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Acer Iconia Tab A200 hands-on (video)
Here at CES, you'd expect little 'ol Tegra 2 to get lost in the mix amid the Medfield prototypes, Windows 8 samplers and quad-core Tegra 3 devices. Not necessarily -- not if the price is right, anyway. The Acer Iconia Tab A200 packs NVIDIA's last-gen SoC, and no, it's not the slimmest or lightest tablet on the block, but for $330 you get a 10-inch slate on the brink of an ICS update. That counts for something, right? We'd say so, especially if Ice Cream Sandwich does indeed correct some of the sluggishness that's plagued Honeycomb tablets (even Tegra 3-powered ones). We got a few minutes of hands-on time with it today, and though we can't speak to potential deal-breakers like battery life or everyday usability, we came away feeling that all of the sacrifices Acer made in order to hit that $330 price are quite reasonable. Take the build quality, for instance. Although the A200 trades the A500's aluminum backing for plastic, it still has a soft, slightly textured finish that feels pleasant to touch and also makes cradling the thing that much more comfortable. It's noticeably chunkier than the Transformer Primes of the world but then again, it's also one of the few tablets with a USB 2.0 port, which would help explain the thickness. The 10.1-inch (1280 x 800) display is the same middling one you'll find on the A500; it doesn't compare to the A700's 1080p screen, but its relatively narrow viewing angles won't be an issue when you're streaming Netflix by your lonesome. It's missing a rear-facing camera, but do you really mind? (At this price, we don't.) And though you don't need the so-called Acer Ring for launching apps, it's an easy to use UI that manages not to get in your way. For now, this could be a tempting deal for people who don't have $500 to spend, but after seeing other companies tease their wares here at CES, we're concerned that the price wars haven't yet hit a plateau. We know, we know: there's always going to be something faster, thinner and better, but in this case, that something better might cost less too. Take ASUS, for instance: the company is readying a 7-inch, quad-core tablet that will cost just $249. If this is where the market is headed (and recent remarks by NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang suggest it is), who knows how inexpensive Tegra 2 / 3 tablets will get over the coming months? The A200 seems fine for what it is; we just wonder if perhaps it's a transitional product, with a transitional price. Update: To clarify, the A200 starts at $330 with 8GB of storage, as previously reported. The higher-end version has 16GB, and will sell for $350. Billy Steele contributed to this report.
Acer Iconia Tab A510 hands-on (video)
The follow-up to last year's Acer Iconia Tab A500 -- aptly named the A510 -- is hanging out in the NVIDIA booth at CES. The 10.1-inch, 1280 x 800 display (the same one on the A500) comes with Android 4.0 on board, alongside a 5MP rear camera and 2MP front-facing cam. The tablet feels lighter than its predecessor (as it should, since it loses the USB 2.0 port), and we prefer the soft-touch plastic backing to aluminum finish on the last-gen model. What's most interesting about the A510, though, is not the fact that it has Ice Cream Sandwich pre-loaded, but that it has a custom UI, similar to what you'll find on the Honeycomb-packing A200. Thankfully, Acer's choice of skinning is low-key, and makes for an enjoyable, unobtrusive experience. First off, the UI is very ring-centric: tapping a virtual button in the middle of the task bar launches a ring with four customizable shortcuts, as well as a carousel on the right. Additionally, the lock screen offers a similar circular batch of four direct-access points, rather than the stock two. We appreciate that Acer isn't looking to add a full fifteen pieces of flare to its proprietary user interface. To see some more of the Tab, we've got a gallery of photos below, along with a short walk-through video after the break.
Live from the Engadget CES Stage: an interview with MIPS Technologies (update: video embedded)
MIPS has been pretty busy as of late, hookin' up a little Android ICS action onto the Ainovo NOVO7 tablet, for the budget-minded slate seekers out there. Amit Rohatgi of MIPS Technologies joins us on stage to talk about affordable tablets and more. Don't miss it, live at 2:00PM ET. Update: Interview video is now embedded.
Ainovo $79 Novo7 Paladin Ice Cream Sandwich tablet hands-on
Nope, that's not a typo -- we just got our hands on a $79 Ice Cream Sandwich tablet. The folks from MIPS popped by the Engadget stage to talk about the budget device. The Ainovo Novo7 Paladin is available now in China, so if you actually want to get your hands on the thing here in the US, it will likely cost you a bit more when you actually factor in, you know, air fare and such, but the company assures us that something along the same lines ought to be coming to the States in the near future, with a similar price point. As expected, this isn't the sexiest tablet we've seen on the show floor -- you're not getting a Galaxy Tab here -- but the build quality is quite solid. The seven-inch screen is 800 x 480 -- again, not high-end specs we're dealing with, but it does the trick for casual gaming and YouTube videos, and the MIPS folks mention to us plans to bump up the res for a US release. Along the top of the device, you'll find three buttons: power, back and menu -- the placement on the latter two are a bit counterintuitive when first picking up the tablet, but you'll get used to it pretty quickly. Along the right side, you'll find a headphone jack, miniUSB port (yes, mini), volume buttons and a microSD slot for expanding the already decent 8GB of storage. Inside you'll find that MIPS-based 1GHz single core processor and 512MB of RAM -- again, not the greatest, but it should get the job done for most the paces you'd expect to put a $79 tablet through. There's no cameras or GPS on the thing, though we didn't really miss either one. If you're looking for something that can do video and stills, however, $20 more will get you the $99 Novo7 basic. Myriam Joire contributed to this report.
Live from the Engadget CES Stage: an interview with Atmel (update: video embedded)
Smartphones, tablets and other touchscreen gadgets have been at the center of our tech lives, and things are just starting to get interesting. We welcome Atmel's product marketing manager Sherif Hanna to talk tablets and touchscreen tech. Join us at 1:30PM ET. Update: Interview video is now embedded.
Verizon's ZTE Jetpack hands-on
Verizon launched two new mobile hotspots at CES, both called Jetpack. We found the ZTE entry -- the Verizon device has all the branding -- and gave it a quick once over. The device itself is quite big for a mobile hotspot, measuring 88mm x 88mm x 18mm, though finish and materials are slick. The menu system is easy to use, buttons responsive, and as seen in the pic above lets you get at settings, SMS messages, and a quick heads up as to how many of the 10 supported clients are currently connected. Power on and off is controlled by a sliding switch, rather than an on off button, which we think is a great idea. Have a gander at the gallery for some more shots.
ZTE T98 ICS tablet hands-on (video)
We'll admit: in addition to playing with tons of cool gadgets, one of the elements that makes CES fun is the challenge of actually finding these gems in the first place. Such was the case with the ZTE T98, a 7-inch Tegra 3-powered tablet running stock Android 4.0 that was lurking in a booth without any marketing material to establish its identity. Branded as a China Mobile device, the T98 offers a 1,280 x 800 WXGA display, NVIDIA's quad-core CPU underclocked at 1.3GHz, 1GB of RAM, a 5MP rear camera with no LED flash and 1080p HD video capture, a 1.3MP front-facing cam and 4,000mAh battery. Ultimately it has the same fingerprint-loving chrome edges and rubberized back, and appears to have changed very little in overall looks. There's no word on availability or pricing yet. For some extra angles and a full video, head on down.
Sony Music Unlimited bringing its own streaming flair to iOS soon
We heard back in December that Sony's fledgling Music Unlimited service would eventually be spreading its wings to cover even more operating systems, and here at CES 2012, we've learned that it's Apple's own iOS on the docket. Tim Schaaff, head of Sony Entertainment Network noted this week that the company will offer a gratis iPhone and iPad app for Music Unlimited "at some point this quarter." It's bruited that the iOS edition will offer offline caching for subscribers to its service (at least the premium ones), enabling 'em to save playlists for listening even when away from a network connection. Naturally, Sony's got some stiff competition in the world of iOS tunage, but it's hoping that at least a few million of those iOS users grow its Music Unlimited user base from a million to... well, more than a million. We're assuming that the pricing will remain the same, with $4 per month grabbing you a basic subscription and $10 per month netting you a premo level of service. So, you downloading on day one, or what?
Cricket's ZTE Chorus hands-on
Cricket's latest Muve music service device -- which by the way just became the 2nd most popular music service in the US -- the ZTE Chorus made an appearance at CES so we decided to give it a once over. First off, the OS kinda looks like Android, though, of course isn't. The housing, and display quality are rather low end, and while we can look past the housing quality being cheap, we can't ignore the fact that the display and touch sensitivity on this phone is very poor. On the upside it does have Muve and for folks looking to get in on that ecosystem, the $50 Chorus might just be the ticket for those only concerned with music. Quick gallery is just below.
Hands-on with Dyle Mobile TV, broadcasting live to a handset near you (video)
Dyle couldn't have found a better showcase than CES to exhibit its next gem. It's only been a few days since we first heard that the joint venture between MetroPCS and the Mobile Content Venture would bear fruit in 2012, and, well, we're in Las Vegas and we've seen it take its first steps. Although live TV broadcasting to mobile devices couldn't exactly be considered cutting-edge, judging by our time with the handset, this is one of the greater implementations of the concept. The company tells us that the app is set to hit its beta stage within the next few months at no cost, but that might change depending on partners and networks. Speaking of partners, Samsung alongside the Metro carrier will be the first to have the chipset-embedded smartphones on the market -- yes, that means you won't actually see the circa 1990's antenna. Dyle's also partnered up with Belkin to bring the service past phones and onto tablets, however, unlike the Sammy-branded phone that's expected to use the chip, the tablets will be able to pick up the airwaves by doubling the headphones as a receiver. Jump past the break to see the mobile telecast in action.
Qualcomm Halo wireless charging concept eyes-on
Let's run through the fundamentals of wireless charging: floor-mounted electromagnets pump out EM waves to your EV's engine to absorb. This means ripping up the floor to install and precisely driving your whip over the exact spot. There's no efficiency loss between wireless and wired charging, in case you were wondering. We got to speak to Qualcomm's Joe Barrett as he walked us through the chip foundry's innovative approach to the technology that it picked up from the University of Auckland. The Halo is a 28mm plate that can reportedly push 3.3kW/h to your vehicle without requiring it to park it precisely over the unit. The company's not talking about vertical range, but did insist that it would charge an SUV, so we can assume it'll travel at least a foot off the ground. The company is planning to foster an open standard for the technology through licensing and has joined the three-year design cycle that modern cars undergo -- with an expectation that we'll see the first commercial models of the technology surfacing in 2014, which you can just lay on the floor of your garage. A 50 unit trial led by Chargemaster and Polar is currently underway under the names of your favorite tier-one automaker. Sean Buckley contributed to this report.
Live from the Engadget CES Stage: an interview with NVIDIA (update: video embedded)
Matt Wuebbling from NVIDIA will be kicking off Wednesday on the Engadget Stage at CES by demoing some of the chipmaker's latest technology. Join us at 12PM ET after the break to follow along. Update: Interview video is now live.
Samsung's Smart TV and Blu-ray players will be first to get FiOS TV App
Although not the first to announce, Samsung and Verizon have officially announced that Samsung Smart TVs and Blu-ray players "will be the first consumer electronics manufacturer" to get live HD and video on-demand including Flex View from Verizon FiOS TV. The embedded release after the break doesn't include a time frame, but the previously announced timeframe was the first half of 2012, so this would have to be released before that in order to, technically, be first -- and everything in a press release is always true. At this point we'd be shocked if the Verizon FiOS TV App wasn't on every app platform imaginable, other than TiVo and Google TV, by the end of 2012.
Crapgadget CES, round four: iBallz is the ultimate, intimate gadget protector
Grab your iPad by the iBallz. It's safer that way. Trust us.
Verizon's Droid 4 priced up: $249 on a two-year contract (video)
This slider was still lacking its most important spec when we went hands-on, but a carrier document outed over at Droid-life fills in the blank: it lists a "minimum advertised price" of $249 on 24-month bond to VZW. Of course, we're still waiting on the second most important spec -- the release date, which hopefully won't be as futuristic as the handset's appearance. [Thanks, Uto]
FCC chairman implores Congress to speed up spectrum auctions, does it with a Galaxy Tab 8.9
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski renewed his pleas for more broadband spectrum yesterday, and he chose a rather peculiar platform upon which to do it. In an address here at CES yesterday, Genachowski called upon Congress to hurry up and open auctions for spectrum, and to allow his commission to reserve some space for itself. "It would be a very serious mistake to pass incentive legislation and prohibit the FCC from using some spectrum for unlicensed (uses)," Genachowski explained, adding that these unlicensed appropriations would help spur innovation. "We may see innovations there that lead to more efficient use. To me, it's a no-brainer." It's an argument that he's been making for a while now, but as All Things D noticed, Wednesday's address was unique for an entirely different reason. For the first time yesterday, he displayed his comments on a Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9, rather than his standard iPad. His thoughts on the slate? "It was all good," Genachowski said. "It was a seamless experience." He then proceeded, however, to send an e-mail with his iPad.
Cut the Rope gets ported to HTML5, gets chronicled on the way
Outlined during Microsoft's CES keynote earlier this week, gaming app Cut The Rope has had its journey to the world of HTML5 published for the masses. Tying together features like CSS3 styling and canvas-rendered graphics, the blog post details in cheery technical detail how creators ZeptoLab and Pixel Lab (not related) transferred the game from Objective-C to Javascript. Check the game for yourself down at the source and expect to see some extra levels designed especially for the browser platform. We'd love to play through those new levels, but we're all a little busy here...
Archos G9 tablets getting Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade next month
Sure we haven't heard a lot from Archos at CES thus far, but the company subtly dropped some good news for customers. According to Android Police, the company narrowed its estimates, letting it be known that its G9 tablet will be receiving a hearty helping of Ice Cream Sandwich, come the first week of February. The Android update will start rolling out to devices around that time, with preloaded ICS units hitting shelves in the following weeks.
Plextor's PlexEasy backs up your photos, phone and tablet without a computer
It was first announced in Europe just about a month ago, but Pextor's PlexEasy stand-alone DVD burner is finally hitting the market. The drive backs up data to CDs and DVDs directly from a variety of sources -- including SD cards, cameras, smartphones or tablets over USB. While it's made to be used without a PC it can be connected to one and draw it's power from your computer's USB ports. Despite Plextor touting its release here at CES we couldn't actually track down any info about pricing, but we'll make sure to update this post as soon as we do. Check out the complete PR after the break.
SpareOne cellphone claims 15-year battery life, we go hands-on
Xpal Power (owners partners of Energizer and PowerSkin) has leveraged its battery-tech know-how into the SpareOne, a cellphone that can maintain its charge for up to 15 years on just a single AA battery. It's designed to be used for sponsorship, hotel use and (most importantly) emergencies, to throw into your trunk and forget about until you need to contact roadside assistance. Now at CES we've had a chance to get our mitts on the device to see what it's like in the flesh plastic. If you're just a little bit curious, why not join us for a short trip?
