ces-2009
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Mobinnova Ice hands-on
On the surface, the Ice from Taiwanese upstart Mobinnova looks like a decent WinMo set, it really does. The spec sheet's solid enough with a wide QVGA display, AGPS, integrated FM radio, HSDPA, and a secondary touch screen for navigation (a la LG Venus) -- but regrettably, the specs only tell half of this tragicomic tale. Up close, questionable engineering decisions start to come out of the woodwork. Take the d-pad, for example: sounds like an awesome idea, but the screen the Ice uses is so dim you can barely make it out under normal lighting. Not that you'd have to make it out, since -- as far as we can tell, anyway -- the only thing it ever shows is the d-pad, which begs the question why they're using a display here in the first place (we'd figured that opening Windows Media would trigger a transition to music controls, but no dice). What's more, Mobinnova's skin to take advantage of the 400 x 240 screen is possibly the worst manufacturer-issued skin we've ever seen on Windows Mobile, with text that looks like it was hastily downscaled to the point of being illegible at the Ice's dot pitch. Now that Sony Ericsson's said to have made the leap to these guys, we're a little worried for the future of XPERIA, honestly.%Gallery-41523%
VAIO P, now with more Windows 7
We just couldn't help ourselves, and put this Windows 7 .iso we had lying around exactly where it belongs: on Sony's VAIO P. After mucking around on "the internet" figuring out the best way to install it, we ended up going the lazy route and dragging / dropping the plain files onto a folder on a USB drive, hitting setup.exe and watching the installer do its magic -- and it worked flawlessly! We weren't timing it or anything, but we'd say 45 minutes or so is a good guesstimate for the install. A few thoughts: It boots fast! Not that Vista was that bad on the boot front, but we're pretty happy with this. No Aero. That's to be expected, but the lack of transparency and visual effects makes the OS look quite a bit different than most of the screenshots out there. It's very responsive. To be honest, a lot of that could be from the fact that this is a clean install, minus all the crap Sony loads on. Still, we're very happy for the start menu to pop open instantly, windows to redraw like God intended... it's pretty great. Browsing is 100% better. Internet Explorer pops open in a flash, and pages load in times nearly on comparison with "real" computers. Also, scrolling is ultra smooth, whereas with Vista it was stuttery all the way down. There's a lot more to explore. We've just scratched the surface, but we love what we've seen so far. Update: both videos are after the break!Update 2: for those who've asked: yes, the webcam works, and no, we haven't had any luck getting Aero up and running, though we have the video drivers loaded -- we're not saying it's impossible, in fact, it's likely very possible, since plenty of other similarly specced netbooks can pull it off, but it's just not happening for us just yet.%Gallery-41532%
Marvell announces 1GHz processor for tiny things that need big power
Everyone's heard of the Atom and its 1.6GHz worth of ubiquity providing the oomph behind many a netbook, and, while not directly targeting Intel's frugal juggernaut, Marvell may have itself a contender with the PXA168. It's an upcoming processor intended for mobile devices that's aspiring to speeds in the 1GHz and beyond range. While we're expecting it'll be most commonly found in smartphones and the like (particularly those from Asus), there's a chance these could show up in some low(er) cost netbooks, too, possibly helping to keep that race to the bottom going for a few more laps yet. [Via GadgetMix.com, thx Kamal]
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%
Motorola Aura hands-on
OK, the Motorola Aura isn't new at CES this year, but honestly, how could you expect us to pass up an opportunity to check it out? So yeah, we might have been harsh on it when we were talking price, but up close this is an amazing little phone. The housing material, build quality, keys, assisted-opening blade mechanism, and sapphire crystal lens are all perfectly done, the display -- while admittedly tiny -- is nothing short of completely stunning. This is without a doubt one of the nicer phones we've handled, though the jury's still out on functionality. Follow on to see a gallery loaded with pics that we're hoping show just how beautiful this thing really is. End of gush.%Gallery-41529%
Video: 50-inch multitouch TV on display from Samsung
If there's one thing for sure here at CES it's that we've seen a bunch of multitouch devices, both good and bad. Add this 50-inch multitouch display from Samsung to the list titled "cool as hell." Once we were done snapping shots of the P3, we saw people surrounding this bad boy so we decided to see what was up. We don't have much info but one thing's for sure: these devices are much more fun when you're just playing around rather than using it for some more meaningful purpose. Peep the video after the jump.
Hands-on with the Bowers and Wilkins Panorama soundbar and XT8 speaker
Remember the "groundbreaking new product" that Bowers & Wilkins promised us for CES? We wouldn't have expected it from the Abbey Road Studios-approved speaker brand, but it turned out to be the Panorama soundbar. It certainly will break some ground in pricing (and wallets) when it ships for $2,200 in March, though. The all-in-one speaker packs three amplifiers, plenty of inputs for your Dolby Digital and DTS sources (2 analog, 2 Toslink and a SPDIF coax), and selectable settings for tuning the virtual surround effect based on the wall surfaces and whether you mount the Panorama on a wall or shelf. Also on show was the new design of the XT-series speakers, with the top-to-bottom grille -- quite handsome, but unfortunately silent.%Gallery-41522%
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%
CES 09: Is Kodu really that simple? Answer: Yes!
Our homies over at Joystiq got a chance to sit in on a demo of Microsoft's recently announced and supposedly user friendly Community Game Kodu and were able to answer the still lingering question that's on everyone's mind: Is Kodu really that easy to use? Quick answer, yes ... yes it is.According to Microsoft's Matthew MacLaurin, Kodu was created with kids in mind and describes the game as "programming as a fourth-grade art class." And Joystiq's Justin McElroy agrees that it really is basic and well, simple. Check out the informative (and totally factual) Kodu bullet points listed below: Will ship with 20 different objects/characters. 20 pre-built (and editable) levels will be included. Commands given to objects are called "Pages". Kodu has been tested with kids for over a year. Releasing this Spring for a yet to be disclosed price.
Video: Gibson Dark Fire guitar hands-on
We'll be honest -- we're totally in love with Gibson's Dark Fire guitar. The $3,499 update to the Robot guitar we played with at CES last year is lighter, faster, easier to use and features new Chameleon Tone technology that actually reconfigures the individual pickups to deliver different sounds. The FireWire / MIDI breakout box enables you to record directly to a computer, but you can also tweak presets and control the guitar from the included Ableton Live / Guitar Rig bundle. It's seriously hot -- and it's even hotter when it's being demoed by German inventor Chris Adams, who might be the single coolest dude at CES. Check it out after the break!%Gallery-41525%
Video: ASUS AIRO laptop with amazing sliding keyboard
ASUS was kind enough to take its beautiful AIRO laptop out from behind the glass at CES for an Engadget exclusive look at the functional sliding mechanism. The design raises the keyboard to cool the hot running components beneath allowing for a fan-less, convection-cooled design. Unfortunately, this prototype is just a chipset-less mechanical shell. Raise the lid and the keyboard slides back smoother than a greased-up Pete Rose. This allows for a larger, more comfortable wrist rest from which to slap those angled keys. Sexy? Oh yeah, with mojo to spare. Check the video after the break.%Gallery-41520%
Sony OLED Walkman NWZ-X1000 eyes-on
We've been trying to get a legitimate hands-on with Sony's OLED-infused Walkman since we first caught the device on Wednesday, but security's been super tight in the Sony booth and we couldn't distract anyone long enough to unscrew the casing. So we can't get an actual hands-on with the Walkman, but we don't need to touch it to know that the OLED is seriously gorgeous and the UI looks super crisp. Sony's reluctance to pull this out of its casing seems to show the player's not ready for primetime, but we'll keep trying to get something a bit more gratifying.Update: Engadget Spanish got a video of the device in action, so check after the jump if you wanna see more and learn a little español. %Gallery-41517%
Macrovision pushes "Neon" TV Guide
For 2009 CES Macrovision's showing off its new project "Neon", embedded TV Guide software for CE manufacturers it's pushing as an all-in-one homepage for digital content. Not only ready to help users find and watch regular TV shows, it's built for pulling in content from the Internet or locally connected PCs. Of course, among the nice features like Smart Recommendations and rich program descriptors / cover art of TV shows are bits like space for ad graphics loaded at the whim of the manufacturer. Check out the gallery for a preview and hope that gray box on the side isn't too annoying.%Gallery-41404%
VAIO P in-depth impressions
Yeah, we saw this when it first hit the FCC, nabbed blurrycam spyshots before the debut, got the drive-by snaps of the laptop at launch, and pitted this thing against an assortment of laptops the other night, but now that we've finally gotten some quality time with the thing, we've got a better idea of what the VAIO P is -- and isn't -- capable of, outside of inspiring deep, deep gadget lust and nerdy debates about netbook terminology. Check out our thoughts and some video after the break.%Gallery-41519%
Warner and Paramount sign up for movies on SD cards
If you've ever wished out loud for movie distribution on solid state memory, a glimmer of a speck of hope has just popped on to the radar thanks to a partnership between digital media delivery system company MOD Systems and movie studios. Anchor Bay, First Look, Image Entertainment, and -- wait for it -- Warner and Paramount are among the studios signed up to set 4,000 titles loose at a kiosk near you. The bad news is that only standard definition titles are going to be set loose to devices or SD cards. That standard def limitation is a whine, we know -- we like where this is headed.
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3 WiFi camera reviewed: wait for generation two
WiFi cameras are far from new -- over the past couple of years, we've seen P&S after P&S arrive with minimal functionality that would allow it to sync pictures with one specific online photo portal (or similar). Sony has stepped up the game for cameras to come with the Cyber-shot DSC-G3, which is the first of its kind to include a web browser for logging into pay-hotspots and uploading to practically any photo sharing site on the web. Popular Science got to handle one for a few weeks, and in the end, they were in love with the idea but hesitant to praise the execution. The T700-turned-wireless took satisfactory pictures, but the browser experience was less than awesome. You can hit the read link for all the dirty details, but unless you're willing to deal with "agonizingly" slow load times, you're probably better off waiting for the next revision. Or for some other company to whip out a bona fide competitor.%Gallery-41112%
CES 2009: Joystiq rocks and loses Rock Band 2 tourney
We don't want to ruin the surprise, but we didn't end up winning SanDisk's Rock Band 2 Battle of the Bloggers. But Team Joystiq, comprised of Joystiqers Kevin Kelly and Justin McElroy, former Joystiqer Kyle Orland and GameDaily's Robin Yang. Our band was named, of course, AOL/Time Warner Inc. Presents Robin and the Stiqers.Yes, we came in second, but it's actually good news for you, as we'll be giving away our consolation prize full of SanDisk goodies. We're not saying that the applause meter used to hand our victory to PC Magazine was rigged, but at least half of our band have opened for The Who. Make of that what you will as you watch the video right after the break.
CES 09: MS wants to raise Live's 100 friend limit
While not quite an official confirmation that we'll see an increase to Xbox Live's current 100 friend limit, Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg did come close to admitting that a friend limit increase is in the works.Talking at CES, Greenberg told Joystiq that "I can't commit to when that will happen, but that is something we want to do. It's definitely something we're looking at expanding and, as this social network grows, we've absolutely heard the pleas for that. It's on the list."We can haz friends list increase soon? Maybe. Until then, we'll have to continue to reject friends requests with a frowny face :(
HD roundup on the floor of CES 2009
CES 2009 didn't seen any new size records in terms of diagonal size, but it was still a huge year for high-def. 3D was absolutely everywhere, Blu-ray players were impossible to miss and the internet finally found its way to the HDTV. For a look at all of the hands-on coverage that didn't make it over on this side of the slate, wade through the links below to get caught up.Read - Engadget HD podcast: CES editionRead - XStreamHD still kicking, showing off updated hardwareRead - WirelessHD hands on & recklessly-interferingRead - Live from the '09 BDA press conferenceRead - Sling Monitor in-home placeshifter hands-upRead - TrueHD on an HTPC caught in actionRead - Eyes on Memorex's new MVBD-2520 Blu-ray playerRead - DISH Network ViP 922 HD DVR hands-on and videoRead - Hands-on with ZeeVee's ZvPro and ZvBoxPLUSRead - Hands on with Dynaudio's updated Focus 220 II loudspeakersRead - Video: Windows Media Center 7 with touch interface
