RCA
Latest
RCA-branded hardware at CES includes mobile TVs with Android, soundbar / media streamer
While it may not have the most high profile entries at CES, RCA always manages to lend its brand to some interesting hardware, and this year that includes the Wi-Fi Home Theater Sound Bar seen above. It brings multichannel audio and wireless surround speakers as well as access to services like Netflix and Hulu, by building in the Roku-like streamer RCA is currently peddling. Its other products include a slew of TVs due for various regions in the Americas, like a 55-incher it's claiming is the first connected LED LCD available in Latin America. We haven't hit a Best Buy in Uruguay to confirm that yet, so we'll just have to take RCA's word on that one for now. Also spied at its CES Unveiled booth were mobile TVs compatible with the Dyle service, and licensee Digital Stream has an Android-powered TV receiver planned for later this year. The device has a 7-inch touchscreen and a few simple apps included, and should be priced around $200 when it ships in the second half of the year. Check the press release after the break for a few more details, check below for hands-on pics.
Engadget previews Ferrari's future hypercars at the World Design Contest (video)
Ferrari's been one of the most respected car manufacturers in the world since the 1940s, but it hasn't exactly gotten there by being bleeding-edge. In the early '60s, when rear-engined cars were sweeping the charts in Formula One, Il Commendatore -- Enzo Ferrari -- refused to take one racing, famously saying "the horse doesn't push the cart along with its nose." It would take many humiliating defeats before his company would finally put that horse where it belongs. Being an early adopter, obviously, was not a priority. It's only in the past few years, with cars like the Enzo and 458 Italia, that Ferrari has truly embraced modern ideas of whizz-bang tech to make their cars genuinely faster -- not just easier to drive. That's just the beginning. Automotive technology is finally starting to accelerate the way personal computing devices have for the past few decades. New means of propulsion are combining with ever-greater integrated systems and it's easy to see this as leading us toward a generation of cars faster and still more efficient than anything we've yet seen on the roads. Ferrari calls this four-wheeled singularity the "hypercar," and to get an idea of just what that car of the future might look like it invited 50 teams of designers from major universities around the world to compete. Join us as we look at some of the best creations. %Gallery-133210%
RCA's line of portable hybrid televisions now available
RCA announced these way back at CES, and it's now finally rolled out its new line of portable "hybrid" televisions, which are able to receive both Mobile DTV and standard digital TV signals. Those include in two different 3.5-inch models that run $119 and $159 (the latter includes an FM tuner and lithium ion battery back instead of AAs), as well as a 7-inch model that will set you back $179 -- somewhat curiously, those prices are all $10 higher than those originally announced. Those looking to fully round out the package can also snag a car kit that includes a charger, remote control and monopole antenna for $129. Full press release is after the break.
Rural Carrier Association not happy with AT&T's MediaFLO spectrum buy, asks FCC to reject it
The Rural Carrier Association -- representing some of the US' smallest carriers -- has a tumultuous relationship (at best) with industry giants AT&T and Verizon; major sticking points over the past several years have revolved around handset exclusivity and roaming deals that the rural guys need for their subscribers to have functional devices outside their relatively small footprints. The latest battlefront looks to be AT&T's deal to buy the juicy, high-value 700MHz spectrum that Qualcomm had been using to run its MediaFLO network, which the RCA says is a little excessive in light of the fact that the company and Verizon together already hold 70 percent of the available 700MHz airspace out there -- prime territory for LTE. The complaint might be a decoy, though: right in its press release, the RCA says that if the FCC does approve the purchase, it should require automatic roaming on the spectrum so that rural carriers have a chance to offer its customers 4G service there. Presumably, the RCA realizes its chances of actually getting the deal rejected are small -- so it's tying it all back in to the existing roaming concerns it's had. We see what you did there, guys! Follow the break for the press release.
RCA does Android on TV without Google's help (video)
Just like the slew of tablets that have found their path to store shelves without official blessing from Google or access to the Android Market, RCA has chosen to go its own way People of Lava-style with this prototype Android TV, due out later this year. Obviously very early in development, it was unfortunately devoid of apps other than Picasa and a simple weather widget, and used pretty standard remote keys to guide a mouse arrow around the screen and keyboard. You can check out the video after the break to confirm, but with the official Google TV products already experiencing their own growing pains it's tough to get behind a lone challenger. RCA plans to show off some 3D products and Blu-ray players at its booth to go along with this and its mobile TVs, we'll see if we're more impressed later on this week.
RCA debuts new line of portable ATSC / Mobile DTV hybrid televisions
Mobile DTV is finally making inroads stateside, and now RCA has announced a new line of portable TVs that not only take advantage of the technology, but also throw in regular digital TV reception t'boot. The four devices include: 3.5-inch Hybrid Portable Television DMT335R (including a LED backlit LCD screen and both AC power and 4 hours of playback on AA batteries for an MSRP of $109), 3.5-inch Hybrid Portable Television DMT336R (same as above, with additional FM receiver and internal Lithium Polymer battery, for an MSRP of $149); 7-inch Hybrid Portable Television DMT270R (800 x 480 LCD screen with 500:1 contrast ratio, AC power and built-in Lithium Polymer battery, and more for $169), and a car tuner receiver DMT3BR, featuring a car charger, remote control, and more, for a suggested retail price $119. Psyched? We bet you are! Check out the gallery below or the PR after the break. %Gallery-112563%
iFixit goes beige with RCA Studio II teardown
The RCA Studio II is already a pretty rare sight as is, but rarer still is a detailed look inside what's been described as one of the worst game consoles of all time. Thankfully, the folks at iFixit have now come through once again, and followed up their dissection of the Magnavox Odyssey 100 with a teardown of the circa-1977 "Home TV Programmer." In addition to an abundance of beige, the team also discovered a considerable amount of solder that's characteristic of 70s electronics, and even a few surprises like some white chip packages that are rarely (if ever) used these days. Hit up the link below for the complete blow-by-blow, and keep en eye out for even more vintage gadget teardowns during the rest of the week.
RCA BRC3108 portable Blu-ray ships to Target, seriously undercuts Panny's DMP-B15
Remember Panasonic's DMP-B15? You know, that "world's first portable Blu-ray player" that was introduced at CES and just started shipping last month? With an $800 price tag, there's a good chance you never even let the thing enter your stream of consciousness, but we can only wish you the best of luck as you try to ignore this one. RCA has quietly started to ship its BRC3108 10-inch portable Blu-ray player, which is equipped with a rechargeable battery, integrated stereo speakers, a headphone jack, 1080p HDMI output and bundled car / AC adapters alongside a carrying bag with headrest attachment for in-car use. The mini player lists for $349.99 on Amazon, and it's already starting to appear in select Target locations. You'll notice that Amazon still shows the device as being available for pre-order, and even the Target model didn't have a shelf tag yet. That said, we're sure someone in the back can pull some strings if you wave your credit card around long enough. Update: Looks like it's listed at $299.99 at Target -- image is after the break. Thanks, Thomas! [Thanks, Scott]
Sears and Kmart launch streaming video service this Christmas
As physical media sales continue to drop it looks like the smart money is in streaming content. Now Sears (and Kmart, which it owns) is getting in the game with the Alphaline Entertainment service. Powered by Sonic's RoxioNow (which is the same architecture that as Best Buy and Wal-Mart's services), Alphaline will be available on TVs and Blu-ray players manufactured by Sharp, LG, Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, and RCA. Setup of your device is included in the sale price, which is pretty great on the off chance you are less able to setup consumer electronics than your typical Kmart employee. Keep an eye out for the service this holiday season. PR after the break.
Lexi e-book reader probably won't ever be called sexy (hands-on)
We swung by the Audiovox / RCA booth in search of the new Lexi e-reader but sadly were met with a non-working version that was effectively useless. We've heard about the specs but were lacking in the image department, so it was good to at least see what the thing will look like when it hits the increasingly crowded e-reader space. The design is basic, and from the signage in the booth, so is the UI on the handheld itself. There's not much else to say here, and the PR reps weren't the most helpful, but we managed to snag a bunch of shots anyway so check them out below. %Gallery-82490%
Airnergy WiFi power system gives RCA a reason to exist (video)
We don't usually associate RCA with new and innovative technologies, but we think know they're on to something with its Airnergy power system, which harvests energy from WiFi signals. Shipping this summer, the pocketable dongle picks up WiFi signals from the air and manages to charge an internal battery through some magic inside. You don't have to connect to a network, you just have to be in a place that has signal, and it will automatically charge up. As if we weren't intrigued already, they told us that they're planning on building the tech into actual cellphone batteries, so you would theoretically never need to plug in again and your device would always be topped off. Yeah, we want. %Gallery-82487%
RCA Lexi e-reader sports Barnes and Noble software, Audiovox hardware
Quite frankly, readers, it looks like Audiovox is out of control. It's already deluged us with RCA branded camcorders, digiframes, and iPod soundsystems, and now it looks like the company is entering the e-book game. The RCA-branded Lexi e-reader sports a 6-inch (800 x 600) 16-level grayscale display, 2GB storage, and a battery life of some 7,000 page turns. Other features include ezTurn functionality (for the south paw in your life) and something called Auto-Magic content synchronization. As for content, this bad boy ships with Barnes & Nobles Desktop Reader for purchasing, managing, and, yes, reading the latest Dan Brown bestseller (some sort of sinister conspiracy, we believe). But that ain't all! Adobe Reader Mobile is also included, making it interoperable and fully compatible with PDF and ePub formats. Look for it in May for $229.99. PR after the break.
Audiovox goes wild at CES: digiframes, camcorders, remotes, iPod sound systems
Are you ready for this? No, we mean are you ready for this? We sure hope so, 'cause Audiovox is about to drop eight new products on you here in the desert. Kicking things off is the Acoustic Research brand with two new iPod / iPhone-friendly sound systems: the ARS1i (36-watts) and ARS2i (50-watts). Both of these guys arrive with twin 2.5-inch carbon fiber woofers, two dome tweeters, AM / FM radio functionality, a bundled remote, backlit LCD, soft touch front keys and an auxiliary input jack. The latter also touts a built-in rechargeable battery and portable handle, and while it will list for $199.99 this Spring, the lesser-specced sibling will sell for $50 less. Moving on, there's the RC60i and RC66i iPod clock radios from RCA, with the latter running on standard alkaline batteries and designed for the on-the-go crowd. That one will sell for a penny under $100, while the AC-powered RC60i will be offered at $79.99 when they hit this Spring. Staying on the RCA beat, there's the new line of Small Wonder pocket camcorders. The EZ4000 is a rugged, waterproof version that can capture 1080p clips onto a microSD card for $169.99 (available this Spring), while the palm-sized EZ5000 ($169.99) and EZ5100 ($199.99) look entirely more like a conventional camcorder and offer up 720p / 1080p video recording, 8 megapixel still shots, a 2.4-inch flip-out LCD and a rechargeable battery. The smaller EZ1000, EZ2000 and EZ3000 models round things out on the low end, with full specifications of these in the press release after the break. The outfit is also introducing the DPF8100 ($129.99) and DPF8300 ($129.99) digiframes, both of which are a part of the newly created Décor series; if those are just too classy for you, there's also a 7-inch DPF7407 ($129.99), which fits squarely in the cutely named Celebration series. Closing things out are the $39.99 RCA Voice Control Remote (which gladly listens to commands that you bark at it), a gaggle of new AR outdoor wireless speakers, a few new Jensen in-car head units and Zentral Home Command smartphone remotes. Feel free to dig in for more information on those just past the break. %Gallery-81170%
Rural carriers scoff at Verizon's exclusivity compromise
After throwing rural carriers a bone last week -- seemingly in an effort to cool down federal investigations into anti-competitive behavior -- Verizon's not getting a lot of love back from the Rural Cellular Association, the group of some 100 or so of the country's smallest networks, which is saying that "the commitment does not go far enough to rectify the consumer and competitive harms caused by these agreements." The "commitment" the RCA's referring to is Verizon's promise to offer carriers with 500,000 or fewer subscribers access to Verizon-exclusive handsets after six months -- but for one thing, the offer apparently excludes products like the BlackBerry Storm, which you can imagine small carriers would have a keen interest in picking up as a hero device (with a decent firmware installed, naturally). The RCA also makes reference to the fact that about 180 million of the nation's wireless customers wouldn't see any benefit from the offer, presumably a shot at Verizon's 500,000-subscriber cap. The response from Big Red is flippant, to say the least -- "they don't need to accept the offer," says a spokesman -- so we wouldn't expect it to get any sweeter without a fight.[Via Phone Scoop]
RCA's EZ209HD Small Wonder HD camcorder ships to retailers
It may lack the buzz factor of a Flip Video unit, but RCA's delightfully bantam Small Wonder HD camcorder is apt to provide just as much enjoyment without attracting loads of paparazzi. First announced at CES this year, the EZ209HD captures clips at 1,280 x 720 (H.264) and checks in at around 0.5-inches thick. It's shipping out now to retailers across the nation for under a Benjamin, but you should probably include a 16GB SDHC card in your budget plans. You know, just in case you plan on shooting for longer than the 2.85 seconds allowed by the 256MB of internal memory.
RCA dishes new 16GB SL5016 Lyra Slider MP3 player, we yawn
Really, RCA? You come all the way to Vegas to unload a slightly more capacious version of your already unexciting Lyra Slider MP3 player? As of today, consumers waiting on pins and needles for this here DAP to arrive with 16GB of memory built-in can thank their lucky stars, as the SL5016 offers just that. 'Course, we have no idea why you'd pay $119.99 for it, but maybe the bundled easyRip software is some amazing value-add that we just can't comprehend.
RCA introduces slimmest Small Wonder camcorder ever: EZ209HD
If you were taken aback by RCA's EZ300HD, you'll serious consider marrying the EZ209HD. Said device is the company's slimmest, sleekest and "sexiest" Small Wonder ever, enabling users to grab HD footage and view playback on the 2-inch LCD display. It's also packing an HDMI socket, a rechargeable battery good for two hours of use and a microSD slot. It'll hit this quarter for $119.99 alongside the standard-def EZ207.
General Electric partners with Tatung for "premium" GE-branded HDTVs
Who says there are too many players in the HDTV realm? With current mainstays partnering up like it's going out of style, we've found two firms that see something no one else does. General Electric has just announced a joint venture with Taiwan-based Tatung in which the pair plans on making two million HDTVs annually when production gets going in 2009. The two hope to capture at least 5% to 10% of the global TV market in due time, and according to Peter Weedfald, president of North America and global chief marketing officer for the JV, the resulting product will be a "premium brand" that will be "very competitive with current leadership brands." We'll be interested to see what all becomes of this, and hopefully we'll have some prototypes to gawk at come CES / IFA / CEDIA 2009.[Image courtesy of VintageTVSets]
RCA takes EZ300HD Small Wonder camcorder to 720p
We won't front -- we weren't, how do you say, blown away with RCA's Small Wonder trio announced earlier this year, but we'll give this one a fighting chance. The EZ300HD can capture clips at 720p on the 2GB of internal storage or on any spare SD card you've laying around. You'll also find a 2.4-inch LCD, a low-res YouTube recording mode and a sure-to-be-awesome 4x digital zoom. Operation is supposedly dead-simple, and there's a USB port and video output just in case you feel like blowin' it up on the big screen. Grab it real soon for $159.99. %Gallery-32114%
RCA trots out RIR205 tabletop internet radio
Among the other low-rate gear unveiled this evening by Audiovox comes the RCA RIR205, a tabletop internet radio that may have gotten away with that design in 1992. Instead, we have no option but to recommend this one only for rarely used spare bedrooms, though the built-in AM / FM tuner, WiFi radio streaming (complete with a Slacker song tagging feature) and the integrated support for WeatherBug forecasts are quite nice. Additionally, users can record up to 10 hours of music and other radio programming onto the unit's 512MB of inbuilt memory, and of course, you can set the alarm to wake you with online music or your favorite local sports talk host. Not too shabby for $149.99, but that exterior could use some work.
