Hasta La Gadget!

Samsung’s ATIV Odyssey has been a real noodle-scratcher of a device ever since its existence was first hinted at during Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 launch event. Well, consider that particular veil lifted — Samsung had a near-final version of the Odyssey to play with here at Digital Experience in Las Vegas, and I took the secretive little guy for a spin.

But first, the particulars. Under the Odyssey’s glossy plastic hood is a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor as well as 1GB of RAM. To be quite honest, the screen was nothing to write home about (though that’s really nothing for a device of this caliber) — it’s a 4-inch WVGA Super AMOLED panel, the likes of which you’ve seen many times before.

Couple that with 8GB of internal flash storage, a removable 2,100mAh battery, and a microSD card slot and you’ve got all the makings of a half-decent mid-range Windows Phone. Despite touting the device in a release earlier today, Verizon is still keeping mum on pricing and availability, but I wouldn’t expect that to be the case for much longer.

Since Microsoft has very stringent requirements, most of these lower and mid-range Windows Phones run very similarly. That’s hardly a bad thing — it gives Windows Phone a sense of consistency that’s often lacking from other platforms — but it means that there really isn’t much to expound on here. Swiping between through a homescreen full of ever-blinking live tiles was seamless, and it kept up nicely as I darted in and out of apps.

When it comes to design, the Odyssey won’t come as a shock to anyone who’s manhandled any other mid-range Samsung phone in recent years (oh, and that leak from late last year was dead on). It strikes a fine balance between the round, rather bulky body of Nokia’s Lumia 920, but isn’t quite as slim or as nicely tapered as HTC’s Windows Phone 8X. In many ways it’s a typical Samsung device — lightweight and plasticky, but with a surprisingly sturdy feel. Perhaps the most surprising thing about the Odyssey’s physical design is just how small it feels in your hand; it’s only been a year or two since 4-inch smartphones were the pinnacles of product design.

All things considered, the ATIV Odyssey seems like a neat (if somewhat underwhelming) Windows Phone. Verizon may have a winner on its proverbial hands if they price the thing aggressively enough, but it’s not hard to see how a device like this could easily be overshadowed by more able hardware.

Polaroid saw the curtain raise early on its Android-based interchangeable lens cameras thanks to early leaks, but today was the first day we got to go hands on with the new cameras at CES 2013. The cameras, based on Android 4.1 (but fully upgradeable to 4.2, Polaroid tells me), feature a 10-30mm F2.8 lens (which maintains that aperture through the zoom range) and a pop-up flash, and they come in three flavors, including two with built-in Wi-Fi.

The cameras are advertised as lightweight, and they felt surprisingly so; the bodies appear to be made mostly of plastic, and don’t have the rigid metal lens mounts you may be used to if you’re coming from a DSLR. The price reflects the feel of the build, however, at an entry-level pricing of $349, which puts it well under the average range for interchangeable lens cameras.

Android on the camera works pretty much as you’d expect Android to, offering all the conveniences of direct integration with Instagram and Facebook apps, but with some of the quirks inherent in using a smartphone OS on a camera, too. The OS stuttered and froze a couple of times, but this device is planned for a Q2 launch after all; there are bound to be bugs at this stage.

Polaroid’s interchangeable lens system will include a zoom lens and a pancake to be released following the camera’s introduction, a company representative told me, so there will be more than the general-purpose walkaround lens for photographers to experiment with. All told, it’s still very early days for this camera, and the price point and vision of the product are ambitious, to say the least. If the shipping hardware can offer the style of these prototypes, but at $350, and if Polaroid can nail the experience for a broad audience, we could see a significant change in the accessibility and appeal of the interchangeable lens market from a company that some would likely peg as an unlikely contender.

Fitbit’s been in the fitness-tracking game for a while now, but today marks its first official entry into the wearable band space. Shown off here at CES 2013, the Flex is a wireless band much in the vein of Nike’s Fuelband and Jawbone’s rebooted Up. But while it shares many similarities with those existing products, there are a few very notable areas where it breaks apart from the pack– namely, the inclusion of Bluetooth 4.0. Now, health nuts can wirelessly update their stats to an iPhone or limited selection of Android (!) devices via that standard without having to manually sync.

While it doesn’t boast the Yves Behar design that Jawbone fancies, the Flex should prove to be a welcome accessory for fashion conscious consumers. To that end, it comes in five different colors — navy, black, tangerine, slate and teal — and features a thin strip of LEDs that can be activated by a simple tap. Those lights, five in total, each represent 20-percent towards a user’s assigned goal, so current progress can be easily monitored. And, as you might expect, there’s a vibration motor within the band to alert users based on settings made from the companion app.

The Flex is indeed a waterproof product and can be worn in the shower or even the swimming pool, though we wouldn’t advise you take it diving. Despite this H20 resistance, the Flex won’t track your butterfly strokes (or doggie paddles), but it will keep count of your steps, calories burned, sleep and distance walked.

Perhaps one of the most welcome innovations of this particular wearable is its ability to play friendly with Android — specifically, the Samsung Galaxy Note II and Galaxy S III. Users who purchase this band will be able to download that app from Google Play at the end of January. Further, there’s one additional perk for Android users: the ability to tap-to-pair with NFC. In theory, this functionality should provide users with easy access to their stats, but we (in addition to the company’s many reps) had significant trouble triggering the action on repeated occasions.

If you’ve been monitoring the fitness-tracking space, but have been holding out for a band that offers just a little extra, then it’s worth considering the Flex. You can look for it to hit this spring for $100. Stay tuned for a video demo of the Flex in action.

Sarah Silbert contributed to this report.

Continue reading Fitbit Flex hands-on at CES 2013 (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables, Wireless

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We’ve just spent some time with Corning, which is showing off the strength of its third-generation Gorilla Glass. The company has tweaked the chemical and atomic composition of the raw materials of the glass, which in turn has increased its density — making it much more scratch and dent resistant than last years model. Interested in seeing just how much stronger it is? Head on past the break for the video.

Continue reading Corning demonstrates how strong its Gorilla Glass 3 really is (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets

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If diminutive, portable projectors catch your eye on the regular, Vivitek’s latest may be worth a gander. The outfit has announced the Qumi Q7 HD LED pocket projector at CES, touting up to 800 lumens of brightness and a 30,000:1 contrast ratio. Packing 720p native WXGA resolution at 1,280 x 800, the unit is also 3D-capable thanks to Texas Instrument’s DLP Link and sports 2D to 3D content conversion tech. In terms of connections, the Q7 wields HDMI, VGA, composite video, RCA audio-in and USB ports alongside 4GB of built-in storage. All of this is packed into a 3.1-pound (1.4kg) frame that measures 6.3 inches (16cm) x 4.3 inches (10.9cm) and is 1.3 inches (3.3cm) thick. If the list of specs piques your interest, you have until sometime this summer to save up the $999 it’ll take to snag one. Looking for a few more details? The full PR lies just beyond the break with just that.

Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.

Continue reading Vivitek outs the Qumi Q7 HD LED pocket projector, set to arrive this summer for $1,000

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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