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iHome offers a few Bluetooth solutions and a boombox at CES 2013
iHome is one of the biggest iOS accessory sellers out there, and they always have a huge presence at CES, with a big booth showing off all of the company's latest and greatest wares. Unfortunately, the product lines can often be hard to navigate -- lately, the company has insisted on using a numbering system for each of its products rather than individual names, instead relying on the popular "iHome" brand as an identifier. But there are some good products in there, among all of the relatively standard docks and connector cables that a lot of other CES vendors share. Like a lot of accessory makers, Lightning is probably the biggest story around iHome's booth, as it's just now releasing docks and connectors designed to work with Apple's new standard. So for all of the old docks out there previously, there's now a Lightning version available that will fit together with your iPhone 5, the latest iPad or the iPad mini. Bluetooth speakers are also a big deal for iHome lately, with one of the most popular being the IBT 97, a clock dock powered by a Bluetooth connection, with an extra USB port in the back for charging. The IBT 30 is very impressive as well: It's a Bluetooth speaker with a rechargeable base on it, so you can use the device as a speaker wherever you want, and simply return it to the base when it needs a charge. The iP4 is one of the company's most popular products this year: It's a retro boombox-style stereo system that's been seen out and about in famous performers' hands. There's a standard Lightning version now, along with a Bluetooth version, each available for about US$199 or so. And finally, the IBT 52 (ugh, these names) isn't the most iOS-specific device we saw, but it is handy. The IBT 52 is a little unit with a cord that leads off to a 3.5-inch plug, and it can be plugged into any speaker system in your house to make it Bluetooth-enabled, allowing you to send music from your iOS device to a stereo system that doesn't already have Bluetooth inside of it. It's a pretty handy little device, and it could be very useful for those of us with older stereo systems when it releases later on this year in May for $49.
USA HD / Sci-Fi HD launching on Dish Network?
We've seen two reports now leading us to believe that Dish Network subscribers can tune in to two new HD channels as early as tomorrow. Apparently, the satellite provider has already uplinked Sci-Fi HD and USA HD, and according to Scott Greczkowski over at SatelliteGuys, the two channels could go live to customers Friday -- as in, tomorrow. If all this pans out, it should be quite a nice weekend in front of the set for Dish customers.[Thanks, Daryl and Matt]Read - SatelliteGuysRead - HighDefForum
Bright House Networks to add 50 HD channels over next 18 months
Not even three months ago, we got word that Bright House Networks would be adding eight new HD channels to its lineup, but now that number has skyrocketed with an announcement promising some 50 high-definition channels within the next 18 months. Reportedly, customers will see the first HD additions on February 1, 2008, as six unspecified channels are tossed in. Christian Fenger, president of BHN's Central Florida division, proclaimed that it would "triple" its HD offerings over the next 1.5 years by adding content that was "compelling, entertaining and of interest to its customers," and the firm also noted that the expansion was being made possible because of its "hybrid fiber-coaxial network architecture and long-standing relationships with the programmers."
Will DirecTV's HD push stimulate competition?
Arguments have already begun over who will eventually reign supreme as the dominant HD provider, and while cable has had years to take advantage of their increased HD offerings compared to satellite carriers, that gap is quickly closing. DirecTV has already launched one HD-centric bird into orbit and apparently has number 11 ready to rock, and the firm's recent HD marketing campaign just might "light a fire in cable to reconsider the pace at which they invest" in HD rollouts. Of course, DirecTV's latest stunt (you know, the sixty-second countdown commercial) is full of asterisks and features a quick-lipped dame throwing in a multitude of "up to"s and "potentially"s, but what's clear is how harshly it comes down on cable. Hey, we're all for taking the gloves-off approach to getting things done, especially if we cable customers actually benefit from DirecTV's aggression.
