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D-Link hits CES with portable router and charger combos, WiFi range extenders and surveillance equipment
With the exception, perhaps, of the traditional trade show flu, nothing's thicker in the air CES than overlapping WiFi signals. Phones, PCs, SmartTVs, game consoles, tablets and routers are all desperately reaching out to something to connect to, and D-Link is happy to oblige. This year, the company is debuting the DIR-510L, a $100 portable router that doubles as a device charger. In addition to crafting wireless and ethernet signals into a local hotspot, this router can stream content from connected USB devices, share files wirelessly from any device plugged into its two USB ports and even charge gadgets with its built-in 4000mAh battery. If the diminutive router's range is too short for you, the firm is offering a pair of dual-band WiFi range extenders for $60 and $90, depending on how much bandwidth you need. That extended network area will come in handy if you pick up D-Link's new WiFi Baby Camera, a lightweight child monitor that lets you peek in on your children from any device with a WiFi or cellular internet connection. The $180 shooter is outfitted with night vision, temperature and motion sensors and can even play pre-recorded lullabies on cue. If you're looking for something a bit more advanced, the company is also showing off a new mydlink Network Video Recorder for small businesses -- a $380 surveillance system with remote access, up to 4TB of video storage space and support for nine cameras. The gadgets are all being shown at CES 2014 this week, but you can find the details at the company's product pages in the adjacent source links.
Fujifilm reveals the FinePix S1, a weather-ready 50x superzoom camera
Fujifilm is launching a quintet of point-and-shoots at CES, and one of them may be just the ticket for those who want both extreme zoom and weather resistance in a single camera. Its new FinePix S1 (above) packs a 50x (24-1,200mm) f/2.8-5.6 lens, yet is tough enough to survive the dust and rain; you can take that close-up concert photo even if you're stuck in lousy weather. The 16-megapixel shooter also offers WiFi image sharing, 10fps burst shooting, 1080p video, a 920,000-pixel electronic viewfinder and a tilting 3-inch LCD. The S1 will ship this March for $500. The remaining FinePix models all share that 16-megapixel resolution, but sacrifice the S1's do-it-all design in the name of price. The S9200 and WiFi-equipped S9400W both share the 50x lens and 10fps burst mode, but lose the weather-hardened design and step down to a 200,000-pixel viewfinder. The entry S8600 moves to "just" a 36x (25-900mm) lens, 720p video and AA battery power. Photographers who need a truly rugged camera can pick up the XP70, a waterproof compact cam with 5x (28-140mm) optics and 1080p movie making. All four of these designs also arrive in March, with prices starting at $230 for the S8600 and XP70; the S9200 costs $330, while the S9400W is slightly costlier at $350.
Eton's rukus Xtreme and rukus II solar-powered speakers see the light of day
That pair of new solar-powered speakers from Eton that we told you about today just had their public unveiling at CES Unveiled, here at Vegas. So, you're no doubt asking, what makes the Xtreme so Xtreme? Ruggedness, of course. The speaker is water-resistant and can be dropped from a height of 3.3 feet. The wedged-shaped speaker is a pretty nice-looking thing and feels solid in-hand, even with those rubberized edges. As for sound, well, quality seems halfway decent, though the speaker doesn't get particularly loud. In this crowded room, we had to get pretty close to hear things clearly. If the sun's not doing it for you, you can charge it up via USB. There's speakerphone functionality built-in, as well as NFC pairing for phones that support it -- no auxiliary out here, however. The smaller rukus II, meanwhile, also has NFC pairing and a new speakerphone feature, along with Bluetooth 4.0. That one will run you $130, with the Xtreme coming in at $100 more. Nicole Lee contributed to this report.
Moneual's combo vacuum/mop 'bot does a number on marker and wine messes
It's always nice to find out that a device is more than just a press render. We caught wind of this cool combo vacuum/mop several hours ago and lo and behold, here it is in the robotic flesh. Moneual was showing off its RYDIS H68 at CES Unveiled by mopping away magic marker statements off a linoleum floor with help from spilled wine (what real-world scenario might have led to that combination of factors, it's hard to say). Granted, it was a bit loud on the floor, but what struck us immediately about the H68 was just how quiet it was. It also did a pretty admirable job cleaning up the strange mess. As noted earlier, this is the company's second vacuum/mop in a few months. The primary hardware difference between the two is the inclusion of a water tank, which sort of juts off the side of the device a bit (it's 25 percent larger than the competition's, according to the company), as opposed to the H67 which just has a pad on the bottom that you need to dampen. There's also a camera on the top, which apparently takes a reading of the room by projecting up to the ceiling, determining its best route. Oh, and pricing, which we didn't catch earlier, is $499, which puts it in the same ballpark as a Roomba or Scooba. That includes one wireless gate to keep it from going into the wrong room. Nicole Lee contributed to this report.
Okidokeys gives you more options than you could ever possibly need to open your front door
We first got word of the Okidokeys smart lock system roughly an hour ago, and just now got a chance to see the thing in action -- well, we got a chance to see it in various states of disarray on a table at tonight's CES Unveiled event. The primary module hooks up to the lock on the inside of door, with no trace of the mechanism visible from the outside. Trigger it via your mobile device and it rotates to unlock the door. There's also a large button you can use to unlock it sans smartphone from the inside. The system starts at $179. There's also a bundle priced somewhere in the mid-$200s, which will get you an RFID reader. The reader doesn't attach directly to the module, so you can put it anywhere on the exterior of the house to unlock via a bracelet or card you keep in your wallet. Or, if you're so inclined, you can still use your old-fashioned key. Using the Android or iOS app, you can also unlock the door remotely and grant access to users. The sets are available for pre-order now, with shipping set for spring. The company was also showing off a garage door module that works with its proprietary app. No word on pricing for that yet. Nicole Lee and Richard Lai contributed to this report.
NVIDIA seriously made a crop circle for marketing its new Tegra K1 chip
You know that new NVIDIA Tegra K1 chip? And you know that crop circle that popped up and then disappeared? Yup, that was an advertisement for the new chip. Yes, seriously.
LG teases webOS for most of its smart TVs, Life Band Touch with Android, iOS sync
LG has already shown quite a bit of its hand ahead of CES (105-inch curved LCD; OLEDs OLEDs and more OLEDs; Ultra HD televisions of all sizes) but with its press conference now just hours away, it's showing off a bit more. Now we have an official pic or two of the webOS interface on a TV, and LG's blog indicates it should appear on more than 70 percent of the smart TVs it's releasing in 2014. The webOS launcher is teased as offering all the voice search and gesture recognition features we've seen on LG TVs in the past few years, and enhanced multitasking between apps and live TV. There's even an animated "Bean Bird" character to walk users through initial setup and pair the magic remote. That's not all that's new however, as LG also confirmed it will launch the Life Band Touch. Similar to Nike's FuelBand, this wearable (pictured after the break) promises far more features powered by its ability to sync with both Android and iOS devices over Bluetooth 4.0. It has touch controls for music playback and incoming calls on the synced device, and can be used with special heart rate monitor earbuds. There are a few other products mentioned as well, check back tomorrow at 11AM ET for all the information from CES as we liveblog LG's press conference.
NVIDIA reveals second Tegra K1 with 64-bit support, dual 2.5GHz Denver CPUs
Ever since the introduction of Apple's A7 chipset on the iPhone 5s, 64-bit has become somewhat of a buzzword for manufacturers like Qualcomm, NVIDIA, Samsung and MediaTek. The former has already followed in Apple's footsteps with 64-bit support on the Snapdragon 410, an SoC destined for budget devices and emerging markets, but we were anxiously awaiting word on NVIDIA's next-gen aspirations at tonight's press conference. And now we have it -- the company just announced a second version of the Tegra K1 introduced earlier, this time with a dual-core 2.5GHz Denver CPU (yes, that Project Denver) and 64-bit support. We're still waiting to hear specific availability, but NVIDIA tells us to expect more details in the coming months, so the extra boost in performance will require a bit of patience. Update: We received a little extra clarification from NVIDIA reps, who have told us that the K1 has already been certified by AT&T and Vodafone (among other carriers), and we should expect to see devices with the new chipset near the end of the first half of 2014. We also learned that although LTE support doesn't come natively on the chipset, it'll still be available thanks to an external chip that will be part of the K1 setup. It's hard to say whether or not this will help NVIDIA gain some lost ground on Qualcomm, but only time will tell. Ben Gilbert contributed to this post.
HP rolls into CES with a bunch of business PCs, including an Android-powered all-in-one
Never mind that it's CES, short for Consumer Electronics Show. Pretty much everything HP is showing off this week in Vegas is aimed at enterprise users -- or rather, the IT guys tasked with outfitting employees. Out of everything HP announced today, the most interesting thing might be the Slate 21 Pro, an Android-powered all-in-one tailored for business users. Granted, this isn't even HP's first Android AiO (that would be the original Slate 21), but it is the first time HP's tried it for the corporate set. And hey, if HP isn't going to announce any consumer products, the next best thing are products that are at least consumerfied, right? At any rate, the big story here is the software: In addition to all the usual Google services (e.g., Gmail and Drive), HP is pre-loading the thing with Kingsoft Office, Evernote, Skype, HP Classroom Manager, 50GB of lifetime Box storage and Citrix Receiver for remote Windows access. To be sure, one could use all these apps in the office, if only on a secondary display, but HP also imagines this guy being used in classrooms, computer labs, public kiosks and maybe hospitality settings (think: business centers at hotels). And given that it runs Android 4.3, the owner can use the restricted-profile feature to make it so that guests can only use certain apps (the web browser, for example). It's available now on March 6th for $399, keyboard and mouse included -- not that you're likely to buy one of these yourself.
Jaybird's Reign fitness wearable promises to tell you when you want to work out (updated)
Because there might not be enough fitness wearables, Jaybird has announced its own wristband -- Reign. Health-centered (just like the company's recent Bluetooth headphones), we're promised activity and sleep monitoring, separating out users' movements by specific physical activity and sport. Details are otherwise pretty scant at this point: It will work with iOS, but we're waiting to confirm Android compatibility and we're looking to hear more details about "Go-zone," which will apparently read when your body "wants" to exercise and then remind you to do so. We've still got a lot of questions left to answer, but we'll be hunting down the band at CES for the rest of the answers. Update: Here's a few extra details. Yes, it will work with Android phones, and it'll be priced a buck shy of $200. But, while that might seem a little pricey for yet another fitness band, the Reign addresses quite a number of our niggling issues with most wearables. For one, its silicon heart is smart enough to know when you're walking, running, swimming or (with a foot-mounted strap) cycling. The details of how long you've performed those activities and how many calories you've burned are fed to a rather slick looking app that presents data to you both in broad strokes and in fine grained detail, if you like. It also knows when you're asleep and how well you've slept, without you having to manually put it into sleep mode. Based on that info, he Reign is able to figure out your ideal amount of rest based on your activity level, and will even tell you if you need to sleep a bit longer after a particularly restless night. Jaybird is perhaps most proud of the Go-Zone, which monitors how prepared your body is for exercise. It determines that based on variations in your heart rate. While you might only think you're ready to hit the gym when you're feeling 100 percent, the truth is your body is capable of quite a bit, even if you're operating at just 50 percent. In fact, you might even feel better if you push past that initial wall. The Reign will put all other activity trackers on notice around February.
Roku renews bid for the living room with streaming-ready Roku TVs
Up until now, Roku's bid for the living room has mainly come in the form of its puck-like streaming players and sticks. These devices, priced at below $100, are a cheap way for consumers to augment existing HDTVs and make them "smarter." But now Roku's getting into the TV hardware business directly. It's partnered up with six manufacturers, of which Hisense and TCL are the first to be announced, to produce a line of Roku TVs that come pre-loaded with the company's streaming software. These sets aren't planned to hit retail until sometime later this fall, but at CES 2014, we'll be getting a first look at what's in store.
Here's a WiFi-enabled Russian Doll that's designed to replace your mother
When doom-mongers portend that technology is destroying human relationships, plenty of 'em will use this as exhibit one. Mother is the brainchild of Rafi Haladjian, the mind behind the Nabaztag, and is a device designed to monitor the objects, creatures and people in your home. The white plastic Russian Doll connects to a series of sensors, called cookies, that measure motion and temperature, and will alert you when it notices a change. For instance, if you strapped a cookie to the door where your meds are kept, but one day forgot to open it when you were due, the device would nag you until you remembered -- just like your own mother.
NVIDIA K1 chip adds Unreal Engine 4 support (update: video!)
The Unreal Engine's latest iteration, Unreal Engine 4, is adding support for NVIDIA's latest Tegra chip, the K1. Epic Games' ubiquitous engine powered much of last-generation games with Unreal Engine 3, and Epic's promising even more with the next generation. NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang announced as much tonight during the company's CES 2014 press conference, and he made sure to note the much shorter gap between Unreal Engine running on next-gen consoles/PC and mobile devices. With Unreal Engine 3, Infinity Blade was the first mobile game running on Epic's game tech -- demonstrated on-stage during an Apple keynote for a new iPad. Unreal Engine 4, however, scales both up and down right out of the gate, apparently. "We can take absolutely anything that runs on PC or high-end consoles and run it on Tegra...I didn't think that we'd be at this level on mobile for another three to four years," Epic Games head Tim Sweeney said of the news. Color us unsurprised -- we expect to see Unreal Engine 4 running on anything that plays games in the coming years. Update: NVIDIA just posted its video of the K1 chip running an Unreal Engine 4 demo, check it out after the break.
NVIDIA announces Tegra K1 with 192 cores and Kepler architecture
In what's becoming a yearly tradition, NVIDIA came to its CES press conference with tidings of its next-generation mobile processor which will begin gracing devices in 2014. The chipset maker officially announced Tegra K1, which features the first 192-core GPU based on the Kepler architecture which was originally designed for desktops and notebooks and later added to supercomputers. As you can imagine, NVIDIA is bringing its graphics chops to the new DirectX 11-powered GPU, and it packs a serious punch -- so much so, in fact, that it will come with support for Unreal Engine 4 and OpenGL 4.4. In the company's usual form, we were treated to demos of the new chip's power compared side-by-side with a Tegra 4, and the difference was quite noticeable; the K1 offers real-time computing, global illumination, higher dynamic range and greater detail like reflective surfaces, dripping water and other realistic physically-based rendering. Interestingly, Tegra K1 will actually come in two different versions: a 32-bit option with a 2.3GHz "4-plus-1" A15 CPU and a 64-bit unit with a 2.5GHz dual-core Denver CPU. Naturally we're a bit more curious about the latter at the moment, and we'll update you as we get more information about either chip -- such as availability. Update: We received a little extra clarification from NVIDIA reps, who have told us that both versions of the K1 have already been certified by AT&T and Vodafone (among other carriers), and we should expect to see devices with the new chipset near the end of the first half of 2014. We also learned that although LTE support doesn't come natively on the chipset, it'll still be available thanks to an external chip that will be part of the K1 setup. It's hard to say whether or not this will help NVIDIA gain some lost ground on Qualcomm, but only time will tell. Ben Gilbert contributed to this post.
Samsung ad outs Galaxy Note Pro and Galaxy Tab Pro ahead of CES
In the days leading up to CES, there are always a few unfortunate products that are prematurely outed by banners being put up over night. In this case, the victims are Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Note Pro and Galaxy Tab Pro, as shown by this massive ad at the South Hall of Las Vegas Convention Center. Stylus and SIM card slot aside, it's hard to tell what else the pictured Galaxy Note Pro has to offer. Its screen size is also a mystery here, though rumors are pointing at 12.2 inches, which would make it Samsung's largest mobile tablet to date. According to an earlier report by SamMobile, the Galaxy Tab Pro will come in two smaller sizes: 8.4 inches and 10.1 inches. All shall be revealed at Samsung's press conference in Las Vegas tomorrow afternoon, so stay tuned.
Chevrolet and OnStar announce in-car 4G LTE connectivity and curated AppShop
Chevrolet, AT&T and OnStar banded together yesterday at CES 2014 to offer us a glimpse of the heart of the Connected by OnStar 4G LTE infotainment offering: AppShop. The new service will feature a curated collection of HTML5 apps -- read: So if you're driving in the sticks and are out of cell range, your apps mostly won't work -- focused on music, weather, news and vehicle telematics all connected via AT&T's LTE network. All cars that include the OnStar 4G LTE service will also feature a WiFi access point built into the car with support for up to seven devices -- taking advantage of the same AT&T LTE link, though, still no word on the data service's pricing. We had a peek at an AppShop-equipped Impala and were most impressed with its Vehicle Health app, which shows any issues with your car from "oil health" to tire pressures. Think of it as a usable replacement for the "Check Engine" light seen on most car's dashboards, but rather than simply blinking orange it translates the error into something a tad more user friendly. Aside from car health and warnings the app enables the driver to schedule an appointment for service without having to pick up the phone. For example, by simply selecting your preferred dealership and then clicking on a date in the calendar-like display you're then presented with AM or PM time slots, and available time in either. Chevrolet's AppShop will initially be offered in its Canadian and US MyLink-equipped 2015 model-year Corvette, Impala, Equinox, Volt, Malibu, Silverado and Silverado HD. Follow our tour in the short video below.
Griffin launches iPhone 5 case for merchants who use Square card readers
Need a durable way to carry that Square card reader while you're raking in those small business bucks? Griffin has a case for that. Teaming up with Square for CES 2014, the case manufacturer has announced an iPhone 5 case designed specifically for businesses on the go. For the most part, the Merchant Case is little more than your standard silicone phone sleeve, but a few minor tweaks make it particularly suited to Square users. The case's bottom edge, for instance, is designed to hold the reader in place, while also providing a credit card shaped groove to help glide customer plastic into the Square. The backside of the phone also has a recessed storage area that can hold on to the reader when it's not in use, making it easier to carry around. The case looks a little bulky, but it does seem to be a simple solution to a simple problem. The cost? $20 on Griffin's website. Not bad.
Cobra Electronics demos power pack that can jump-start your car
Cobra Electronics is a big player in the automotive world, largely thanks to its line of radar detectors. What a lot of people don't know, however, is that the company has also been dabbling with products that jump-start your car. At this year's CES, Cobra is introducing the JumPack, which it says is a game-changing device for jump-starting -- an odd-sounding statement, no doubt, but we have to agree. The 7,500mAh portable JumPack (CPP 7500) looks suspiciously like your run-of-the-mill external smartphone/tablet charger, and it's the smallest jump-start power pack we've come across. It features a 200A starting current and gets up to a peak current of 400A, which is enough to give your car's battery a few jumps -- given that it only takes three to four hours to recharge, it should be more than enough to manage those unfortunate situations in a lonely parking lot. It also comes with a built-in flashlight as well as USB output (2.1A) in case you want to give your smartphone a power boost. When it makes its way to stores in March or April, you'll be able to pick one up for $130. Sean Cooper contributed to this post.
PrioVR full-body mocap suit promises accurate motion tracking in VR gaming
Sure, Kinect's done a bang-up job of bringing full-body motion tracking closer to the mainstream, but it hasn't exactly fulfilled the dreams of futuristic gaming that Hollywood (and our imaginations) promised. PrioVR, a motion-tracking suit meant for virtual reality games, aims to bring us closer to that future with accurate full-body motion-capture abilities without a camera array in the mix. The demo on hand today was pretty impressive: A rep was decked out in the upper-body suit, complete with Wii nunchuks, playing a first-person shooter. Sensors on his chest, back, head, arms and hands translated his movements to the screen with little latency, showing up on the display in a fraction of a second. We did notice an ever-so-slight choppiness -- which could have more to do with the game engine than the hardware -- but how much it affects gameplay remains to be seen. Though only an upper-body rig was being shown off, a full-body getup promises to capture everything from walking to kicking.
Sculpteo makes factory-like 3D printing much easier with its Batch Control option
If you're in need of a few 3D-printed parts for that next project or business venture, Sculpteo now has a production method to help bring home the bacon. The company has just announced 3D-printing Batch Control to output as many figurines, drone parts or whatever it is that you may need. Using Sculpteo's software, customers can view the order inside the printer, compare pricing in real time and control both axis and orientation all while nabbing multiple units in a single batch. As far as customization goes, 11 colors, three finishes and two resolutions are offered for orders in an effort to cut production costs, allow for limited editions and more -- like 168 pigs, for example. While the 3D-printed items we saw here at CES are connected in cube form, orders don't arrive that way by default, but it sure does make for easy transport.
