Hasta La Gadget!

Pebble‘s smartwatch begins shipping out to Kickstarter supporters this month, but we’ve grabbed some early wrist-action at CES today to see what the surprise sensation is all about. It’s a surprise how close it is to the original concept shown on the crowd-sourcing site, though our favorite of the color range – the transparent one, which Pebble created for water-resistance testing – won’t actually be offered to buyers. Read on for some first impressions.

On the wrist, it’s lightweight, with the rubberized strap – that can be easily switched out – comfortable. The display is clear and legible, and lacks the refresh-pause we’re familiar with from E Ink ereaders. The fact that it’s only monochrome is offset by the great contrast, and the twin font levels make it easy to read even body text in emails and SMS.

Pebble’s charging system – which magnetically attaches to pins on the side – clips on easily, though it also pulls off very easily; we’d prefer a slightly tighter grip, especially if you’re trying to recharge the watch without taking it off first. The buttons are large and easy to press, the watch seems responsive.

Of course, the whole platform will only really come to life when third-party developers get into gear. That will be the moment when Pebble tips over from neat gadget to wrist-essential, using services If This Then That and other web apps to feed data to the device. The Pebble team says it’s focusing on a core group of abilities that work with sufficient polish to get buyers to strap the watch on every morning, with a more expansive array of apps coming after that.

Pebble smartwatch hands-on and demo:

The first units will begin shipping out on January 23 to Kickstarter backers, with Pebble expecting it to take 6-8 weeks to fulfill all those orders.

Pebble smartwatch hands-on [Video] is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

One of the more entertaining posts we wrote up at last year’s CES was for the Golden-i, a head-mounted computer that lets field workers control their machines using voice commands and by moving their heads. The idea being: technicians, soldiers and other hands-on types ought to have their hands free if they’re going to do their jobs safely.

Since then, the Golden-i has been replaced by the Motorola Solutions HC1, which uses the same technology but is now rugged enough to withstand four-foot drops. It also has a much more comfortable, modular design. So comfortable, in fact, that you have to wonder why the original wasn’t designed this way. Now the padded inner lining is velcro-attached, so workers can adjust it about as easily as they would a bike helmet. That’s convenient for people who live in their headgear 40 hours a week, but it’s also nice for companies where employees share helmets — after all, it’d be nice to take out your own lining so that you’re not sharing the same sweat-soaked padding with someone else.

Additionally, workers can remove components like the speaker module, which they might need to if the headset’s in need of cleaning. There’s now a user-programmable button, which you can do to turn off features like voice commands. The eyepiece, too, is now attached to a sturdy, flexible boom, which lets you adjust the LCD position just so.

In terms of actual functionality, the core technology hasn’t changed much: this is still a heads-up display that allows you to control things using your voice or by moving your head. However, the software has been improved in such a way that you can now share your screen — or rather, your field of vision. So, for example, if a field worker is having trouble repairing something, he can have a distant colleague remote in and offer help — sort of the virtual equivalent of looking over someone’s shoulder. That’s it in a nutshell, but we’ve got photo and video of the hardware below. Apologies if you have a fear of mannequins.

Continue reading Hands-on with the Motorola Solutions HC1, a modular head-mounted computer

Filed under: Wearables

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Before we saw the iRobot Mirra 530 pool-cleaning robot and the Looj 330 gutter-cleaning robot here in person at CES 2013, we never imagined we’d be considering work with either area of dirtiness to be an entertaining prospect. In fact now with these two robotic masterpieces ready for iRobot-level cleaning in the near future, it may be time to purchase a home with a pool and gutters just to make use of these fabulous home-friendly amalgamations of technical excellence.

This week at CES 2013 we’ve gotten the opportunity to have a peek at both of iRobot’s newest creations, starting with the Looj 330 gutter-cleaning robot. This machine and the pool cleaning robot are made by the same folks who brought you the ever-lovable Roomba (and DJ Roomba, mind you), so you know you’ll be in for a treat. The Looj 330 gutter-cleaning robot is ready to enter brand new markets (outside the USA for the first time, a first for an outdoor robot from iRobot) with a selection of improved gutter-sweeping features.

This robot is able to work with its handle attached or remotely with the handle acting as wireless control over the beast from afar. Have a look at the video above to get an idea of what fun this otherwise arduous task could be for you rather soon. Scout out our original details post on both the gutter cleaning robot and the pool robot to see additional bits of details.

The Mirra 530 pool-cleaning robot is slightly more high-powered than the gutter cleaner, using iAdapt Nautiq technology to find the size of your pool on its own, automatically adjusting its cleaning method to most effectively take on the task. This machine cleans not only debris from your pool that you’d otherwise have to fish out with a net like leaves, dirt clumps, and hair, but smaller and even nearly invisible items as well – 70 gallons of water per minute filtering pollen, algae, and bacteria as small as two microns.

Take heed and see these machines above and below in the hands-on video and photos we’ve got prepped for you, and make sure to check our CES 2013 portal too for sweet up to the minute and hands-on action all week!

iRobot Looj 330 and Mirra 530 hands-on: gutter and pool cleaning made fun is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Archos first announced its TV Connect ahead of CES 2013, which detailed a two-device approach to bringing the Android experience to televisions. On one end is an HD camera mounted either to the top of your television or set up as a stand, and at the other end is an enormous remote control — what Archos is calling the “TV Touch remote.” The camera end of things also contains a 1.5GHz “multi-core” CPU, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of expandable storage, all of which powers the experience. Sadly, with a mess of WiFi signals and Bluetooth devices at the Las Vegas Convention Center (TV Connect included), navigating TV Connect’s Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean interface could only be done via physical buttons — the TV Touch remote is otherwise advertised to interact with the camera by placing a cursor on screen, navigable by physically pointing the giant remote at your screen.

In our hands-on time, not only was the cursor bugging out, but the Bluetooth connection dropped altogether at one point. It’s possible that this was just a measure of the demo area’s constraints, of course; we’re reserving judgment until we can test it in our own homes. When it was working, it operated like you’d expect Android to operate. We were able to jump quickly from Google Maps to a game just as easily as you would on any standard Android device, albeit on the big screen. And that’s quite a promising concept — pushing not only apps like YouTube and Netflix to the TV, but more importantly, Google’s Play store. That means games (controllable with the TV Touch remote), media, and more. Whether it’s as exciting as it sounds remains to be seen, but we’ll be sure to find out before it arrives at retail this February for $130. Take a peek at TV Connect in use in our hands-on video, just below.

Continue reading Hands-on with Archos TV Connect (video)

Filed under: Displays, Gaming, Home Entertainment, Household, Peripherals, HD

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This week we got the chance to not only get our hands on the TrackinPoing XactSystem precision-guided rifle system, we had a chat with the company’s President Jason Schauble as well. This system is able to turn your shooting into a digitally that’ll make you as precise a marksman as you can be. What we’re seeing here is a massive computer system mounted on top of a specialized firearm (in this case) complete with processing power and connectivity to your computers of all kinds – with this system you gain more information on your shooting accuracy than you’ll have ever dreamed possible.

With this device and system you’re able to connect to your rifle wirelessly and see what your scope sees. The system the folks at TrackingPoint are showing off here is a full-on system including ammunition, an iPad mini to connect with, and the rifle itself. Long-range marksmen are set to become much, much more advanced in the field.

The scope’s vision is shown in the gallery we’ve got below (and above) – see for yourself the system you’ll be using in the very near future. Also note that this system is able to guide the shooter with trigger weight and you’ve got systems like edge and blob detection in the unit for just about as advanced an experience as you can work with. You’ll be able to adjust for essentially all conditions – wind adjustment certainly, zoom, focus adjustment, and a series of modes are included as well.

Have a peek at our talk with the President and make sure you take a close look at the details above and below. This system is a wild bit of technology we’re not often anywhere near, so savor it as well if you’re all about firearms. Also be sure to take a peek at our CES portal as well as our ShowStoppers 2013 tag!

TrackingPoint firearms show heads-up displays aren’t just for Google Glass is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.