Hasta La Gadget!

Fujifilm has announced a couple of new compact shooters here at CES, the X20 and the X100S. Camera aficionados have been waiting a while for a successor to the X100, and it’s finally here. Specifically, Fujifilm is claiming that the X100S has the world’s fastest auto-focus of any camera, with a 0.8-second AF.

The X100S also has the new X-Trans APS-C CMOS II 16MP sensor, and it appears to have the same f/2 lens as the X100, which will provide a 35mm equivalent due to the APS-C. As for aperture, the lens won’t give you the depth of field of a 35mm f/2, but rather a 24mm f/2. The sensor of the X100S promises “performance comparable to full-frame output,” as well as a hybrid viewfinder that combines both an optical and EVF. There’s also a new Digital Split Image display that displays dual images on the left and right to help with manual focusing.

The X20 is the successor to the X10, and it packs a 12MP 2/3-inch X-Trans CMOS II sensor, with a non-hybrid “advanced” optical viewfinder, and an f/2.0-2.8 4x manual barrel zoom lens. Plus, it has the ability to shoot 1080p full HD video at 60fps, which is certainly nice to have.

Fujifilm announces new X20 and X100S at CES 2013 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

A relatively new entrant into the wide world of PC’s, Vizio’s got a new baby it’s sending out: a 11.6-inch slate with real, full-featured Windows 8. More »

I’ll admit that I wasn’t sold on the idea of portable Bluetooth speakers until someone actually gave me one and I tried it out for a couple of days. Since then, I use it almost everyday. Soundmatters is adding another portable speaker to their range, the DASH7, as part of their CES 2013 lineup.

The Soundmatters foxL DASH7 is pocket-friendly, so when you don’t use it, you can just stash it in your coat.  It only weighs 200g, stands about 18mm high, and comes with a compact stand for adjusting its angle. It’s also short enough when laid flat to fit in front of a tablet in a stand without blocking the screen.

It’s supposed to provide omni-directional sound when aimed upwards, but directional sound when placed on its stand. It can also connect to the Soundmatters foxLo subwoofer, if you want a little extra low-end thump. It’ll even work as a speakerphone when paired with a compatible smartphone, and has a built in microphone.

The DASH7 will be available in red, white, black and silver between late January and late February 2013. It will retail for $249(USD) but you can pre-order it for $219, and also save $13 on shipping.

This week the folks at Griffin are sure to bring on more than just a couple of their own accessories for devices of all kinds, but right at the start they’ve made it bright and colorful for the kids. Starting with an item as small as a pencil – the Capper Stylus, shaped like a rocket here in the first images we’ve got, transforms a standard pencil into a tablet-friendly stylus – how about that? Then there’s a set of Kazoo iOS cases (which you see in monkey form here for the iPhone) and frog-themed headphones – needless to say, we’ll be getting really cute with Griffin this year.

The Kazoo Heaphones you’re seeing here come in several friendly animal-shaped looks including the aforementioned frog and at least one kind of penguin, then there’s a set of iPod touch cases with every animal from an elephant to a zebra – imagine that! They’ve also worked with that fancy little lanyard connector on the iPod touch bringing you a set of charms – once again very zoo-friendly. They’ve got a set of Kazoo AUX cables coming out, each of them made to connect in just about as kid-friendly a way as possible for your kid’s audio equipment, too, with more animals on the fritz of course.

The most interesting of the releases here is the Griffin Capper Stylus, this being tablet, smartphone, or any capacitive touchscreen interface, really, friendly, made to attach to your regular standard pencil or pen. This means that your child will be learning to use a standard-sized writing utensil while they’ve still got the tablet in front of them – how handy! These come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors as well. The fun continues with Nickelodeon and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-themed accessories, with both Griffin and Nickelodeon making a statements specifically for these new doors opening for 2013:

“Nickelodeon properties have passionate fans who are eager for products associated with their favorite shows. Partnering with Nickelodeon opens the door to tons of fun accessories modeled after the most popular characters among kids of all ages. We look forward to a long-lasting partnership, kicking off at the 2013 CES.” – Mark Rowan, President of Griffin Technology

“Nickelodeon properties have passionate fans who are eager for products associated with their favorite shows. We are excited to partner with Griffin to produce unique and trendy products to help us further expand our consumer electronics offerings.” – Manuel Torres, Senior Vice President, Global Toys and Consumer Electronics, Nickelodeon Consumer Products

This lineup begins with so much Spongebob your eyes are going to fall out. There’s an 8-bit styled iPad cases, “Faces” cases for the iPhone 5 and iPod touch (with interchangeable faces!) and a lovable SpongeBob Woogie – that’s a big stuffed animal with a special app to make it “alive”, so to speak, when you’ve got your iPhone, iPod touch – or even Android device inside! Dora the Explorer is popping up too with cases for iOS devices galore, starting with the Dora the Explorer Skin for iPod touch.

Then comes the most awesome set of comic book characters in the history of the world, those four green-skinned heroes in a half shell that hold a special place in this humble narrator’s heart, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This brand is working with Nickelodeon at this point in history and will be rolling out with Griffin with at least one TMNT Shell for iPhone 5 and iPod touch as well as a Folio for iPad.

Stick with us all week for more action from Griffin as well as the rest of the gadget-loving universe as we traverse CES 2013. Check out our big amazing CES portal for all things hands-on as well as early release and otherwise soon-to-exist in the consumer market machines. Check the timeline below as well for examples of some of the products above with slightly different designs, Griffin quality manufacturing in-tact.

Griffin kid-friendly accessories explode upon CES 2013 is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Children are drawn to the iPad like flies to honey, but children are also notoriously bad at taking care of their toys. And if the thought of a young’n bashing away at your tablet’s display with a pen leaves you anxious, Griffin’s got you covered with a glowing stylus that lets them draw in mid-air. More »