Ces2011
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iHome intros iDM12 micro-soundbar, iDM15 Bluetooth speakers and iDM70 'Sound Sleeve'
It just wouldn't be CES without a gaggle of new products from iHome, now would it? Kicking things off in this year's line of audio-related gadgetry from the company is the iDM12 (shown above), a rechargeable portable Bluetooth speaker that's described as something like a mini-soundbar. It'll stream tunes from any Bluetooth-equipped phone or PMP, but naturally, it's being aimed at iPad, iPhone and iPod owners. Moving right along, there's the iDM15 rechargeable portable BT speakers. Here, you'll find two diminutive speakers that can stream in a similar fashion as the iDM12, but with the addition of speakerphone support. Lastly, the iDM70 'Sound Sleeve' is both a protective shell and a speaker setup for your iPad; it relies on rechargeable NXT flat speakers to improve the audio experience, but mum's the word on price. You'll find these guys, as well as the iD9, iD28 and iD85, on sale "later this year." %Gallery-112370%
Casio shows off multi-hinged TRYX camera outside CES, prematurely outs press shots
Well, would you have a look at this? Details are scarce right now, but by the looks of these ads outside CES, this Casio TRYX imager sports two hinges for the sake of versatility: one for the frame that doubles as a handle or a stand, and one for swiveling the display -- presumably a touchscreen since there are just a couple of buttons on the body. Coincidentally, Google also led us to the TRYX's stash of press shots which have now been pulled, but we've got you guys a screenshot for the time being -- it's not like it'll be long before all is unveiled, anyway. %Gallery-112393%
Toshiba shows off glasses-free 3D Qosmio, says technology could hit laptops by the end of 2011
It's no secret that Toshiba's got a thing for glasses-free 3D displays and that it's been putting together 3D concept laptops based on the technology, but according to Toshiba's director of product marketing Phil Osako, the company could be ready to bring a 3D laptop sans spectacles to market by the end of the year. Sounds good to us, but it's a pretty ambitious claim, considering the demo unit Toshiba's bringing to CES, which we got to see a few weeks ago, is very rough around the edges. As you can see in the images below, it had a very large red, chiseled contraption strapped to its lid -- although, we do have to say it gives it a rather Iron Man-esq aesthetic. All that aside, the Qosmio laptop packs some pretty innovative 3D technologies -- not only does it have two parallax 3D LCD, but its webcam has a special eye-tracking feature that knows when you shift your position. The goal of that is to provide "dead-zone free stereoscopic 3D images" or better viewing angles, but we can't really say we experienced that -- while the 3D clips looked, well three-dee straight on, slightly tilting to the left or right threw off the effect and we were stuck watching some blurry content. Like we said, the concept is really just a concept at this point, but it will certainly be interesting to watch what Toshiba is able to improve and put out by the end of 2011. %Gallery-112320%
Sprint EVO Shift 4G shows up on Walmart's website, HTC teases big in Vegas
"It's not your dream phone. It's the one after that," coming January 6th. Catchy teaser from HTC, as seen displayed across the side of an entire building for all the CES attendees to see. We can't say for sure what device it's referencing, but we wouldn't be entirely surprised if it ended up being the oft-leaked sequel to its Evo 4G, aptly titled the Evo Shift 4G. Walmart's got a page up for the device, and while the listed specs are heavily contradictory (a 3.7-inch screen that's also a 4.3-inch display? Android 2.2 but no threaded messaging?), the gallery of crisp press shots are definitely a sight to see, Sprint logo and all. Enjoy those below, and stay tuned for your next dream phone (does that mean we won't want it until we sign a two-year contract for something else?) this Thursday -- picture of the teaser after the break. [Thanks, David M] %Gallery-112382%
Spectec CameraJet system promises to bring UWB connectivity to your camera
Not satisfied with an Eye-Fi card to add some wireless connectivity to your digital camera? Then it looks like you'll soon have another option courtesy of Alereon and Spectec -- they've just announced their Spectec CameraJet system, which consists of a Wi-Jet SD card and Wi-Jet USB dongle that combine to deliver a "faster than wire" Ultra Wideband (or UWB) connection suitable for both transferring files or streaming video. Unfortunately, there's no indication of pricing or an exact release date just yet, but Alereon and Spectec say the system is expected to go into production in February. Full press release is after the break.
MiLi HD iPhone / iPad charging dock boasts internal speaker, HDMI output
MiLi Power -- the same guys who pushed out the thinnest iPhone battery case earlier this year -- are back in Las Vegas, but this introduction represents quite the deviation. The MiLi HD is fairly simplistic in nature, and we get the feeling that iPhone and iPad owners may actually appreciate the understated motif. Aside from being a fully-featured charging dock, this here device also includes an internal speaker, a mini-USB connector and an HDMI output to boot. The goal here is to pipe those iTunes downloads from your iDevice right onto your television sans an Apple TV, and if that's exactly what you've been hunting for, you can seek it out shortly for $99.99. %Gallery-112371%
eLocity announces seven 10-inch Android 3.0 tablets... before Android 3.0 is announced
Google and Motorola haven't quite announced that Honeycomb tablet we're expecting to see at CES in just a couple days, but that's not stopping eLocity, makers of the A7 tablet pictured above -- the company just announced no fewer than seven 10-inch Tegra 2 tablets running Android 3.0. Specs are pretty light, but we're told the new A10 line will use the dual-core Tegra 2 T-250, have "high-resolution" multitouch screens, microSD storage, USB ports, a front-facing camera, and feature an HDMI port that supports 1080p output. So why seven 10-inch tablets with what seem to be the same basic specs? We have no idea -- we're sure to find out more when CES kicks off. PR after the break.
PrimeSense and ASUS team, bring Kinect-like Wavi Xtion to your living room TV (update)
PrimeSense provides some of the brains behind Microsoft's Kinect, and wants a bigger piece of the pie; ASUS has a reputation for announcing wonderfully wacky peripherals every year. At CES 2011, the Wavi Xtion will check off both boxes nicely. In a nutshell, the Xtion is a PrimeSense 3D depth camera built exclusively for PC, but with an important twist -- it connects to a pair of ASUS Wavi boxes, which wirelessly streams its data to your living room PC between your TV and a Windows PC over the 5GHz band. Oh, and should ASUS attract enough developers, it will even pull down applications from an Xtion online store. ASUS says we'll see the package commercially available around the world in Q2 of next year -- with a UI and selection of apps and games on board -- but they'll release an Xtion PRO developer kit in February to tempt all you Kinect hackers into coding magical things for the platform. No more details for now, but there's an event in Vegas this week where ASUS is all but guaranteed to show it off. PR after the break. Update: Did we say HTPC? Turns out it doesn't quite work that way -- the Wavi are actually a pair of boxes that wirelessly sling data between them. You put the Xtion sensor on top of your TV, connect it to Wavi #1, then plug Wavi #2 into a PC up to 25 meters away. Mind you, it looks like the Xtion may not be quite as capable as Microsoft's unit, as there's only infrared hardware inside -- it might be fine for gesture control, but don't expect any augmented reality lightsaber fights. See some mockups below! %Gallery-112375%
Freescale announces i.MX 6 processor series, wants quad cores in your smartphone
Power. We need more. More for streaming video, more for playing games, and more just so that we can say we have it. Freescale hears us, and it's delivering the i.MX 6 series of mobile processors offering up to four ARM Cortex A9 cores at 1.2GHz each. That's plenty for 3D rendering on your car infotainment system, music-making on your smartphone, maybe a little SETI action on your next smart refrigerator. Even 1080p30 video encoding is a said to be within these chips' reach. i.MX 6 processors will be available in one, two, or four core configurations with up to 1MB of L2 cache. HDMI 1.4 support is onboard, along with gigabit Ethernet and USB 2.0, but sadly not 3.0. It seems there's always something to look forward to in the next revision, but that could be quite a wait with i.MX 6 sampling not set to begin until "later this year."
Samsung announces $299 HMX-Q10 camcorder, makes it work upside down
Lefty? We feel ya -- sometimes modern camcorders just aren't built for those with alternate dominant proclivities, but Samsung's HMX-Q10 most certainly is. Though, really, it'd be great for anyone who has felt the need to keep on filming while using their right hand to cling desperately onto a grabrail or the like. It offers a compact design with a prominent record button right on its fanny, about the only physical control you really need to worry about. The rest displayed on the 2.7-inch touchscreen, which automatically flips itself if you hold the camera upside down. Images are beamed through a 10x (2.75 - 27.5mm) optical zoom and then splayed across a 5 megapixel sensor, which enables full HD recording -- albeit at 60i. If you want progressive you'll have to drop to 720p, but that's not such a bad deal considering the cost of $299 when it ships in February. Besides, the lower res will make your SDHC card feel a little more roomy. Update: Samsung just hit us up with revised recording times: HD -- SF: 4h10m / F: 5h / N: 6h30m and SD -- SF: 17h30m / F: 23h10m / N: 34h %Gallery-112343%
Lexar Media reveals 64GB and 128GB Class 10 SDXC cards
Man, it feels like yesterday that we first heard of SDXC and its mythical promise of providing 2TB of storage along with 300MBps transfers. Truth be told, that was at CES two years ago, and here we are 24 months later oohing and ahhing over 128GB. Ah, the pains of (sluggish) progress. Griping aside, we're fairly sure that professional video junkies will be more than elated to hear of Lexar Media's two newest cards. The 64GB and 128GB Class 10 SDXC cards "offer minimum guaranteed speeds of 133x (20MB per second)," and ship with a limited lifetime warranty. If all goes well, they'll be splashing down into retailers later this quarter, with price tags set for $399.99 (64GB) and $699.99 (128GB). Just to put that into perspective, SanDisk shipped a Class 4 (15MB/sec) 64GB SDXC card right around this time last year for $350, and it's now going for half of that on the street. Yeah, ouch. %Gallery-112350%
OCOSMOS returns at CES 2011 with Windows 7-based gaming handheld
OCOSMOS. Sound familiar? If you were with us for last year's wild ride through the autumn, it most definitely will. For whatever reason, this South Korean company only comes out to play when the world's eyes are watching, and while we've yet to hear a peep about the products it wowed us with just a few months back, the outfit's making a last-second play for attention at this year's gala. All we have to go on so far are the images above and these two details: this unnamed gaming handheld will be based on Intel's Oak Trail platform and run some version of Windows 7. In other words, you can finish up an Excel file right after you plow through a bona fide Windows game. We're hoping to learn more on this guy in due time, and you can bet we'll be grappling for hands-on time once we hit the floor.
Vizio unveils Theater 3D HDTVs with passive glasses tech in 22- to 71-inch sizes
We doubt we've seen all of Vizio's 2011 product lineup yet, but the latest information is that it's expanding upon the one Theater 3D TV model currently available with an entire line -- promising to offer 3D with passive glasses in sizes from 22- all the up to 71-inches. There are 21 models detailed in the press release after the break including LED edge lit LCDs, direct LED backlit models, ones with the Yahoo! Widgets VIA package and a couple of the new Google TV-powered models. No word on price or ship date yet, but the company is quick to point out that putting the 3D processing into the screen means cheaper movie theater-style 3D glasses with ostensible greater brightness and less flicker, plus compatibility with Oakley's "optically correct" specs. Check out all the details in the press release after the break.
AOC's 8-inch Breeze Android 2.1 tablet goes for broke, sells for $200
No money? No problem! The world of craptablets has grown significantly over the past dozen months, and you won't find us encouraging anyone to add another to the pile. But AOC has actually managed to make a fairly decent name for itself over the years, albeit one in the LCD industry. In fact, this here company claims to be the world's largest manufacturer of LED / LCD monitors, but it's tough to say how that type of expertise will translate in the tablet arena. The newly launched Breeze bucks two screen size trends and splits the difference -- there's an 8-inch touchpanel here, complete with an 800 x 600 screen resolution and a row of physical keys along the right edge. You'll also find a Rockchip processor, an outdated copy of Android 2.1, not to mention a USB 2.0 port, 3.5mm headphone, inbuilt speaker, 802.11b/g WiFi, 4GB of internal storage space, a microSD card slot and a battery that's supposedly good for up to 12 hours of audio playback or (six hours of video). We're still waiting to hear back on what type of CPU is under the shell, but for under $200, we're going to hazard a guess that it's not the quickest silicon in the shed. Anywho, it'll be splashing down at "major retail chains" later this month, likely going toe-to-toe with Augen for your bargain-bin bucks.
A.C. Ryan FLUXX media player capacitates full HD streaming with its Atom CE4150 processor
It's been about a year since A.C. Ryan Shrinky Dink'd its Playon!HD to make the Mini media player, and now another generation is upon us. Relying on the Intel Atom CE4150 processor, the same little beauty humming away in Google TV devices, along with 1GB of DDR3 memory, it's capable of connecting via gigabit Ethernet or (optional) 802.11n wireless to stream 1080p media over the network, or pull it from an internal SATAII drive bay. Video output options include component, composite, and HDMI 1.3a, while there's also an optical audio port if you're still into that sort of thing. What it sadly doesn't have is Google TV itself, nor an MSRP, nor a release date, but perhaps that info can be gleaned at a little media event happening this week. [Thanks, Nash]
Vizio details specs on Vizio Tablet and Vizio Phone, reveals VIA Plus is Google TV
Vizio has unveiled more about its plans for the new year which seem to consist largely of a huge push on Android, from the 4-inch phone and 8-inch tablet running a (still unspecified) flavor on their 1 GHz processors, to new VIA Plus HDTVs and Blu-ray players with Google TV built in. The VIA Tablet and VIA Phone (not necessarily final names, judging from the PR) have a few other details mentioned -- though we don't know if the phone is GSM or CDMA, it does have a 4-inch screen, WiFi N, GPS, MicroSD slot, dual cameras and HDMI output, while the 8-inch tablet brings similar chops minus any sort of 3G connectivity. With the new Vizio Internet Apps Plus, it aims to provide a seamless experience from the handheld to the big screen, including the ability to pause and resume content across devices. Judging by the screenshot, it looks like the company may be wrapping its own Yahoo! Widgets-like skin around the Google TV experience in a way we haven't seen from Sony or Logitech yet. Another pic and the full press releases await after the break, the rest will have to wait until we get our hands on the devices in Las Vegas. Update: Vizio's quietly dropped the VIA naming -- now it's just the Vizio Phone and Vizio Tablet with the VIA Plus ecosystem.
Swann's shockproof, waterproof Sportscam straps on your cranium, captures momentous occasions
It's been a hot minute since we've seen any new tools from the security-minded folks at Swann, but it's hitting back with a new head-mounted camera at CES. The Sportscam is a familiar device -- similar to Contour and Go Pro units we've toyed with in the past -- but rather than seeking optimal image quality at a premium price, this guy sticks to the basics. The VGA camera can only log clips at a resolution of 640 x 480, so HD junkies best look elsewhere. But it's still encased in a rugged plastic shell, one that's both shockproof and waterproof, and it's capable of holding up to five hours of footage on a single 16GB microSD card. There's a rechargeable Li-ion battery that'll last 2.5 hours, and it ships with a variety of mounting options (though we'd suggest around your head, obviously). As we alluded to earlier, this one's a lower-end product, and that $99 price may entice those who would otherwise never consider such a thing. The full release is after the break, and it'll start shipping in the US of A next month.
iRobot unveils super-compact Scooba 230, new Roomba 700 series
Our friends at iRobot have shrunken its hardwood cleaning child -- not Roomba, the other one -- to about half the diameter of its predecessors (6.5 inches). The Scooba 230 is maintains the same 3.5-inch height and, more importantly, is just as programmable as every other model (in an unfortunate twist of irony, it's now thinner than a Kinect sensor). Speaking of Roomba, the company's also unveiling the new 700 series with a number of cleaning and detection improvements. All autonomous cleaning discs will be available in the Sprint from iRobot's online store with the prices ranging from a penny under $300 for Scooba 230 and $450 / $500 / $550 for the Roomba 760, 770, and 780. More shots / hands-on below; full details in the press release after the break.%Gallery-112273%%Gallery-112272%
Toshiba announces unnamed Tegra 2-powered Android tablet, waits only for Honeycomb
Let the Tegra 2-powered, Android Honeycomb tablet announcements begin! Apparently (and understandably) staying away from a Folio 2 moniker, Toshiba is kicking off CES with its new unnamed 10.1-inch Android tablet, and we have to say from our brief look at a non-working unit a few weeks ago, it may just have what it takes to stick out from the rest.. at least on the spec and manufacturing quality front. The tablet has a capacitive, high 1280 x 800-resolution display along with an accelerometer and ambient light sensor (or what Toshiba has dubbed as Adaptive Display technology). It also has a 5 megapixel rear camera as well as a 2 megapixel front-facing one. Yep, this one is well stocked and just a quick look at the pictures below will show that the slab has got full sized USB and HDMI jacks, a single mini-USB socket, and an SD card slot. While we couldn't turn on the dual-core Tegra 2-powered tablet, which will eventually run "the next version of Android designed for tablets" aka Honeycomb, we have to say the EasyGrip, spill-resistant, rubberized back felt really solid in hand and the 1.7-pound, .6-inch thick tablet felt comparable to the iPad in terms of portability. Oh, and did we mention that the aforementioned rear cover is swappable, so not only can you change its color but you can replace the battery? We told you it had some of the ingredients to make it go far, but we're obviously lacking quite a bit of information here to make any further decisions. Toshiba's maintaining that the tablet will be released in the first half of 2011 (it obviously has to wait until Honeycomb has been made official) and the pricing will be competitive, but we'll be digging for more when we get to Vegas and hopefully reporting back with some impressions of a working unit. %Gallery-112321%
Samsung crafts 'world's lightest' 3D glasses in partnership with Silhouette
You had to know that once LG sought a designer's inspiration for improving its 3D eyewear, Samsung too would be recruiting outside help with its three-dee goggles. Sure enough, Sammy has partnered up with Austrian design firm Silhouette to deliver what it claims are the world's lightest 3D glasses, weighing a measly 28g. The design is such that all the electronics are housed in two compartments at the rear of the specs, permitting for a perfect weight balance between the front and back. They'll supposedly fit on adults and children alike, will recharge wirelessly, and will also detect when 3D content is being beamed at them and automatically switch on and off. Their ability to deliver compelling content to make 3D TVs worth it, however, remains a mystery. We should be seeing plenty more of these active shutter lightweights at CES this week.
