Ces2012
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Mushkin debuts three new SSDs at CES
We love us some speedy NAND Flash here at Engadget, and Mushkin's just unveiled a trio of SSDs full of the stuff packing Sandforce SF-2281 controllers. The Chronos Go offers 560MB/s sequential writes and 525MB/s reads in drives up to 480GB in size. The Atlas mSATA SSD does sequential writes at 535MB/s, maxes out at 240GB, and will be available to be dropped into the Ultrabook of your choosing. Both the Chronos Go and Atlas are scheduled for a Q1 release. Lastly, the Scorpion PCIe modular SSD lets you chain up to four SSDs in a RAID array to get sequential writes up to 1275MB/s and reads up to 1500MB/s when it drops sometime in the first half of this year. [Image Credit: DailyTech]
ViewSonic E70 tablet hands-on, seven-inches of Ice Cream Sandwich for $169 in March (video)
When we arrived at the ViewSonic booth, we expected to find only two new tablets of interest. As trade shows often go, the company surprised us with a pre-production model known as the ViewPad E70. With a 7-inch WVGA touchscreen, this tablet will ship out of the gate with Ice Cream Sandwich and will be available for a mere $169 by the end of March. While there's still much work to be done -- especially with the software interface -- this little guy could be an excellent value for many who want a tablet that's small and inexpensive. We're told the ViewPad E70 features a 1GHz CPU and 4GB of internal storage, along with WiFi, a microSD slot, a micro-HDMI port and a front-facing camera of unknown specification. Apparently, some models will feature 3G connectivity, although ViewSonic representatives were unable to provide further details regarding availability or network support. Many features, including the camera and WiFi, have yet to be implemented, and hardware changes are certain before the device's official launch. For instance, the capacitive buttons along the bezel are going away, as this functionality is now built-in to the Android 4.0 interface. Further, the camera we spotted on the rear won't exist come final version. Still, if the shipping model is anything like the prototype -- which is only 10.9mm thick -- we think many will be quite satisfied with the product's look and feel. Like the company's other tablets, the ViewPad E70 won't include the Android Market and instead will ship with the Amazon Appstore -- unfortunate, but it is what it is.
Watch the Engadget Mobile Podcast CES edition, live tonight at 11PM ET!
Nope, it's not a typo, folks: for tonight's CES 2012 podcast we're getting in front of a camera to discuss all of the latest happenings in Las Vegas. And there's a lot to talk about, too, so you won't want to miss seeing us rant live for a change! So join Myriam Joire, Sean Cooper (yes, the Sean Cooper) and Brad Molen as we show off some of the phones announced this week and converse on everything we've seen so far. January 11, 2012 11:00 PM EST
Aha Radio in the Subaru BRZ hands-on (video)
Aha Radio announced this week that it'll be an optional extra in 2013 Subaru and Honda autos. Vehicles so equipped will have the ability to listen to thousands of web radio stations and apps -- like Slacker and MOG -- alongside the regular AM / FM and satellite radio rotation. A short jaunt from our trailer at CES, we grabbed a quick demo with a Subaru representative aboard the 2013 BRZ. Just like using Aha without the car, you'll need an iOS or Android device outfitted with the app, which uses that device's data connection to stream those audial bits. Once connected over USB or Bluetooth, however, the updated app now allows all of that content -- including stations you've previously pre-selected as favorites -- to be accessible via vehicle's built-in infotainment system. Setup was a breeze, but the only caveat is that data connection, which par for the course for CES, wouldn't play ball. Still, for the brief time we were able to connect, we streamed NPR and found the UI certainly workable. And before you ponder the ramifications of futzing with a touchscreen while driving, know that it's accessible via controls mounted on the steering wheel. This makes for a somewhat safer media selection-option as you cruise up and down the Vegas strip. A couple shots of it in action await below, followed by a video after the break.
Samsung shows off integrated TV streaming apps and DirecTV RVU... again
Time Warner, Comcast, DirecTV and Verizon FiOS TV all displayed ways we could enjoy their service without a set-top box tied to our TV during CES 2011. A year later, while tablet apps have launched, living room progress is limited o DirecTV's HR34 soft launch and a limited Verizon FiOS app on Xbox 360 . So, here we are at CES 2012 with all four lined up at the Samsung booth under the N Service banner, again. Despite our disappointment over the delays, Comcast's app was slick, though limited to VOD-only just like the Xbox 360. Time Warner Cable's port of TWCable TV was similarly well appointed, although it lacked the DVR tie-ins of its Panasonic counterpart we saw earlier. The Verizon FiOS beta app was very rough around the edges, but allowed for either live TV or VOD streaming via the internet. DirecTV clearly had the best showing, but mostly because its implementation is actually shipping, and now is supported on more TVs. From what we're told, it's largely legal department, not technical concerns that are holding up the apps from launching, but until they hit Smart TVs everywhere you can peruse the pics in the gallery below.
Hands-off with the Golden-i head-mounted computer
Until now we've only seen the Golden-i shown off as a concept, but now it's actually shipping. The wearable computer (manufactured by Motorola, using technology licensed from Kopin, running software created by Ikanos) has 512MB of RAM and a TI OMAP under the hood. Currently it's a series 3 with a maximum clock speed of 1GHz, but the next iteration should move to a 1.2GHz 4 series CPU. Instead of relying on a touch screen, keyboard or mouse you control the Windows CE machine using voice commands and by moving your head, thanks to the six axis accelerometer and dual mics which provide rather impressive noise cancellation. (Neither of the two demo units had any trouble understanding us on the crowded show floor.) It also packs WiFi N and Bluetooth radios, and there's talk of a forthcoming 4G dongle from Verizon. The display is on an arm which not only pivots and tilts, but can also easily be popped off and moved from one side to the other. It's meant to just sit just out of your line of site, but you do have to keep it somewhat in your peripheral vision to clearly focus on the interface. We found that the units were a little overly sensitive to our head motions, but we were able to quickly adjust and (as an Ikanos and Kopin rep were quick to point out) the units weren't calibrated for our use -- they were simply pulled out of the box and popped on our domes. That's particularly impressive considering that, in the roughly 20 minutes or so we spent barking commands at the Golden-i, the Nuance-based voice-control system only balked once (and, of course, it wound up in the video after the break). The system is available now, but the $2,500 asking price is sure to make even some of it's industrial and security targets pause. Dana Wollman contributed to this report.
Motorola Connected Home Gateway tour (video)
When we first told you about Motorola's Connected Home Gateway, it was little more than a picture of a cool looking router. Thankfully, however, the company has been giving tours of the technology on the floor of CES, showing off the way it brings together such things as climate control, home security and automation. Of course, it's not really a real world use case here -- for one thing, the wireless in the Las Vegas Convention Center WiFi isn't all hot the week of CES, with ten billion gadgets being shown off at the same time. Still, the walkthrough we got was pretty cool, shutting off lights and the like from the comfort of your handy Motorola smartphone. Check out the demo, after the break.
Visualized CES Edition: Behringer's iNuke Boom speaker dock, a 10,000-watt altar for your iPod
No word on whether it goes to eleven. Edgar Alvarez contributed to this report.
VGo telepresence robot gets Verizon LTE, we go eyes-on (video)
The idea of a telepresence robot isn't exactly new in the tech world, considering there's been a few going to school in the place of teenagers for over a year now. But the VGo 'bot -- a chest-high roving device that has a display and camera built-in and allows patients and others to interact with a remote operator -- is at CES this year to show off its inclusion of Verizon LTE, instead of the WiFi-only model we've seen in times past. Certainly, the robot can default to WiFi in the absence of Big Red's next-gen network, but the nationwide coverage definitely gives the robot a lot more appeal... even if it is a mere $6,000. Expect to see the 4G-enabled Johnny Five available in the next two or three weeks. To see exactly what the robot's capable of, check out the gallery below and the video after the break.
Crapgadget CES 2012, round one: Watch your Bag
The Alarm Clock that comes with a bag filled with a rainbow of morphing colors. An Alarm Clock that comes with a bag, filled with a rainbow of morphing col... An... Alarm. Clock. that. comes. with a bag... filled with a rainbow of morphing colors. There are no wires to plug in, which is good, because if you're the sort of person who would consider this a wise purchase you probably can't afford an electricity bill.
ViewSonic ViewPad 10pi dual-boot tablet hands-on (video)
The ViewSonic ViewPad 10pi was announced here at CES, and according to the company, it'll be in retail stores later this month. This is a scary proposition. Sadly, our time with the tablet was filled with glitches and frustration -- as is, this dual-booter seems entirely unfit for the market. The Android 2.3 environment is nearly unusable and often freezes completely. While this could certainly be resolved with a software update, the hardware implementation is regrettably poor for Android use. Rather than capacitive navigation buttons, necessities such as home, menu and back are located along the edge of the tablet as small, physical buttons. Half the time, they didn't even work. Our fleeting moments with a usable Android environment were generally pleasant, but the system generally locked up after a few minutes. As another black eye, Android Market is nowhere to be seen, which means the Amazon Appstore will have to suffice. We're told that customers will need enable Android themselves, because out-of-the-box, the tablet will only run Windows 7. It's painfully apparent why this decision was made. With a 1.5GHz Intel Oak Trail Z670, we had decent expectations for performance within Windows. Unfortunately, even web browsing was generally unsatisfying. Pinch-to-zoom and scrolling were both rather choppy, and -- as much as this comment pains us -- we longed to return to Android. Windows has never been friendly for touch use, and while ViewSonic has included a special environment that's designed to make applications and settings more accessible, in practice it takes a while to load and is no more useful than a set of well-appointed desktop icons. Another gripe, the included Swype keyboard would often appear at inopportune times, even when there was no option for text input. Priced at $849, we struggle to see much of a value proposition here. While the ViewPad 10pi attempts to be the jack of all trades, in reality it's just one big headache.
LG AirPlay-enabled speaker dock eyes (and ears)-on
LG wasn't very forthcoming with details when it announced its new AirPlay speaker dock back in November, so here at CES 2012 we decided we'd stop by LG's booth to dig deeper and see it for ourselves. It looks like a foot square black Rubik's cube, with glossy and matte exterior squares alternating around the outside, along with two mesh speaker grilles on the front corners. Up top is a dock that fits any iDevice and the power button, while a Smart Square screen resides on the front that'll have touch controls when the dock ships in Q2 or Q3 of this year. A 3.5mm input jack and a USB port are on the back, and we're pretty sure that the dongle plugged there is where the AirPlay chip currently resides, though it'll be baked in before it gets to market. It was hard to evaluate the thing's sound on the show floor, but with an 8-inch subwoofer inside, the low end came through loud and clear and overall it sounded good. Unfortunately, we can't tell you how much it'll cost when it becomes available, but we can give you the gallery of pics below. Enjoy.
Cirque shows off its Glidepoint NFC trackpad built into a laptop, we go hands-on (video)
Each year, CES always seems to circle around a few common themes, and NFC -- Near-Field Communication -- is getting a large chunk of the spotlight this week, and it's not all completely about mobile payments. In fact, we're just scratching the surface of what NFC is truly capable of. We stopped by the NXP booth and found a treasure chest full of the latest innovations in the world of NFC, the first of which is the Cirque Glidepoint NFC trackpad. The company had a fully working trackpad that's actually built into a laptop, as well as an external model that can be plugged into any USB port (tablets, for instance). We navigated to Engadget's home page on our Galaxy Nexus and placed it on the pad, and just as expected, Android Beam activated and our touch initiated the data transfer. Within two seconds, the browser pulled up and loaded the site. We also used a business card with a NFC tag built-in and accomplished the same task. But it doesn't stop there -- the concept can be applied to other NFC applications, such as YouTube videos, maps and even the Activision critter seen above. The unit we demoed was a prototype that's still a long ways from final hardware, so don't expect to see them embedded into a laptop until mid-2013. External trackpads, according to Cirque, should be seeing the market in four months.
Bang & Olufsen intros B&O Play brand, showcases $800 Beolit 12 portable AirPlay speaker
We've just met Bang & Olufsen here at CES, sitting through a variety of PowerPoint slides and Venn diagrams, but boy was it worth it. The company revealed its lifestyle-focused brand, dubbed B&O Play, and the first product in the lineup which we already spied passing through the FCC back in November. The Beolit 12 is portable AirPlay speaker for iOS Devices, and although it's basically iPhone-speakerdockapalooza here in Vegas, B&O Play's solution is cut from a unique and elegant mold. Click past the break for our initial impressions.
Motorola DEFY MINI hands-on (video)
The Motorola DEFY MINI is perhaps Moto's attempt to revisit the success they saw in China with the DEFY. Sure, this handset is inexpensive but it seems to have a lot going for it in the spec department. Water resistant, dustproof, scratch resistant Gorilla Glass, a 3 megapixel shooter in the back and a VGA cam in the front -- in this dept the MINI outdoes the original DEFY -- and a 1650mAh battery that should make it functional for a full day. Sure the display is only a 3.2-inch, but that form factor still serves a huge percentage of the population, and this example was pretty good as far as our tired eyes could tell. Follow the read link to see a short video tour and a few pics.
Engadget HD Podcast 281: CES 2012 - 01.11.2012
We're live and in your faces from CES 2012, with our first podcast, including video taken right on the AOL / Engadget stage between North and Central hall. We had plenty to discuss, from Dish's big announcements to Ceton's too-good-to-be-true embedded Media Center DVR. There's all kinds of new display tech floating around, and the streaming video market is as murky as ever. Join us as we give our opinions on all this intrigue and try to keep up with the flood of CES news by pressing play, or check after the break for the embedded video. Also, check back Thursday night at 11PM ET for another live video podcast directly from the show floor.Get the podcast[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3).[RSS - AAC] Enhanced feed, subscribe to this with iTunes.[RSS - MP3] Add the Engadget HD Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace[MP3] Download the show (MP3).Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh (@bjdraw), Richard Lawler (@rjcc)Producer: Trent Wolbe00:00:47 - Dish Network announces Hopper DVR system, Joey set-top box, launches broadband, Test Drive services00:01:21 - Dish Network Hopper DVR and Joey extender hands-on00:04:30 - Dish Hopper multi-room DVR in action (video)00:08:37 - Ceton previews multi-room DVR and Echo extender (hands-on)00:11:55 - Samsung 2012 SmartTVs will access DirecTV without a set top box, minimalists rejoice00:13:25 - Netflix: Warner Bros. movies now available after 56 day delay00:16:05 - Amazon, Rovi, Flixster and Samsung highlight UltraViolet's CES press event00:18:24 - Flixter comes to Viera Connect, gives Panasonic fans more movie access00:18:28 - Samsung outs compact BD-ES6000 Blu-ray player, less compact ES6500, get down with UltraViolet00:22:20 - Sony's 2012 lineup of Blu-ray players, one with 4K00:23:50 - Sony fights the OLED future with new 'Crystal LED' prototype (Update: Hands-on!)00:24:43 - LG's 55-inch 'world's largest' OLED HDTV eyes-on00:25:10 - Sharp to deliver first 80-inch Quattron 3DTV, 20 more new HDTVs00:26:10 - Samsung has Smart TVs with dual core CPUs, cameras and more00:27:12 - Vizio's CES 2012 HDTV lineup includes 3D, Google TV and ultrawidescreen... again00:29:10 - Roku Streaming Stick hands-on00:29:40 - Toshiba's to release four new Blu-ray players in 201200:31:40 - Sony's second try at Google TV brings Blu-ray player, streaming box and a new remote (Update: hands-on!)00:32:55 - Boxee Box Live TV dongle hands-on (video)00:33:52 - Microsoft bringing Comcast Xfinity TV to Xbox 360, nails down News Corp. partnership00:34:30 - ESPN 3D BCS Championship demo eyes-on00:41:08 - Myspace TV announced for Panasonic Viera Connect-enabled HDTVsHear the podcastLISTEN (MP3)LISTEN (AAC)
Dish CEO denies talk of asset sale, commits to nationwide network
A new service trademark, a 67-page FCC application and a recently redefined brand? These are not the marks of a company looking to lend itself to the altar of M&A. After plunking down over a billion dollars on acquired spectrum, Dish appears dead set on launching its own wireless network, despite rumors of an impending asset sale and a regulatory hold up. In an interview at this week's CES, CEO Joe Clayton put to rest speculation that the satco was looking to place itself or its airwaves on the auction block, saying it was definitively "not part of [the company's] strategy." Regardless, that planned, nationwide LTE network is still a ways off for the pay TV provider, as its 2GHz holdings are still pending the Commission's approval. If and when the outfit gets the greenlight, expect a full buildout in three years time.
Live from the Engadget CES Stage: an interview with NXP's Jeff Miles (update: video embedded)
We've got plenty of questions about near-field communications, and who better to talk to than Jeff Miles, a VP at NXP, the company behind the NFC chips in your devices? Follow along at 6:30PM ET, after the break. Update: Interview video now embedded.
Live from the Engadget CES Stage: an interview with Mercedes-Benz
What are telematics you ask? Get your fill of answers as Tim sits down to discuss this and more with Mercedes-Benz USA's head of marketing, Steve Cannon and the manager of advanced product planning and telematics, Sascha Simon. Catch it live at 8:00PM ET.
Motorola MOTOLUXE hands-on (video)
The Motorola MOTOLUXE -- born the XT615 in China -- was on hand at Moto's booth so we took the opportunity to check it out. While the feature set might not be world beating, or even attempt to come close, we expect the price will move people in its favor. We've covered the specs pretty thoroughly, and to be honest expected a much "cheaper" set. The MOTODELUXE feels great in the hand, the display is clear and bright, nothing noticeable squeaks, and that lit lanyard slot still has us smiling. Pricing and launch dates will be determined the Greater Chinese, European, and Latin American markets when the MOTODELUXE appears sometime in spring.
