Hasta La Gadget!

CES isn’t short of product launches, and if you want to keep up you need the right tools. For 2013, the SlashGear team tried out a new workflow: carrying Samsung’s Galaxy Camera and doing as much of our uploading of photos and video wirelessly. We’d already been impressed by the Galaxy Camera in our review, but taking the Android-powered point-and-shoot out into the field for what’s arguably the toughest assignment on a tech-head’s calendar really put it through its paces. Read on for our full report.

A quick recap, if you’ve not been keeping up. Revealed at IFA 2012 last September, the Galaxy Camera blends a 16-megapixel camera with a 21x optical zoom together with Android as per the Galaxy S III smartphone. We had a mixture of AT&T and the recently-released Verizon versions of the Galaxy Camera, each using 4G LTE networks (there’s WiFi b/g/n, but we rarely took the time to hunt down local wireless networks). Just about all of the regular Android apps run on the camera, including Instagram, but we stuck with Samsung’s default app, that can also record Full HD 1080p video.

Our thinking was that, rather than shooting in our normal style – swapping out memory cards and offloading media to a laptop whenever convenient – we would use the Galaxy Camera’s wireless connectivity to upload photos and videos directly to the cloud. By using Smugmug, which has a dedicated app for Android, we could automatically watermark each shot and keep all of the media together in a place where the whole team (whether physically present at CES or otherwise) could access it.

In practice, that turned out to be largely the way the team worked, at least in more time-critical situations. Tag-teaming on press conference coverage, one person could shoot content and pick the best of the images to upload, all wirelessly, while the other person could pull their preferred images from the Smugmug gallery. With product hands-on, there was no “which memory card were those photos on?” confusion, since the images had already been uploaded.

Functionality is useless if the quality is lacking, though happily that wasn’t our experience with the Galaxy Camera. For best results you’ll usually get the most ideal images from a DSLR, unsurprisingly, but heavy, bulky cameras aren’t especially suited to the booth-hopping of a show like CES. In fact, we were able to coax some decent results from the Samsung – our Pebble smartwatch hands-on photos were all taken with the Galaxy Camera, for instance – while the 21x optical zoom proved invaluable for getting closer to items on-stage during press conferences.

Pebble smartwatch photo samples:

The Galaxy Camera isn’t perfect, mind. We experienced the odd focusing issue, where the Samsung would be reluctant to lock onto close-up subjects. That could usually be addressed by repositioning the frame and trying again – or backing off a little altogether – but it was frustrating when it happened, and interrupted our workflow. The uploading process could also be fiddly; we were using the Smugmug app, through which we could choosing individual photos and videos to be uploaded to a gallery in the cloud, but each required separate selections.

It’s also not ideal to be jumping in and out of the camera app, picking content to be uploaded. Some sort of briefly-shown “Upload This” button shown displayed with the preview frame after each shot is taken would be great, as would easy onboard watermarking. A double-save – one lower-res copy for uploading more quickly, and a higher-res original kept on the memory card for later – would also be useful. It’s worth noting that most of our complaints could be addressed by apps, which the Galaxy Camera’s Android OS would make easy to install – not something you could say about most point-and-shoots.

So what have we learned? Our experiment to integrate the Galaxy Camera into our workflow isn’t over, with a trial-by-fire at CES highlighting some of the Samsung snapper’s shortcomings. We returned to an old-fashioned whip-out-the-memory-card style workflow at a couple of points, for instance, usually when there was a particularly urgent image we specifically needed. It proved difficult to edit the upload priority of content in the task list, forcing us to go manual with our offloads. Samsung’s onboard video editing app proved fiddly to use on the go, and we quickly reverted to more traditional editing once the footage was on our computer.

For its balance of convenience and performance, though, the Galaxy Camera has impressed us again. When time is of the essence – and when we’re incredibly excited to bring you the latest news, as soon as possible – the effectiveness of an online camera is demonstrable. We’ll be tweaking with alternative apps and maybe even cooking up some custom software of our own, just so that we can better embed the Samsung into the SlashGear system, so expect to see more photos and video shot on the Galaxy Camera through 2013!

Thanks to Samsung who loaned us a number of Galaxy Cameras, with no expectations as to whether/how we might use them at CES, or indeed subsequently report on them.

Samsung’s Galaxy Camera: Our Secret Star of CES is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Vizio‘s new Windows 8 Tablet PC was definitely one of the devices that caught our interest during CES 2013, but the company isn’t content with stopping at just tablets. In fact, Vizio seems to have become very enthusiastic about Windows 8, introducing new lines of touch-based notebooks and all-in-one PCs that are ready to take full advantage of the operating system. We got to spend a little bit of time with them when we stopped by for a visit with Vizio, and starting right off, we have to say that we like what the company was showing off.

We’ll jump right in with Vizio’s Thin + Light Touch line of notebooks. As you might have already guessed, the major focus with these new laptops are Windows 8 and a thin and lightweight form factor. In those two areas, the notebooks do not disappoint, with Vizio offering one with a 14″ touchscreen and the other with a 15.6″ display. Ready for some great news? 1366×768 resolution is nowhere to be found with these two notebooks, with the 14″ model offering up 1600×900 and the 15.6″ variant going all the way with 1080p resolution.

Interestingly enough, Vizio will be offering a number of different configurations that you’ll be able to choose from depending on your taste. Both the 14″ and the 15.6″ models will come packing either a 2.4GHz Intel Core i7 processor and integrated Intel HD 4000 graphics, or an AMD A10 4657M clocked at 2.3GHz with discrete Radeon HD graphics. Either configuration should keep things running smooth, especially considering that both come with 8GB of RAM and solid-state drives.

As you’ve probably already figured out, the full HD display on the 15.6″ inch model looks great, though 1600×900 doesn’t look bad either – the only thing its missing is the full HD capabilities of its bigger brother. The keyboards on both are excellent, though the buttons do seem slightly bigger than most notebook keyboards, so that might take some getting used to. Both are very slim when they’re closed and relatively lightweight, so while we can’t exactly classify either as an ultrabook, they’re toward the bottom of the size scale for notebooks.

Next up is Vizio’s new all-in-one touch line. These all-in-one touch PCs will come in 24″ and 27″ varieties, with the 24″ coming with the option of a 2.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 and Intel HD 4000 integrated graphics or a quad-core AMD A10 4600M 2.3GHz and Radeon HD 8750A discrete graphics. For the 27″ it looks like the only option is that 2.4GHz Core i7 quad-core and Intel 4000 integrated graphics. Both will come with a 1TB hard drive and a 32GB SSD to offer a performance boost, so don’t plan on storing too much stuff on that SSD.

While both screens look excellent and, like the new Windows 8 notebooks on the way, offer 10-point multitouch, there’s one feature in particular that’s very interesting about these all-in-ones: the power supply also doubles as a subwoofer. With many all-in-one PCs, we often run into issues with sounds and tinniness, but that subwoofer will give Vizio’s all-in-one touch PCs a certain boost that other packages lack. There are a number of ports on the base, meaning that you won’t have any ugly cables sticking out of the sides of your computer. To be specific, both models feature two HDMI ports, and Vizio told us that users won’t need to boot to Windows before switching to their HDMI inputs.

Those HDMI ports will come in handy if you want to watch a movie on the excellent screens, and Vizio is trying to make this a true-to-form multimedia center with the addition of a remote. The keyboard is pretty similar to the ones we saw on the company’s new notebooks, at least from an aesthetic standpoint. Obviously, all-in-one PCs aren’t for everyone, but if you’ve been in the market, we’re seeing some great things coming from Vizio with these computers.

So, even though the Windows 8 tablet was the Vizio product that originally caught our eye, we ended up impressed with the notebooks and all-in-one PCs the company will soon be bringing to the table. Vizio should give itself a pat on the back, because as far as we’re concerned, the company managed to stand out in a sea of other manufacturers that are ready and willing to show off new products at CES 2013. Be sure to check out CES portal for even more from the show!

Vizio PC lineup 2013 refresh hands-on: it’s time for touch is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Vizio had a lot of cool things to show off at CES 2013, but one of the most exciting is its new 11.6-inch Windows 8 tablet. The tablet doesn’t have a name yet, but the specifications speak for themselves. First off (and perhaps most importantly to some) is the fact that this tablet is running Windows 8 rather than Windows RT, which is great news for those who want the full Windows functionality on a slate.

Another feature worth getting excited about: 1080p resolution. Despite the fact that the screen is only 11.6-inches, the tablet is still displaying at 1920×1080. That smaller screen size naturally means that the pixel density is great, which in turns means that consumers can look forward to particularly sharp visuals. Videos, especially the clip from The Lorax we saw, looked absolutely wonderful.

Powered by a dual-core AMD Z-60 APU, AMD Radeon HD 6250 integrated graphics, and 2GB of RAM, users will have quite the speedy little tablet on their hands. There were a few dropped frames when swiping through apps, zooming, and playing HD video, but overall it was a pretty smooth experience, which is impressive for a tablet running the full version of Windows 8 at 1080p resolution. The 64GB SSD this bad boy ships with should do its part to keep things moving nice and fast, which is just icing on the cake.

The tablet itself is surprisingly thin and light – Vizio states that the tablet is 0.4″ thick and just 1.8 pounds. I was expecting a heavier tablet when I picked this up from the stand, but was pleasantly surprised when I realized how light it is. More importantly, it feels good in the hand and looks really good. We’re looking forward to seeing more from Vizio’s new Windows 8 tablet as we move closer to its release date (no specifics on that just yet), but for now, it definitely seems like the company is on the right track. Check out our CES portal for even more from the show!

Vizio 11.6-inch Windows 8 Tablet PC hands-on is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This week we got the opportunity to take a peek at the newest Moen water distribution system for your sink, the MotionSense Touch-Free faucet. Moen’s own Maribeth Kwasniewski showed this system off with us at ShowStoppers during CES 2013, revealing the multiple ways you’re able to activate it when you get it for yourself in the very near future. The first of these is the Wave Sensor – that black dot at the top of the neck of the faucet, able to toggle the water’s flow when you move your hand over or across it.

What this wave sensor being able to “toggle” means here is that if you wave your hand over the faucet once, the water turns on, if you wave your hand over it again, the water turns off. Whichever state the water flow is in when you wave your hand over it, it’ll be the opposite when you’ve waved. If you wave once to turn the water off and walk away, the water will automatically shut off in 2 minutes.

Next is the Ready Sensor, this feature turning the water flow on when you place your hands under the faucet. This works like the sensor you’ll see it massive amounts of bathrooms in restaurants, hotels, and everywhere in between right this minute. The third way to work with this faucet is with its one handle – pull the handle out and it turns on, pull back or push forward and the water becomes hot or cold.

As for the temperature of the water when you use one of the sensors: that’s controlled by a control box that you set (under the deck, aka under your countertop) when you first install the faucet. You can set and re-set this controlled temperature but can also control the temperature above the deck with the handle as described above. This system sticks to the controlled temperature you’ve set whenever you initiate the flow of water with one of the two sensors.

This faucet starts at $399 USD and is available right this minute from a variety of retailers and online (if you know where to look). Have a peek at the rest of our CES 2013 coverage in our giant CES hub or check just the ShowStoppers hands-on posts in our ShowStoppers 2013 tag portal – it’s all good!

Moen MotionSense Touch-Free Faucet hands-on is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

DJing apps on the iPad are cool and all, but the touchscreen controls leave something to be desired. However, Ion Audio has launched a set of physical controls, such as knobs, turntables, and sliders, specifically for DJ apps on the touchscreen tablet, and it makes the experience way more tactile and realistic.

The company has come up with a small set of suction cup-equipped accessories that turn the iPad itself into a pair of decks and a mixer on the cheap. The unit that we took a look at consists of a slider control, two round discs for scratching, and two banks of three knobs each for all the fine tuning.

The suction cups feel pretty solid. Underneath, the spinners have what looks to be like the tip of a touchscreen stylus. It’s certainly nothing fancy, but it works. I ended up playing around with the knobs and controls, essentially proving to myself why I would be a terrible DJ, but they were fun to use, and were way more handy than just using the flat touchscreen.

Serious turntablists will probably want to steer clear, since it would be best to get an actual deck and mixer, but for those just wanting to have fun and need a little more tactile control, you may want to check these out. They work with a variety of DJ apps, such as Djay, Deej, and iDJ2GO. Ion Audio will sell the kit for only $40 starting in May.

Ion Scratch 2 Go gives your iPad physical DJ controls, we go hands-on is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.