Powermat CES 2010 lineup hands-on

We just swung by Powermat’s table here at Digital Experience, and we’re really digging the newest lineup of products out of the company. It’s offering up its appropriately titled power mats in sizes for one, two, or three devices, as well as specialized folding solutions for the car or when you’re not near an outlet. The place we see the real promise, though, is with the swappable batteries we heard about earlier. That’s right, the days of those ugly, bulky cases are over if you’re lucky enough to have a device that’s supported. We saw demos for multiple models, including a handful of BlackBerrys, the Droid, and the MyTouch 3G — sorry iPhone users, you still need a jacket. Even more interestingly, there’s an app available for Android users that will allow Powermat to remotely optmThe netbook solution the folks at Powermat are hocking is more of an adapter with an external jacket, and it’s not the most elegant solution. Be sure to check the gallery below for glamour shots of the new gear in action.

Powermat CES 2010 lineup hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 22:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CES: Samsung announces PX2370 LED monitor

Samsung unveils its PX2370 monitor. pOriginally posted at a href=”http://ces.cnet.com/8301-31045_1-10427633-269.html” class=”origPostedBlog”2010 CES/a/p

HP’s Windows 7 Slate Device Revealed by Steve Ballmer

It’s not Courier, but HP’s rumored slate PC is here, now. Steve Ballmer and his hardware specialist Ryan Asdourian just showed it off, and man is it cute. Updated with VIDEO

Update:Adrian just spotted this official video:

“They’re more powerful than a phone and almost as powerful as a PC. Perfect for reading, surfing the web and taking entertainment on the go,” said Ballmer at his CES 2010 opening keynote. He says that it will be available this year.

HP says they’ll provide information on the slate after the keynote, but wouldn’t say anything in the meantime. We’re calling it a “slate”—well, Microsoft is calling it a slate, to differentiate from the pen-and-screen dealy that Bill Gates intro’d in 2001—but that’s not its name.

It’s a Windows 7 touch device, so it’s nice in an accessible, netbooky (yeah, I’m guessing relatively cheap) context. But it’s not exactly the Courier we have lusted after from Microsoft in our dreams (and waking hours).

Here you can see it in its various modes, movie mode, ebook mode and PC mode:

Fun fact: Asdourian, shown above with Ballmer, moonlights as a (or the) Seahawks mascot.

CES: Nexus One is lightning fast

It doesn’t have all the features we’d like, but the Nexus One greatly enhances the Google Android family with a fast processor, good call quality and enhanced voice control features. pOriginally posted at a href=”http://www.cnet.com/8301-19736_1-10427939-251.html” class=”origPostedBlog”Android Atlas/a/p

CES: The 404 Podcast 492: Where we’re the first podcast ever to broadcast in 3D


(Credit:
CNET/The 404)

We’re very excited for our first official show from the CNET stage at CES 2010, and it seems like the entire conference is buzzing about the latest in 3D technology! We’re still working on getting 3D for our show, so you’ll have to settle for us throwing cameras, USB keys, and printers at the camera in the meantime.

Today’s show kicks off with a preview of what you can expect from this year’s conference, starting with news about the future of home theater and a batch of 3DTVs that stream 3D content over the existing 2D landscape, replete with fabulously gaudy “active-shutter” glasses, sold separately of course. Per usual, Jeff retains a healthy dose of skepticism about the trend, but Wilson and I are excited about the prospect of enjoying sports and movies in true 3D.

We’re also looking forward to Steve Ballmer’s keynote speech at the show, where he’ll supposedly reveal details about a new HP multitouch tablet computer. Piggybacking on last year’s news of the Microsoft Courier, the “slate-type computer” will join the ranks of Apple and Lenovo for tablets to be released in 2010.

With all the excitement surrounding CES, we’re all itching for a chance to meet Lady Gaga, who will be making several appearances at the show to promote her Monster Heartbeat headphones and speak to her recent multi-year partnership with Polaroid as Creative Director. Although the project is still in infancy, we’re hoping that the popstar will reinvigorate the popular brand with her unique style and direction.

Finally, we wrap up today’s episode of The 404 with a rundown of the top 10 movies to watch in 2010, which includes the new Robin Hood starring Russell Crowe, Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island, Iron Man 2, The Social Network with Justin Timberlake, and many more. We’ve also got plenty of surprise guests and 404 merchandise giveaways to look forward to, so be sure to check us out live at 4PM PT on CNET TV for plenty more fun!



EPISODE 492


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Originally posted at 2010 CES

CES: Mad Catz X65F Flight Stick looks military-grade

Due out in February, the Saitek Pro Flight X65F is designed specifically to emulate aircraft controls found in the modern military fighter jets. While most conventional flight sticks tilt with your movement, the X65F responds solely to pressure while rem pOriginally posted at a href=”http://ces.cnet.com/8301-31045_1-10427920-269.html” class=”origPostedBlog”2010 CES/a/p

CES: Kodak expands line of office-friendly printers

Kodak debuts two new all-in-one printers that encourage users to capture and share digital snapshots with friends and family. pOriginally posted at a href=”http://ces.cnet.com/8301-31045_1-10427921-269.html” class=”origPostedBlog”2010 CES/a/p

The HP Slate

Here we go — press images of the HP Slate just hit the web, right as Ballmer showed it off during his CES keynote. The prototype device is said to be coming later this year, and it’s running Windows — Ballmer showed it running the PC Kindle app. It’s also multitouch, and can do some gaming — they showed it playing Frogger. Check one more pic and the teaser vid after the break. And trust us — we’re going to find out everything about this thing before we’re done.

Continue reading The HP Slate

The HP Slate originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 22:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic’s home audio extravaganza at CES 2010

Panasonic blew right through a ton of new products during its CES keynote, and it’s keeping up an equally frantic pace with the rest of the official business, with it pushing out no less than a half dozen press release that just cover its home audio-related offerings. Those include the SC-HC20, SC-HC30 and SC-HC40 iPod / iPhone speaker systems, the SC-SP100 compact iPod speaker system (pictured above), a trio Blu-ray home theater system that include various speaker options, the slimline SC-HTB1 soundbar with a built-in subwoofer, and the SC-ZT2 wireless audio system that Panasonic proudly boasts is the “first fully wireless home theater audio system made for Full HD 3D” — oh, and a new pair of noise-canceling headphones too. Head on past the break for a rundown of the key vitals, and hit up the gallery below for a look at the whole lot.

Continue reading Panasonic’s home audio extravaganza at CES 2010

Panasonic’s home audio extravaganza at CES 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 22:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft Touts Home Entertainment at CES Keynote

Steve BallmerLAS VEGAS — Microsoft detailed plans for XBox 360 enhancements, a new gesture-driven interface for the XBox and a tablet-style Windows PC tonight at a keynote presentation kicking off the Consumer Electronics Show here.

It was the second year as CES headliner for Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who took over the keynote spot from his former boss, Bill Gates, last year.

After a power outage briefly plunged the stage into darkness and delayed the start of the keynote by over 20 minutes, Ballmer ambled onstage in his trademark V-neck sweater. He touted the company’s successes with its recent Windows 7 launch, outlined its plans for enhancing home entertainment and tying together the “three screens” through which people experience media today (television, PC and mobile devices). He provided more details on upcoming enhancements to the successful XBox 360 platform and XBox Live online service.

“From the largest screen on the wall to the smallest screens in people’s pockets, we are delivering the entertainment people want,” Ballmer said.

View the Microsoft keynote live, via a video stream provided by the company.
(Requires Microsoft’s Silverlight plugin.)

It’s been a good year for Microsoft. Ballmer reprised the launch of the company’s search engine, Bing, which he said has attracted 11 million users since its launch. There are now more than 39 million Xboxes in use around the world, and XBox game sales have totaled $20 billion since the platform’s launch, Ballmer said.

And, Ballmer said, “the Zune HD device is getting rave reviews.” That is true — Wired’s review of the Zune HD is quite positive — but the device still has a single-digit share of the portable media player market.

But the centerpiece of Microsoft’s business in 2009 was Windows 7. After taking well-deserved criticism for its launch of Windows Vista in 2007, Microsoft bounced back with many much-needed enhancements in Windows 7. For the most part, the critical and consumer response to Windows 7 has been excellent. The operating system is more streamlined, easier to use and prettier to look at than Vista, and it seems to have injected new life into what seemed like a staggering personal-computing dinosaur. Ballmer called Windows 7 the fastest-selling computer operating system in history, and touted figures showing that it drove a 50 percent increase in PC sales the week it was launched, and a 50 percent year-over-year increase in overall sales of Windows PCs.

The Mac, it seems, has not killed off Windows.

But with rumors of an upcoming Apple tablet looming large in many observers’ minds this week, Microsoft — along with many other computer industry companies — can’t afford to ignore the persistent irritation that is Apple.

Accordingly, one of the gadgets shown by Microsoft tonight was a tablet-like device, produced by HP and running Windows 7. Not the “Courier” tablet that Microsoft previewed in 2009, this is more akin to old-school Tablet PCs, albeit with no keyboard and running the now-multitouch-enhanced Windows 7.

HP said the device would be available later this year, but provided no details on pricing, availability or specifications.

Another not-so-subtle message from Ballmer’s keynote: Apple’s iPhone hasn’t killed off Windows Mobile, either. Microsoft partners shipped 80 different Windows Mobile-based phones last year, Ballmer said, and indicated that more would be coming in 2010. As an example, he showed off the HTC HD-2, a new WinMo-powered phone that will be available on T-Mobile. The HD-2 will feature a 4.3-inch LCD screen and will be about as thick as two poker chips.

Microsoft pushed the message that it’s an entertainment company, too, on two fronts. One was the announcement of Media Room 2.0, software for viewing multimedia content (videos, audio and photos) on your computer. The new version lets you view content on any screen in your home, from a phone to a PC to a TV, Ballmer said.

And the second entertainment front is the XBox 360. Fresh from the wildly successful pre-holiday launch of Modern Warfare 2 (one of the highest-grossing videogames in history, according to Microsoft), the company promised more games exclusive to the XBox platform to come in 2010, including Tom Clancy Splinter Cell, Crackdown 2, Mass Effect 2, Fable 3 and Alan Wake.

An update to the Halo series, Halo Reach, will enter beta testing later this year. In an unusual twist, anyone who bought the previous title, Halo ODSM, will be invited to take part in the Halo Reach beta test, which Microsoft anticipates will include as many as 2 million testers.

Microsoft also showed off a new XBox Live feature called GameRoom, featuring more than 1,000 old arcade games from the likes of Atari and Intellivision, like Tempest and Pac-Man. Users will be able to create “virtual game rooms” that their XBox Live avatars (and those of their friends) can walk around in. Virtual quarters, one assumes, will be available without limit.

Finally, Bach showed off the company’s gestural interface for XBox 360, Project Natal, which first appeared at E3 last year. Natal will be available in time for the holiday season in 2010, Bach promised, as a camera plus software that will work on all existing XBox 360 systems. Developers are currently working on Natal-enhanced games and applications that will be available when the system launches.

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