ces2009hands-on
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Aiptek PocketCinema V10 hands-on
This is it! We just received video of the only pico projector endorsed by Russell Crowe (if by "endorsed" you mean "absolutely not endorsed," and by "Russell Crowe" you mean "the poor target of our Photoshoppery"). For a handheld VGA projector, the thing seems to handle itself pretty well. It's small and simple to use, but then again it doesn't really seem all that bright (something you might notice if you ever need it to, we don't know, "project" something). This bad boy has 1GB internal memory, an SD slot, and miniUSB, which should handle most of your I/O needs. Be sure to check out the explosive videos -- generously provided by Engadget Spanish -- after the break.
Ibiza Rumble prototype hands-on: a touchscreen PMP with Rhapsody, webkit browser
Behind closed doors at the Haier booth, we got a chance to check out two Ibiza Rhapsody PMP prototypes, codenamed Rumble and Rumble mini. Here's what we know so far: the Rumble's got a 2.8-inch WQVGA capacitive touchscreen, 8GB NAND flash, and a Freescale i.MX37 ARM 11 processor. It also has a Webkit-based browser, but it -- along with most of the operating system and virtual keyboard -- wasn't functional at the moment. There's support for AAC, MP3, and WMA, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H263, H.264, VC-1, and DivX. The Rumble mini trades out touchscreen in favor of an input pad and a smaller 2.2-inch screen. Beyond Rhapsody service, both models will feature integration with Flickr, Audible, and the ever-vague "popular social networking" sites. Battery life for the Rumble is expected to be about 15 hours for audio and 6 for video, while for the mini it's 14 and 4, respectively. It's surprisingly lightweight at the moment, but other than that we really don't have much to say until we can see the interface in action. Both players are on track for a June release for a penny under $150 for the touchscreen and $100 for the mini. %Gallery-41548%%Gallery-41561%
ASUS Eee Top touchscreen PC zombie hands-on
It looks like ASUS is about to carve out another unexpected niche for itself with its Eee Top all-in-one PC. The 15.6-inch touchscreen coupled with ASUS' touch-friendly user interface (riding an XP / Atom N270 underpinning) and industrial design definitely looked and felt like a winner. Sure, the UI could use some more polish, and the occasional menu pull-out was positioned too close to the bezel's edge for easy touching. But we could easily see an Eee Top making its way into our lair as a secondary PC when it begins shipping Stateside in "a few weeks" -- especially for a $599 MSRP. %Gallery-41541%
Video: PQLabs iTable digits-on lets us touch orcs, movies, me-too branding
Multi-touch is where it's at, but what if you already have one of those lame, obsolete, big-screen, flat-panel displays that accept only smudges from your fingers? What you need is a Multi-Touch G2 from PQLabs, an overlay that attaches to your existing 32-inch (or larger) set with double-sided tape, adding the multi-touch sensitivity that your fingertips have been yearning for. The company has also announced its upcoming iTable, effectively a multi-touch panel with a built-in computer, having something in common with Microsoft's Surface, but nothing with Apple's iPhone (from which it dishearteningly takes a naming cue). We spent a few minutes with our fingers stroking both the iTable and the Multi-Touch G2 and were impressed by both; they initially seemed a bit unresponsive but, within a few seconds, we were browsing media, building grunts, and decimating forests in no time. Playing an RTS like Warcraft 3 with gestures is a fantastic experience no strategy gamer should miss, but, at $2,399, is one that only the richest of tacticians can put in their buy queue. No pricing for the iTable just yet, but expect it to be more.
Video: Nvidia GeForce 3D Vision eyes-on
Not content with perusing the online reviews, we stopped by Nvidia to get some first-hand (or first-eye, rather) experience with GeForce 3D Vision eye wear. The glasses are lightweight and could still be worn comfortably over our thick-rimmed specs. We first tried Tomb Raider: Underworld to largely mediocre results, but Mirror's Edge and Left 4 Dead really shined. When we took a step back to watch two screens, however, they couldn't decide which display to sync up with and the flickering lenses managed to numb our brain. A surprisingly good experience, sure, but we can't imagine paying upwards of four benjamins for these and a compatible monitor. If you're wondering what the screen looks like without the eye wear, check out the video after the break.%Gallery-41518%
Video: Intel's convertible Classmate PC hands-on
It's been five months since we first heard about the convertible Classmate PC, and now we've finally gotten a chance to get our hands on it at the Intel booth. It feels pretty durable -- especially that kind of important display swivel -- but we take issue with how lopsided the weight is towards the back. The Quick Launcher Windows XP shell lives up to the name and is indeed very fast and easy to navigate. When we rotated the tablet on its side, however, the interface awkwardly fills in only the top half. According to the rep, there's no US distributor yet for retail. Glamor shots in the gallery, or check out video after the break. Is it too much to ask for capacitive multitouch next time?%Gallery-41408%
Netgear Digital Entertainer Elite interface hands-on
One very patient Netgear rep took us through the interface of the new Digital Entertainer Elite while we feverishly snapped images of every menu blade. Not every one was a keeper -- expect a few gaps here or there -- but this should provide you ample impressions on how you'll be cruising around on this thing. %Gallery-41210% %Gallery-40863%
Lenovo All-in-One IdeaCentre A600 hands-on
We just got a chance to check out Lenovo's All-in-One IdeaCentre A600, featuring the motion-based remote control that doubles as a VoIP handset. Three minutes into the tennis game, we managed to toss the remote into an adjacent HDTV and pulled our shoulder out of alignment. We couldn't call for help -- the VoIP wasn't functional -- but we did manage to snap some screens with our good arm. %Gallery-40969%
Samsung HMX-H106, HZ10W, P3 PMP and HT-BD8200 soundbar on display
Rounding up all the non-HDTV, non-P4600 devices showcased at Samsung's CES 2009 event, we managed to get a closer look at the HMX-H106 camcorder, HZ10W camera, P3 PMP, and HT-BD8200 soundbar, none of which were really in the mood to play. That didn't stop us from snapping some glamor shots, which you can peep in the gallery below. %Gallery-40926%
Samsung LCD 750, Plasma PDP 850, new LED series hands-on
Sure, Panasonic's 0.33-inch thin Neo PDP might have just redefined our definition of thin, but the new Samsung HDTV are quite the lookers. The form factor, like the company's touted UI initiative, is fairly unified in appearance across all models. Frankly, we had a pretty hard time telling them apart, and all we could really think about is how awesome they'd look in our living rooms. Hard to tell from the gallery below, but trust us, the picture quality is very crisp and clean. Now if we could only get a glimpse of Internet@TV in action.%Gallery-40920%
Samsung BD-P4600 hands-on: 'world's slimmest' Blu-ray player
We're not quite sold on its world's slimmest Blu-ray player claim, but this Samsung BD-P4600 is certainly one of the sleekest, especially with its Touch of Color aesthetic. Also like its ToC muse, it seems to have a knack for catching and showing off dust particles. We didn't see the touch controls on top of the unit, and we weren't allowed to pull it out and get a clear shot of the ports, but did manage to snap a image of the disc loader on the right side of the unit. Still no word on pricing, so keep guessing.%Gallery-40913%
Netgear announces 3G mobile broadband wireless router for 802.11g's on the go
Netgear didn't go for any fancy-schmancy new form factor with its 3G mobile broadband wireless router, instead opting for the standard shell we know and love. Nine different Sierra and Novatel 3G modems are currently supported, and just plugging one into the USB 2.0 slot will provide you web access via either ethernet LAN or 802.11g. Usual amenities like WEP / WPA encryption are here, and it includes both AC and 12V DC adapters. The router is due out this month for $130. Anyone up for a World of Warcraft campfire LAN party?%Gallery-40880%Read - List of supported 3G USB modems
Netgear unveils Internet TV Player, Digital Entertainer Elite with CinemaNow
We've now got a content provider giving support to Netgear's Digital Entertainer Elite, and that honor goes to CinemaNow. At today's overly-enthusiastic press conference -- seriously, they threw apples, footballs, and a beer can at certain points -- the company showed off the pay-per-view service on both the aforementioned media streamer as well as the new, much smaller Internet TV Player that's coming this summer for $199. It's very lightweight and has an HDMI output alongside two USB 2.0 ports. It's got YouTube support as well as North American, Europe, and Asia internet TV. The upscaled video looked good, although nothing that's gonna replace your HDTV anytime soon. One very nice feature is support for torrents that you can trigger remotely for download to the player (presumably on an attached disk drive here, as there's no internal storage from what we can tell). No word on codec support, but if they're touting torrents, we're hoping for at least some DivX / XviD and MKV love. The much larger and heavier granddaddy Elite, whos specs we've already heard care of the FCC, is coming February for $399. A fun little feature touted in the presser allows you to pause a video on one TV and watch it on another -- provided you've got a separate Elite unit connected to each. The bad news? Neither device supports Hulu or Netflix, although a rep told us that they're kinda sorta looking into adding the latter sometime in the future. %Gallery-40862%%Gallery-40863%
