Hasta La Gadget!

You know what’s wrong with most TVs? The fact that you can’t draw on them, right? Well as we learned this morning, Panasonic has developed its own solution to the problem with the newly announced Touch Pen and we managed to get hand(s) on. The wireless pen allows you to draw directly onto compatible Panasonic TVs, annotate, draw, whatever takes your fancy, and then share these images via a range of different connectivity options (via a paired tablet and Panasonic’s Viera Remote 2.0 app, or save to USB etc). Panasonic was keen to point out that, unlike existing solutions, the Touch Pen doesn’t need any extra hardware, just the TV and the device itself. The actual hardware part is somewhat large, but not cumbersome, and it’s pretty clear that this was designed to be comfortable for most hands, yet durable, particularly suitable for children. This comes as no surprise considering that the pen is also effectively a HID device, doubling as a stylus for input and game control. While we were at the booth we loaded up a simple game, and used the pen to control the penguins on the ice, much like flicking angry birds on a phone.

In actual use, if you are watching something and you have a sudden burst of inspiration, all you need to do is hold the pen to the screen, and after a short wait the TV grabs a shot of the screen, much like taking a screenshot on a smartphone. With the picture snagged, a simple art interface comes up, with options for colors, pen types, undo, save and so on. We spent a few moments amusing ourselves by adding comedy facial accoutrements to the onscreen protagonist. We can definitely see that this would be a fun novelty for home use, of particular interest to kids. There is also potential for some simple business use too. Whichever case use appeals most to you, over all it’s just another input option, and if you’re like us, that’s always a welcome addition. Once again, Panasonic were tight-lipped on when we might see this, and for how much, but don’t be surprised if you see this pop back up some time around summer.

Sean Cooper and Steve Dent contributed to this report.

Filed under: Displays, Peripherals

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While Astro Gaming and Mad Catz like to announce stuff in a controlled drip-drip, Turtle Beach — as usual — is going ahead with a tactical blitz of new gaming headsets at CES. Just as we’ve come to expect from the company, CES 2013 looks no different and no less exciting for audio-concerned gamers. While the headset veteran isn’t showing anything with a major wow factor (think back to the PX5 from CES 2011), it’s made some welcome updates to its Ear Force lineup, and finally announced concrete pricing info for its soon-to-be flagship Seven Series tournament models. We’ll likely see some some major announcements come E3, but for now, join us past the break — especially if you’re hoping to replace the likes that old PX21 (and its not so sturdy earcups) of yours.

Continue reading Turtle Beach highlights latest Ear Force gaming headsets for 2013, prices tournament flagship Seven Series

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals, Portable Audio/Video

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Source: Turtle Beach

It’s no secret that we generally enjoy Braven’s pushes into the portable Bluetooth speaker arena. The company is again aiming to take your dollars away from the likes of the Jawbone Jamboxes, offering up two new units for CES. The 850 is it’s largest speaker yet, being roughly the same size as Big Jambox — and priced much the same at $300. As you’d expect, the 850 is clad in aluminum, and has a USB port for charging external devices. That’s not all, however, as Braven claims this is the worlds first battery-powered speaker that’ll charge 2.1A gimzos (like the iPad) on its own accord (no word on expected battery life). Even more impressive — and expensive — we’re told that two units can be run in true stereo with either serving as the left and right channels. No pictures for now, but we’ll update this post as soon as we get them.

Aside from the 850, the $170 BRV-1 (dummy units pictured) ditches the company’s smooth rectangular speaker angles, in favor of ruggedness and IPX5 water-resistance. The not-so pocketable speaker is clad in rubber, featuring two large buttons on both edges for playback controls. The speaker grill on the front get’s Braven’s usual treatment with aluminium, while the back houses twist-cap protected microUSB port, USB port, battery indicator and a 3.5mm input jack. Both speakers are set to site along its Six Series units sometime this month, and you’ll find more pictures of two BRV-1 mockups in the gallery below.

Filed under: Peripherals, Portable Audio/Video

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In the past few years, Nyko‘s transformed from a third-party peripheral manufacturer of poor repute to one many gamers depend on for quality products. Devices like the Nintendo Wii Charge Station and the 3DS Power Pak+ went a long way in earning good will, and the latest slew of add-ons continues the company’s recent tradition. Nyko’s Charge Station U ($34.99) bolsters the standard Wii U GamePad charge stand with space for two plain Wii controllers (and includes rechargeable batteries for said Wii controllers), and its Pro Commander ($34.99) takes Nintendo’s Pro Controller and swaps the awkward analog stick placement for a more traditional feel (read: like an Xbox 360 controller).

While the former adds a $15 premium to Nintendo’s first-party charging stand, it also adds the ability to charge your Wii controllers at the same time (as well as giving them rechargeable batteries); the Pro Commander is not only a perfectly capable controller, it also shaves $15 off of Nintendo’s $50 asking price for the first-party Pro Controller. In so many words, if you buy both of these items, you’ll be spending roughly the same amount as if you had bought Nintendo’s first-party equivalents, only you get more functionality. We’ll have our first chance to get hands-on with both devices, as well as the previously announced UBoost, Charge Base Pro, and Power Stand, this week as CES 2013 rages on. You’ll be able to get your hands-on with all five starting this February when they arrive at retailers nationwide.

Continue reading Nyko unveils Charge Station U, Pro Commander Wii U peripherals at CES 2013

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals, HD, Nintendo

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We normally don’t bother to write about iPhone cases here at Engadget, but this one seemed pretty neat. Snappgrip is a case that turns your iPhone into a point-and-shoot camera — partly for kitsch’s sake, but mostly to make one-handed shots easier to pull off. The design is simple: it’s just a plastic shell with a shutter button, a dial for controlling shutter speed and a hand grip — the sort you’d normally find on a compact camera.

To use it, you’ll need to download the free iPhone or Android app. Interestingly, though, the company is releasing its SDK to developers, so in theory you’ll one day be able to use this case with other camera apps. Another quid pro quo: the case only fits the iPhone 4, iPhone 5 and Galaxy S III for now, though the company is considering ways to make the case universally compatible. Snappgrip is priced at $99, but it’s not shipping just yet (the Kickstarter campaign, linked below, is still going strong). For now, we’ve got a quickie hands-on video waiting just past the break.

Continue reading Hands-on with Snappgrip, a case that turns your phone into a point-and-shoot

Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Peripherals, Mobile

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Source: Snappgrip (Kickstarter)