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DTS is making movie and TV dialogue even easier to hear
Compared to other trade shows (E3 being the prime offender), the Consumer Electronics Show floor is relatively quiet. That didn't stop the folks at DTS from showing off their new DTS:X codec however. It separates audio into objects instead of channels so instead of say, left, right, front, rear, center and subwoofer, you get things like dialogue or individual gunshots. If this sounds like Dolby Atmos tech, that's because it's pretty similar. The neat trick with DTS:X, however, is that it separates dialogue into its own thing that you control the volume of independently from everything else. Should you have an A/V receiver, you could always bump the center channel up a bit, but that increases the volume of all sound coming from that speaker, not just what the people onscreen are saying. It sort of achieves the same result, but not quite.
Razer's got a big 50% off sale going on, today only
If you've been anxiously waiting for a price drop on one of Razer's gorgeous, very expensive laptops, today is the day for you: the hardware-maker is celebrating its Best of CES 2015 awards with a massive, one-day sale. The Razer Blade is getting a 30 percent price drop, while all other hardware is getting halved in price. There are, naturally, some limitations: you can only buy one item (so make it count) and you have to be a member of Razer's "Insider" program (which basically means you have to give them your email address and little else). Oh, and the savings end tomorrow (January 13th) at 5:59PM PT, so maybe hurry up if you're gonna do this. Still on the fence about that laptop? Head over to our review of Razer's Blade laptop from early 2014 right here and find out if it's the one for you! Correction: This piece originally said the Razer "Edge" is on sale for 30 percent off, when we intended to say the Razer "Blade" is on sale for 30 percent off. Sorry if we're crushing any hopes here!
How NVIDIA plans to drive the adoption of autonomous cars
One of the biggest surprises at this year's Consumer Electronics Show was just how deep NVIDIA is getting into the automotive field. Given how reliant on armies of sensors the autonomous cars of the near future will be, however, it makes sense that the company best-known for its desktop computing power is at the forefront of transportation tech. We briefly spoke with the company's senior manager of automotive technology, David Anderson, about where he sees driver-less cars going, how long it'll take to get there and how the insurance industry might react once we do.
Renovo wants its electric supercar to be as personalized as your iPhone
When NVIDIA debuted its Drive CX platform and X1 mobile chipset at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, we were impressed by how it handled and displayed in-car data. But where are you going to find it? Tucked inside Renovo's $529,000 Coupe, of course. Within the span of three weeks leading up to the show, the outfit tricked out the EV supercar's chassis and harnessed the multitudes of raw data some 1,000 sensors provide to demo the graphics company's latest mobile tech. But just how deep does that silicon run? What are its implications? We asked Renovo's CEO Chris Heiser (above right) those questions and more, and you can find the answers after the break.
Leoht's tech handbag will charge your gadgets and help you find them
Leoht's "tech" handbag is one of those things you won't necessarily need, but may really (really) want. As you might have guessed, it's a purse for modern times. The bag's simple, black leather exterior is stylish, but it's what's on the inside that's interesting. The tote hides a built-in (6,000 or 10,000mAh) battery in the base for charging your gadgets on the fly, plus some interior lights to help you find whatever you're searching for faster. Oh, and a secret compartment for any extra-special cargo you may have.
CES 2015: The home of the future, available today
We've been hearing about the promise of the connected home, or the "Internet of Things," for years. At this CES, one thing became clear: The connected home of the future is achievable today. Qualcomm's smart home, for example, was a mock-up showing how tech could change the way we live. Unlike past years, however, the vast majority of "things" on show were off-the-shelf products you could buy and install in your apartment right now.
CES 2015: The year cars got truly smart
CES 2015, like last year's event, had a very large auto presence, perhaps even a banner year for CES. Expect it to grow again next year; in fact we wouldn't be surprised to see it start to run over into other halls. Not only did the likes of Ford, GM, BMW, Audi and Hyundai have a presence, but we also saw a new prototype launch and the very first glimpse of the new Chevy Volt. Imagine that, a week or so before the Detroit Auto show, the North American International Auto Show, and yet we got a very significant car teaser. Of course, it's no surprise that CES is getting so much attention from automakers; cars have become synonymous with tech and CES is still the pre-eminent tech show. Jump in to the post and let us walk you through the highlight reel.
iJustine loves fitness wearables as much as Taco Bell
Digital diva and influencer Justine Ezarik (aka iJustine) thinks CES is a big "tech tease." She's right, of course -- there's just too much technology to cover in a short amount of time (and inevitably, some of it will never be released). But it's fitness wearables that get her the most excited about the show floor this year, like the stuff Misfit showed off. On our CES stage she explains her valentine Taco Bell and how the two keep up over Snapchat. We talk about a whole lot more during our fun conversation, which you can watch after the break.
CES 2015: The secret to Sling TV's success
At first glance Sling TV's hype is all about the business model: no onerous contracts, a low entry price and access across a slew of devices, all with a bundle of content viewers have usually needed a cable TV package to get. But the truth about our Best of the Best CES winner is that while it's smaller and travels better -- this is still the same old pay-TV bundle, and constructed by the same old companies to repeat the model many have grown tired of. So why am I still leaving Las Vegas thinking I've had my first good look at TV's future? It's the experience. Sling is hardly the first built-from-the-ground-up service for watching video on the internet -- Netflix, Hulu and all the rest have been doing it with TV-quality content for quite some time. This is different because it feels like the live TV experience I'm used to, but designed in the internet age. Unlike others that tried (and have mostly failed) to execute this combo by building a foundation on the shifting sands of existing cable TV and IR blasters -- we mean you, Google TV and Xbox One -- Sling TV doesn't have or need channel numbers hanging on like vestigial limbs. It's all right here: Your live TV is an app; it's organized like one; and in all of the demos I saw, it responded like one.
The trailer and beyond: Engadget at CES 2015
Team Engadget spent a long week running around Las Vegas during CES, whether it's the the many exhibits at the city's Convention Center, the umpteen meetings at hotels or all-important pitstops like the Peppermill. Want to get a glimpse of what it was like? Follow the journey of our editorial team (and its dear friends) through social media in the gallery below.
Electric scooters and fiber-optic shirts land on Engadget's CES stage
From one angle, there are so many similarities between Gogoro and Cambridge Consultants that it's hard to tell them apart. For instance, both are visionary companies that seek to redefine an existing market and both came out with innovative technology that no one had seen before. Another similarity between the two, of course, is that they joined us on the Engadget stage as our editor's choice.
A detailed examination of the Selfie Brush (iPhone 6 edition)
Historically, if you wanted someone to know what you looked like after you'd died, you hired a portrait artist to work for weeks recreating your face in agonizing detail. With the advent of video conferencing, however, the forward-facing camera went from technological oddity to vital necessity. It wouldn't be long afterward that people rediscovered the art of self-portraiture with a more immediate result. When Instagram launched, it enabled everyone on the planet to instantly show the world how good their ass looked. It was only natural, therefore, that someone would fuse the worlds of self-portraiture and personal grooming to form the Selfie Brush.
B&O launches its first wireless headphones, the BeoPlay H8
Bang & Olufsen's main announcement this year is the wonderfully weird "Moment" home music system. The Danish company had a few other things to show though, and the BeoPlay H8 Bluetooth headphones are one of them. A mixture of cowhide, lambskin and aluminum, the H8 is definitely one of the more premium-feeling pairs of Bluetooth headphones we've held in a while. With active noise-cancellation, a bunch of high-quality playback features (aptX/A2DP) and a custom metal touch interface, they're one of the nicer specced ones, too. We took a quick look at CES.
DJI's Inspire 1 hand-held gimbal brings its flying camera down to earth
DJI is perhaps best known for its drones. The company also makes some pretty sweet photography gear. Often, these two skill sets meet in perfect harmony -- like the 4K camera-toting Inspire 1 video drone. DJI thought it was a shame to keep that new camera limited to aerial photography though, so it's setting it free with a hand-held gimbal (motorized camera stabilizer). In fact, the gimbal part is the same as the one that's on the drone, but attached to a handgrip mount. The result is a small, yet extremely stable 4K video camera. Similar devices exist for GoPros, but DJI's design is not just more visually appealing, but also more practical and comfortable to use. We were lucky enough to get to try it out for ourselves in the desert.
Meet the company that brought 'Ebola' to CES
Every year, CES manages to bring thousands of exhibitors to Las Vegas, spreading them across the Las Vegas Convention Center and throughout hotels like Mandalay Bay, Sands Expo and The Mirage. For members of the media, the abundance of companies at the show makes the task of keeping up with every one of them extremely hard -- but it must be done. Exhibitors, on the other hand, have to reach out to journalists and host press conferences in hopes of getting valuable airtime for their product, whatever it may be. Naturally, due to the madness that is CES, smaller companies have to get creative to compete for attention with the tech giants of the world, such as Samsung, LG, Sony and more. And it helps tremendously if their product is, you know, actually good. So, when we got an email with a subject line that said, "WakaWaka Brings Ebola To CES," we instantly took notice. According to recent statistics, Ebola is estimated to have infected more than 20,000 people worldwide, the majority of them in West Africa. To date, the deadly virus has taken roughly 8,000 lives. At first glance, you think, "Are they seriously using a disease for promotional purposes?" Indeed, the company behind it, WakaWaka, wasn't really bringing Ebola to CES, but that's quite a bold way to approach pitching a story to journalists and other CES attendees.
We flew over the Nevada desert with Avegant's 'Jellyfish' video glasses
Avegant's video headsets are like buses. You wait all year for one, and then two suddenly turn up at once. That thing you see above might look a million miles away from the headphone-inspired Glyph, but it is in fact a very close relative. Codenamed "Jellyfish" the video headset/wearable display has a wider field of view than the Glyph (65 degrees compared to 45), which makes it better for things like simulators, VR and (as seen here) point-of-view drone flying. The Jellyfish is something of a side project right now; Avegant's priority remains the Glyph. But, the company told us that devices with a wider field of view are something on its developmental roadmap; just don't expect to see a consumer-ready product anytime soon.
4K, quantum dots and more: see the TV technology of CES 2015
Every year at CES, some of the most stunning visuals to be seen come from the TV manufacturers, and 2015 is no exception. Sure, 4K was the name of the game at this year's show, but there were also displays with four times that resolution on offer, too. And while most of the TVs were of the LCD variety, there were stunning sets using OLED and quantum dot tech to deliver better, brighter pictures, too. If you want to see more than just the TVs of CES, check out our 2015 Field Guide.
2015 is the year that wearables begin to grow up
When I talk about an industry maturing, I don't mean "getting old" so much as facing a different set of challenges. For instance, a year ago, the wearable and fitness section of CES occupied a few hundred square feet. In 2015, the two categories had taken over almost half of the cavernous Sands Expo hall here in Las Vegas. That means that there are plenty more companies trying to get in on the action, but also that those that make the devices are starting to move beyond just making technology for marathon runners.
A closer look at the crazy car tech of CES 2015
Over the past few years, the world of connected automobiles has exploded. Self-driving cars, heads-up displays and in-car infotainment systems have become mainstays of CES and this year was no exception. Join us as we take a visual tour of Mercedes' futuristic F 015 road-ready lounge, Audi's indestructible rear-seat Android tablets and everything in between. This is the wild world of automotive tech at CES 2015. For more automotive technology and beyond, check out our 2015 CES Field Guide.
