It looks pretty fast from the video, and the stock Quadrant score over 1,400 would seem to back up that impression -- but naturally, we're sure it can get even better with some careful ROM tweaking and a timely upgrade to
Gingerbread. Follow the break for the full video.
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HSTi debuts StreamStick WiFi dongles for video on demand
Is it a coincidence that "stream" and "extreme" are such similar sounding words? Just take a look at the
totally radical dude that's slathered all over HSTi's CES booth and decide for yourself. The follow-up to last year's
Wireless Media Stick, StreamStick is a wireless receiver geared at manufacturers that will allow them to provide media streaming from a dedicated device to any number of USB port-packin' TVs, DVD / Blu-ray players, game consoles, and set top boxes, via-WiFi. For the end user, this means that when you plug the USB stick into your TV, the streaming copy of
Troll 2 you just rented from Amazon (for instance) will appear as a file that you can click on and play, as if it was locally stored. "The StreamStick," says President and CEO Ramesh Uppal, "enables content providers, of any size, to access a multitude of media players, exponentially increasing their customer reach while realizing new revenue streams that they wouldn't otherwise have." And we know how much you love revenue streams! Check out the PR after the break for all the nitty-gritty.
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Somfy's slick Tahoma Z-Wave and RTS home automation gateway
Apparently fed up with the fragmented state of home automation solution, Somfy, best known for its selection of automatic window coverings, just announced an automated home gateway of its own. TaHomA (get it? Total Home Automation) is very much a device like
Mi Casa Verde's Vera, only with what looks to be a much slicker Home Motion UI and support for Somfy's proprietary wireless RTS communication protocol in addition to
Z-Wave. Unlike MCV, however, Somfy is taking a more managed approach by offering an expert setup option performed by certified dealers. After which, you'll be able to manage all of your wireless appliance modules and automatic scenes from anywhere in the world -- via PC, iPad, or iPhone -- thanks to Somfy's remote support server. You can always make changes to Tahoma yourself or ask a dealer to do it on-site or remotely. Tahoma is set to launch in the US sometime in the first
quarter half of 2011 for an undisclosed price. We'll see what we can do about getting some hands-on time with it right here at CES before then.
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Amazon promises tablet-specific Kindle app for Android and Windows slates
You can read your Amazon-bought ebooks on your
Kindle, your
PC, your
Mac, your
mobile, and even on your
iPad. Now, it's time to have them, contained in a
tailor-made application, on your Android and Windows tablets as well. Amazon has just announced its intention to introduce a free app for reading Kindlebooks on devices running Google and Microsoft's operating systems, which will expand its device compatibility list as the year goes on. Amazon specifically notes that these apps are intended for upcoming devices, which probably foreshadows the sort of tablet-heavy year we're going to be having. Skip past the break for the full announcement.
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Samsung, RealD announce RDZ tech that puts active shutter 3D into the TV instead of the glasses
Just when we were getting used to the introduction of passive glasses 3D into the formerly active shutter-only home arena Samsung LCD Business and
RealD will show off another option at this year's CES that is apparently based on the
ZScreen technology RealD licensed last year. According to the two, RDZ LCD HDTVs are compatible with the cheaper RealD glasses already in use in theaters, by making the panel itself an active switching LCD instead. Compared to the patterned retarder passive 3D we expect to see from Vizio and LG, this has the advantage of not cutting the resolution of whatever you're watching in half, although they would likely still claim advantages in brightness and lack of flicker. We'll have to let our eyes tell us which is the best approach but the fact this is coming from Samsung's business LCD division instead of its consumer arm suggests the price of any displays that are eventually released will be something beyond the 3D capable TVs we're used to so far.
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Netflix 'one click' remote button coming to nearly every device it streams to
We got a hint of this when Boxee
announced one, but it's clear now that Netflix's plans are much larger as many of its hardware partners including Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, Toshiba, Dynex, Haier, Memorex, Iomega and Roku will also offer one-touch
Netflix buttons on remotes for TVs, Blu-ray players and media streamers. It's pretty obvious, Netflix Watch Instantly is a killer app for any connected TV platform at this point and one of the most used features, making access quicker and easier is a no-brainer.
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Verizon teases 'suite of Android-based LTE consumer devices' this week
Surprised? Nah, neither are we -- Verizon's
LTE-based Android smartphones have been leaking like the sweet, Cortex-A8 sieves that they are for weeks now -- but Big Red's using stronger language than ever before to say that we can expect multiple Android devices running on Verizon's fresh LTE network here at
CES this week. Specifically, the press release says that "the company will also offer a sneak peek at a suite of Android-based LTE consumer devices" at its January 6th event here at the show,
echoing Twitter teasers last month -- but with the key addition of the word "suite," which hopefully means we'll have an
LG, an
HTC, a
Motorola, and a
Samsung (at the very least) to toy with by the time this week is out. Stay tuned, folks. Follow the break for the brief press release.
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MMT's DisplayLink-equipped 15.4-inch USB Monitor2Go given a $279 price
Both DisplayLink and MMT seem pretty darn proud to be revealing the 15.4-inch Monitor2Go here at CES, but in reality, this unit has already been around the block. If you'll recall, the Field Monitor Pro was
first spotted a few weeks back, and now MMT is introducing a rebadged version in Vegas. The good news, however, is that we finally have a price to pore over: $279, and it'll ship to consumers later this quarter. For those that missed last month's slip, this fold-up monitor can be used alongside any machine (PCs are green-lit, Mac support is in beta) with a USB port, offering a 1280 x 800 screen resolution and a number pad to boot. Of course, since
DisplayLink is behind the pixels, up to six screens can be daisy-chained off of a host computer's single USB port to create a massive video wall -- something we strongly encourage, of course.
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Sprint trots out HTC EVO Shift 4G and new 3G / 4G MiFi from Novatel
It's been leaked all over the place, but Sprint has just confirmed its second EVO: the
EVO Shift 4G. The big new addition is obviously the slide-out keyboard, but otherwise, while specs are solid, there's nothing as revolutionary as the original EVO. The Shift has a 3.6-inch 800 x 480 LCD, Android 2.2 (with HTC Sense), and the same great 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7630 processor that's in the G2 and myTouch 4G. Naturally there's WiMAX 4g, in addition to EVDO Rev A., and HTC hopes to keep those radios alive with a 1500mAh battery. There's a 5 megapixel camera around back, capable of 720p video, but oddly no front-facing camera -- something we assumed was part of the definition of EVO. The phone will be available on the 9th for $150.
Meanwhile, Novatel Wireless is cooking up its own WiMAX goodness, putting 3G and 4G in a brand new
MiFi device, the MiFi 3G / 4G Mobile Hotspot. It includes a display for tracking status of the device, unlike Novatel's 3G MiFis, claims 4 hours of active use and 60 hours of standby, and can share storage from its microSD slot with connected devices. It should be out on February 27th for $50 with a two-year contract.
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Mitsubishi's 'big year' at CES includes 92-inch DLP, 155-inch OLED displays
As we
mentioned in our 3D roundup, the advantage of Mitsubishi sticking to DLP technology for its HDTVs is easily seen in square inches per dollar spent, and they're going to push that even further by introducing a 92-inch HDTV in 2011. We should get our eyes on the monster and its new "Clear Contrast" screen at the CES Unveiled event tonight, but you'll excuse us if we're slightly distracted by the 155-inch OLED that will apparently be on hand from its business division. No word yet on price or release date for the 92-incher, check out another picture and all available details in the press release after the break.
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Warpia's wireless StreamHD USB-to-HDMI adapter supports 1080p, 5.1 surround sound
Let's try this again, shall we? We were
none too impressed with the
first iteration of the device you see above, mostly because it failed to support audio. A few generations later, and seems as if Warpia may finally have its ducks in a row. The StreamHD is a USB-to-HDMI adapter, presumably relying on Wisair technology to whisk 1080p content from one's USB-enabled laptop or desktop onto your HDMI-equipped television. It'll handle material with resolutions as high as 1920 x 1280, and we're told that both Hulu and Netflix content will be passed along sans issue. Hooking things up is a lesson in simplicity (in theory, at least) -- just plug the USB dongle into your Windows PC, and the transceiver dock into your HDTV. High-def content and 5.1 surround sound should be transmitted, and there's a reported range of 30 feet. It should be popping up any moment now on Amazon for $169.99, and yeah, that does include an HDMI cable and a S/PDIF cord. How thoughtful.
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Lexar reveals Echo MX and ZX USB 'no-touch' backup drives
One-touch backup? Pssh. That's
so 2010.
Lexar is revealing its
second CES introduction this morning with the uncovering of its Echo MX and ZX high-speed backup devices. Both units provide 'no-touch backup' along with 128-bit AES encryption, with the MX offering an always-on capacity meter, built-in Echo backup software and speeds of up to 28MB/s (read) and 10MB/s (write). It'll play nice with both Mac and PC platforms and will ship later this quarter in capacities of 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB and 128GB (priced from $44.99 to $499.99). Taking things down a notch (from a volumetric perspective, anyway), the ZX USB nub is designed to remain plugged into your system at all times, continually backing things up in the event of an all-too-sudden disaster. This guy should ship prior to the summertime in capacities of 8GB, 16GB and 32GB, with prices ranging from $44.99 to $139.99. The full release is after the break.
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Eye-Fi's Direct Mode unites phone and camera in holy matrimony
The WiFi-enabled SD card wizards at
Eye-Fi already have a mobile app kicking around that lets you upload shots from your phone to the cloud, but their relationship with mobile is about to get a whole lot cozier with the introduction of Direct Mode. Basically, Direct Mode lets the Eye-Fi card in your camera communicate directly with your tablet or phone -- with Eye-Fi software installed, of course -- giving you direct and immediate access to the photos that are on your camera without the need to either cable up or first allow the card to upload the images to a photo sharing service before they can be pulled back down on the mobile device. Granted, the cameras inside phones are getting better by the day, but most of them still don't come anywhere near serious point-and-shoot quality -- and that seems to be the angle Eye-Fi's trying to attack here, making it dead simple to share your "real" camera photos just as quickly as you would had you taken them with your phone itself. Look for it as a free upgrade for Eye-Fi's existing line of
X2 cards "later in 2011." Free's nice, eh? Follow the break for the press release.
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Turtle Beach adds dual radios, customizable presets and voice morphing to 7.1 Ear Force PX5 gaming headset
Hear that? That's the sound of a million new products being introduced here in Vegas... in glistening 7.1 Dolby surround sound, no less.
Turtle Beach has just ushered out its new flagship device, the
Ear Force PX5. Designed for use with Sony's PlayStation 3 (but perfectly usable with the Xbox 360 or any other audio source), this here gaming headset is wireless in nature and is the company's first to incorporate dual radios -- one for surround sound, and another for chatting on the PlayStation Network via Bluetooth. This is also the first of its kind to incorporate customizable presets; there's a DSP chip that lives inside, and the bundled software interface allows you to program voice prompts, custom EQ, compressors, Bass Boost, etc. Then, those settings are saved right on the headset, enabling your CPU to take a breather while the cans themselves handle the math. Moreover, the BT feature can be used to accept mobile phone calls or listen to audio streams, and if you needed any more reason to invest, it also supports voice morphing. You heard right -- it can be programmed to disguise a gamer's voice, which is partially awesome, and partially the worst thing ever to happen to online chat. Hop on past the break for the full feature list, and look for this one to land in the Spring for $249.95.
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Toyota Entune in-car infotainment system interfaces with your smartphone, does everything but drive
Ford and Microsoft have been all over the smartphone-car integration scene with their
SYNC system, but now it's
Toyota's turn. The outfit is launching a major initiative here at
CES to make your vehicle more than just a mode of transportation, with the Entune infotainment system offering Bluetooth, a host of mobile apps and the ability to read-back and replay text messages. Entune is expected to launch as an option on "select models" later this year, with featured apps including Bing, iheartradio, MovieTickets.com, OpenTable and Pandora, not to mention location-based services such as personalized traffic, fuel prices, stock alerts, weather reports and sports scores. It'll rely on voice commands and in-vehicle controls, enabling users to be informed and empowered while traveling. Aside from giving motorists the ability to reserve a table as they're en route to an eatery and order a movie ticket for later, it's also a fully-featured entertainment center -- you'll get access to HD Radio, a CD player, USB connectivity and Bluetooth audio streaming. Best of all, the entire setup is firmware upgradable via OTA updates, so the risk of obsolesce is lessened a good bit. We're hoping to get some hands-on time with an Entune-equipped whip here on the show floor, and we'll be sure to share our impressions just as soon as we do. For now, feel free to get a closer look in the gallery below and the video after the break.
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Kodak adds Quick Comment option, activity sensor to refreshed Pulse digiframe
We've been talking a lot about second generation hardware at CES this year, but it's not just
Intel and
AMD who are unveiling their next iterative step toward consumers' pockets. Kodak has disclosed plans to update its
Pulse digital photo frame -- you know, the one that can
receive images via its very own email address -- with a new Quick Comments feature plus an activity sensor that switches the display off when no humanoids are moving about in front of it. It doesn't seem like you'll be able to author your own comments when responding to the sender of your latest pic, though you
will be able to communicate via a selection of gorgeous pre-canned proclamations like the always popular "OMG!" and the ever-versatile "LOL!" The new Pulse will be arriving in the spring, costing $130 for the 7-inch variety or $200 for its 10-inch SKU. Skip past the break for the full press release.
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Vizio shows off its full 2011HDTV lineup: ultrawidescreen, 3D, Google TV, widgets & all
No more dribs and drabs of information leaking out as Vizio has finally listed its entire 2011 LCD lineup,
again featuring LED back & edge lighting across all models. That includes two
ultrawidescreen 21:9 Cinema models in its
Theater 3D line in 50- and 58-inch sizes, two
VIA Plus TVs with Google TV in the XVT3D476SP and XVT3D556SP, and continuation of its existing Yahoo! Widgets based Vizio Internet Apps features including WiFi and Bluetooth QWERTY remote across TVs sized 22-inches and above. Check the press release after the break for all the models and what they offer, perhaps wisely there's no detailed information about when and for how much they'll be available just yet, so we'll still have to speculate about which models will represent the
sub-$300 3D portion of the lineup.
Continue reading Vizio shows off its full 2011HDTV lineup: ultrawidescreen, 3D, Google TV, widgets & all
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OnLive turns into Vizio VIA Plus app, destined for TVs, tablets and phones
The
OnLive MicroConsole is one way to get your streaming game fix, but here comes Vizio with four more -- the bargain television company just revealed that those brand-new VIA Plus HDTVs and Blu-ray players (as well as
that VIA Tablet and VIA Phone) will come with OnLive on board. Despite running as an internet app on top of the existing Vizio hardware, we're told the service will support full 1080p resolution, stereoscopic 3D images, and
OnLive's low-latency wireless gamepads too -- as Vizio's units will apparently support IEEE 802.15.4. While the jury's still out on when OnLive will actually be playable
on touchscreens, CEO Steve Perlman says some games are being adapted to support touch right now, and that tablets that support external game controllers could also use OnLive normally. We've also got more good news for the home theater crowd, as OnLive's signed a deal with SRS, bringing 5.1 surround sound as a free update to all OnLive users early next year. Because there's nothing quite like having ears bombarded from all directions with digital explosions. PR after the break.
Continue reading OnLive turns into Vizio VIA Plus app, destined for TVs, tablets and phones
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Clickfree Wireless takes the Time Capsule approach, automates backups over WiFi
Tired of the power supply
going sour in your Time Capsule? Join the crowd.
Clickfree is making its annual CES introduction today from Las Vegas, and for those familiar with the aforementioned Apple product, you'll understand exactly how the Clickfree Wireless works. Put simply, it's an HDD-infused box with an 802.11n radio within, and it's designed to automate the backup of an unlimited quantity of Macs or PCs without any wires whatsoever. Sort of. You'll still need to plug it directly into each machine you're hoping to duplicate as the initial backup takes place, but after that, all settings will be found and configured, and all future backups will happen without wires. Sadly, only two models are available at launch -- a 500GB box for $179, and a 1TB unit for $249. If you've more than one machine in your house, you'll probably need to wait for larger capacity units to surface later in the quarter, but hey, at least they're en route.
Continue reading Clickfree Wireless takes the Time Capsule approach, automates backups over WiFi
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Pandigital's Multimedia Novel gets AT&T 3G, still cheap
Here are some facts we know about this subject:
- This is a tablet called the Multimedia Novel, built by Pandigital.
- It's very much like another Multimedia Novel tablet Pandigital sells at CVS for $214, except now it's $280 because there's a 3G radio inside.
- We really disliked the 7-inch version.
- It's on AT&T but it's contract free -- you pay as you go.
- The 9-inch screen is resistive, which sucks even if there's contract free AT&T on it. That's just our opinion, though.
- Android 2.0 is the OS.
- Barnes & Noble's Nookbook Store is pre-loaded.
- You can't access the Android Market by default.
- There's an unspecified 800MHz ARM11 processor running everything. It's probably slow.
- The 800 x 480 resolution will probably make your eyes bleed at this size.
- But hey, it's cheap.
Continue reading Pandigital's Multimedia Novel gets AT&T 3G, still cheap
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iHealth blood pressure iPod dock: another sort of Apple to keep the doctor away
Back in March 2009 at the
iPhone OS 3.0 debut event, Apple's Scott Forstall pointed out medical devices specifically as one of the more interesting class of peripherals that could leverage the new custom app interface capabilities. And while it's certainly an interesting concept -- keeping tabs on your general health from the comfort of your own home -- we haven't really seen it catch on (only a
couple of
products come to mind). That isn't stopping iHealth; the company's blood pressure dock, available today from its online store (we're told it should be filtering through Apple's own channels later this month) ties in with a specialized iPhone / iPod touch / iPad app to monitor and track blood pressure from the comfort of your home, where theoretically there shouldn't be a stranger in a white coat making you extra nervous. In our brief time with the device, the interface seemed fairly intuitive and the whole process simple and not at all intimidating. The cost of entry is $99.95 for the hardware; the free app should be hitting iTunes today. Press release after the break.
Continue reading iHealth blood pressure iPod dock: another sort of Apple to keep the doctor away
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Ford installs Sync in more than 3 million cars, takes a moment to congratulate self
Ford and Microsoft's little voice control in-car connectivity project seems to be doing pretty well for itself, judging by the latest milestone it has passed.
Sync has just been announced to have crossed the three million mark when counting the cars it's installed in, with recent data suggesting takeup for the $395 optional extra is growing. Nearly 80 percent of purchases of current 2011 Ford models include Sync, while over 80 percent of those already using it say they'd recommend the service to others. The latter number has improved by a robust 5 percentage points over last year, so clearly
something's being done right here, but we're more interested in finding out what alternatives the other car and electronics makers will come up with during
this year's CES. Rest assured, we'll explore them all.
Continue reading Ford installs Sync in more than 3 million cars, takes a moment to congratulate self
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Silicon nanoscoops to combine Li-ion's energy with supercapacitor power, make your electric car go vroom
Look, we don't know much about "science." We know it's a controversial subject, and we always try to steer clear of that sort of hot-button-issue stuff. Still, "science" can do some good in the world, you know, now and then. Some "scientists" at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have happened upon a "strain-graded carbon-aluminum-silicon nan oscoop anode" (whatever that means) that basically combines the advantages of long-lasting Lithium-ion with a supercapacitor's rapid fire oomph -- a
common theme, but undoubtedly a noble one. Specifically, Li-ion's superb (and
ever-improving) Wh/kg and supercapacitor's great W/kg. Now, don't ask us
how -- again, "science" -- but the upshot should be faster charging and better performing electric cars, that can still manage a good amount of mileage. Hopefully we get more spectacular
exploding laptops as a side bonus.
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Spiderpodium Tablet stand will haunt your desktop on January 12th
Breffo chose CES to announce a big nasty friend for its existing Spiderpodium grip for handheld gadgets. Spiderpodium Tablet features eight flexible "secured and assured hold" notched legs designed to hold small- and medium-sized tablets including the iPad which we assume fits into the latter category. Otherwise, it folds down compact for toting about in a jacket pocket or bag when not in use. It'll be on sale starting January 12th for an undisclosed price. Don't worry though, we'll grab a hands-on when the show opens and get back to you with the details.
Continue reading Spiderpodium Tablet stand will haunt your desktop on January 12th
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Sigma finally brings 'professional grade' VXP video scaling to consumer boxes
After buying up
Gennum and its VXP video processing technology back in '08, Sigma Designs has finally managed to shoehorn its "professional grade" scaling (previously sen in high priced boxes from
Kaleidescape and
Mark Levinson) into a chip destined for consumer set-top boxes. The SMP8910 system-on-chip claims to have enough power for all manner of over the top application or middleware, while the VXP processing cleans up video well enough for it to claim Netflix streams of higher quality than on competing hardware and reduced ghosting on 3D content. We'll need to actually see the chip at work in a Blu-ray player, IPTV box or similar device to judge its capabilities for ourselves but if it was good enough to make some people
consider a $4,000 DVD player and is available for more reasonably priced applications, then we're all ears.
Continue reading Sigma finally brings 'professional grade' VXP video scaling to consumer boxes
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Vizio bringing 21:9 Cinema HDTV to CES with 2560 x 1080 resolution, all our hopes and dreams
Vizio actually teased a
21:9 TV at last year's CES, and one year later it's ready to deliver: the Vizio Cinema HDTV LED LCD is here. The TV handles a 2560 x 1080 resolution in a 21:9 aspect ratio, just like that
21:9 Philips display we've been drooling over for the past couple of years, and comes in 50-inch and 58-inch flavors. Details are still pretty scarce, since all we have right now is a teaser page, but we doubt there's much more going on here. Basically, ultra-wide CinemaScope-style movies on a set that will likely be much cheaper than Philips' offering -- and more likely to show up at your local Costco. We look forward to the full announcement later this week. Also: buying one.
[Thanks, Kacy]
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Shocker! Media addicts suffer withdrawal symptoms, just like real addicts
...and we're all media addicts, aren't we? A recent
study conducted by the International Center for Media & the Public Agenda (ICMPA) certainly seems to indicate that this is indeed the case. The premise was pretty straightforward: students at twelve universities around the world were instructed to abstain from using all media for twenty-four hours. The results were somewhat predictable: across the board, going without television was somewhat easy to do, while abstaining from text messaging and instant messaging brought on withdrawal symptoms: "When I did not have those two luxuries," wrote one student, "I felt quite alone and secluded from my life. Although I go to a school with thousands of students, the fact that I was not able to communicate with anyone via technology was almost unbearable." According to Dr. Roman Gerodimos of the University of Portsmouth both psychological and physical symptoms were reported by the young techno-junkies.
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