CES 2011
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ViewSonic ViewFun 3D Show photo frame hands-on
Do you love 3D? Do you love pictures? Do you love 3D pictures? The ViewFun 3D Show picture frame from ViewSonic may just be your fix you've been dreaming of. The $179 photo viewer jankily converts 2D stills to 3D (and videos, too, apparently, although we didn't get to see a demo) and eliminates the use for those funky glasses. The images remind us of holograms we used to find in cereal boxes, except bigger. The 8-inch frame sports capacitive buttons on the bezel that light up on contact. Along the left side of device, you'll find a USB 2.0 port, SD slot and power button. In order to stand this thing up, the company packed a pull-out plastic kickstand that felt pretty flimsy. Oh, and the remote control we demoed had improper button mapping, which made it virtually useless. Peek the gallery below the fold for a bunch of shots of this thing on the CES show floor. %Gallery-113455%
Calibur11 Vault case mod protects your 360 from the apocalypse
Regardless of how our world decides to end, we'd all like to be secure in the knowledge that our gaming consoles will survive. Calibur11's "Vault" case mod for the Xbox 360, which was formally unveiled on the CES 2011 show floor, should serve that ever-important purpose quite well.
Hands-on with Sphero at the CES 2011
Sphero is this year's AR.Drone here in Las Vegas. Last year, the Parrot AR.Drone turned heads with an iPhone-controlled quadricopter, and this year, Sphero is creating a little buzz as an iPhone-controlled, well, ball. That's right -- the Sphero is a ball that both glows colors and rolls around at your iPhone or iPad's command. A company named Orbotix is working on releasing the ball sometime this year for no more than $100, and earlier this week at CES' ShowStoppers event, we got a chance to roll and control the ball ourselves. What's the verdict? It's a little tough to control, but then again the AR.Drone was as well, and that sold all right when it was released late last year. Setting up the free, not-yet-released iPhone (or iPad, or Android) app for Sphero is simple, and once it's up and running, you just need to face the ball in the right direction by dragging a little icon around a round area on screen. When the ball's aligned in the direction you want it facing, you just press the screen, and the ball moves the way you drag it -- forward, backwards, left or right. You can also adjust the ball's speed and the screen's sensitivity, and you can dive into another menu that allows you to change the (completely cosmetic) color of the LED inside with a few RGB sliders. It's fun, though, since it's still a prototype, it's tough to make the ball do exactly what you want, and most of the time, you just have to settle for what it does anyway. The dev told us that they're opening the platform up to anyone to make games or create applications, and the team has been working with ideas like turning the ball into a car with augmented reality. Our suggestion: let a cat play with this thing. They'd love it.
Pleo RB cuddles up to CES, we go hands-on and talk to Innvo about future Pleos
The folks behind the Pleo robot dinosaur didn't have much but promises and a giant, not-for-sale version of the bot at last year's CES, but Innvo Labs has come through this year. They have a number of their new Pleo RB dinos on hand, and we got a chance to both check them out and talk to Innvo COO Derek Dotson about what the future might hold for the robot dinosaur that refused to die. As for the current Pleo RB, while it may look relatively unchanged from before, it does boast some fairly impressive improvements, including voice recognition (with any language), more touch sensors, the ability to sense temperatures, RFID-based "learning stone technology" for feeding and other advanced commands, and time of day awareness. As you might be able to surmise, the combination of those latter two means that the Pleo will get slow and lethargic if you don't take care of it, but Innvo assures us that it won't actually die (just make you incredibly sad). It sounds like we could be seeing some even bigger changes in future generations of Pleo, though. Innvo tells us that they've basically pushed the current design to the limit, and they seem to be keeping all options on the table for future models. We asked about different versions, internet-connectedness, and even a Roomba-like ability to recharge itself, and Dotson said that Innvo considering all of those, but that it doesn't want to rush and do anything that would dilute the Pleo brand. Hit up the gallery below for a closer look at the Pleo RB, and head on past the break for a video. %Gallery-113464%
Intel Oasis: firetrucks, dragons, and trains hands-on
We'd seen Intel Lab's Oasis (Object-Aware Situated Interactive System) project a while back, and sure, while what it's showing off is the same, we love to get up close and personal. Using a Kinect-style camera, the system is able to recognize 3D objects on a surface and then project some nifty graphics to add interactivity. Placing the dragon near the house or train station sees them light on fire, drop a firetruck in and it puts out the fire, add a train then draw a track in front of it by dragging your finger, you get the idea. Intel Labs isn't bringing any of this to market -- at least not yet -- but we're enthused with what we see and look forward to what the folks with the crayons can dream up. Have a peek at the vid and gallery if trains, burning Lego people, fire breathing dragons, and firetrucks are your thing. %Gallery-113450% Myriam Joire contributed to this article.
General Motors takes us on a crazy test ride in the EN-V electric prototype vehicle (video)
Cars are big and stupid. Well, most of the time, anyway. Need to bring home a couple sheets of drywall in the rain? Man it's nice to have a big truck with a cab. Need to run Jr. to school five miles away on a smoothly paved? Suddenly that full-size, extended cab, 13.5mpg dually monster starts seeming just a little silly. Assuming people continue their flock to the cities, in the future that latter situation will be an awful lot more common than the former and our cities simply won't be able to manage. The streets won't be wide enough, parking garages tall enough, nor oil wells deep enough. We need something different, and GM thinks that something is the EN-V. Even though it still isn't the future we just got a drive in one, so read on for our impressions. %Gallery-113421%
The Engadget Podcast Show livestream extravaganza starts at 6:15PM PST / 9:15PM EST!
It's our last and final show of this fine CES. We're going to talk to some more staff members tonight, so get ready for some new faces. Also, get ready for zero tangents and total topic adherence. Right guys? Right? Check out the stream and chat after the break. Oh, and here are the last three shows, in case you missed them: Engadget Podcast Show 004 Engadget Podcast Show 003 Engadget Podcast Show 002 Engadget Podcast Show 001
Clickfree Wireless hands-on (video)
We went out on the CES show floor to find the clickfree Wireless Backup and all of its wireless backing-up power. Coming in two versions -- 500GB or optional 1TB capacities -- the Wireless Backup seems to be a fully capable backup option, competing with other wireless solutions like the Apple Time Capsule and the LaCie Wireless Space. It includes the company's patented AutoRUN feature that takes care of the initial setup, which is simple enough that even non-Engadget readers would be able to plug in and start backing up their files through the waves of the WiFis. After the software is configured for one or more computers, all that is required is a standard outlet for some juice and you're rolling. There's a number of options for those who want to choose specific files for backup and restore. While the clickfree Wireless is certainly competitive and one of the smallest backup solutions we've seen, comparing in size to an Apple TV or a Roku XD, it certainly doesn't share some of the features of being a NAS and WLAN router like the LaCie Wireless Space, nor does it have USB support. Video after the break. %Gallery-113425%
MultiTouch Ltd's 46-inch panel accepts unlimited touch inputs, we put it to the test (video hands-on)
MultiTouch Ltd has been at this IR-based multitouch thing since 2007 and it's hit CES in force this week. Sure, the current 46-inch model requires 12 inches of depth -- in order to provide sufficient space for the infrared cameras embedded in its back to capture the whole, ahem, surface -- but having unlimited touch inputs is always a wildly impressive sight. We put one of the displays to the test by exploiting a nearby crowd and slapping down a good 40+ fingers on it, all of which were recognized. To be perfectly fair, the IR cameras don't seem to have a very flat recognition area and many of our inputs were picked up from over an inch from the screen. The 46-incher under hand is already available for a totally affordable $17,000, provides full HD resolution, and hooks up to a PC for processing of input. See our thoroughly intensive test on video after the break. %Gallery-113460%
Beyond Good & Evil HD preview: There is power in numbers (Carlson and Peeters, chapter 21)
In November of 2003, a much younger Ubisoft was launching two high-profile (and excellent!) titles: the Montreal-developed reboot of the Prince of Persia series, subtitled "Sands of Time," and the Montpellier-developed Beyond Good & Evil, the supposed first installment in creator Michel Ancel's planned trilogy. By now, you know how this story goes. The Prince of Persia reboot – fueled by Ubisoft's curiously siloed marketing muscle – was a massive success and spawned two immediate sequels, a 2008 reboot, a 2010 feature film and associated tie-in game. The remainder of the Beyond Good & Evil trilogy? Despite a sequel being announced five years later at Ubisoft's Ubidays event in 2008, the company has subsequently ignored, mismanaged, or forgotten that promise. But now, seven years after both games made their way to retail, we're being treated to HD rereleases and, while Prince of Persia: Sands of Time was released on PS3 as a lazy up-rezzed port (even retaining major bugs from its original release!), Beyond Good & Evil appears to be benefitting from a degree of care (and marketing) it was never afforded in 2003. Talk about karma. %Gallery-112902%
Acer's 4.8-inch phoneblet will head to a US carrier this year
You'll remember last month that Acer released a total of three Android tablets, including one 4.8-inch phone / tablet hybrid. Well, Acer's brought the phoneblet -- yes, we're calling it that -- it to CES, and while it wouldn't power on, we did notice that the back of the device was marked with a "WCDMA: US band sticker". Acer confirmed for us that the "100 percent phone, 100 percent tablet" will be heading to the US in April with Froyo or Honeycomb and that carrier partnerships are in the works. Obviously, this WCDMA unit would be destined for AT&T or T-Mobile, however an Acer's spokesperson also hinted that it could be coming to Verizon like the Iconia Tab A500. The metal device felt really nice in hand, but we couldn't turn on the unique 1024 x 480-resolution, 21:9 aspect ratio display. We're imaging that its 1GHz Snapdragon processor will provide a pretty snappy experience, but it looks like we'll be waiting a few more months to check out the entire package. %Gallery-113449%
PixelOptics emPower! electronic eyeglasses hands-on
PixelOptics is demoing what it claims is the most significant development in prescription eyewear in 50 years: emPower! PixelOptics' glasses offer up better field of view and less distortion than traditional lenses by sandwiching an LCD-like layer in the glass that can be focused with an electrical charge. The set's inbuilt micro-machine accelerometer detects when you tip your head down -- when you read, for example -- and triggers the glasses' focal area for presbyopia. The emPower! lens can also be set to manual and is then activated by a swipe of your finger on the frame. The kit includes the glasses and the inductive charger that will keep the eyewear powered up and running for a couple days. We were able to get some video of the lens in action focusing on a tie -- it is impressive to say the least -- the change happens as quickly as your eye blinks and is not noticeable when not activated. We'd say PixelOptics is on to something here, and if you're the type to plonk down $1,200 for a pair of glasses, these are definitely worth a peek. The only thing missing is a micro speaker that blasts out Bionic Man sounds each time you fire them up -- but we've great hope somebody will hack that in. %Gallery-113430%
Windows 7 Media Center embedded TV hands-on
We didn't think much of Haier's mention in Microsoft's Windows 7 Media Center embedded press release, but on the show floor today we ran across this HDTV which was actually a full-blown Media Center including tuners and a harddrive. The details were very skimpy beyond that, with no mention of specific specs, prices or if the product would really make it to market. But the idea of an all-in-one TV and DVR running our favorite software certainly is something to get us excited about. What we didn't like ws the motion remote used for the demo which was almost impossible to navigate and had us seriously longing for our favorite Green Button.
RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook using a 1GHz OMAP 4430 processor
We already confirmed that RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook was deadly fast in use, but up until now, we've still been left to wonder what kind of silicon was powering it. According to a RIM representative that spoke to us just now on the CES show floor, a dual-core OMAP chip from Texas Instruments is doing the honors -- more specifically, it's the blisteringly fast 1GHz OMAP 4430. And now, you know.
Visualized: when backpacks attack!
We spotted this giant backpack from Everki here at CES and couldn't help but put it to the intern test. Sadly, Sam Sheffer decided to open the backpack and was never heard from again. %Gallery-113447%
Nox Audio Admiral Touch preview: the wireless noise-canceling surround headset with Android 2.1
Nox Audio's brought a couple clever concepts to market before, but the Admiral Touch headset is something else -- a set of stainless steel cans with most every high-end feature we can think of, and one in particular that's never been done before. Yes, that's a 2.4-inch touchscreen color LCD embedded in the right earcup, running Android 2.1 on an ARM11 chip with 1GB flash storage and 256MB of RAM -- on top of a set of noise-canceling, 7.1 virtual surround sound wireless headphones that connect via both 2.4GHz and Bluetooth simultaneously. There's not much to do with the tiny Android at present, as its only launcher screen holds just four icons that change the headset's mode, but we're told it might be hackable later on (there is a microSD slot and a USB cord), and in the meantime it supports touchscreen gesture controls for volume and swapping tracks. Believe it or not, we've just started to describe the features, so hit the break for more. %Gallery-113439%
Apple AirPlay devices set to explode in 2011
Although DLNA may have had a significant head start, the streaming media standard available on more than 9,000 devices is about to be challenged in a very big way by Apple's upstart AirPlay technology. At least it will be if Jordan Watters, BridgeCo's VP of Sales and Marketing, is to be believed. BridgeCo as you'll recall, is the company that makes the silicon for AirPlay devices -- currently an exclusive arrangement we're told. While Apple may have thrust BridgeCo into the consumer spotlight, this ten year old company has a long history of quietly providing networked media processors and connectivity software to a who's who of audio companies. Here at CES we've already seen three speakers from iHome, the Zeppelin Air from B&W, and a trio of speakers from the previously unannounced AirPlay partner Klipsch rolled out. And this is just the beginning. According to Jordan Watters, AirPlay devices could ultimately dwarf "made for iPod" audio docks by 2x to 4x. Part of the reason for Jordan's optimism is the fact that so many iOS devices have already been sold and that many audio devices already on the market using BridgeCo chips can add AirPlay functionality via a software update, including the nine receivers just announced from Denon and Marantz. "The ecosystem is already there," he said smiling. And unlike iPod docks which are usually sold at a rate of one per iOS device, Watters sees consumers purchasing multiple AirPlay devices for every iOS device sold in order to enable whole-home distributed audio. In fact, growth could come as a "step function ramp sucking into the market," Jordan enthused. In other words, he expects AirPlay growth to be explosive. We'd chalk up the hyperbolic talk to Jordan's marketing role if it weren't for the abundance of anecdotal evidence supporting his claims here at CES. To start with, the company's modest meeting room was packed with interested manufacturers poking around BridgeCo's AirPlay offering. Jordan's also booked back-to-back-to-back with meetings until the show ends (and into the coming weeks we suspect). But what really convinced us was an all-in-one speaker prototype from a major consumer electronics company that was quickly whisked away before meeting the sensor beneath our D300's lens. If they're involved, well, we expect the rest will follow.
Sony HomeShare RMN-U1 universal remote hands-on
Trade shows obviously aren't the best environment for evaluating a universal remote, but we couldn't resist taking Sony's RMN-U1 HomeShare IR / WiFi controller for a quick test drive here at the CES. Physically the device is surprisingly light and has a decent screen resolution. Clicking the home menu displays icons for every system component as well as an activities button for accessing online music services like Slacker, playing tracks from a networked Blu-ray player / iPhone / iPod, or even sending media files between DLNA-networked devices. If a BRAVIA TV is connected to the system, users can select the particular input they'd like to hear audio from or cue a movie. Once a track is playing, the screen will display the song's album art and metadata along with playlists. Overall the RMN-U1 looks pretty capable at managing music -- though it's a bit menu heavy. It also seems fairly expensive considering what else is available at its $300 price point, but then again, we're not aware of another IR universal remote that's compatible with Sony's WiFi HomeSharing. Check out our gallery below for more shots of the interface and you may even spy photos of the rest of the new HomeShare line too. %Gallery-113393%
Razer Hydra impressions: Super-precise motion controllers make it to PC, Portal 2 support in tow
Sixense was back at CES this year, showing off its TrueMotion-powered gaming wands. While a partnership with computer gaming peripheral maker Razer was announced at last year's CES, the fruit of that partnership was on display this year, with a brand name (meet the Razer Hydra), some industrial design, and some new Valve-created content for the hardware in the form of custom Portal 2 tech. During our hands-off tour of the still-prototype hardware, we were consistently impressed with the controller's accuracy. Imagine dual-wielding two PlayStation Move controllers except – in place of the relatively cumbersome process of requiring a PlayStation Eye to track a glowing sphere to position the controllers in 3D space – the Hydra uses a small base station that creates an electromagnetic field with a radius of about six feet. That's it. That base station serves double duty as a stand to rest the presently wired controllers on. Worry not, wire-haters, a wireless model is in the works but, much like Razer's other hardware, it's going to perfect the technology with a wired release first before chasing the wireless solution.%Gallery-113429%
VideoEFx box transforms your 2D content into 3D (hands-on)
3DTV is "cool and all," but one of the biggest challenges to its adoption is a lack of substantial content. VideoEFx is a small company with a nondescript booth situated somewhere in the ginormous Las Vegas Convention Center, but what it's showing off is quite remarkable. A small black box about the size of an iPhone, it can take any 2D content and convert it to 3D in real time. Our first impression was one of amazement, especially given the fact that we were watching ourselves in real time through a standard 2D video camera hooked up to the TVs in the booth. When we asked how such a thing could be possible, we got hints about some fairy magic creative engineering that employs similar visual cues that your eye processes when you look at anything. Apparently some broadcasting companies have expressed interest in using the tech to power their own 3D streams due to the simplicity (and cost effectiveness, we assume) over current 3D filming solutions. We know you can't experience it from wherever you're tuning in, but take our word that this is some seriously impressive stuff -- even if other companies have achieved similar 2D to 3D conversion magic within TVs before. Still, not all sets offer this capability, and this even doubles as a three port HDMI switch. It'll carry a $400 price tag when it lands in April. %Gallery-113431%
