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Check out the 'vue' at this Florida Ritz-Carlton resort
With airport security so unpredictable these days, it's just not safe to travel with your consoles anymore. So why travel at all? It's a question that The Ritz-Carlton resort in Naples, Fla. has tried to answer with the introduction of its new "vue." That's right -- it would seem that the "dazzling" views of the Gulf of Mexico just aren't engaging enough for today's vacationer, so the hotel has constructed a "virtual user experience." That's marketing-speak for "really jazzy living room." Pictured above, you'll spot the room's setup of LCDs wired to Wiis, PS3s and Xbox 360s, along with some iMacs in the center (not known for gaming, but they sure look swell.) We know it's a little awkward to share your "living room" with complete strangers, but after a few heavy cocktails, who isn't down for a wicked Rock Band sesh with that one couple's only child, who happens to be allergic to the sun? Hmmm ... on second thought, maybe a "staycation" does better suit your budget this year. %Gallery-91976%
Switched On: Towards telepresence's tipping point
Ross Rubin (@rossrubin) contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. To steal a line from Las Vegas' tourism board, what happens in the custom install channel has stayed in the custom install channel. While technologies routinely filter down from the enterprise to consumers, products and services that are the province of professional system integrators rarely become something the average consumer can manage, despite their perceived coolness, convenience and, in the case of some electrical and thermostat control, cost benefits. Examples include automated lighting, heating and air conditioning, multi-room video, and surveillance.But this is starting to change. One capability that has somewhat filtered through recently has been multi-room audio, which had to go wireless with the Sonos music system. While a Sonos system is still a relatively expensive product, but it is a drop in the bucket when compared with systems such as those from Russound. And telepresence may be getting next in line. The recent release of the Avaak Vue lives up to its promise of being a relatively simple and affordable product that extends webcams to walls, allowing consumers to peek in at will at what is going on at their home. Access is from a simple Web site that allows you to view up to 50 cameras around the home by dragging and dropping them onto a Web page.
Switched On: Connecting mobile, mantle and metal objects (Part 2)
Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. The last Switched On discussed Always Innovating's Touch Book, one of the new hardware products introduced at this month's DEMO conference and an entrant in the netbook category that trades compatibility for stamina by using an ARM processor instead of an Intel one. Like the Touch Book, the Avaak Vue personal video network will be offered for $299 when it debuts later this year (in a kit that includes two cameras and a base station) and has no apparent service fees -- at least not yet. Also, like the Touch Book, the Vue boasts outstanding battery life – so impressive, in fact, that the company claims its battery-powered video cameras should last a year under "normal usage" – the cameras use power only when they are being accessed remotely. This on-demand power consumption combined with a low-power mesh network enable Vue video cameras to be mounted practically anywhere and, like the Touch Book, Vue cameras take advantage of magnets, which is how they are affixed to and positioned around their small domed mounts. The result is a networked camera system that is almost completely wire-free save for the base station's connection to a home router and a power cable. However, unlike the Touch Book, which supports many open standards including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and an array of USB ports (including two internal ports), the proprietary mesh network that links the video cameras is Vue's secret sauce.
Vue mesh network video system hands-on
We had a chance to play around with Avaak's new multi-camera wireless video system, the Vue, and we've got to say -- it's kind of neat. The technology -- originally funded by DARPA and developed by the company for the military -- uses a mesh network (dubbed FrameMesh) to allow up to 50 cameras to communicate with a single base station. The premise is simple, you connect the included base to your router, then switch on as many of the cameras as you like; each one feeds its signal back home, then straight to your account on the company's servers where you can monitor the videos remotely. Once the video hits the page (the cameras stay off until you're actually watching something), you can record, or share them via Facebook, Flickr, etc. The cameras themselves are tiny things, and each one perches on a magnetized base where they can be adjusted to almost any position. The basic kit will run you $299, which includes the base station and two cameras, and each additional camera is $99. Not the lowest point of entry, but if you're into seriously monitoring some things, this is an insanely simple way to do it -- and we can't wait to see what installation artists get up to with these guys. Check out some hands-on pics in the gallery, then enjoy a brief video demo after the break.%Gallery-46197%
Kia Kue abandons airbag, swaps in GPS navigation
We know it's possible to strap a PSP to your steering wheel, but seriously, it's not like we'd recommend taking such a setup onto the open road. Apparently, designers at Kia are throwing caution to the wind and cramming convenience in your face with its Kue concept vehicle, which neatly sports a full-fledged GPS navigation system in place of an airbag. Yeah, you've got Honda trying to stuff such protective devices into frickin' motorcycles, but who needs driver's side safety when you've got a 100,000-mile warranty? Nevertheless, the whip also manages to sport Lambo-doors, swivel seats, a widescreen in-dash display, and what appears to be flush-mounted pillar controls. Of course, the Kue could end up rocking a half dozen airbags in a variety of other locations, but if you're interested in a few more pics of the quasi-street-legal ride, be sure to click on through.
Verizon Samsung U620 loaded up with MediaFLO mobile TV
Hang on to your handsets, fellas, because we've got a hot one that's just come over the transom. Verizon's going to be releasing a slider called the U620, which will come with VCAST Mobile TV, the rebranding of the MediaFLO mobile television service that is poised to go tête à tête with Vue. Beyond that, you've got some EV-DO data, stereo Bluetooth, a 1.3 megapixel cam, a MicroSD card slot, and speech-to-text voice recognition action up in there as well. While this scant info may just seem like a tease, it's all we've been able to glean from the depths of the interwebs for the time being -- as usual, we'll update as best we can.
Hands-on with Sprint VUE and the Samsung M250
It seems that beta testing for Sprint's VUE mobile TV service has kicked off in Kansas City and Las Vegas; users have their swiveling Samsung SPH-M250s in hand and initial impressions have started to filter in. One such report on SprintUsers says VUE offers a surprisingly clear, crisp picture (when reception is strong enough, that is) though we're guessing that mileage varies depending on how good the user's eyes are. The channel lineup looks solid, with CNN, MTV, Starz, and Comedy Central all on board (among others) for a trial that'll apparently last at least four months. Godspeed, Sprint, and good luck with the trial -- from the looks of it, you've got would-be customers anxiously awaiting you on the other side.
