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RCA Mobile TV Tablet combines DTV with Dyle, arrives this spring for $299
The RCA DMT580D may not be memorably named, but the television-centric tablet stands out for other reasons: most notably, its combination of DTV and Dyle-powered mobile TV. RCA's toting its "Mobile TV Tablet" as, "the electronics industry's first dual-tuner mobile TV" -- making your on-the-go viewings of The View all the easier. Oh, and the other 130 mobile TV stations Dyle also offers certainly don't hurt; you'll be able to scoop up regular ol' digital TV signals using the tablet's telescoping antenna. It's essentially an upgrade to RCA's previous efforts in the TV-centric tablet market. If the TV angle isn't enough for you, RCA promises a fully featured Android tablet otherwise: an 8-inch HD IPS screen, 802.11b/g/n WiFi capability, a Cortex A5 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of flash storage memory (expandable via MicroSD). Should you wish to capture the facial reactions you'll assuredly make during those daily View broadcasts, front-facing and rear cameras are also part of the equation, and the whole shebang weighs in at roughly 1.4 lbs. Around four hours of battery life are expected if you're going whole hog on the TV bit, which balloons to 10 if you're just surfing the web / playing Angry Birds / etc. At $299, you'd better be really into those television features -- the RCA Mobile TV Tablet arrives at retail "this coming spring." Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
AT&T, Sierra Wireless launch the AT&T Unite touchscreen hotspot for LTE on the go
AT&T's snagged exclusive rights to Sierra Wireless' latest touchscreen LTE hotspot, the AT&T Unite. Packing a 2.4-inch display, the unit will keep you informed of your usage allowance, let you manage what devices are allowed access and tweak network settings without any additional fiddling. It's able to handle up to 10 simultaneous connections and, naturally, can be added to existing Mobile Share plans for $20 extra per month. We asked if it wanted to reveal details of pricing and availability, but AT&T suddenly went all shy and hid under the couch -- so we'll have to wait and see. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
SuperTooth launches the $199 Disco Twin and $89 HD Voice at CES (video)
Gallic Bluetooth audio house SuperTooth wants you to buy its Disco speakers in pairs to better show off its stereo prowess, not to mention make a little more cash. That's why it's outing the Disco Twin here at CES, a $199 pair of noisyboxes that offer discrete left and right stereo -- each pumping out 16 watts of RMS power. You'll be able to squeeze up to four hours of juice out of each one if you use them to host a (short) rave, or up to 10 hours in more serene circumstances. At the same time, it's also releasing the HD Voice, an $89 hands-free car kit that clips to your sun visor and will even pair with your phone using voice commands. The company isn't ready to say when the pair will be available, but we can't imagine it'll be a long wait. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
iHome promises Lightning docks, more at CES 2013
iHome, one of many companies that puts together third-party products for Apple devices, has just revealed its CES lineup, and the most exciting thing about them is that they are, finally, Lightning-equipped. Yes, the company has quite a few docks and boomboxes available for sale, from $100 to $200 or so, and while the specifics aren't all that exciting (they all play music, of course, and have various options available for FM or Bluetooth connections), the biggest deal here is the Lightning connection. I have a feeling (though it's pretty obvious, given the timing here) that Lightning will be a big trend at CES next week. TUAW will be at CES as well, looking through all of the various iPhone and iPad accessories getting announced to show up in 2013, and I wouldn't be surprised if nearly every new device we see was either built for both the 30-pin connector and the Lightning hookup, or just the Lightning. Apple's clearly moved on, and CES seems like the perfect time for third-party accessory makers to do the same. So stay tuned. As I said, TUAW will be out and about all week at CES 2013 in Las Vegas starting next Sunday, and odds are that we'll see plenty of these docks, as well as chargers and lots of other fun accessories, built specifically for Apple's Lightning standard. If you've been waiting to find some good accessories for your brand-new iPhone or iPad, you're in luck.
Zeebox picks Gracenote Entourage for its second screen TV chat platform
It was around this time last year that Gracenote's embryonic automatic content recognition system for TV emerged under the name "Entourage." Now, it's been picked up by the increasingly popular second-screen app Zeebox, enabling you to automatically identify whatever it is you're watching. Even better, it'll connect you with other users who are also gasping along to the same episode of Pregnant in Heels you are. All the pairing has to do now is dream a better verb for this process before Shazam-ing becomes the legally-uncomfortable term by default
Y-cam's HomeMonitor and Cube camera helps you monitor babies, burglars from the cloud
The downside of a consumer society is that we need to protect our smartphones with as much vigor as our babies. Fortunately, the price of freedom isn't eternal vigilance, but $200, paid straight to Y-Cam, makers of the WiFi Baby. It's releasing the HomeMonitor, a secure, cloud-connected camera that lets you stalk / observe your offspring or prized possessions over the internet with a smartphone or tablet. An indoor variant is $200, while a weatherproofed version for scanning the frontiers of your home will set you back $350 and both will drop shortly. At the same time, you can pick up the Cube, a night-vision IP camera designed for professionals that'll cost you between $200 and $350, depending on the resolution you plump for, when it arrives in February.
Razer Sabertooth Xbox 360 controller ups the ante on tourney gaming, we go hands-on
Razer's Onza Xbox 360 controller is very, very nice. Sure, it's got an unbelievably long, non-detachable wire sticking out of it, but its build quality is top notch and its ultra-clicky face buttons are a pleasure to use. In the company's second Xbox 360 controller -- the Sabertooth -- Razer's focusing on the tournament gaming crowd rather than simply outfitting its Onza with "Tournament Edition" specs. That aside, the Sabertooth retains the quality we've come to expect from Razer products. Oh, and that crazy long wire is thankfully detachable! It's apparent from first glance that the Sabertooth is intended as such, given the six extra (programmable) buttons found on the shoulders and back of the controller, and the tiny OLED screen found along the bottom (allowing for the programming of said buttons). Considering that a regular Xbox 360 controller comprises 12 (!!) buttons not counting the d-pad, adding another six and an OLED screen is ... intense, to say the least. While we didn't have occasion to test the programmability, we can definitively say that the Sabertooth's other functions are just as solid as with the Onza. The analog sticks are as good or better than a standard Xbox 360 controller, the d-pad is an improvement over the Onza (which was already an improvement over the dismal d-pad included on most Xbox 360 controllers), and the triggers / shoulder buttons are appropriately springy and responsive. There's even a silly backlight for several face buttons, should you be playing video games in a cave (you can opt to turn off the backlight, too -- we certainly did). Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
Engadget's CES 2013 Preview: Laptops
With CES looming like an electrically charged storm of news and announcements, it's time for us to give you our best bets on what you'll see come January. During the month of December, we'll bring you a series of CES preview posts, forecasting what you can expect when the news deluge begins. For more of what's to come, check out our hub. It's incredible to think that when CES 2012 kicked off back in January we had only reviewed five Ultrabooks. Yep, five. Enough to count on one hand. Even weirder, we still hadn't seen that many by the time we wrapped our coverage of the show. Sure, a few companies teased ultraportables they planned to release later in the year, but these only represented a slice of the 100-plus models slated to launch in 2012. And that didn't even include all the Ultrabook imposters! Ever hear of Sleekbooks? Ultrathins? Whoever said PCs are dead clearly doesn't have to review them for a living.
Huawei's 6.1-inch 1080p Ascend Mate flaunted by exec, leaves little surprise for CES (update: 720p only)
How big is too big? Well, that's clearly not Huawei's concern, as it's about to introduce a 6.1-inch 1080p Android phone at CES. But even two weeks (before the company's CES press day) is too much for the impatient Richard Yu, who went ahead and whipped out his beastly device in front of fans at a Huawei store in Guangzhou yesterday -- there's a video of the intimate moment after the break. According to earlier rumors, the Ascend Mate will feature a 1.8GHz HiSilicon K3V3 quad-core chip, along with a massive 4,000mAh battery, 9.9mm thickness and a price tag of just under ¥3,000 (about $480). Yu wrote on Sina Weibo saying the final specs may differ slightly, but the 43-year-old executive did add that the 361ppi display is of LTPS (low temperature polysilicon) nature. As with the Ascend W1 and the Ascend D2, all will be unveiled at CES. Update: Now that the Ascend Mate has been announced, we can confirm that its 6.1-inch display only has a 720p resolution. [Image credit: fengse (Sina Weibo)]
ZTE's 5-inch 1080p Grand S leaked, teased and confirmed for CES debut
Earlier today a kind anonymous tipster shared the above product shot of a ZTE Z753, which is allegedly the Chinese manufacturer's contribution to the ever-growing list of five-inch 1080p devices -- including those from HTC, Sharp, Oppo and eventually Nubia, Huawei, Lenovo plus Sony. Conveniently, ZTE's also been teasing its upcoming Grand S flagship on Sina Weibo ahead of its CES debut, and we've been able to confirm that this is indeed the aforementioned Z753 -- not that we don't already know the Grand S' main selling points thanks to a brief description on CES' website: "the world's thinnest for 5 inch FHD smartphones." There isn't much information about the guts at this point, but we do know that the phone will feature a unibody design, along with a slight bump around the off-center camera on the back. Until we make it to CES next month, you can see more in the official sketches after the break, courtesy of ZTE's Sina Weibo account.
Engadget's 'Bring a Reader to CES 2013' contest: we have a winner!
Dearest Reader, Great news! If you hadn't already heard, Daniel's entry for our 'Bring a Reader to CES 2013' contest won over our own staff, as well as the hearts of the outside world. We'd like to offer our own congratulations to every single individual who shared videos and cleverly-typed missives, as they were all very fun to watch and read, indeed. Tim Steeves is particularly excited to meet him at CES in a couple weeks, so check back then to hear how Daniel makes out with the team in Vegas. Now, we're afraid we'll have to let you go -- so much planning for his trip, so much planning. -Engadget
Engadget's CES 2013 Preview: Gaming
With CES looming like an electrically charged storm of news and announcements, it's time for us to give you our best bets on what you'll see come January. During the month of December, we'll bring you a series of CES preview posts, forecasting what you can expect when the news deluge begins. For more of what's to come, check out our hub. Gaming and CES are estranged partners -- CES spawned the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3 for short) way back in 1995, after gaming exhibitors required more space than CES could offer. As such, the game industry's presence at CES is ... well, there isn't much of a presence to speak of. Smart, smaller companies have traditionally taken good advantage of this; CES 2012 featured the unveiling of the Wikipad and Razer's Project Fiona, while Gaikai gave us our first hands-on with its LG-based game streaming service. As for the big three console manufacturers? Nintendo gave press another chance to check out the Wii U, but it was nothing more than the E3 demo many had seen months earlier.
Polaroid CEO: Android-powered interchangeable-lens camera will launch at CES
It looks like that Russian Polaroid social media advert may not be far-fetched, after all. In an email to Imaging Resource, Polaroid CEO Scott Hardy confirmed that "there will be an Android-powered, interchangeable-lens camera introduced by Polaroid at CES 2013." He didn't elaborate on specs, pricing or availability, but the earlier leak lists an 18-megapixel sensor, 3.5-inch touchscreen, 10-30mm lens and built-in WiFi -- all of which seem like reasonable inclusions for an entry-level mirrorless camera. The company's chief executive added that specifications would be confirmed at CES, at which point we'd also hope to see the new compact ILC in the flesh. The practicality of an Android-powered mirrorless model remains up for debate, but curious early adopters eager to open their wallets may now have but weeks to wait to add the world's first such device to their camera collection.
Help us pick the winner for our 'Bring a Reader to CES 2013' contest!
Dearest Reader, Thank you for all the heartfelt replies to our previous letter -- it really meant a lot. As promised last time we chatted, we've done our bit by wading through hours of mostly great video to find just the right entrant to join us in Las Vegas for the next installment of the Consumer Electronics Show. We think we've found three great choices, so if it isn't being too forward, we'd like you to do your bit by pitching in with a single vote. You see, we're all at odds about which contestant should join us, so we want to combine your thoughts with ours and declare the contest won. Keep in mind, however, that none of the contestants deserve or need any grief for their efforts. If you feel you "could have done better" then next time, please do. Now follow on to see our favorite three and place your vote in the poll below. Cheerio! %Poll-79665%
Polaroid IM1836 Android-based mirrorless camera appears on Russian site ahead of CES
It looks like Polaroid's betting big on Android. Judging by a product image and description leaked on a Russian social media site, the company is gearing up to launch an Android-based mirrorless ILC, perhaps as soon as CES. Specs are fairly light, but the compact camera does appear to include an 18-megapixel sensor, a 3.5-inch touchscreen, 10-30mm lens, a pop-up flash, HDMI output and built-in WiFi. As TechRadar points out, the camera looks very similar to the Nikon J1 and J2, and it also features a kit lens with the same zoom range. That's not to suggest that this shooter will share components with its pint-sized counterpart, but we wouldn't rule it out entirely, especially considering that Polaroid doesn't have its own inventory of interchangeable lenses. There's no release schedule suggested, but the timing is curious, especially considering that the company made its first Android announcement at last year's CES. Will your next mirrorless ILC be a Polaroid?
Huawei's Ascend W1 and D2 confirmed for CES, Richard Yu expresses worry over the latter
Huawei's first-ever Windows Phone, the Ascend W1, is no stranger to us at this point, but no one's been certain about its debut until now. After mourning his daughter's two stolen ducks on Sina Weibo, Senior Vice President Richard Yu said not only will his company formally introduce its WP8 device at CES next month, but it'll also be showing off its Android-powered Ascend D2 (pictured center and right). Interestingly, Yu also expressed concern that the D2 "Dream Phone" will be too expensive to produce due to the powerful specs: five-inch 1080p display, quad-core 1.5GHz chip (undoubtedly Huawei's very own K3V2), 13-megapixel camera and 3,000mAh battery -- all according to leaked info from an internal event from late October, as well as a recent filing in the TENAA database. Don't worry, Richard, just give us a decent price tag and we'll be all over you.
MacTech Insight coming to CES in January, tickets available now
The good folks at MacTech have announced a special dedicated conference track at 2013's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, called MacTech Insight. The track, which takes place on Thursday, January 10, will feature a full keynote and a series of talks from experts on the Apple marketplace, where it's been, and where it's headed. There are talks on the cloud and storage, home automation and how Apple's devices fit into that growing market, and even talks on how to "take app concepts to reality," to design and develop for the huge population of people who've picked up an iOS device already. This sounds like a full day of Apple insight, and as you probably know from our coverage of MacTech conferences before, they always make sure the shows are interesting and informative. MacTech is registering for this special event at CES in Las Vegas right now: The cost is $350 during pre-registration until January 2, and then $500 if you register right there on site. Plus, MacTech has provided a discount code just for TUAW readers: Just plug in the code "MT25P" (without the quotes) at checkout and you can save 25% off of registration. TUAW will be around CES all week as well, so do get in touch if you'll be there with an app or something Apple-related to show off. MacTech's shows, as we've said, are always very helpful, so this should be an excellent addition to your CES trip.
Amped Wireless announces TAN 1 WiFi adapter for Windows 8 for CES 2013
Amped Wireless' range of WiFi gear that's had a good dose of spinach has swelled to include a WiFi adapter for your Windows 8 tablet or laptop. Clipping onto your device and connecting over USB, it promises to give you three times the distance of your built-in wireless module, letting you slurp down those cat videos from the furthest regions of your home. It'll make its first public appearance at CES, with the company promising an arrival in stores shortly afterward -- but rest assured, given our credentials at the show, we'll be giving it the Engadget treatment come January. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
Soundfreaq announces its range of Lightning-compatible docks for early 2013
When Phil Schiller whipped out Lightning, audio dock makers collapsed in unbridled agony as they realized their holiday lineup was incompatible with the new iPhone. A few months later, and Bose, Philips and JBL have all scrambled to get products out, and now Soundfreaq is leaping toward the bandwagon. It's announcing revamped versions of its Sound Rise, Sound Step, Sound Step Recharge, which'll play nicely with the new connection, and the Bluetooth-only Sound Platform 2.The new range will get a first airing at CES before hitting stores next year, the $150 Sound Platform 2 arriving exclusively at Target on February 17th, with the others expected to arrive by Spring. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
We're bringing a reader to CES 2013 -- here's how to enter our contest!
Dearest Reader, We hope you're keeping well during the inevitable bustle of the holiday season -- it's been so long since we last said hello. It's shocking -- shocking -- to think that the next installment of the Consumer Electronics Show is under a month away, isn't it? Ah, CES: bearer of sleep deficiency, malnutrition, questionable personal hygiene and a bevy of new technology at a pace not matched throughout the regular year. CES, of course, brings us to the letter you find yourself reading today: we'd really love it if you could join us this year! Now, before you start fretting about how you'll get here and where you'll stay and what you'll eat -- as we know you always do -- why don't you let us explain what we're gonna need you to do to get here? We want you to show us and tell us via a three-minute video and with 200 written words why you'd like to (and why you deserve to) join us at CES 2013. Once you've buttoned that up, pop the text and a link to your video in an email addressed to us at ces2013contest *at* engadget *dot* com. The contest starts now and closes at 11:59PM PT on December 13th 2012. The winner will be flown out to CES in Las Vegas (arriving January 9, 2013 and departing January 11, 2013), put up in our team hotel, and handed $500 in spending money. Wait, wait! Don't go just yet, there's more: Verizon has also offered to sweeten the pot by throwing in a $100 gift card, a Samsung Galaxy 2 tablet and a RAZR Maxx HD handset, to boot. Now, for the fine print... The rules: The contest is open from 9:00AM PST on December 10, 2012 and ends at 11:59PM PST on December 13, 2012. That's right -- better hurry! Contest is open to legal residents of the United States (including the District of Columbia), Puerto Rico and Canada (excluding Quebec) and 18 or older at time of entry. We'd love to invite you all to enter, but we're forced to insert the above rules due to varying legal ramifications. Winner will be chosen by Engadget's staff based on the following criteria: originality, interest in technology and communications skills (both verbal and written.) In short: wow us to win. Winner will be notified by email. So, for the love of all that is good, please make sure you get that part right. Please download and read the full Official Rules list here [.doc format].
