Hasta La Gadget!

Earlier yesterday, we did talk up what LG is about to showcase at CES 2014 in Las Vegas, and the topic of a 105-inch Curved Ultra HD TV cropped up. Samsung does not want to be outdone by their domestic rival, that is for sure, and they too, have dropped an announcement that at CES next year, they too, will have a curved 105-inch Ultra HD TV. Somehow, both of their respective press releases tout that their offerings are the “world’s first”, so I will let them duke it out between themselves as to who is right and who is not. The more important thing is, with both giants in the TV industry setting such a precedent, surely we are looking at a possibility of new generation curved TVs hitting the market?

Samsung’s 105-inch curved monster will be also similar to the LG counterpart in this aspect – they both show off 11 million pixels at 5120 x 2160 resolution, accompanied by a 21:9 aspect ratio. Apart from that, Samsung’s curved Ultra HD TV is said to come with their own ‘Quadmatic Picture Engine’ that delivers all content in UHD-level picture quality regardless of the source. Needless to say, pricing details have yet to be determined, but this bad boy clearly falls under the category of “if you must ask, then you can’t afford it.” [Press Release]

Samsung 105-Inch Curved UHD TV Heads For CES 2014 original content from Ubergizmo.

Earlier this evening, LG announced what it says is the world’s largest curved Ultra HD television, which it will be showing off at the quickly approaching CES 2014. Not to … Continue reading

Is bigger necessarily better? The folks over at LG certainly think so when it comes to their TVs, having announced that they will unveil the 105” LG Curved Ultra HD TV at CES 2014 which is happening in slightly more than a fortnight’s time. This is a world’s first, considering how it comes with a 21:9 aspect ratio, and with the groundbreaking 105” size when measured diagonally, you know for sure that the 105UB9 is all set to be the officially largest curved TV ever made to date. LG did venture into such territory before, hitting the 77” curved OLED TV in September earlier this year, and to see the leap made to 105” is certainly nothing short of breathtaking.

LG claims that the 105UB9’s cinematically proportioned 21:9 CinemaScope screen makes it perfect for you to skip the cinemas and just stay at home to watch your favorite movies after they have been released on Blu-ray, right in the comfort of your own bean bag. Apart from that, such a wide screen allows users to access viewing information on the side of the screen without having any of the menus block the on-screen action. The LG 105UB9 will come with a whopping 11 million pixel (5120 x 2160) screen resolution, and do expect this bad boy to cost a pretty penny when it arrives. Of course, we have seen larger displays before like 150″ monsters from Panasonic and Mitsubishi, but those run on now-ancient technology and certainly do not boast of such high resolution.

LG Says Bigger Is Better, 105-Inch LG Curved Ultra HD TV To Hit CES 2014 original content from Ubergizmo.

Samsung hasn’t released an AMOLED display touting tablet for quite some time now. Actually the last tablet to come with a AMOLED display from Samsung was the Galaxy Tab 7.7 which was released back in 2011. A few weeks ago it was rumored that next year Samsung is going to release a number of tablets with AMOLED display, and if latest reports coming in from Korea are to be believed, one such tablet might be launched as early as January, 2014. As per the report, the company might launch a 10.5 inch AMOLED tablet next month.

After the 10.5 inch tablet is out, the report claims that Samsung might also launch 8 inch and 13 inch AMOLED tablets. Recent speculation suggests that Samsung might focus more on tablets in 2014, and another recent rumor claimed that as many as four new tablets might be launched in Q1 alone by the Korean company. Samsung itself hasn’t confirmed its plans for next year as yet, so it can’t be said for sure if such a device is indeed coming in January. However, the Consumer Electronics Show 2014 takes place next month in Las Vegas, it is after all the biggest show of its kind so it probably won’t surprise anyone if Samsung does end up launching a new tablet at the show.

Samsung Reportedly Launching 10.5 Inch AMOLED Tablet Next Month original content from Ubergizmo.

We are at a turning point in terms of gadget manufacturing. The heavy hitters in hardware – the Sonys, the Samsungs, the LGs – are stuck in the mire of slow innovation. We haven’t heard much out of that camp this year – they’re keeping CES plans under wraps – but I suspect we’ll see a few big TVs and some thin laptops and a nice fridge or two and little else. The real innovation is happening far out in the periphery where hardware is an extension of software and smart devices are now the fastest moving consumer goods.

For most of the last decade the TC team hit CES and wandered the halls, writing about as many gadgets as possible and filling up the page with update after update. Recently there’s been little need. Some of the best products – from the Pebble to this amazing 3D scanner – have come out of small design houses. Devices like 3D printers get short shrift at CES but they’re some of the most exciting new CE products on earth. Quantified self gear is underrepresented as are consumer robotics. Wearables may be big this year, but hardware makers don’t know how to build them correctly. Clearly only Google and Eric Migicovsky do.

What are we doing at CES? We’re going to do our regularly scheduled live run through of all of the halls – you guys seem to enjoy that every year so we’re maintaining the tradition. But the real action will be around the convention center. Last year we spent 90% of our time in our own booth, out on the CES parking lot. It was open to all comers, you didn’t need to have a badge for CES, and we were in the perfect spot to grab foot traffic. And grab it we did. In the hours we spent out there we met the guys from Gtar, Zivix, and Pebble. We saw folks making amazing heads-up displays, cool chip designs, and wearables. We interviewed the CEOs of Dropcam and Fitbit and generally ignored the festival inside. Who needs to film a nicer TV when the future is wandering the parking lot?

This year is even better. We’re running our own Hardware Battlefield where one lucky hardware startup will win $50,000. We’re inviting some amazing judges including Bre Pettis, Slava Rubin, and Trae Vassallo. We’ll also be holding interviews in our tent and meeting and greeting members of the Las Vegas tech community.

Want to join us? Just look for our tent on the LVCC grounds and hang out. We need an audience and you don’t need a badge to come by. We’ll be doing giveaways as well, so maybe you can grab yourself a bit of gear.

Hardware is different now. It’s not the domain of the big guy. In fact, they’ve already lost.