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I got a makeover in a web browser
Outside of my wristwatch, I don't wear jewelry (makeup either), but thanks to FaceCake I was able to give myself a total makeover within Chrome. First off, yes the company's name is more than a bit ridiculous. But its tech is pretty neat! Without downloading anything -- no plug-ins, add-ons or extensions are necessary -- you can try on earrings and complement pieces simply using a webcam and "any" browser. Notice the stunning necklace and earrings on the handsome chap up above? They move with you, and if you want to share how they look to your social platform of choice, that's totally possible. The outfit hasn't announced any of its retail partners for virtual try-on just yet, but says that we should see those surfacing within two to three months. Hopefully those include places like Macy's, Gilt, JackThreads and maybe even Warby Parker. Until then you can watch me model some super-gaudy pieces in the GIF below.
FLIR's second-generation thermal camera now works with (almost) any smartphone
When FLIR launched its first smartphone-based thermal camera at last year's CES, the biggest annoyance people had was that the hardware was baked into an iPhone 5 case. Anyone who wasn't toting Apple's newest two smartphones was understandably aggrieved about that decision. That's why, as a do-over, the company has released a second-generation FLIR One that clips onto the bottom of your smartphone over Lightning or micro-USB, letting Android users in on the fun.
Anova announces a WiFi sous vide cooker that lets you set temps remotely
Affordable sous vide cooking has been around for a while now, what with devices like the Nomiku, the Sansaire and the Anova One gaining popularity in recent years. Anova, in particular, recently completed a successful Kickstarter campaign last year where they funded the Anova Precision Cooker, a handy wand-shaped immersion circulator that added Bluetooth into the mix. At CES 2015, the company is taking it one step further by announcing something called the Anova Touch, a sous vide cooker with WiFi as well.
Watch the magical future of E Ink color displays in action
We just got a chance to see exactly what E Ink's new Prism tech looks like in person. And? It's pretty neat! As you might be able to tell from the admittedly sped-up GIF above, it's a bit mesmerizing, but still manages to be subtle. The outfit's Joseph Fillion describes it as "more than static, but not quite digital." What he means by that is it isn't the type of thing you'd likely see used on billboards or other advertisements, but more along the lines of navigational opportunities and branding. For example, you could carry an RFID chip in your pocket at a hotel and it'd change the color of the walls letting you know you were actually headed in your room's direction, possibly with the place's logo appearing once you've reached your destination. Or imagine your living room's walls changing color in accordance to your thermostat's temperature reading. It seems futuristic as hell, but it's much more Her than Blade Runner.
This case turns your iPhone into a night vision camera
Thermal cameras are expensive, which is why they're mostly used by firefighters, contractors and psychotic aliens. Fortunately, that's all about to change thanks to the FLIR One, which is an iPhone case with a tiny thermal camera stuck on the back. All you have to do is strap your iPhone 5 or 5s into the dock and, once you've downloaded the app, you're ready to go. Using multi-spectral dynamic imaging, it can create hybrid images, adding extra detail to the thermal pictures, or plain-ol' thermal pictures in the dark. When you point it at a subject, the FLIR will also give you a temperature reading of what you're pointing the device at.
Meet WowWee's MiP: A gesture and app-controlled robot with moves like Jagger
They see me rollin', they hatin'...
ZTE crams a 1080p projector, a 4-inch display and an LTE hotspot in one Android-powered package (hands-on)
ZTE's Projector Hotspot is exactly what its name suggests: a 1080p projector and an LTE hotspot bundled in one highly portable box. Strangely, it even has a 4-inch touchscreen display and Android 4.2 as its operating system, so you could potentially surf the web and send emails from it. The entire package is very compact, measuring only 4.72 x 4.72 x 1.12 inches and weighing in at about 400 grams. We held it for a few minutes at a ZTE meeting, and it does indeed feel quite lightweight, which will be good for business travelers who yearn to pack light. It also packs a 5,000mAh battery in case you want to project your presentations on the go. As far as the video quality goes, we thought it was decent enough from the demonstration we saw, though we're not sure if we recommend using this for movie night (we'll need more than a few minutes to judge that). The hotspot functionality accommodates up to eight WiFi-enabled devices. Other features include 802.11b/g/n, HDMI, a headset jack, Bluetooth and audio output. We asked a ZTE representative if you could make calls with it, and while he said there aren't any phone capabilities, we imagine it might be possible to ring someone using Google Voice if you wanted to be completely ridiculous. The projector is set to be available sometime this year, though the price has yet to be determined.
Boxee explains dropping PC and Mac clients at CES
We found Boxee at CES' ShowStoppers event this year, and when we cornered them to complain about dropping official PC and Mac support late in 2011, they were appropriately apologetic. Boxee's Liz Dellheim said that yes, they're sorry that they've abandoned that part of the company, and says that with just 20 people in their employ, and customers not connecting their PCs up to televisions that much anyway, Boxee just couldn't justify that support any longer. Instead, the company will focus on providing software for televisions and set-top devices, which Dellheim said offer "a more complete Boxee experience" than having to run inside the OS of a PC or Mac. That, and Boxee really wants to bring live TV to the service. Licensing that content for a standard PC client would be much harder than a more limited TV service, so Boxee decided to focus in on making the best set-top service they could, rather than being forced to support individual users. So if you were a big fan of Boxee on your Mac, that's probably the end of that. The client is still available on the website, but the company isn't supporting the official release. Fortunately, as we described in the original post, there are quite a few alternatives to look out for. There is one piece of Boxee software that will be running on an official Apple product: Dellheim confirmed that the Boxee Remote app for iPhone hasn't been forgotten, and while no big updates are planned, the company will continue to include that bit of the Boxee ecosystem in future plans. It's good to know that Boxee hasn't completely abandoned us Apple fans, but yes, for now, the company prefers to build for its own hardware, not our computers.
MMT Monitor2Go hands-on (video)
MMT is back at CES this year, with a revamped version of the Monitor2Go. This time around, the company has bumped up the portable display's screen size to a full 15.6 inches, while expanding its resolution to 1600 x 900 (compared with the 1280 x 800 seen on last year's rendition). A descendant of the Field Monitor Pro, this refreshed Monitor2Go comes with an iPad 2 or Android tablet slot and rotatable display that can turn up, down, clockwise and counterclockwise, allowing users to share their slate's screen with virtually anyone around them. The device can rest in either landscape or portrait mode, and comes equipped with HDMI and USB outputs, enabling owners to daisy chain up to six devices on a single port. The Monitor2Go is up for pre-order now, with the first shipments slated to head out within the next three months. No word yet on price, though we're told that it should be "under $300." Video after the break.
Ectaco jetBook Color e-reader hands-on (video)
E Ink Holdings is here at Showstoppers to show off a slew of new displays, with Ectaco's jetBook Color eReader standing among the most notable. First announced back in December, this device boasts a 9.7-inch, 1600 x 1200 display, replete with Triton Color E Ink technology. The WiFi- and 3G-enabled e-reader was explicitly designed with students in mind, with a bevy of educational books, tools and software preloaded. The colors we saw here at CES couldn't exactly be described as vivid, but, as with most other E Ink laced devices, this e-reader boasts a rather healthy battery life, capable of lasting for "weeks," we're told, on a single charge. The jetBook Color has already launched across classrooms in Russia, and is slated to launch on a global scale in the near future. For a closer look, check out our gallery below, along with our hands-on video, after the break.
TUAW talks to T-Pain at CES ShowStoppers 2011
We stopped by the ShowStoppers event at CES 2011 this evening, a special event in the Wynn hotel in Las Vegas for a few CES exhibitors and select press, and there we found none other than the prince of Auto-Tune himself, rapper T-Pain. He was there shilling a brand new microphone gadget that will automatically Auto-Tune your voice, just like the iPhone app released a while back that bears his name. T-Pain (can we just call him Mr. Pain?) tells us a little bit about the making of his app, and why he's brought the technology into the microphone. Plus, we got to meet T-Pain (and he wasn't even on a boat). But you should definitely try that I Am T-Pain app out -- it's pretty great. The microphone will be available this fall for US$39.99, so look for it in stores then. Shawwty!
