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CES 2013 by the numbers
CES is pretty big. If you haven't already had it explained, it's a sprawling collection of cavernous halls, hotel suites and in-town meetings that require an unhealthy amount of coach trips and taxi rides. We've pulled together some numbers to help demonstrate the sort of scale involved but when you involve the likes of Sony, Samsung, Panasonic and more than 150,000 attendees, it's going to get a little messy.
CES 2013: HDTV and connected devices roundup
As you may have guessed by scanning our CES 2013 coverage, HDTV -- particularly of the Ultra HD variety -- was kind of a big deal at this year's show. In fact, UHDTV's omnipresence fanned so much reader interest this year that we penned a feature article to put the whole phenomenon into perspective. While that makes for a lively discussion, none of the 4K sets announced at the show are shipping yet, and the few from last year that are available might cost as much as a new car -- or two. To that end, let's head after the break to see all the new TVs, set-top devices, Blu-ray players and the like presented at CES -- including a few you may actually be able to afford.
CES 2013: Laptop and Ultrabook roundup
CES is done for another year, but before we can drop the microphone, we need to put together a reminisci-package to summarize the week in notebook computing. This year's show was chock-full with Ultrabooks, leading many to believe that full-fat notebooks are going the way of the Dodo. However, Intel's Kirk Skaugen feels that rumors of the laptop's demise at the hands of the Ultrabook are greatly exaggerated -- seeing the latter as merely a subset of the overall mobile PC firmament. Intel announced its power-sipping Haswell architecture and revealed its highly desirable North Cape reference design, which offered us a tantalizing glimpse of what future hardware could be like. However, before we get to that, we need to deal with the hardware hitting stores this year, so if you'd like to know more, follow us after the break.
Jinni's TV search tools selected by Time Warner and Vudu to power intelligent search
Whenever you ask a friend to suggest a good TV show, they often just bellow praise for The Wire, Breaking Bad or My Little Pony -- not useful if your tastes are a little more diverse. That's why major players Time Warner and Vudu have signed up Jinni's taste engine to build into their platforms to help you find entertainment -- no more boring grid-style guides, Jinni promises. We're apparently entering, "a new era of intuitive, personalized user experience," which sounds perfectly swell to us. A duo of European providers are also hopping on board -- Bouygues Telecom and C More Entertainment -- as well as Asia's SingTel and Africa's Multichoice. Nobody's talking specifics on when we'll see these metadata-pulling suggestions appear in homes, but if your horizons suddenly start to broaden, you know who to blame.
CES 2013: Tablet roundup
The tablet landscape has changed greatly in a year's time, at least if you gauge what we've seen on the CES show floor. The 2012 expo was led mostly by high-end Android tablets. This year, Windows 8 understandably garnered much more of the spotlight now that it's available, while Google's platform mostly surfaced in the budget category, where it was much more prevalent than before. Whatever the platform, we saw our fair share of experimentation -- some companies weren't happy with just a spec bump in a familiar form factor. Check past the break for some of the more daring (or at least well-executed) examples from CES 2013.
CES 2013: Auto roundup
Every year at CES, the focus on autos and the tech they're outfitted with grabs a fair share of the attention in Las Vegas. This installment was no different. While several companies trotted out their latest infotainment wares, the self-driving debate nabbed a prime spot as Toyota and Audi both offered show-and-tells on tech that looks to aid drivers rather than do all of the work for them. As we've come to expect, a wealth of infotainment systems were also on display with a couple in particular grabbing our attention. Not to be overlooked, devs received a number of notable invites to create system-specific offerings this time out. For a full rundown of the highlights, read on past the break for a brief synopsis.
CES 2013: Digital cameras roundup
CES is far from a top-tier trade show for the digital imaging industry, but that didn't stop manufacturers from introducing new models. Android returned to Polaroid's booth with the underwhelming iM1836 ILC, Canon opted for a square form factor with its PowerShot N and Fujifilm introduced a more powerful version of the X100. Nearly all of the cameras we saw at the show were created for consumers, with many options coming in under the $200 mark. Nikon and Samsung offered a few exceptions, but with Photokina wrapping up this past September and CP+ kicking off in just over two weeks, there are plenty of other venues for camera makers to introduce their higher-profile models. For now, though, it's all about CES, so join us past the break for a closer look at some of this week's biggest announcements.
Engadget Podcast 326: CES 2013 Closer - 01.13.2013
So, it's a wrap. Done, dusted. To celebrate, the whole Engadget crew rolls up for the last podcast from the show floor. It's fast-firing tech talk with a bunch of giveaways, and best of all you can catch it all again right here. Hosts: Tim Stevens, Brian Heater Producer: James Trew Hear the podcast
Genius Ring Mouse 2 and Ring Presenter thumbs-on
With CES 2013 coming to a frigid conclusion here in Las Vegas, we moseyed our way to the Genius booth and went thumbs-on with the Ring Presenter and the Ring Mouse 2. Both use a 2.4GHz wireless USB connection, providing you with a 10-foot radius of Ring Mouse action on either OS X or Windows. The Ring Mouse 2 packs the standard mouse functions, while the Ring Presenter offers left / right / middle buttons, dragging, four-way scrolling and -- drum roll, please -- a laser pointer. Wearers simply navigate the cursor by perusing their thumb across the Touch Control sensor capable of a 1000dpi sensitivity. After donning the ring we found it to be quite large, so those with smaller paws might have a harder time using it. From within approximately two feet out we observed great response and ease of use. The duo of diminutive peripherals may prove interesting for a niche that's tired of the conventional pointer, and if you find yourself in that group, you can purchase either in the near future for $50+.
Mobi-Lens smartphone / tablet camera attachment hands-on
Here's the sort of thing Kickstarter is all about: those ideas that are so head-bangingly simple you get genuinely angry you didn't come up with them yourself. Someone from Mobi-Lens popped by the Engadget stage this week to show off the company's new crowdfunded creations, lenses for smartphone and tablet cameras that clip onto the side of the device. The company brought by the macro and fisheye versions, which we got to play around with a bit. After a bit of adjusting on our handset, we were more than happy to take them for a ride, shooting some shots of Tim's Ken Block interview. We didn't get the greatest shots in the world for the few minutes we played around with it, but what the company has managed to get over on its site should give you a decent idea of what's possible. The macro took some interesting shots as well, but you've really got to get in extremely close to get it to work as intended. The lenses aren't cheap, at $40 bucks a pop, or $65 for two, but they're definitely cool additions for those looking to mix up their own smartphone photography a touch.
Parrot's eBee drone eyes-on
It wouldn't have been a proper Engadget CES stage without a few surprises. During his appearance, the company's CEO, Henri Seydoux, showed off one of its lesser-known drones, the eBee, a GPS-packing foam beast created in collaboration with Sensefly. The eBee can carry a camera (a Canon Powershot, in this case). Shake it to start the motor and then toss it off like a paper airplane. It's capable of shooting video and doing 3D mapping, and the removable wings mean you can stick it into a carrying case, as seen in the images below.
Just Mobile's early-2013 range: AluCup, black HeadStand, AluFrame, AluPocket and Gum Max Duo
What we love about CES is that we get to see so many familiar faces in one week, and Just Mobile was one of them this year. Since our visit to its Taiwan office a few months ago, the award-winning accessory maker had been preparing several new products for CES: (from left to right in the above picture) AluCup, black HeadStand, AluFrame, AluPocket and Gum Max Duo. Starting in chronological order we have the black edition of the minimalistic aluminum HeadStand headphone stand, which will join its silver-colored sibling for the same $49.95 price tag at the end of this month. As before, the HeadStand's base comes in two layers for cable management, as well as a spun-metal finish. Check out the rest of the product range after the break.
Noit Joystick makes an appearance at CES, promises more face time at CTIA
We get pitched plenty at our CES stage, but not everyone is as capable of stopping us in our tracks as Noit founder Lael Alexander, who busted out a dummy version of the Joystick (or Joistick, depending on which part of the company's catalog you read). It's a phone / controller, with calling capabilities, Bluetooth, WiFi and NFC jammed into a uniquely holdable design. Flip it open to reveal the screen and a QWERTY keyboard, a la messaging phones of the past. There are mouse buttons and a gyroscope built in, so you can also use the Android device as a controller, if you're so inclined. It's also got NFC, an HDMI port, Bluetooth, 64GB of storage and "the best sound design," according to Alexander, who promised his company would have something more concrete to show at CTIA.
Wrap-up: Engadget editors sound off on CES 2013
This was our biggest CES group of all time, by a long shot. As we pack our bags and return to our home cities around the country and beyond, our team of ace editors took some time to share their final impressions of the show. Scroll down below to hear from Tim Stevens and Darren Murph, who helped to provide invaluable direction and motivation here in Vegas, then click past the break for some brief reports from the rest of the team. Tim Stevens, Editor-in-chief For me, the story of CES 2013 was the massive shift of focus from mega-announcements by mega-corporations to the micro-innovations pitched by the crowd-funded. This, to me, is far more exciting than the usual iterative advancements we fixate upon in Las Vegas every year. I don't know what that means for the future of CES as a mega-show, but I can't wait for 2014's iteration. Darren Murph, Managing Editor Here's the problem with CES 2013: nothing is shipping soon, and nothing is affordable. But that's also what made CES awesome. I'll one day be able to afford a 4K HDTV, and the new Tegra 4 / Snapdragon gear will one day be in an Android phone I'll crave. Now that the dust has settled, I'm actually pretty amazed that envelopes are still being pushed in a world where people are increasingly content with existing technologies. Onward and upward.
BBK Vivo X1 hands-on
Even though we focus a lot of our CES coverage on the biggest (read: flagship) products announced at the show, we revel in the opportunity to find the little gems scattered in various corners of Las Vegas that may not receive quite as much attention. One such product is the BBK Vivo X1, a phone that was recently launched in China but hasn't seen any time on this side of the Pacific. Up until this week, this particular piece of circuitry was the title holder for "world's thinnest smartphone," measuring in at 6.55mm thick. (The Alcatel Idol Ultra now claims this title at 6.45mm, although it's technically not on sale yet.) Despite the small package, it also professes to pack a hefty audio punch, boasting a pair of Beyerdynamic MMX 71 iE earphones and Cirrus Logic CS4398 DAC. We weren't able to test the audio prowess of the device in our brief interaction, but it felt reasonably good to hold in our hands overall. The Vivo X1 is one of the more sleek phones we've played with recently, but there's one piece of baggage that comes with that statement: it's slick. Our small concern with smartphones this thin is how well we can hang onto the ¥2,498 ($400) handset without dropping it on a regular basis, and its incredibly light chassis combined with its smooth plastic back add to that worry. At the very least, the 4.7-inch frame is easy to grip despite its slippery material. Spec-wise, you aren't looking anything out of the ordinary: a dual-core 1.2GHz MediaTek MT6577T processor and 1GB RAM help the phone get stuff done; it's powered by a non-removable 2,000mAh battery (rather large for such a slim phone) and offers a qHD IPS display, 16GB internal storage, a 3.5mm headphone jack, 8MP rear-facing camera and 1.3MP front cam. This device is geared primarily for China, so it's quite likely that we won't see it in many other parts of the world. But if you fancy a closer look at the Vivo X1, take a look at our extensive gallery of images below.
Olive One $400 high-fidelity streaming music player, hands-on
Many's the streamer that can assault your ears with audio of all sorts, but how many can do it simply, with irreproachable fidelity, and at a reasonable price? Few that we can think of, so that's exactly the tack being taken by Olive with its Olive One, a $400 dollar streaming player and amp currently on Indiegogo. It's a disk-shaped audio player with a built-in HD amplifier, single volume dial and 7-inch touchscreen to choose your music. It includes an iOS, Android and Windows 8 app so that your handset can work as a remote control, while letting you stream music from your slate or phone, too. So how did our (admittedly non-audiophile) ears take to the device when we saw it at CES? Read on past the break to find out.
HiFiMAN launches HM-901 'high resolution' audio player, we go ears and hands on
The humble personal music player has seen many iterations over the last few decades. That doesn't mean that people aren't still giving the area some love, and HiFiMAN is definitely flying the flag with its HM-901 Reference Music Player. The unit incorporates dual Saber ES9018 32-bit DAC chips, with upsampling 20 24-bit / 96kHz. It claims to be able to play most lossless audio formats, including Apple lossless. Of course, it'll still play your regular MP3s too, should you so desire. One neat trick is a removable amplifier card which means -- at a future date -- you could be able to swap them out for other amp cards that bestow a different sound, much like different guitar amps etc. Other forthcoming features include gapless playback, and the ability to use it as a WiFi music server. If you want some hard numbers, then HiFiMAN states that the distortion is less than 0.003 percent, with a signal to noise ratio of 107dB. Want to know the stereo cross talk? That'd be 86 db (line) and 76 db (headphone). Head past the break for our impressions.
Spnkix motorized skates crash the final Engadget CES podcast (video)
Right in the middle of our final CES podcast, we were mildly interrupted by a man on battery-powered heels. These are Spnkix, a pair of wheel-toting heels that can be lashed to your shoes (Men sizes 6-14, Women sizes 7-15.5). You can expect to push out around 7 miles of coverage on a single charge -- depending on your weight and angle of the surface. Charging takes around 4 to 5 hours, while the battery units are removable if you reckon you'll be making an extended journey. Speeds top out at 10mph, while a wireless controller (that also takes removable batteries) allows you to manipulate the speed, while a stopper on the heel will be familiar to anyone who's roller-skated before. Spnkix Pro, seen here, will set you back $699 and they're available to buy at the source below.
Samsung's 55-inch OLED 3D HDTV eyes-on: one set, multiple views
Look closely at the image above. See that clear portion depicting a food fight? That's coming through the right lens of dedicated eyewear made specifically for Samsung's 55-inch OLED Multi-View HDTV. The sleek, silver-trimmed 1080p set, recently unveiled at CES 2013, utilizes a quad-core processor and 240Hz refresh rate to send specific "firing patterns" to a user's eyewear that's then filtered out by swapping the input control (A /B) located above the left ear. The actual 3D effect varies from an artificial seeming emphasis on layers of depth, to the more traditional, and quite impressive, "in your face" immersive experience. Multiple input configurations are also possible, allowing users in the same room to watch either two separate 3D images, one 3D plus two 2D images or four 2D images simultaneously. So, basically, you can keep playing your PS3 while a loved one watches Homeland. The 55-inch set also comes equipped with an inbuilt webcam that's tucked just behind the top front panel and supports Samsung's Smart Hub. Pricing hasn't been made known at this time, but you should see the Multi-View set hit retail sometime mid-July 2013. Brad Molen contributed to this post.
