Hasta La Gadget!

If you’re like me, you may have long wanted to have a home theater PC in your living room entertainment center. The problem that I have – that I bet a few of you suffer from as well – is that my wife already has the entertainment center stuffed with all manner of knick-knacks. That means there’s barely any room for any actual home theater components.

A company called Xi3 Corporation has a new computer suitable for HTPC applications that will fit in just about any entertainment center, including mine. The machine is called the Z3RO Pro Computer and it measures just 4.875 x 3.625 x 1.875 inches.

That means the computer is roughly the size of a paperback novel, and not one of those gigantically thick Stephen King paperbacks either.

Inside that tiny chassis is a dual-core 64-bit x86-based processor operating at 1.65 GHz. The machine has an integrated GPU with 80 graphics cores and a top resolution of 2560×1600. It’s got 4 GB of RAM, and the ability to include an SSD ranging in size from 16GB to 1TB. The machine has a pair of DisplayPort video outputs including one that pulls HDMI duty as well. For connectivity, it has a gigabit Ethernet port, and four eSATAp 3.0 ports. Surprisingly, the one thing that’s clearly missing is integrated Wi-Fi, so you’ll have to use a USB dongle or Ethernet/Wi-Fi bridge for that.

It consumes only 15 W of power, and ships with the openSUSE Linux operating system pre-installed. That said, you can also install Windows 8 or other operating systems if you so choose.

Shipping for the Xi3 Z3RO Pro is set for Q2 2013 with prices starting at $399 (USD).

CES is a hotbed for technological innovations being announced, and LG has decided to grab the bull by its horns with the latest announcement of its OLED TV, coming in the form of the LG EA9800. The big question is this, just what makes the LG EA9800 so special from all of the other OLED TVs that are in the market? How about this answer for starters – it comes in a curved manner, boasting proprietary WRGB technology in an incredibly thin form factor so that your eyes will be treated to vivid picture quality which has been said to be practically indiscernible from colors which you find in nature.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating, or so the adage goes, so how does the LG EA9800 OLED TV stack up when viewed? Since it carries the industry’s very first curved screen ergonomic design with full CINEMA 3D support, we do not really have any other benchmarks to fall back upon. Still, with a gentle inward flex, the entire screen surface is said to be equidistant from the viewer’s eyes, which in layman’s terms, would mean doing away with the issue of screen-edge visual distortion and detail loss.

Needless to say, something of this size and magnitude where technological advancements are concerned have yet to be priced, nor do we know whether LG intends to make it available to the consumer market this year or not. After all, many hardware manufacturers do take the opportunity at CES to gauge the temperature of consumers’ pockets before agreeing to a sticker price that everyone would be happy with.

Havis Kwon, President and CEO of LG’s Home Entertainment Company, said, “LG is the first to launch the 55-inch OLED TV. We believe our new OLED TVs offer the ultimate viewing experience, surpassing anything seen before. The new curved model complements our core OLED TV family with a unique design that capitalizes on the thinness of the screen and the aesthetic beauty of OLED TV.”

Press Release
[ LG goes curvy with new OLED TV copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Phillips has unveiled what it claims to be the world’s first sound bar with detachable side speakers for true 5.1 surround sound at CES 2013. The speaker system is called the Philips Fidelio Soundbar HTL9100. The sound bar features detachable wireless side speakers that can be removed and placed around the room for true 5.1 surround sound.

The device also has a wireless subwoofer for improved bass response and better sound. The coolest part about these detachable side speakers is that not only are they wireless, but they are battery powered. Typically, with wireless speakers used in surround sound systems, you still have to plug the speakers into a wall outlet meaning they’re not truly wireless.

Phillips promises that its truly wireless and battery powered side speakers are good for 10 hours of use per charge. To recharge the speakers all you have to do is plug them back into the sides of the sound bar. That is very slick indeed. The sound bar has a pair of HDMI inputs, an optical input, and integrated Bluetooth.

The Bluetooth connectivity means you can stream audio from your smartphone and tablet directly to the sound bar from across the room. The sound bar also has an intelligent orientation sensor inside that recognizes if the unit is sitting flat on a shelf or has been mounted to a wall to automatically adjust sound for the best performance. The sound bar will be available in May at a suggested retail price of $799.99. That’s far from cheap, but this is an interesting solution nonetheless.

Philips unveils sound bar with wireless detachable speakers for true 5.1 sound at CES is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
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[CES 2013] If you’re thinking of setting up a home theater in your house and you’re on a budget, you might want to check out Epson’s latest offering: the 3LCD PowerLite Home Cinema 750HD. Designed for first-time home theater enthusiasts or those on a tight budget, this affordable and versatile 2D and true 3D projector is Epson’s brightest home theater projector to date.

The Home Cinema 750HD projects up to 3,000 lumens of color and 3,000 lumens of white brightness for dark or light rooms. It also features full HD, active shutter 3D with 720p resolution, and can project at up to 300-inches. The projector is equipped with a built-in speaker, and a range of connectivity options for your DVD players, TV receivers, gaming consoles, computers, and mobile devices.

The Epson Home Cinema 750HD will be available in late March for $899.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Toshiba Cloud TV, VIZIO 80-inch Razor LED Smart TV Leads CES Lineup,

Previous attempts at turning TVs and monitors into huge tablets were either very expensive or were DIY projects. We’ve seen cheap Android-on-a-stick devices, but they don’t have the full functionality of a tablet, i.e. multitouch. Archos wants to cover all bases – availability, price and features – with the TV Connect.

Unlike Android sticks, the TV Connect is barely portable. It’s clearly meant to be your HDTV or monitor’s permanent sidekick. The unit itself sits on top of your TV like a Kinect. It runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, has a 1.5GHz “multi-core” CPU, 1GB RAM and 8GB of Flash storage that you can augment with microSD cards. It also has a front-facing camera, an Ethernet port, Wi-Fi connectivity, mini-HDMI-to-HDMI output, a micro-USB port and a USB host port. Then there’s the huge-ass controller.

The controller makes it possible to use touch commands even though you don’t have a touchscreen TV or monitor. You can move the entire controller to use it like a mouse cursor, while you can use the thumb sticks to emulate multitouch gestures like pinching or scrolling. Archos also claims that you can map virtual buttons in games to the TV Connect’s gamepad buttons using their software. Beyond giving you access to Android’s apps, the TV Connect also has a built-in media player.

The controller looks silly and its weight – which Archos didn’t mention yet – could be a dealbreaker. Still, if it does the job I wouldn’t be surprised if this product takes off. I think an integrated sensor like the Leap would be a much better control solution though. The TV Connect should be available by February for $130 (USD), although I’m sure you’ll be able to pre-order it later this month.

[via Archos]