Jan 06
At Samsung’s booth we checked out a demo of apps from cable providers Comcast and Time Warner Cable, which allow Samsung TVs to deliver live TV without the cable box.
Originally posted at CES 2011
Jan 06
Razer’s adjustable Onza 360 Tournament Edition controller hands-on at CES 2011
Posted in: controller, gaming, hands-on, razer, Today's Chili, xbox, xbox 360, Xbox360
Not so fond of the resistance level on that stock Xbox 360 controller? Hello, solution! Razer just trotted out the Tournament Edition and Standard Edition controllers, and we stopped by to have a look. The company told us that it has been working on perfecting the resistance mechanism on the Tournament Edition ($49.99) for months on end, and the end product was as solid as a rock. Both analog joysticks are capable of being independently tightened or loosened with respect to resistance, and it also touts an added shoulder button that can be reassigned to do pretty much anything via an intuitive button / menu process on the rear of the controller — that’s shown in more detail down in the gallery below. There’s also a rubberized feel to the grip, backlit buttons and a braided cable, whereas the $39.99 Standard edition lacks the adjustable resistance, backlighting, rubber finish and cable braiding.
Representatives for the company noted that the next logical step would be to concoct a wireless version and to eventually introduce a PlayStation 3 variant with resistant analog sticks, but no one was ready (or willing) to talk release dates. As for these Onzas? Pre-orders will start on the 17th, with shipments to hopefully follow in a few months.
Razer’s adjustable Onza 360 Tournament Edition controller hands-on at CES 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jan 06
Digitize Your Film Simply
Posted in: film, Today's Chili
I always look forward to checking out what Crowsley has to offer at CES. The company has a great old-fashioned design aesthetic and, like me, a love of old media formats, like vinyl. In addition to the standard audio products, the company was showcasing this very cool device.
The Memograph scans 35mm slides and negatives with a 5MP scanner. The 2.4-inch screen gives you a glimpse of the images as you scan them, so you don’t need a PC. Once scanned, the images are saved as JPEGs.
The Memograph has built-in color balance and auto exposure. Scanned images are saved to an SD card–you can take it from there, right? There’s also a TV out, if you’d like to view the shots on a larger screen.
The device is available now for $149. There’s also a larger version for $50 more.
Jan 06
iHome iW1 AirPlay wireless speaker hands-on
Posted in: airplay, hands-on, HandsOn, iPhone, ipod, ipod dock, IpodDock, Today's Chili, video
We’ve been dying to play with a third-party AirPlay speaker system ever since Apple opened the tech up, and iHome was happy to oblige here at CES with the new iW1. The wireless speaker system features two three-inch woofers and two one-inch tweeters with Bongiovi audio processing, a built-in lithium-ion battery with a grab-and-go charging base, and capacitive touch controls — and, just as we suspected, AirPlay compatibility courtesy of BridgeCo. iHome’s also developed a new iOS configuration app called iHome Connect that’ll help you get the iW1 on your WiFi network quickly, although regular WPS setup is also supported. You can also charge your iPhone or iPod by plugging into the USB port in the back — iHome is packing a cable in the box.
Streaming from iOS was just as simple as with the Apple TV or Airport Express, and we only saw minimal lag between control inputs like volume and track changes, just as with an all-Apple setup. Interestingly, iOS only supports point-to-point AirPlay streaming right now, so you can only use a single speaker at a time, but if you’re streaming from iTunes you can hit multiple speakers at once, regardless of vendor. iHome is still tuning the audio performance, so we’ll reserve judgment on that until we get a review unit — which should happen when this guy ships for $300 in March. Video after the break.
Continue reading iHome iW1 AirPlay wireless speaker hands-on
iHome iW1 AirPlay wireless speaker hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jan 06
Avatar Kinect in action: prepare to be mildly diverted
Posted in: impressions, kinect, Microsoft, preview, Today's Chili, video
So, Microsoft doesn’t have a press-ready demo of its new Avatar Kinect, but we at least got to see it in action today. To keep the unwashed masses lining up to try Kinect at the booth entertained, Microsoft has a comedian (dubbed “Mr. Kinect”) controlling an Avatar with Kinect, heckling the queued-up folks with his digital puppetry. The good news is that he’s working it from a seated position, the great dream of folks tired of standing up to get their motion gaming on. The bad news is that you only get control of your arms, face, and head — you won’t be walking around and punching your friends in the face, sadly. We saw a couple of settings — sadly, not the AA-style setup we witnessed during the keynote — which are pleasant but a little generic (like most of Microsoft’s Kinect titles right now).
The actual facial tracking and body tracking worked, but the motions seemed a little minimal. Kinect is obviously completely capable of great skeletal tracking, so we’re hoping for a bit more expressiveness, but we’re still early on, so things could always be tweaked a bit before launch. We did confirm that Steve Ballmer’s Avatar appearance last night was a canned recording, so we are looking at software that isn’t ready for prime time. Overall we think Avatar Kinect is a great idea, and an excellent way to show off Kinect’s exclusive motion control prowess, we just look forward to a future where we have even more control over our Avatars — isn’t that the whole point of Kinect, after all? Let us free, Microsoft. We just want to be free. Check out some video of the setup after the break.
Gallery: Avatar Kinect in action
Continue reading Avatar Kinect in action: prepare to be mildly diverted
Avatar Kinect in action: prepare to be mildly diverted originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jan 06
CES: 3D-capable, multigraphics-chip Lenovo IdeaCentre B520 coming to U.S. in June
Posted in: Today's ChiliLenovo announces its IdeaCentre B520 all-in-one desktop with multitouch display, multiple graphics chips, and support for Nvidia’s 3D Vision technology.
Originally posted at CES 2011
Jan 06
Darth Vader was on hand at CES today to announce the forthcoming release of the Star Wars Blu-ray set. As long time fans of his work, we were thrilled to get the chance to ask him a few questions. More »
Jan 06
The wireless carrier follows up its morning keynote with a press confab that showcases the first suite of 4G LTE devices, including the HTC Thunderbolt, Droid Bionic, and LG Revolution.
Originally posted at CES 2011
Jan 06
Now look what we have here, the long awaited HDHomeRun Prime triple CableCARD tuner for Windows 7 Media Center. Originally announced at CES last year, the little black perforated box is already in production and will soon be selling for $250 after it makes it ways through the final stages of CableLabs certification. The sad fact is there is no way to know when that cert will be sealed, but when it is you’ll be able to pre-order and then you can expect to receive it 30 days later. The other little tidbits we picked up from the booth is that SiliconDust is working on a six tuner rack mountable version that should ship later this year and that the ATSC and QAM version we’ve loved for years has a new case a new price of $129 and will be shipping in February.
Gallery: Hands-on with the HDHomeRun Prime
Gallery: Hands-on with the new HDHomeRun
Hands-on with the HDHomeRun Prime CableCARD tuner originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jan 06
Nintendo 3DS: Hands On
Posted in: 3ds, nintendo, Today's Chili, video games
Nintendo’s 3DS was, hands down, the biggest thing at last year’s E3. Unfortunately, we didn’t really get a lot of hands-on time with the glasses-free portable gaming device. Nintendo gave us a minute or two with the thing at E3, but it didn’t actually have any games to demo.
So, naturally, when Nintendo America president Reggie Fils-Aime asked if we’d be interested in getting some real, hands-on, game-playing time with the device, we jumped at the opportunity.
The device really does look and feel like a Nintendo DSi–that is, until it fires up. The top screen is 3D. Unlike those glasses based technologies that have images spring toward you, the 3DS really offers a sense of depth. It takes a few moments for your eyes to adjust to it–especially the first time–but once used to it, it’s really immersive.
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