Hasta La Gadget!

Remember Romo, the adorable iPhone-faced track-equipped robot? We met up with Romotive in Vegas at CES 2013 to play with the 3rd generation model that was recently launched on Kickstarter. The company also gave us an exclusive first look at a 3rd generation prototype with Lightning connector. We sat down with CEO Keller Rinaudo to discuss the new robot and catch up on what the team’s achieved over the past year.

As a refresher, we first encountered Romo when we covered it for our Insert Coin feature in October 2011. Back then, the robot used rudimentary analog electronics and plugged into the iPhone’s headphone jack. After a successful initial Kickstarter campaign, Romotive moved from Seattle to Las Vegas where we caught up the team on our stage during CES 2012. The 2nd generation model was available both pre-assembled and it kit form with support for iOS, Android and Windows Phone. It was upgraded to digital electronics but still used the audio interface to control its tracks and featured hacker-friendly auxiliary ports. Hit the break for more.

Continue reading Romo gen 3 gains Lightning connector, we go hands-on (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Robots, Mobile, Apple

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This person was doing handsprings at a mildly traumatically awful press event to demonstrate the in-ear tenacity of some earbuds. More »

We’ve seen Sony SimulView in action before — the system was first unveiled on Sony’s tiny 24-inch PlayStation 3D Display back at E3 2011 — but never quite like this. An 84-inch 4K LED Sony television at CES 2013 upscaled Polyphony Digital’s Gran Turismo 5 to 4K resolution, but instead of employing said resolution for graphics, it was used to deliver two full HD images to two separate players. Those two separate HD feeds are then pumped into the same screen, which can be viewed fully independently by two separate people wearing polarized glasses, all at the same time.

Did we lose you? Let’s break it down: since 4K TV delivers twice the number of lines vertically as well as horizontally, the television is upscaling GT5‘s HD visuals by double. Rather than employing those lavish numbers on single player, the duty’s divided between each player’s video feed, allowing two-player gaming all on one screen. The two images are then overlaid, a la 3D, resulting in a simultaneous feed that looks crazy until you put on polarized glasses. Once you’re wearing those glasses, though, you only see one of the two feeds in full HD. It’s … it’s kinda messed up. The system is incredibly impressive, but boy is it weird how effectively it works. Even better, it works without the game developer having to actually do anything (other than making a 3D-enabled game, that is) — the splitting is handled by the television rather than the software. It’s similar to systems that LG has in Dual Play and Samsung has in Multi-View, and it’s not exactly brand new, but it’s as impressive as ever. We’ve captured a variety of stills and dropped a video after the break showing the system in action, should you wish to join in our amazement.

Continue reading Sony SimulView gets even more bananas in 4K, we go eyes-on

Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Sony

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Many who live in North America wouldn’t put Hyundai at the forefront of in-car technology, but the Korean au hoping to change that reputation by 2014 with a more internet- and mobile-savvy platform. We had an opportunity to peek at some of those components at the automaker’s CES booth. CloudCar calls out for attention as the most distinctive: going beyond the existing BlueLink system, it pairs the car’s infotainment unit with at least a Jelly Bean-equipped Android phone to put an always-online interface in front of the driver. The early CloudCar example runs on a very simple interface with options like Google Maps navigation, media playback and Google contacts on the left. It’s built for multitasking and will keep directions going even as we’re firing up NPR or sharing to Facebook (hopefully, while stopped). While it’s not exceptionally deep, it appears suited to the need-it-quick nature of real driving, with shortcuts like directions to the office or a call to a favorite contact.

Other additions aren’t quite as conspicuous, but could still be very welcome when we see it in future cabins. Hyundai is one of the first car builders that we know of to embrace MirrorLink, echoing whatever’s on a phone’s display (in this case, Android) through MHL; there’s a companion Android app with a car-sized interface for navigation, hands-free calls and music. Hardware should get an upgrade as well through a premium system with a 9.2-inch, 720p display. The company isn’t quite ready to narrow down which vehicles will see what upgrades, although we’re told the early strategy may split CloudCar and MirrorLink between different model lines. If you’re willing to accept that the technology could change in a year’s time, you can get a peek at the future in the gallery below.

Filed under: GPS, Transportation

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WiGig has some big news to share last week, when it announced that it would be merging with the WiFi Alliance. We’ll be discussing the marriage with the organization’s President and Chairman, Ali Sadri, and what it means for the future of both organizations.

Check out our full CES 2013 stage schedule here!

Continue reading Live from the Engadget CES Stage: an interview with WiGig’s Ali Sadri

Filed under: Networking

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