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Netflix execs talk 'Ridiculous 6' popularity, censorship
In their first Q&A session since launching a (nearly) global internet TV network, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and content head Ted Sarandos sounded appropriately pleased with themselves. Sarandos said the recent debut of Adam Sandler's Ridiculous 6 made it the "most-watched movie in Netflix's history" over the first 30 days. Previously he'd said Beasts of No Nation was the service's most-watched movie in its first week of release and that it had over 3 million views in North America after two weekends, but he did not provide any numbers for Sandler's movie. Most of the questions focused on what content would be available worldwide, and from them, it's clear that Netflix is not only operating differently from most others in the TV business but also sees its opportunities in a different way. While Sarandos called movie windowing "managed dissatisfaction," Hastings presented a goal of global availability. But Netflix has to operate under preexisting restrictions for now.
Chevy unveils its pure-electric Bolt
Chevy's Bolt is finally here. The pure EV was unveiled at the company's event at CES and it's got a ton of technology that you can get in the near future unlike a few concept cars that were unveiled earlier in the week. It's the everyperson's electric car that Tesla is working on and Chevy is delivering.
Razer's first smartwatch is mostly meant for fitness
Razer's first experiments with wearable tech had their share of problems (notably months of delays), but the company is willing to give it another shot... with a bit of a twist. Its just-launched Nabu Watch has the activity tracking, smartphone notifications and shake-to-share features of the original Nabu and Nabu X, but in a rugged sports watch design. Don't call it a smartwatch, though. While it technically fits that bill, Razer sees this more as a drop- and water-resistant chronograph that just happens to keep track of your app alerts and fitness. On the upside, that limited functionality leads to a seven-day battery life.
BlackBerry is building software to help power self-driving cars
It's been a long time since BlackBerry was just a phone maker, a fact that was made more apparent than ever at the company's cozy CES press conference. To wit: The company just pulled back the curtain on a QNX-based software platform meant to help self-driving cars stay safe and on the road. No, seriously! While car makers often use QNX to power their in-car entertainment systems, BlackBerry's new platform should make it easier for them to collect and interpret environmental data to feed into their cars' driver assistance systems.
Intel's latest Compute Stick squeezes in Core M3, M5 chips
As a concept, Intel's Compute Stick has always been intriguing. Who wouldn't want an HDMI stick that turns any monitor into a fully functioning computer? But the original Compute Stick had problems: It was slow, it had only one USB port (how are we going to plug in a keyboard and mouse?!) and its networking capabilities were weak. It was, in many ways, a beta product — not something meant for consumers to buy. But with the next generation of Compute Stick, it looks like Intel has addressed all of our concerns.
Livescribe's latest smartpen is aimed at writing buffs
Livescribe had the canny idea of letting you digitize your art by drawing with ink on actual paper, and it's trying to make the drawing experience better with the Livescribe 3 Black Edition. The pen has a grippy matte black finish with a glass-reinforced black clip and a subtle change in balance that was requested by some of the company's customers. We take that to mean that artists or perhaps lovers of calligraphy wanted something more akin to a professional tool.
With a kids' wearable, I became a human 'Pac-man'
Gesture-based gaming ain't new, but using it to steer Pac-man around a maze is. Moff band, a Japanese gesture toy for kids, has teamed up with Namco-Bandai to bring gesture controls to smart device-based versions of Pac-man. Because it can. It's part of what Moff calls "gamified fitness technology" (you really have to wave your arms around to move the protagonist), but it's also silly and often a little erratic. In Moff's defense, a Bluetooth-connected controller will have troubles in a hectic show floor demo. Watch me embarrass myself for your entertainment after the break. I'm saying it was definitely a reception issue.
BlackBerry CEO says Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint will sell the Priv
For two months now, there were only two worthwhile ways to get a BlackBerry Priv in the US — you could buy one unlocked straight from the source or ink an agreement with AT&T. That won't be the case for much longer, though. BlackBerry CEO John Chen just confirmed here at CES that Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile have all signed on to sell the Priv... at some point. Chen couldn't provide any further information on when these carriers will officially add BlackBerry's latest phone to their line-ups, noting that "they all like to do that themselves". Fair enough, John.
This supersized drone will fly you to work (or anywhere)
It's happened. Someone built a quadcopter big enough to carry human cargo. The future is officially here, and it's kinda scary. Scary in the cool way, though. The same company that brought us the regular-sized Ghost drone has just announced the "184" Personal Flying Vehicle (PFV). It's about the size of a (very) small car, and claims to be able to deliver one human (up to 260 pounds) anywhere within a 10 mile/23-minute flight time reach. A working prototype of the autonomous craft is being shown at CES, and we're pretty excited. If a little skeptical.
Dell's 4K OLED monitor outshines its new PCs
Dell seems not to have gotten the memo that CES is actually short for "Consumer Electronics Show." With a few exceptions, the company has mostly used its time in Vegas this week to unveil business-grade products, including a 2-in-1, a budget notebook and a pair of wireless monitors yesterday and more monitors today. It's all a little dry, to be honest, but the standout in today's announcement is clearly the new UltraSharp 30, a 30-inch 4K monitor with a color-rich panel. All told, it reaches 100 percent of Adobe's RGB color gamut and 97.8 percent of DCI-P3, a color standard favored by video editors and animators. On the connectivity side, it has a USB Type-C port supplying video, data and power up to 100 watts.
LG home automation hub gives you pro-level security
It's no longer difficult to find both home automation and security in a single package, but LG thinks it can one-up its rivals with something special... if a bit odd-looking. Its previously previewed Smart Security device may look like an upscale colander, but it serves as both a smart home hub (for Bluetooth, WiFi, Z-Wave and Zigbee) and a wide-angle security camera backed by ADT. It's already equipped to notify you when there's unusual movement or changes in temperature, but a $20 ADT Canopy subscription will get you all-day monitoring with a dedicated response team. In theory, you won't have to bend over backwards to get help if there's a break-in.
Black and Decker power tool battery talks to your smartphone
When you're using power tools to complete a big project, battery life is a big problem. You probably don't want to find out you need a battery swap when you're in the middle of drilling. Thankfully, Black and Decker has a way to give you a heads-up: it's readying Bluetooth-connected Smartech batteries that talk to your smartphone. They'll let you know when they're running low, and there's a locate feature in case one of the packs gets lost in your workshop. They're useful even when you're not working, for that matter -- a USB port lets them double as mobile power packs.
MasterCard and Coin bring payments to your fitness band
Right now, you don't have many choices for paying for things from your wrist: there's the Apple Watch, the Microsoft Band (at Starbucks) and not much else. MasterCard and Coin don't think you should have to suffer from this lack of choice, though. They're teaming up to bring credit card payments to all kinds of wearable devices, including fitness trackers and a wider variety of smartwatches. Coin will supply the necessary hardware and software, while MasterCard will unsurprisingly handle the service side of things.
Google Cast is coming to more speakers this year
At last year's CES, Google announced that the Cast tech that allows you to beam video with a Chromecast would be available to audio as well. This meant that companies were free to put the feature in new devices alongside AirPlay and Bluetooth connectivity. While a few options arrived in 2015, Cast isn't yet a common feature on new speakers, soundbars and other audio gear. That stands to change in 2016, and today, a number of audio companies announced plans to take advantage this year.
Netflix Everywhere: Now streaming (almost) worldwide
Today during a keynote speech at CES 2016 (watch live here), we learned that Netflix is working with LG to extend its streaming service throughout the Middle East, Asia and Europe. In a press release, LG said the two will "combine efforts" to provide prepaid access. Last year Netflix mentioned that it was working with partners to make it easier to tune in to streaming, and it appears that LG is an ideal teammate with its newly upgraded webOS 3.0, which puts streaming video on par with other sources. At the keynote today, before previewing trailers from upcoming series The Crown and Baz Luhrmann's The Get Down, content exec Ted Sarandos said Netflix will offer 600 hours of original programming in 2016. CEO Reed Hastings closed the speech with one big update: As he was talking, the company flipped the switch in 130 countries, and he said the service is available "around the world." The company also added support for Arabic, Korean, and simplified and traditional Chinese to supplement the 17 languages in which Netflix was already available. The press release reveals the last holdouts are China -- where Reed says he hopes to provide service soon -- as well as North Korea, Syria and Crimea.
Sennheiser's 3D audio will finally make VR complete
Virtual reality is incomplete without immersive audio. Even though you might be able to strap on a headset and be visually transported, the absence of 3D audio can quickly break your illusion. With stores getting ready to stock VR headsets this year, the need for an audio experience that can match, and even enhance, the visuals is more pressing than ever. Today at CES, Sennheiser announced AMBEO, a 3D audio technology that promises to change the way audio is captured and reproduced.
Here's what you missed on day two at CES
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-198587{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-198587, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-198587{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-198587").style.display="none";}catch(e){} CES is a lot of fun for gadget lovers, but damn is it overwhelming. If you couldn't get through the 118 articles we posted yesterday, fear not. This one will take you through the highlights, which include Under Armour's announcement that it's building a fitness-tech ecosystem with HTC, a new Nikon flagship DSLR and the Chaperone front camera for HTC Vive Pre that keeps you out of real, not virtual, danger. There are also smartphones, OLED TVs, Segways and more, so jump into the gallery or hit our wrap-up video and be informed, won't you?
Fossil opts for looks over tech with its latest smartwatch
Fossil may have waited a while to debut its new line of Q wearables, but now that they're here, the company is wasting no time adding more models to its line-up. With the Q54, Fossil has stuck to its roots, choosing to launch another analog watch packed with smart internals. Like the Q Grant, the Q54 alerts you to smartphone notifications via a built-in LED or soft vibrations. It'll also track your steps and calculate how many calories you've burned, which are then collated in Fossil's iOS or Android companion apps.
Razer's 'Stargazer' webcam is built for streaming
Razer announced a new feature-laden webcam geared specifically for gamers and streamers, rather than business conference calls, on Monday. Dubbed the Stargazer, this webcam is built on Intel's RealSense SR300 imaging sensors and offers 720p resolution at 60fps which matches the frame rate of modern video games. It can also handle 1080p at 30 fps if you do want to use it for conventional video conferences. What's more, the camera boasts an automatic noise cancelling dual array mic so your PewDiePie impressions aren't drowned out by ambient sounds.
Kodak's 4K action cam shoots VR-ready videos (in a pair)
Spherical videos have been on Facebook and YouTube for a while now, but they're little more than a novelty. The medium should take on new meaning this year, however, once high-end VR headsets are on the market, which is why Kodak is introducing a 4K action camera today. A successor to the SP360, it's a petite cube with a 12.4-megapixel sensor and a dome-ish lens boasting a 235-degree field of view. It's designed for VR filmmakers and records in two modes -- "global," which captures an almost spherical image 360-degrees horizontally and 235-degrees vertically, or "front," which offers a more traditional wide-angle panorama in 16:9.
