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The iRig 2 wants to replace your guitar pedal board with a phone
IK Multimedia has been cranking out new versions of its iRig guitar adapter for phones and tablets for nearly five years. Here at CES 2015, there's yet another update. The iRig 2 still allows you to connect that axe to an iOS, Mac or Android device, but this time around, there's a 1/4-inch output jack, so you can use the company's mobile apps (like AmpliTube) alongside an amp with ease. It also means that, if you so choose, you could make that mobile device part of an effects loop, or replace it entirely. Sure, the sound of individual pedals is hard to beat, but this setup aims for convenience. There's also a headphone jack to keep from annoying bandmates, and while the onboard gain control returns, a new toggle switch will bypass the connected mobile device entirely. If you're considering giving it a go, the accessory will be available during Q1 for $39.99/€29.99.
TV makers and Hollywood team up to save 4K from themselves
We've seen at past CES how overzealous money grabs by electronics manufacturers can turn the public off to new technology (hello 3D), but it appears the industry might be learning. A long list of big names just announced they're joining the "UHD Alliance" to "set the bar" for next-generation video. That list includes Samsung, LG, Panasonic, Sony Visual Product, DirecTV, Netflix, Dolby, Disney and Fox, and they altogether claim it's put together with the consumer in mind first. We've already seen a slew of content agreements and services that only work with a particular manufacturer's devices (DirecTV and Samsung, Sony's UHD streaming box), but things are slowly getting better. The new team-up promises to work on 4K video, High Dynamic Range (which Netflix announced during LG's press conference earlier), Wide color Gamut and Immersive Audio -- we'll see if that's enough to keep the UHD goose laying golden eggs.
Braven's BRV-PRO rugged speaker packs solar charging and more
Think the load of Bluetooth speakers announced at CES is rather ho-hum? Well, Braven has something to say about that. The company's new BRV-PRO Bluetooth speaker sports the rugged look we've come to expect from them, and claims 20 hours of battery life on a charge. Those are easily the two least interesting things on the spec sheet for the outdoor audio device. Up top, the BRV-PRO swaps out accessories as needed, including an extra 2,800mAh battery pack, LED glow deck (think of it as a lantern of sorts), stacking plate and a folding solar panel (pictured above) for all-natural recharging. Touting an IPX7 waterproof rating, the aircraft-aluminum-clad gadget will also juice up your phone or tablet when you're out on the trail. Looking to pack one for that next outdoor trek? The BRV-PRO is scheduled to arrive in Q2 for $150; the accessories cost extra, ranging from $30 to $50 each.
Dish goes after cord-cutters with Sling TV, a $20-per-month service
According to a Bloomberg report earlier this year, Dish was said to be preparing to launch an online television service last summer. But, as we now know, nothing ever came from that -- at least not until today. The satellite company has taken to CES 2015 to reveal Sling TV, its long-rumored internet TV service, and it wants all current and would-be cord-cutters to know that this is designed specifically for them. Dish says that Sling TV has been years in the making, pointing out that it was born out of learning from Dish Anywhere and DishWorld, a US-only, internet-based TV package that offers access to about 200 international channels.
Seek Thermal helps your smartphone see in the dark
For as long as humanity has existed, it has sought to banish the darkness that surrounds us for half of each day. Fire, candles and the electric lightbulb have all done their part, and it's now time that thermal cameras join our pantheon of weapons. We've already seen some smartphone-based modules last year, and now Seek Thermal has joined the fray with its Android and iOS unit that joins to your smartphone and helps you see in the dark.
Sharp's new 4K TVs include a set that acts like it's 8K
Now that 4K TVs are no longer a novelty, manufacturers are bending over backward to show you that their sets are somehow more 4K than everyone else's. Need proof? Just look at the flagship of Sharp's newly unveiled 2015 lineup, the 80-inch AQUOS Beyond 4K Ultra HD TV (yes, that's the name). Its signature Pixel Splitting trick both cuts pixels in half vertically and lets subpixels create their own color values, leading to a near-8K (7,680 x 4,320) effective picture. The boasts of extra resolution stretch credulity a bit -- you can't add detail that wasn't in the original picture, folks -- but you'll at least know that your TV isn't to blame for fuzzy imagery. As it stands, this ultimate set has a few down-to-earth upgrades over Sharp's previous efforts, including better upscaling and an improved LED backlight that widens the color range. The company hasn't nailed down pricing, but it'll reportedly be competitive with other high-end sets when the TV arrives late this year.
Netflix will tell you which TV is best for Netflix
Netflix is launching a new initiative to recommend the best TV for its streaming service. Starting this spring, a "Netflix Recommended TV" logo will start appearing on TVs from Sony, Sharp, Vizio, LG and manufacturers of Roku TVs (so far TCL, Best Buy's in-house Insignia brand and a few other second-tier players are signed up to produce Roku sets). What does this certification actually mean? According to Netflix, TVs bearing the logo will have hit some "performance criteria" targets including fast app launch, fast resuming of video playback or the ability to power a TV directly into the Netflix app. The program will initially be available in the US, but the features it brings will spread around the world through this year.
This power pack can charge your iPhone 6 in 15 minutes
We lamented the iPhone 6's battery in our review, but the folks at ibattz have a solution for when Apple's handset loses juice when you need it most. The company says its ASAP Charger's 20-volt, two-amp power pack can fully charge an iPhone 6 within 15 minutes. Think about it this way: That's less time than it'd take to watch an episode of 30 Rock on Netflix. Your typical five-volt, one-amp charger, on the other hand, needs an hour or more to do the same task. The ASAP comes in 5,600mAh and 11,200mAh sizes, but, sadly, the company hasn't said anything yet about pricing or availability. Blerg, indeed.
LG built a baby washing machine to sit beneath its regular ones
Picture the scene: You're doing your laundry, separating silken "intimates" from your jeans, but you don't have enough time to wash both before you go out. You fall to the floor and beat the ground with your fists, cursing your inability to plan ahead. But then you remember that you bought LG's Twin Wash, a front-loading washing machine that has a dainty secondary washing machine tucked into the pedestal. Now you can throw those jeans into the main tub and still have room for your delicates!
Meet the G Flex 2, LG's next attempt at making the perfect curved smartphone
Let's face it: With its curvaceous body, low-res screen, self-healing tendencies and lousy camera, the original LG G Flex was a mixed bag if there ever was one. When it came time to craft the inevitable sequel, though, the Korean tech giant agonized over customer feedback for months to figure out what went awry and what was really important to people. The end result of all that brainstorming is the LG G Flex 2, and it shows -- it's dramatically better than the original in just about every way that matters.
Google Cast will soon send music to your networked speakers
Google's casting support has been great if you've wanted to send your phone's videos to your TV, but what about putting music on your speakers? You'll get that option soon. Google has just unveiled Cast for audio, a new spin on the technology that lets you send tunes to networked speakers and receivers. As before, you'll just have to tap a button in a compatible Android, iOS or web app (Google Play Music, Pandora and Rdio are some of the early examples) to get the party started. The audio device itself handles the streaming, so you don't have to leave your mobile gear turned on while you enjoy an hours-long playlist.
LG's new 4K OLED TVs can do flat, curved -- or both
Quantum dot 4K LCD screens are nice, but it's LG's OLED TVs that we're most interested in, and the second generation is ready to ship this year. The best news? If last year's curved displays bothered you, these are all available in flat "Floating Art Slim" designs as well as curved. The top-of-the-line 77-inch 77EG9900 (pictured above) is flexible enough to do both, bringing last year's funky concept design to reality. The other six models are just flat or curved, and come in 55-, 65- and 77-inch sizes, with the new webOS 2.0 built-in. The bad news? There's still no word on price -- last year's 65-inch 4K OLED started out with a $10,000 MSRP -- but we're liveblogging today's press conference so we'll let you know if we hear any more details.
LG's TVs get 4K video from DirecTV, Netflix, YouTube and GoPro
LG is ready to show off its new 2015 HDTVs -- LCD and OLED -- and along with the new webOS 2.0 smart TV platform, it's promising some new upgrades to apps. Amazon, YouTube and Netflix are all ready with support for 4K (assuming the TV can do it), but new this year is GoPro's app -- exclusive to LG's smart TVs -- and it will eventually have access to 4K video there too. There's also support for DirecTV's 4K video, which was previously only compatible with Samsung TVs. The tight collaboration between LG and Netflix is continuing, as the company says its TVs will be among the first ones certified under the new "Netflix Recommended TV" program, which we'll probably hear more about during its press conference today. Other upgrades include Showtime Sync with interactive features like the ones we saw last night, iHeartRadio, DramaFever and an HSN app.
Amplicity is a rentable graphics workstation the size of a smartphone
The sharing economy has mostly kept itself to AirBnb- or Uber-style rentals, but a company called The Hive is trying to extend the concept to graphics workstations with its "Amplicity Anywhere" pocket PC. It's the size of a large smartphone and loaded up with a suite of Adobe video and photo apps, priced at $99 for a six-month subscription. Once the subscription is up, you can renew it and turn in the PC for a new one. The device -- essentially an NIC with Adobe software -- caters to the "casual content creator," and is equipped with an Intel Atom M processor, 4GB of RAM and up to 128GB of storage. That would do the job (barely), but should it prove insufficient, there's another Amplicity device due later with more power, starting at $399.
LG's CES 2015 event liveblog
8 am. Eight am. And we're liveblogging LG this early, kicking off CES 2015 with the first of many press events. High-end TVs, some new phones and probably (untampered with) washing machines are on our prediction list. Join us right here in 30 minutes for when it all kicks off.
Intel's 14nm tablet processors are leaner, meaner and finally here
Intel isn't just coming to CES with fifth-generation Core processors for traditional PCs -- it has big news for the tablet crowd, too. The company is now delivering its first 14-nanometer Atom system on a chip, previously nicknamed Cherry Trail. The new processor should be both faster and offer more battery life than the Bay Trail-based Atoms you see today, thanks in part to both the more efficient manufacturing process and a big leap forward in graphics. Cherry Trail is using the same basic video architecture as Intel's other new CPUs (Bay Trail relied on 2012-era tech), so you'll have a better chance of playing 3D games and high-resolution videos on your tablet without hiccups.
Intel unveils 'Broadwell' processors, starting with dual-core chips only
CES is happening this week, and as far as Intel goes, that can only mean one thing. The chip maker has just unveiled its next generation of processors, the ones that will power most mainstream PCs for the next 12 months. We've known for some time that these CPUs were codenamed "Broadwell" and that they would use a 14nm process, down from 22nm on last year's Haswell chips, allowing for even thinner and lighter designs. Indeed, we've already gotten a bit of a preview with Intel's 14nm Core M series, which have made possible some very skinny machines indeed. But whereas Core M is all about mobility, Intel's fifth-generation Core processors are geared toward performance.
Canon's newest connected cameras: when a smartphone still won't do
You know the drill: Smartphones are making compact cameras obsolete, killing the category and yada yada. But still! Camera makers launch a seemingly endless number of new models at CES, and Canon is a great example of that this year. It just unveiled no fewer than eight compact, superzoom and video cameras in the PowerShot, ELPH and VIXIA lines, along with a Pixma photo printer. The common thread among them is wireless connectivity: Each features WiFi and NFC (other than the ELPHs and VIXIA HF R600), letting you get social with your smartphone sans the optical drawbacks. The wireless aspect also provides connectivity with peripherals like Canon's Connection Station CS100 or the new Pixma MX492 photo printer.
Philips' latest UHD TV has great colors thanks to lasers
We're well into the era of 4K televisions now, meaning manufacturers have to find new ways to distinguish their new sets from the competition. Philips has had mood lighting for years and it's experimented with short-throw projection backgrounds; now it wants to fiddle with the color on the screen itself. The Philips Smart Laser Backlight Ultra HDTV from P&F does just that by incorporating cyan LEDs and a red laser into its backlighting source, as opposed to more standard white LEDs. P&F claims the combination allows for a more accurate, more expressive range of colors.
Canon's new media station keeps your photos and videos in one place
Canon has been teasing a media hub for a long, long time now, and today it finally has something to show at CES 2015. Known as the Cross Media station in its earlier stages, the new Connect Station CS100 is a physical media hub that lets you easily store, transfer, view and share all of your photos and videos. The network storage device comes with a 1TB hard drive, WiFi, NFC and a wireless remote. In terms of accessibility, there are slots for SD and CF cards as well as USB and Ethernet ports, making it simple to import your media files into the Connect Station.
