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Toshiba's 5-in-1 laptop concept debuts at CES with a detachable keyboard
Sure, notebook makers crow about their 2-in-1 hybrids, but Toshiba's brought something to CES that'll humble its competition: a 5-in-1 laptop. The transforming device comes with a slick magnesium alloy case reminiscent of a MacBook, and a 13.3-inch touchscreen. So, just what can this laptop transform into? On the tamer side of things are a run-of-the-mill notebook configuration and tablet mode, the latter of which is achieved by pushing the display all the way back, much like with Lenovo's Yoga line of devices. The next three forms are where things get interesting, and they're made possible by a detachable keyboard and a bit of metal left attached to the screen's hinge, which acts as a stand and houses stereo Harman Kardon speakers. In "canvas" mode, the laptop is lifted from the table at an angle helpful for drawing, particularly handy since the hardware's display packs a digitizer and its top half holds its own stylus. "Presentation/TV" mode is the fifth and final form, which props the display upright. When it comes to connectivity, the laptop sports two USB ports, a microSD slot and a spot to jack in a mini-HDMI cable. Since the hardware's still in concept phase, there's no word on detailed specs, price or when it'll see the fluorescent lights of your local electronics store. For now, you can see it in all of its forms in the accompanying galleries.
Panasonic's first-person 4K camera debuts at CES, set for launch in late 2014
Wearable devices and 4K are two of the biggest trends at CES, and Panasonic has managed to make both collide. The outfit's revealed a UHD camera that folks can wear on their head with the help of a plastic mount that wraps around their ears and neck. While the prototype is nearly identical to the HX-A100 cam the firm debuted at last year's show (yes, it's still waterproof), this Ultra High-Definition model is lined with some more powerful innards. Detailed tech specs are being kept under lock and key, but the unit on display was sending a live feed of the pixel-packed footage to a 4K display through a mini-HDMI port -- a feature that will be available in the final version. Despite the hardware's compact form, it produced sharp video free of stuttering, and caught a fairly wide field of view courtesy of its fisheye lens. While there's no word on pricing, the first-person camera is slated for a release later this year.
Panasonic's next GH mirrorless camera will record 4K video, arrive late February for under $2,000
With plenty of 4K displays in Panasonic's booth, it's appropriate the firm's finally shown off a camera in its GH line that records 4K video. The company's keeping most of the hardware's specs close to its collective vest, but a representative was able to divulge a few details. UHD content can be recorded at 200 Mbps, and output in a full live feed via a mini-HDMI port (thanks to ALL-I Intra mode) to display on a computer or record to a hard drive. Of course, the Micro-Four Thirds shooter can save footage straight to an SDXC card -- a UHS Class 3 prototype variant tuned for such a task was on display -- though space will run out fairly quickly. There's no word how many megapixels the cam totes, but it will be able to simultaneously snap photos while recording video. More details are set to arrive with the camera's official release in late February, when it'll arrive with a price tag of $2,000 or less. In the meantime, look out below for a glimpse of the shooter in the gallery.
The Audi Smart Display is a 10.2-inch Android tablet that lives in your car
German car manufacturer Audi just pulled the curtains back on its Audi Smart Display, a 10.2-inch Android tablet wrapped in brushed aluminum that lives in your auto. The slate is powered by an NVIDIA Tegra 4 chip, boasts crash resistance and the chops to survive temperatures as high as 80 degrees Celsius (176 degrees Fahrenheit). Of course, drivers aren't the target users for the device; passengers are. The hardware hooks up to vehicles over in-car WiFi and provides folks along for the ride with access to the web, media and navigation systems, and control over the radio, to boot. It's not clear what version of Google's OS it runs or if and when it'll find its way into autos on the road, but expect more details -- and a hands-on -- as CES continues.
Audi's Sport Quattro Laserlight concept officially debuts at CES
Audi teased us with concept drawings of its Sport Quattro Laserlight months ago, and tonight it decided to show off the vehicle in the flesh (or metal and carbon fiber) at CES. Before we wax about the auto's looks, it's important to note the machine's technical details, as they alone inspire a fair bit of awe. The car's titular feature is its headlights, whose laser light can cut through through five football fields of darkness. Aside from the futuristic headlamps, the car's calling card is the combination of electric and gas motors -- the latter of which takes it 90 miles per gallon -- for a whopping 700 horsepower. Simply put, Audi's crafted the Laserlight to look stunning from any angle. From the front, its rectangular beams offer a dose of futurism, and its large grille looks eager to breathe in as much air as possible while tearing through the freeway. From the sides, it's difficult to ignore how the top of the car swoops down into its base, still leaving room for two seats in the rear. From behind, the iconic lights make a return alongside a carbon fiber accent, which can be found as trim in other areas of the hybrid. Of course, there's still no word on price or availability, as the automobile is still in the conceptual stage. To ogle at Audi's Sport Quattro Laserlight yourself, take a peek at the gallery above.
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.
Evena's smart glasses offer nurses a through-the-skin view of patients' veins (video)
It's not always easy for nurses to find the right vein for an intravenous drip -- the target vessels are sometimes hidden below the skin. Evena Medical's new Eyes-On smart glasses may make those injections a little easier. The Moverio-based eyewear overlays a 3D blood vessel map on the patient, helping the nurse insert even a tricky IV line on the first try. It can also tap into a hospital's medical records and share imagery with doctors in remote locations. There's no word on just which hospitals will use Eyes-On when it ships in the first quarter of 2014, but don't be surprised if it makes your hospital stay a little more bearable in the near future. Check out a video promo for the glasses after the break.
Next-generation Mac Pro in various states of undress (eyes-on)
It wasn't behind protective glass this time, so that's definitely a step in the right direction for the next-generation Mac Pro, which was first trotted out at WWDC back in June. Today it was beautifully sprawled out for all the world to see, in various states of deconstruction. The display certainly speaks to just how easy it is to take the pro desktop apart, so you can go in and rejigger the components as you see fit. As mentioned before, the $3,000 workstation is surprisingly compact for such a powerhouse -- you'll likely have no difficulty lifting it up with the handle at top. We got a gallery below featuring a slew of different angles on the Pro, so you can get a close up view of the 3.7GHz quad-core Xeon CPU, 12GB of RAM and, of course, the Darth Vader mask vent. Hopefully that'll be enough to tide you over between now and the product's December launch date. And what about power? Thankfully, this time out there were a trio of Pros actually plugged in. The most impressive of the three demos was 4K video editing in Final Cut. Thanks in no small part to the dual-GPUs, our friendly Apple rep had the tower hooked up to two monitors (you can do up to three in Mavericks, mind), editing 16 angles in 4K with no discernible delay in rending occurring. An impressive feat, to say the least. The new Pro is likely to maintain Apple's spot as a darling amongst pro video editors -- and, naturally, we can't wait to get our hands on the thing for a little benchmarking action.
Verizon reveals new Droid accessories, includes SOL Republic headphones, speakers and external batteries (eyes-on)
What do you need after getting your very own Droid Mini / Ultra / Maxx? Why, accessories to go along with them, of course. Big Red introduced a slew of add-ons to accompany the newly announced phones this morning, which include cases from Speck, Incipio and Otterbox, a set of SOL Republic headphones, a SOL Republic Bluetooth speaker and matching 4,000mAh and 2,000mAh external batteries to extend the life of your just procured handsets. The speaker features something called Heist mode, which lets up to five people log on via Bluetooth. Unfortunately that's all we can share about these for now, as they've yet to announce pricing, availability or anything else for that matter. We'll be sure to share more once we have more information. To get a closer look at some of these accessories, have a peek at our eyes-on gallery below. Update: We've learned that the battery packs have been out for awhile now, and run anywhere from $39.99 to $79.99 depending on desired capacity. %Gallery-194451% Zach Honig contributed to this report.
Sony PlayStation 4 eyes-on
Well, it pays to stick around a launch venue as the cleanup crews begin to roll out. We just caught a glimpse of Sony's brand new PlayStation 4 following the company's press event tonight, and it's really quite stunning. We were only able to view the console from a right angle, but we did manage to make out a dark black glossy finish up top, with a gray matte panel just below. It's difficult to judge depth from the side, but from this front view at least, we definitely liked what we saw. A small silver PlayStation logo is positioned towards the bottom of the glossy panel, representing the only branding visible from this side of the device. There's a Sony logo on the left side as well, as you can see in our gallery below. It's really quite a sleek design, so even though you may opt to toss the console away in a cabinet, it'll look just fine sitting out, too. Unfortunately Sony staffers ushered us out after snapping this shot, so that's all we've got for now. We'll be hitting up the company's booth bright and early tomorrow morning, though, and you better believe we'll be back to share our full hands-on impressions then. Follow all of our E3 2013 coverage at our event hub. %Gallery-190998%
Genius.box wants to put a different experiment on your doorstep every month
There are a lot of things you can have delivered to your home on a monthly basis: magazines, hot sauces, underwear and beer are just a few. The second place winner at the Husky Startup Challenge, genius.box, takes that basic concept but replaces the Fruit of the Looms with simple to perform science experiments. Aimed at children between the ages of eight and 12, the projects inside each package teach a basic lesson in science, technology, engineering or math through a hands-on experience. All of the materials needed for each experiment are included, along with a lesson plan, instructions and "factoid" cards with tidbits of interesting trivia, such as the number of elements on the periodic scale. The two boxes trotted out for demo day by creators Kate Pipa and Shivangi Shah covered the science and technology portions of the STEM equation. One was a kitchen chemistry set for growing crystals and the other a simple electronics kit, based partially around parts of a Snap Circuits set, that has kids building an electromagnet and lighting up an LED. This isn't exactly a return to hardcore chemistry sets of the past (you'll find no radioactive materials or poisons in here), but it's certainly a step in the right direction for an America whose love affair with science is on the rocks. Every four weeks a child would get a whole new educational playset for the target price of $20 a month. Which is quite a bit cheaper than your standard chemistry set or electronics kit. To be kept in the loop as genius.box works to get off the ground, sign up at the more coverage link. %Gallery-185100%
Pioneer Platinum Edition CDJ2000nexus, DJM-900nexus and RMX-1000 eyes-on
What do Magpies and DJs have in common? Well, if Pioneer's latest special edition hardware is anything to go by, it's a love of shiny things. Announced this week, the limited-run of it's flagship CDJ2000nexus, DJM-900nexus and RMX-1000 remix station DJ gear is all about the looks. We managed to get there the minute the show floor opened, and found the lustrous kit getting the final spit and polish before the eager hoards could get their curious hands on it. As anyone who has used Pioneer DJ kit will know, the build quality is generally high, and this is still the case here. The metallic finish really makes them something to look at, and we can see this being the set-up of choice for those who like to show off a little. With that in mind, you might be thinking what we were: what about fingerprints? Well, having got there first, meant that they had yet to endure the proper real-world challenge, but we were kind enough to apply a few firm presses to the gear in the name of science. The result? Well, let's just say that you might want to keep a lint-free cloth close to hand. But then if you're the kind to lay down the suggested $8,499 for the whole set, we imagine you might have thought that far ahead already. Check the gallery below to see the whole set, up close and personal. Billy Steele contributed to this report.
Moog shows off one-of-a-kind Aluminum Voyager and 10th Anniversary Minimoog Voyager at NAMM (eyes-on)
A couple of months back, Moog announced its limited edition 24-karat gold clad Minimoog Voyager to celebrate the 10th anniversary of said analog synth. But here at NAMM 2013, the outfit is showing of the latest bit of unannounced handiwork from its in-house machine shop. Feast your eyes on the Aluminum Voyager: a one-of-a-kind unit that is housed in the rugged silver material and features all blue panel lighting to complete the look -- right down to the rivets. We also took a bit of time to lay our peepers on that golden model, too. Our snaps don't really do it justice, but the combination of the shiny finish with translucent control knobs and accents of Japanese Awabi pearl make for one of the most dapper instruments we've seen. But don't take our word for it, dive in to the gallery below to take a closer look at the pair.
Hisense XT780 3D Smart TV with Google TV at CES 2013, we go eyes-on
Hisense has barely made the news official, but here at its CES 2013 press event, we were able to glimpse its latest Google TV effort, the XT780 3D Smart TV with Google TV. The sleek set, to be offered in both 65- and 55-inch models, features a 7.9mm bezel and arrives with a chip on its shoulder: it received the CEA Innovations Honoree Award. It's also paired with that same uniquely contoured remote we saw back at IFA. In fact, the dual-sided controller's folded over shape bears a distant similarity to the magazine fold of the Xperia Tablet S. On the remote's back is a full QWERTY keyboard for search queries, but despite its broad layout, you'll likely be thumbing this much as you would a smartphone. Flip it around, and users will be presented with a trackpad that sits between dedicated buttons for Netflix, guide, voice navigation, home button, in addition to an option to toggle 3D. From what we can see on the idle 65-inch set at this presser, the internet connected XT780's homescreen loads up with a shelf on the upper right, playing host to YouTube, Netflix and HiMedia apps, with a list of frequently used applications (all available from Google Play) just below. Taking up space on the screen's lower half is a bar arranged with shortcuts for Home, settings, Chrome browser, Google Play and Search. It's not the freshest innovation to come from Hisense -- for that you'll have to stay tuned to this week's showfloor coverage. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
Eyes-on with Panasonic's new HDTV lineup ahead of CES press conference
Our liveblog of Panasonic's press conference is mere minutes away, but we've already glimpsed some new HDTV models displayed on stage. There looks to be an update to the top-of-the-line WT series of LED sets -- we'd estimate the size as 55 inches. Next to it is a yet-to-be-announced plasma model, almost certainly from the high-end VT series. We're eyeballing it at 65 inches, but we'll know soon whether our estimates are correct -- and hopefully, get the lowdown on specs and availability. Stay tuned! Update: We had a chance to get up close and personal with the new TVs after the press conference -- you'll find three models in the gallery just below. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub. Zach Honig contributed to this report.
Cute quotient overload: eyes-on with the Street Fighter x Sanrio Fightstick for Xbox 360
Thought the holidays were over? So did we. Imagine our surprise, then, when we returned to the office to find one last, special package lying in wait: Mad Catz Street Fighter x Sanrio Arcade Fightstick Pro. As ridiculous explosions of cute go, this one takes the sugoku kawaii cake -- even the box is a Hello Kitty collector's wet dream. Obvious overall otaku appeal aside, Xbox 360 gamers interested in the Fightstick Pro will find an eight button "authentic Japanese-style Sanwa Denshi" layout, switches for button lock / unlock and three joystick configuration settings (d-pad, left or right analog stick), turbo functionality, as well as a headphone jack upfront and a storage compartment housing the 13-foot long USB cable around back. Really though, no amount of English words will do this kitsch item justice. So check out the gallery below for a photo tour of this adorable collision of anime worlds.
Mitsubishi's i-MiEV Evolution electric racer eyes-on
Many automakers are testing the waters by introducing all-electric vehicles to consumers at this year's LA Auto Show, but Mitsubishi's i-MiEV Evolution aims to stomp with the big dogs in the world of competitive racing. Taking second place at this year's Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, this juiced up carbon-fiber speedster pushes around 322HP from its three 80KW electric motors and packs a 35KWh lithium-ion battery. While it seems the Evo should be chasing after the Mach 5 and it looks like it came from Pops Racer's garage, many of its components come from its predecessor, with the exception of its all-wheel drive configuration. Speed past the break to get a closer look at this battery-powered brute in all of its manga inspired glory.
Hybrid Sports Bicycle eyes-on (video)
The LA Auto Show isn't just loaded with flashy concept cars from auto industry heavyweights, it's also a breeding ground for innovation in the transportation industry as a whole. While cruising the halls of the Los Angeles Convention Center, a unique contraption caught our eye. Pictured above is the Hybrid Sports Bicycle (HSB), a triple threat that runs on gas, electricity and good old fashion human pedaling. The project is currently seeking investors, with its creator Tomas Bubilek targeting a retail price somewhere between $6,000 to $7,000. For those of you who might think that this is a high premium, we've definitely seen hybrid bikes that far exceed this toll. So, if you're in the business of being an early adopter, check out the video below to see what might be replacing that segway you bought a few years back.
Moog's LEV-96 sensoriactuator prototype wields touch control of 96 simultaneous harmonics, we go eyes-on (video)
Late last week, Moog outed its LEV-96 sensoriactuator prototype and offered a glimpse at its latest R&D unit. Even though it's still in the early phases of beta-testing, we were able to stop by the Moog Music factory for a closer look and a brief glimpse of the gear in action ahead of its appearance at Moogfest. While the unit is installed on acoustic guitars for the time being, the company says that similar tech can be used on other acoustic instruments and eventually to other surfaces -- this is just the current manifestation. Since the tech modifies the guitar's natural harmonics and string vibrations, the LEV-96 is getting cozy on both traditional acoustic guitars and those outfitted with pickups in its present state. As far as controls go, the entire unit is capacitive touch-enabled from the moment a finger swipe powers it on. Sliders allow for adjusting the intensity, harmonics and note duration while the other buttons enable arpeggio presets and modulation that includes tremolo and random harmonic tweaks. Those sliders remain in play when a preset is activated, serving to enable further adjustments on selected There is a lock button, too, so that you don't accidentally make a switch mid-strum. All of these finger-friendly surfaces work alongside two pairs of electromagnetic pickup channels per string to wrangle the 96 simultaneous harmonics. Magnets work to either increase of decrease the string's motion, bringing out vibrational modes that have always been in-play on acoustic instruments, but have never been offered the power needed to make 'em sing. The folks at Moog are quick to remind us that the LEV-96 is still in its infancy, but you can rest assured we'll be keeping an eye our for what develops. For a peek at the tech in action, head on past the break for a really quick demo that we kept brief due to that fact that this is an early prototype.%Gallery-169322%
Formlabs FORM 1 high-resolution 3D printer spotted in the wild, we go eyes on (video)
Last time we checked in with the 3D printing upstarts over at Formlabs, their Kickstarter was doing splendidly, having over doubled its initial funding target. Well, less than a month later, and with the money still rolling in, the current total stands (at time of writing) at a somewhat impressive $2,182,031 -- over 20 times its initial goal. When we heard that the team behind it, along with some all important working printers, rolled into town, how could we resist taking the opportunity to catch up? The venue? London's 3D print show. Where, amongst all the printed bracelets and figurines, the FORM 1 stood out like a sore thumb. A wonderfully orange, and geometrically formed one at that. We elbowed our way through the permanent four-deep crowd at their booth to take a closer look, and as the show is running for another two days, you can too if you're in town. Or you could just click past the break for more.
