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Avega Systems intros pearly white Oyster WiFi speakers
While we got a small taste of Avega Systems' master wireless scheme at CES, SciFi has sniffed out a forthcoming set of tower speakers from the company that looks to utilize that WiFi freedom the Aios platform supposedly enables. Requiring just a power source, these pearly white towers feature a trio of full-range drivers, a tweeter for the highs, and an Oyster nametag. Additionally, they can purportedly "accept wireless music streams from your PC or media server, game consoles," or essentially anything capable of stream audio over WiFi. Although there's no word just yet on price, we don't envision these coming cheap, but we'll find out for certain when Avega rolls 'em out in March.
Soundoiler unveils duo: the wireless speaker lamp
Seemingly, it's just not to efficient enough to buy lighting tools for your home anymore, as lamps these days have to have at least one other random function thrown in for good measure, and Soundoiler's duo is no different. Melding form with function, this stylish lamp features a built-in speaker to go along with its lighting capabilities, an integrated control pad to dictate volume / channel selection, and an optional "maestro" transmitter that pipes in audio from your wirelessly-enabled DAP. Moreover, the lamps can be purchased in pairs and setup to function as stereo speakers, correctly separating the left and right channels during playback, and if that weren't snazzy enough, there's also a foot-controlled power / dimmer switch so you can set the mood without even lifting a finger. Soundoiler's multi-purpose fixture can be picked up now for $279.95, while the wireless addition will run you an extra $79.95, but the wow-factor in your living room is presumably priceless.[Via CNET]
Sony Ericsson booth tour
To call our tour of Sony Ericsson's booth at CES a "booth tour" is giving it entirely too much credit; for some reason, the world's fourth-largest manufacturer of mobile phones was relegated to a single meager kiosk within Sony's sprawling grounds (along with a handful of tie-ins with other Sony products strewn about elsewhere). Highlights included the ultra-glossy, ultra-colorful Z310 clamshell, the MBR-100 A2DP music receiver, and some much-needed quality time with the recently intro'd MBW-100 watch. Sadly, the W880 "Ai" wasn't on hand, but that gives us something to look forward to, right? Sony Ericsson booth tour
Polaroid's CGA-02540 provides ClickFree backup for photos
For those aclimated just enough with technology to understand the basic functions of a point-and-shoot, but not intelligent enough to utilize a "My Pictures" folder or understand the concept of "one-touch backup," Polaroid's CGA-02540 is coming to the rescue. Designed for those who basically have a self-induced BSOD whenever they touch a mouse or keyboard, this 2.5-inch 40GB backup drive is programmed to work specifically (read: only) with photo files, and requires absolutely zero clicks to sniff around one's HDD, locate newly uploaded files, and backup only the latest pictures while leaving the originals in tact and in place. The ClickFree unit is so simple, in fact, that there's not even a single button on the enclosure, and if your PC sports a powered USB port, you won't even need to figure out how to utilize an AC adapter. Of course, clueless Mac users will certainly be in a quandary when trying to figure out why their machine isn't running "Windows XP or 2000," and we highly doubt 40GB is enough "for a lifetime of photographs," but nevertheless, the CGA-02540 should be available for purchase sometime this quarter for a currently undisclosed price.[Via EverythingUSB]
Nokia booth tour
Nokia had a strong showing at this year's CES, coming to the table with the N800 Internet Tablet, the N93i, and the svelte, totally unexpected N76. Our favorite part, though, might have been the NFC demo -- Nokia really went all out to demo the capabilities of its 6131 NFC by showing movie posters, picture frames, and payment systems using the system. Heck, even the booth's inhabitants were tagged with their contact info. Nokia booth tour
TI booth tour
Texas instruments once again this year had a prominent booth at CES displaying all the TVs with DLP chips in them. Among them was the Slim TV and a few projectors marketed towards gamers. TI booth tour
Clarion showcases Bluetooth / SD FB275BT head unit, touts "no moving parts"
Clarion's already shown us its N.I.C.E. 430 navigation system here at CES, but its "semiconductor car stereo" stole the show by offering up an in-car stereo with "no moving parts," which means you won't find an optical drive or HDD in here. The single-DIN FB275BT instead receives music care of the SD slot (unfortunately, no SDHC support was mentioned) behind the front white panel or over Bluetooth, and pumps out the jams with it's 50-watt x 4 internal amplifier. Aside from also boasting handsfree connectivity with your mobile, it features an FM tuner (sorry, AM lovers), two-line LCD display, rear auxiliary input for your DAP of choice, two-channel RCA output, and a modest assortment of equalizer / bass boost presets. The faceplate boasts eight large, curved buttons as a part of Clarion's HMI (Human Machine Interface), which reportedly seeks to "minimizes the number of buttons while maximizing functionality," and plenty of indirect lighting keep it lookin' good when nightfall hits. So if you're ready to ditch the CD for good, you can pick up the FB275BT sometime this year for $249.99.[Via Tech-On]
Audiovox booth tour
We stopped by the Audiovox booth to check out what it and its small fleet of partner brands have been up to. They may not have been sporting a gigundo LCD tower or anything, but they certainly did what they could with a big flying yellow hyperbolic donut thingy. Join us after the break for some highlights from the tour.
Viiva Las Vegas - the Engadget crew departs CES
Congratulations, both you and we made it through Engadget's first ever dual CES / Macworld consumer tech bonanza -- and boy, was it a week to remember. Between Vista's coming out, to a format-unifying Blu-ray / HD DVD hybrid player, to a, um, humble cellphone, we were all up in CES's and Macworld's grill. Not only to bring you, our wonderful, loyal readers the very latest scoops though, it was partly because honestly we just couldn't stay away -- not even for a second. It was a long, amazing week for the ravenous tech obsessed (don't you worry, it's not over yet since we'll be continuing to roll out the last of our coverage over the next couple days), but we really hope you feel like we delivered the goods. Either way, we'll see you next year -- and every day in between.Number of posts to Engadget Classic: 525 and counting... Number of posts to all Engadgets (including crossposts): 765 Number of lost gadgets: 1 Number of people who got sick: 0 (seriously!) Average hours slept nightly: 4 Number of casinos visited: 7 Amount of money lost gambling: $5 Average number of laptops per person: 1.42 Number of laptops that died: 1 Average number of cellphones per person: 1.2 Pounds of shwag thrown away: at least 30Individuals enjoying In N Out for the first time: 3 Maximum bandwidth used: over 6Gbps (and 500k hits per minute) during the Jobsnote Number of people that wrote in to tell us how much they loved our coverage: a lot! Thanks!
Meridian MV-D1 iPod dock outputs 1080p content to your HDTV
You know what they say, if Apple won't provide a way, blaze your own trail anyway. Granted, the vernacular might be a bit off, but apparently Meridian gets the gist of it, as it showcased the MV-D1 iPod video dock at CES as a means of getting a "real HD video experience" out of that yet-to-be-widescreened 5.5G rendition. The primarily glossy red device casually holds your iPod video, and provides a Source, Format, and Connect button to go along with the volume keys, and houses Marvell's 88DE2710 digital video format converter to handle the upscaling. Reportedly, the dock can take any stored SD / HD media and output it via HDMI, cleaning up the noise and artifacts in the process. Moreover, the unit can be powered by either USB or your average AC plug, and even includes digital audio out for a (somewhat) "true" high definition experience. While pricing and availability information wasn't readily available, we're sure Meridian won't keep us iPod-toting HD freaks waiting for too much longer. Click on through for a closeup.
Asus showcases SideShow-enabled AiGuru S2 VoIP Skype handset
It sure didn't take long for this SideShow bandwagon to get overcrowded, as now we've even got a VoIP phone touting its SideShow functionality, not to mention its ability to interface with iTunes and Windows Media Player as well. While Asus' first attempt, the AiGuru S1, received lukewarm reviews at best, the refreshed version sports a lot more functionality, a color display, and a much slimmer profile. Aside from playing nice with 802.11b/g networks, touting three hours of talk time, and offering full support for Skype (including Skype ID and caller photos / avatars), this handset also rocks an internal speaker / headphone jack for wireless music playback, and also supports streaming from iTunes / WMP; moreover, users can purportedly check their email right on the display thanks to its SideShow pizazz. Although pricing information was absent, the AiGuru S2 will be hitting shelves alongside those PSTN-to-VoIP motherboards in the first quarter of this year.[Via Skype]
Jensen unveils NVXM1000 "Rock-n-Road" XM/GPS nav system
Jensen looks to have walked into CES with its clever hat on, showing off its new NVXM1000 "Rock-n-Road" XM/GPS combo unit, which the folks at Orbitcast got a chance to check out and snap some pics of. Specs-wise, the unit definitely looks to bring the goods, with a 4-inch touchscreen display Orbitcast describes as "beautiful," an 8GB hard drive you can load up with MP3s, 11 million pre-loaded points of interest, and turn-by-turn voice prompts in no less than 12 different languages. The XM side of the equation comes courtesy of the unit's XM Mini Tuner slot, though it seems you'll have to fork over the $30 for the tuner itself separately. Optional accessories include a rear-view camera to watch your back and an FM modulator to pump tunes and voice directions through your vehicle's speaker system. Look for this one sometime this spring for an even $1,000.
Ritek boasting ten-layer HD DVD / Blu-ray discs?
Forget single-layer media, that dual-layer stuff that was all the rage last year, and even the triple-layered flavor that got announced just days ago. Heck, even an eight-layer disc would be forced to bow down to the sure-to-be-outdone-soon ten-layer rendition supposedly crafted by Ritek. No sooner than we all celebrated the idea of a 51GB HD DVD, Ritek has reportedly "designed HD media with a full ten layers," not to mention the supposed three- and four-layer coasters it has laying around while working its way up. As if that weren't impressive enough, it also claims that this multi-layer process can be applied to both HD DVD and Blu-ray, a feat that Toshiba's recent creation can't quite compete with. Of course, Ritek officials were quick to point out that the "real barrier to this advancement is the lack of reader / writer laser diodes to support the additional layers," but if there really are 250GB BD discs just waiting to get spun, those lasers aren't too far behind.[Via Slashdot]
Fujitsu showcases slim Teo HTPC, rocks HDMI and TV tuners
Fujitsu's known for kicking out some fairly svelte looking laptops, but whomever's heading up the desktop design team should seriously be reevaluated. Sure, the firm's Teo HTPC isn't nearly as hideous as this catastrophe, but it's not exactly the sexiest piece of equipment we've seen to shove in your AV rack either. Nevertheless, the relatively slim machine comes to ready to rock as your home theater companion, packing an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 1GB of RAM, 400GB hard drive, 802.11a/b/g, dual TV tuners, 56k modem, Ethernet, and your choice of Windows Vista flavors. You'll also find a plethora of USB 2.0 ports, 4-pin FireWire, flash card reader, DVI / HDMI outputs, audio in / out, and optical digital out to boot. While pricing hasn't been set just yet, Fujitsu should be loosing these in Japan within a couple weeks, and should give Sony's XL3 some much needed competition. Click on through for a shot of the back.
Mobile Crossing's WPX handheld has flashy lights and BTO specs
With the number of navigation, PMP and wireless communications devices out there, it's pretty clear by now that there's no one-size-fits-all solution for portable devices. That's why we're fairly intrigued by the new WPX unit from Mobile Crossing, which allows companies to customize their own devices with storage, software, branding and wireless options. The base model includes a Samsung s3c2440 ARM9 processor, 128MB of RAM, 32MB of flash, "SuperSense" GPS, user-upgradeable flash memory at 1GB and up, stereo speakers, and a 4-inch widescreen LCD. You can opt for wireless features like Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi and u-Blox sub-meter pro GPS. There's also a vibration dampened disk cage for 4GB-12GB HDDs, and a snazzy ring of colorful LED lights all around the unit that can be controlled by the software. The device is available large quantities to OEMs for widespread distribution and even custom operating systems, but it can also be purchased in quantities as small as one, starting out at $650 and available in February 2007. Check a few more pics after the break.
Toshiba Portege R400 reviewed
Laptop Magazine had the opportunity to put the new 12-inch, Toshiba Portege R400 through a review. One "especially convenient feature" of the convertible tablet is the ability to receive real-time alerts using Microsoft's Active Notifications and Push Technology. So long as you're connected via WiFi or embedded EV-DO Rev A, the front edge of the R400 can display real-time email and calendar notifications. In notebook mode, the full-size keyboard was comfortable though "a bit springy" and the digitizer (in tablet mode) was "accurate and responsive" even when making the subtlest of moves. Laptop Magazine wasn't too happy about the external DVD multidrive, though we're just fine having it strung from a tether in order to keep the weight down. The LED glossy screen was "bright and vibrant" but a bit "too glossy" resulting in glare and reflection especially in tablet mode. The biggest complaint is performance; pre-loaded with Windows Vista Ultimate, the reviewers noted "sluggish" performance from "some actions" making them wonder if the 1.2-GHz Intel Core Duo processor and integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics were "overmatched by the OS." Hmm, us too. Bottom line, they "like, not love" the R400.
iriver S10 now with Bluetooth
Do you like USB bracelets? Would you wear when them on a train? Would you wear then in the rain? No? Try them, try them with the S10 we say, now packing Bluetooth, mkay? See... you like them, you like MP3 bracelets, eh? You like them, so buy one we say.[Via dapreview]
Sony booth tour
The word "booth" is a bit of a misnomer when it comes to describing the area filled with Sony gizmos at CES -- let's just say that the square footage occupied by the consumer electronics giant takes up a fairly egregious percentage of the entire Center Hall. But hey, we can hang with that -- you don't have too many chances in life to witness a ginormous tower made out of LCD TVs. Click on for some highlights from the marathon we ran.
Dialogue's Flybook VM laptop
Remember that "Airline Friendly" Intel laptop reference design we spotted back in March? No? It's all good, but Dialogue has been showing off a new model based on the design called the Flybook VM. Listed specs include a 12.1-inch, 1280 x 768 pixel display, 60GB hard drive, Windows XP Pro (though the models we played with were running Vista), Bluetooth 2.0, up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a 1.66GHz Intel LV Core Duo processor, and a "DVD combo" drive. Click on for a few more shots!
The Skype Phones of CES
It's official: that painful global shortage of Skype phones is now officially over. We scoured the show floor here at CES and ended up snapping pics of something like thirty or so Skype-compatible VoIP handsets. Click for the whole gallery. Skype Phones at CES
