Cyrus Farivar

Streaming

Streaming By Cyrus Farivar

Watch downloaded Vongo movies on your TV

At the last CES, Starz announced its new movie download service, Vongo, for portable devices and regular PCs. For those who are unfamiliar with it, the strangely-named service gives you access to over 1,000 movies and 2,500 "video selections" all for 10 bucks a month. This time around, Vongo has been selected as the "launch partner" for Vista, meaning that folks with the Premium or Ultimate versions will be able to legally display that content on a TV. You'll also be able to use MCE extenders, so you can stream stuff to that big screen connected to your XBox 360 console if you like, as well. Just save us a seat when you download "Talladega Nights," ok? We'll bring the popcorn.[Thanks, Will W.]

By Cyrus Farivar Read More

Accessories By Cyrus Farivar

Altec Lansing launches iMV712 iPod video dock, iM600 speakers

While iPod speaker docks are getting to be pretty commonplace these days, we haven't seen too many video docks. Altec Lansing's just rolled out its iMV712 ($350), an 8.5-inch "high-res" LCD paired with 3-inch speakers and 4-inch woofer. Yeah, and it's got a remote, too. However, and 8.5-inch screen won't do you much good unless you're situated pretty close to it. Meanwhile, good ol' Altec's also released a more traditional speaker dock, the iM600 ($150) has an iPod dock, FM radio tuner, remote and a "Sound Field Expander" to get your "artificial spacialization" on (whatever that is). There's also a rechargeable battery, aux in, woofer out, composite video out and mini USB, all for good measure. We're still waiting on when these speaker docks will actually be ready for purchase, so until then we'll just have to make do with our old docks, or heaven forbid, headphones. Slide on over to the next page for a glimpse of the iM600.

By Cyrus Farivar Read More

Apps

Apps By Cyrus Farivar

Sonos adds support for Microsoft-DRMed music files

Today, Sonos announced a software update for its music setups, which will allow users to listen to Microsoft DRM-encoded music. Version 2.1 includes tracks purchased from AOL Music Now, URGE, Napster, Wal-Mart, Yahoo! Music Unlimited, Zune Marketplace and adds "improved playlist and volume normalization support" for iTunes 7.0. It also brings full compatibility with Windows Vista and Windows Media Player 11. So for the small group of you out there who have all your music constrained by Microsoft DRM and wished you could buy a Sonos system, Christmas has come very early for you.

By Cyrus Farivar Read More

Accessories By Cyrus Farivar

Belkin Easy Transfer Cable helps you share between XP, Vista machines

Belkin's just come out with its Easy Transfer Cable, which we're guessing by the cryptic name allows you to, um, easily transfer stuff via the magic of USB. You plug one end into your XP machine, and another into your Vista box, and voilà, the bits start flying. Belkin claims that this eight-foot cable will transfer at speeds of up to 480Mbps (yep, that's standard USB 2.0, indeed), which translates to 30GB in an hour. Is this convenience worth a pair of Jacksons ($40)? We'll let you decide for yourself.

By Cyrus Farivar Read More

Computing By Cyrus Farivar

Russound and Lifeware join forces to create Media Console

Every few months it seems like some company comes out with some new hotsy-totsy media server setup. CES is no exception, with Russound and Lifeware announcing that they're putting their heads together to create the Viiv-compliant Media Console, complete with a keypad that can display metadata. We don't know much about what exactly these consoles can do (as in specs), nor what they'll cost, but CEPro reports that the higher-end systems will be around $6,000 or $7,000, with two other more inexpensive models sometime in May or June of this year. That said, ZDNET spied a demo model with a Russound multi-zone audio distribution system along with a trio of Lifeware components in a concept house -- however, while the reporter was checking it out, the system had to be rebooted in order while MCE froze. So on second thought, a waiting for a few months might not be such a bad idea after all. [Via ZDNET]

By Cyrus Farivar Read More

Computing By Cyrus Farivar

Seagate ships single-platter, 1.8-inch, 60GB hard drive

Seagate announced late Sunday that it would immediately begin shipping its new Lyrion hard drive -- the corporate moniker for its single-platter 60GB 1.8-inch hard drive -- worldwide. The drive is only 5 millimeters (0.19 inches) thick and gets its write on using that snazzy perpendicular tech we've been hearing so much about. Also available in a 30GB size, the Lyrion includes "free fall protection" that will power down the motor and keep the heads away from the platter if the drive senses that it is indeed in peril. (We don't suggest that you test this feature.) We're not sure how much these drives will sell for, nor when we might start finding them embedded in various media players. But seriously -- iPod pico, anyone?

By Cyrus Farivar Read More

Accessories By Cyrus Farivar

Linksys launches WPSM54G print server, WRT330N draft-N gaming router

Linksys wants to get in on some of the early show announcement action as well, by launching not one but two WiFi products before we all hit the CES show floor on Monday morning. The first is its WPSM54G 802.11g WiFi print server (pictured), which supports scanning, faxing and copying on various multifunction products from companies that include Canon, Dell, Epson, HP and Lexmark. Linksys isn't messing around with this one, and will sell you a print server right now direct from its website for $120. The second of the product pair is the WRT330N Wireless-N Gigabit Gaming Router, a draft-N device that's loaded up with four gigabit Ethernet ports and a single gigabit WAN port. By using its built-in "Quality of Service" software, it'll give gaming and VoIP packet traffic the highest priority to minimize latency. The WRT330N also supports WPA2, WPA or WEP encryption, can be used as a DHCP server and has an SPI firewall. If you can spare a pair of Benjamins right now, Linksys and its retail partners will send one your way -- your gamer friends won't know how they got fragged so fast. Check out the crazy antenna design on the next page.Read - WPSM54GRead - WRT330N

By Cyrus Farivar Read More

News By Cyrus Farivar

Philips SoundBar HTS8100 to simulate surround sound in one speaker

We're not entirely convinced that a single speaker could ever replace or even come close to simulating true 5.1 surround sound speakers, but that hasn't stopped companies from manufacturing products that try to do just that. The latest one that we've spotted is Philips' SoundBar HTS8100, a single three-foot long piece that uses "Ambisound technology" and "Smart Surround" processing, which is supposed to replace those pesky speakers that you already spent hours properly mounting in your living room. Still, Sci Fi Tech wasn't all that impressed, calling the CES booth demo "a little shill," -- but if you disagree with their assessment, the SoundBar can be yours this coming June for $1,000. Hmm, how 'bout if we told you that it has an integrated DVD player? It does.

By Cyrus Farivar Read More

Accessories By Cyrus Farivar

HP announces bd135, company's first Blu-ray writer

Like most companies here at CES, HP is getting busy launching stuff left and right. In addition to its usual assortment of laptops, desktops and servers, HP decided that it now wants to get into the Blu-ray game. While HP was already doing a fair bit of HD DVD stuff before, this is the company's first major foray into Blu-ray. Here's what we do know: the new burner will be called the bd135, and the word from the floor is that it'll ship within the first half of this year, but we're still waiting on a price. We'll keep you posted as info rolls in.

By Cyrus Farivar Read More

Laptops

Laptops By Cyrus Farivar

LG Z1 laptop packs SideShow too, but sexier this time

On Saturday we spotted the Asus W5Fe, a SideShow-enabled laptop with a bummer of an exterior bump to house that supplemental screen. However, yesterday we eyed the LG Z1, which appears to be a much cleaner design than the Asus. While we don't know much about it as of yet, we can tell you that it's got a DVD player, and at least one USB port. And like any other SideShow-enabled device, you can show off those fun new Vista gadgets that everyone is all up in a tizzy about. We're still waiting on a full spec list and how much you'll have to throw down for the pleasure of a secondary screen, but for now you can slide on over to the next page for a couple pics of it live and in person here at CES.Update: We've just got the official word from LG that this will have an Intel Core 2 Duo processor T7200 2.0 GHz, a 12.1-inch (1280 x 800) display, and 1GB of DDR2 RAM.

By Cyrus Farivar Read More

News By Cyrus Farivar

Casio EX-V7 zooms up to 7x without breaking a sweat

It's been a few months since we saw the latest EXILIM, Casio's line of super-tiny shooters. But this is the time of year when nearly every product line is getting updated, and fortunately for us, Casio didn't disappoint. Enter the EX-V7 digicam, a 7.2 megapixel number with a 7x optical zoom (yes, you read that right -- this is a 38mm to 266mm equivalent in a tiny little ultracompact) kept nicely tucked inside the body. Furthermore, the EX-V7 apparently has new software that will lighten up aspects of a darkened photo, which is a feature that not every photographer will want to use -- but surely your non-techie grandmother might appreciate it. We're still waiting on the sticker price and the release date, so just sit tight for now.

By Cyrus Farivar Read More

Accessories By Cyrus Farivar

Lexar touts 4GB, 8GB SDHC cards

Lexar announced today that it will be releasing SDHC cards in both the Platinum II and Standard lines in 4GB and 8GB capacities, which should hit "later this year." The 4GB Platinum II, which are rated to sustain transfers of 9MB per second, will retail in February for $100, while its Standard counterpart will cost $80. We're not sure how much the 8GB cards will cost, but we're hoping it won't be more than double, because that would be just plain silly.

By Cyrus Farivar Read More

Accessories By Cyrus Farivar

Seagate FreeAgent keeps your friends close, and your data closer

Seagate is attempting to shed its image as a stodgy, traditional hard drive company and is going for a new line of pocket-sized drives called FreeAgent. These new drives include a set of software designed to keep track of your online passwords, settings, email and pretty much any piece of data that you can think of, thereby allowing you to sync stuff from your home PC with any other PC out there (we're guessing that these drives aren't Mac-friendly). We still think that most folks who want to carry around that much data would just as soon keep a laptop or a PDA within arm's reach instead of dropping anywhere from $140 to $420 to get their hands on one of these 12GB to 750GB FreeAgent drives; but hey, Seag' probably knows a bit more about this industry than we do. The company is also touting its new online storage service to host a half gig's worth of photos and other files, which will be free for the first six months -- that is, starting when all this stuff debuts next month. [Via CNET]

By Cyrus Farivar Read More

Accessories By Cyrus Farivar

Lexar announces ReadyBoost-friendly thumb drives

We're not really sure how excited we can get over a new set of flash drives, but Lexar's doing its damnedest to shake things up here at CES by announcing a pair of 'em. The JumpDrive 360 (pictured) is a hinged drive that protects the USB jack, so you'll never have to worry about losing that cap again. The second of the pair, the JumpDrive Mercury, is a souped-up version of the one we saw around this time last year (including that capacity meter) except that it now comes out in 1GB and 2GB sizes. Keep in mind that all of these drives are ReadyBoost-certified, just like those others that we've seen of late. Be sure to check the pics of the Mercury on the flip side.

By Cyrus Farivar Read More

News By Cyrus Farivar

Sharp offers up a trio of projectors, including a 1080p behemoth

You didn't think that the 108-inch LCD TV was the only big-ticket item Sharp was going to announce today, did you? It's got a trio of projectors to show off as well, the XV-Z3100, DT-510, and the XV-Z20000 1080p models. The XV-Z3100, a nice little portable unit, does 720p at a resolution of 1280 x 780 and has a 6,500:1 contrast ratio, with 1,000 lumens of brightness. Its sibling, the Sharp DT-510 also projects at 720p widescreen, and boasts a contrast ratio of 4,000:1, also at 1,000 lumens. Both of those models will be released in February, for $2,700 and $2,500 respectively. However, the pair of 'em pale in comparison to the XV-Z20000 (pictured), a full HD 1080p HDCP-compliant projector that shines at 1920 x 1080 with a contrast ratio of 12,000:1 and a brightness of 1,000 lumens. It will also upconvert standard resolution signals and is decked out with two HDMI ports. In other words, if you've got $12,000 burning a hole in your pocket right now, Sharp would like to talk to you pronto. Check the next page for some pics of the first two models.

By Cyrus Farivar Read More

Laptops

Laptops By Cyrus Farivar

Toshiba Portege R400 12-incher revealed

Among the fistful of products announced in the Bill Gates keynote was the Toshiba Portege R400, a 12-inch mobile PC that's constructed on Windows SlideShow technology and of course, is Vista-friendly. We haven't gotten much new info that we didn't know from last time: it's got 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth and gigabit Ethernet. Unfortunately, we're still waiting on an MSRP and a full spec list.

By Cyrus Farivar Read More

Computing By Cyrus Farivar

Sony Vaio XL3 media PC announced, boasts Blu-ray burner

This evening, Sony launched an update the Vaio XL2, predictably named the XL3. As we told you earlier, this newcomer has a Blu-ray burner, NTSC and ATSC tuners (with CableCARD support), four flash card slots, four USB ports, two FireWire ports, and Ethernet, plus HDMI, component and S-Video jacks. But what about the true belly of the beast? How about an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, a NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GTL graphics card, 2GB of RAM and a so-so 500GB hard drive -- definitely a solid foundation. Oh, and did we mention that there's liquid cooling embedded inside this little bundle of joy? Intrigued? You've got until March to gather up $3,300. Check out the next page for a shot of the rear ports.

By Cyrus Farivar Read More

Computing By Cyrus Farivar

Sony Vaio VGX-TP1 announced, loaded up with HDMI out, DVD burner

We're not sure how many people will go for the whole oversized-hockey puck look, but Sony seems to think that folks will definitely be into the new Vaio VGX-TP1. However, the Vaio isn't just a pretty face, it's filled to the brim with an HDMI out port, a DVD burner, a memory card slot, and the rest of the standard stuff like USB ports and audio out. There's a corresponding wireless keyboard that takes a note from Apple's white hardware line. It's due to hit in March for $1,600.

By Cyrus Farivar Read More

EVs and Transportation

EVs and Transportation By Cyrus Farivar

Pioneer AVIC-Z2 adds "smart routing algorithm" and not much else

One year ago, the Pioneer AVIC-Z1 debuted at CES 2006, with its in-dash navigation setup. You know the one -- it's got a 7-inch touchscreen, a 10GB hard drive, voice recognition, CD/DVD player, FM, XM and an iPod interface. This year Pioneer's taken things to the next level, by raising the model number by a single digit. That's right, the AVIC-Z2 does everything its predecessor did, except that this time around it apparently can "learn" roads that the driver takes frequently and uses that data to influence suggested routes. Although, as we mentioned last time, we're not really sure that anyone who drives the same route on a regular basis needs a GPS device to tell him/her how to get there. The new "smart routing algorithm" also apparently takes into account things like speed limits, number of turns and even "lane information" for 50 different spots around the nation. In short, if you already have a Z1, it may not be worth spending the $2,200 you'll need by April to get this one for your car. But if you don't already have one, and you really, really need a piece of gadgetry to tell you how to get to work every day, by all means, put in an order.

By Cyrus Farivar Read More

Samsung

Samsung By Cyrus Farivar

Samsung fires off six camcorders for your shootin' pleasure

Samsung's gone and announced not one but six, count 'em six, new camcorders ranging in price and features, some of which are of interest to the tapeless set. We haven't gotten our hands on any of 'em just yet, but we've got a spec sheet, so we'll give you the rundown. But first, a more traditional cam: the SC-D372 MiniDV camcorder, which sports a Schneider lens, 34x optical zoom, a 2.7-inch LCD, and a 680,000 pixel CCD that shoots at 800 x 600 for still images. It'll be released sometime in March for $270. Next up is the SC-MX10 micro camcorder, which despite its "ultra-compact" design, still has that 2.7-inch LCD. This one will also record in DivX and has 34x optical zoom and a 680,000 CCD, and the standard SD card slot. However, you'll have to wait a full eight months to drop $320 for the SC-MX10, as it won't hit until September 2007. Moving on, there's the SC-DC575 DVD camcorder, which as the name implies, saves its videos to DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW and dual-layer DVD+R formats. There's also a four-in-one memory card slot in case your still running on something other than SD. Sadly though, this $450 cam won't be released until May. The fourth one on our list is the SC-X300, which apparently will let you shoot DivX video in the toughest environments that you can find. It shoots at 720 x 480 at 30fps, displayed on its 2-inch screen, will zoom up to 10x, and includes an SD slot and USB. When it gets released in September, you'll have to throw down $480 so you can bring it along on your toughest of missions. The penultimate cam, the SC-DX10 (pictured, with a front view on the next page) can record both to its internal 4GB flash drive or to DVDs (single and dual-layer formats). It's got a 26x optical zoom lens that compliments its single megapixel CCD. This one won't hit until August for $630. Our last, and yes, most expensive ($850) camcorder that Samsung is announcing is the SC-HMX10 "high-definition" (we don't know exactly what) that has 4GB of flash storage, a 2.7-inch screen, a 1.5 megapixel CCD for still photos, a 10x optical zoom and the predictable SD slot and USB port. But alas, you'll have to wait until September to toss up that much coinage for this heavy-duty camera.

By Cyrus Farivar Read More

News By Cyrus Farivar

Sharp trumpets 108-inch LCD TV, world wonders why

Sharp's just gone and announced the biggest LCD TV that the world has ever seen. Yes, this even beats out that 103-inch plasma we spotted about a year ago. Why anyone even cares about this horse race, we're not really sure -- but you can bet that one of these will probably end up on a future episode of "Pimp My Ride." Nevertheless, we'll post more pictures as soon as we get 'em.Update: Ok, we got the official word from Sharp, and this 108-incher is a real monster. It's 93.9 inches high, 52.9 inches wide and 107.8 inches on the diagonal, and shines with 2.07 million pixels (1,920 x 1,080). So to recap, this thing is 7.8 feet high. We feel very, very small now.

By Cyrus Farivar Read More

Samsung

Samsung By Cyrus Farivar

Samsung touts six still cameras, to be released this spring

Samsung's been pretty busy as of late, releasing everything from a new RFID fridge to the new i760 slider. But don't think that it was skimping on the digital camera side of things, no sir. Good ol' Sammie's got a sextet of shooters slated for release this spring (sans pricing on all of 'em, sadly) -- so let's get started. First up at the top of the heap is the S1050 (pictured), a point-and-shoot weighing in at 10.1 megapixels, 5x optical zoom lens, 3-inch screen, SD slot, 1600 ISO and a shutter speed that gets all the way up to 1/2000th of a second. It can also shoot video anywhere from 160 x 128 to 800 x 600 at 20fps. Moving along, we've got the S850, which packs its 8.1 megapixel lens and a 5x optical zoom and the same maximum ISO and shutter speed as its older bro. It'll also do video, as expected, from 320 x 240 to 800 x 592 at 30fps, except the highest setting forces a drop down to 20 fps. Third of six is the S730, a seven megapixel shooter with a 3x optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD, 1600 ISO and 1/2000th of a second shutter speed. But don't think that just 'cause this model has a smaller number that Samsung is lowering the video features on this bad boy -- you'll get a respectable 640 x 480 resolution at 30fps. Fourth on our list is the L700: it's an awful lot like the S730 as far as specs go (they're identical), however, from what we can tell the L700 has a little bit more of a compact design. Also in the L line is the L73, a "sleek and pocket-sized" cam that comes with a seven megapixel sensor, 3x optical zoom, 1600 ISO and that same shutter speed that we've seen so far. This one also offers Sammie's "Face Recognition Technology" which will adjust for optimal image quality in portraits. Bringing up the rear is the S630, a six megapixel camera with a 2.5-inch screen and two video settings in 320 x 240 and 640 x 480 at 30fps. Want more details? Sorry, we suppose we'll have to just wait until spring to suss out supplementary specifics. While you're waiting, be sure to peep some snaps of the cams, respectively, on the next page. Read - S1050Read - S850Read - S730Read - L700Read - L73Read - S630

By Cyrus Farivar Read More

News By Cyrus Farivar

JVC HD GZ-HD7 1080i camcorder to hit in April

While we've been pining for more details on that JVC HD camcorder for the last few months, those folks in Japan have finally come through with some info that American consumers can sink their teeth into. Enter the Everio GZ-HD7 -- while its name isn't the easiest to say, its features are definitely something to behold. The GZ-HD7 shoots and records full HD images (1920 x 1080i) via a trio of CCDs (one each for red, green and blue). Further, it's loaded up with a 60GB hard drive that can store what JVC claims is up to five hours of full 1080i video shot with that sweet FUJINON lens. And like we spotted at CEATEC, there's an HDMI port, along with other connectivity options that include USB and FireWire. Sadly though, you'll still have to wait a little bit before you can take the GZ-HD7 home to meet your family -- and at $1,800, she ain't no cheap date.

By Cyrus Farivar Read More

Reviews

Reviews By Cyrus Farivar

S-XGen hands-on

Finally, we got to play with the S-XGen, that cellphone handheld that apparently will do pretty much everything but cook us dinner. Translated into specific spec-language, this one runs Windows Mobile 5.0 with a 520MHz Xscale processor, a 20GB drive, 128MB of SDRAM and shows itself off with a 4.25-inch screen at 470 x 270 pixels. Beyond that, you've got nearly every kind of connectivity known to humankind, with WiFi, tri-band GSM, Bluetooth, Ethernet, USB OTG and that good ol' Infrared (we're not totally sure whether you can sync it with your Newton). Unfortunately, we didn't have time to do a full dance with this device, but we gave it a quick spin and it's light, plasticy, and definitely unique. Now you can give it a test drive in our gallery. S-XGen hands-on

By Cyrus Farivar Read More

Robotics

Robotics By Cyrus Farivar

Robotic Cable Inspection System checks for damage on electrical conduits

It's true that we've never met a robot that we didn't like (ok, those snakebots were a bit weird) -- while we're a sucker for nursebots and singerbots and bartenderbots, we're especially partial to those silicon-based lifeforms that can perform some tedious and important task that would be pretty tough for us humans to do ourselves. The latest one we've spotted that fits this bill is a bot created by researchers at the University of Washington, which can crawl along high-voltage power cables to inspect their integrity before they blow up and/or cause some sort of significant damage. The Robotic Cable Inspection System is able to detect problems with the infrastructure via its heat sensor, acoustic sensor and "water tree" detector that examines if water has gotten into the insulation. Earlier this week, the team completed the robot's first field test at the Lockheed Martin Michoud NASA Assembly Facility in New Orleans as a way to promote more safety bots in work environments. We just hope that if the little guy does find damage that it's got time to scamper away before being shorted out itself. [Via Robot Gossip]

By Cyrus Farivar Read More