Hasta La Gadget!

Silicon Image is hoping that you’ll want to play HD from your handheld device on a big screen without taking the more convoluted WiFi route using DLNA, Airplay and the like. As such, the company took its WirelessHD 1080p60 tech currently seen in bulkier gadgets like laptops and shrunk it to mobile size as the UltraGig 6400 wireless transmitter. It’s now created a reference design for the tech in the form of the tiny chip shown highlighted in the image above, which it would like manufacturers to integrate in their handsets or tablets. To show how it works, they jury-rigged the chip into a smartphone and set up a receiver on an HD panel, so naturally we wanted to take an Android game for a spin on the big screen. The signal stayed solid thanks to the chip’s focused antenna array and 30-foot claimed range, while distracting latency seemed to be minimal — in line with the company’s 5ms assertion. Silicon Image is still talking to manufacturer’s to see who might like to integrate the tech into their devices, but until then, you can experience it vicariously in the video after the break.

Continue reading Silicon Image UltraGig 6400 wireless HDMI, hands-on (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment

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Earlier today AMD’s director of global business units marketing, John Taylor, joined us on our CES stage to talk chips. Specifically, tablet chips, and laptop chips, and chips for products that have elements of both. While he was up there, Mr. Taylor flashed a reference device — a laptop hybrid with the keyboard and touchpad built into the carrying case. Obviously, we weren’t satisfied with just a quick tease, so we caught up with him afterward to learn a bit more. As it turns out, it runs a quad-core version of AMD’s new Temash chip, which is being billed as the first quad-core, x86-based SoC. (There’s also a dual-core version.) Built into the chip is an HD Radeon 8000 series GPU with AMD’s Graphics Core Next architecture, so in theory you should be able to pull off PC-caliber gaming even on a tablet.

All told, it promises 50 percent more performance than AMD’s Hondo processor, which you can find in Vizio’s new Windows 8 tablet. Of course, those are just marketing claims, and besides we haven’t had a chance to benchmark either a Hondo or a Temash system yet. So, to put that in better context, it might be helpful to hear AMD talk about its competitors. Obviously, Intel is a biggie, but in particular AMD says Temash should be able to compete with Clover Trail tablet chips, going all the way up to Core i3 on laptops. We’re told Temash will ship sometime in the first half of this year, and that AMD will be revealing more details about the platform at Mobile World Congress, which kicks off in late February. Until then, we’ve got hands-on photos of the unit below, along with some performance impressions after the break.

Continue reading AMD shows off a reference device with a quad-core, x86-based Temash chip

Filed under: Laptops, Tablets, AMD

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The only problem with 4K TV, other than being too expensive for anyone who isn’t a Prince William, is that there’s no good way to get 4K stuff to watch. Right? RED is selling a super-HD streaming box that says otherwise. More »

[CES 2013] It is always nice to see Kickstarter projects gain enough backers and turned into reality, and the ChargeCard is one of them. In fact the team behind the ChargeCard is at CES, where they were demonstrating their “baby” by offering a hands-on with those who are interested. To summarize, the ChargeCard, measuring roughly similar to a credit card albeit being a wee bit thicker, is able to fit into your wallet without missing a beat. It will come in handy during moments when your smartphone’s battery needs a quick pick-me-up, as the ChargeCard is in its element as it delivers power to thirsty gadgets.

Patriots would want to take note that the ChargeCard is made in California, and does have a rather durable feel to it. Right now, the iPhone 4 model is in production, while there will be a microUSB version entering production from next month onwards. Those who are rocking to an iPhone 5 will have to wait until April to receive the iPhone 5 Lightning connector. It is somewhat similar to carrying around a foot-long USB cable, except that the ChargeCard is so much cooler.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Nexus 7 Dock To Ship This Month, G-Form G90 Case Debuts,

2013 is shaping up to be a huge year for huge televisions. Almost every major brand is rolling out gigantic sets and packing them with four times the resolution of current TVs. One curved display is even redefining what constitutes a “flat screen” TV, period. Here’s what to watch in 2013. More »