Wacom Cintiq Companion Hybrid hands-on: Android/desktop dual-wielding

With the Wacom Ciniq Companion Hybrid you’ve got one of two new drawing tablets made by the company to take the art to a new level. While the non-Hybrid version runs full Windows 8, this iteration utilizes Android for mobile greatness and full Mac OS and PC compatibility for all the stylus illustration work you […]

PocketBook e-paper Samsung Galaxy S 4 ereader case hands-on

Samsung’s Galaxy S 4 may have a great Super AMOLED display out of the box, but it’s overkill for ereading duties and, E Ink would argue, isn’t really best suited to browsing through ebooks. Enter PocketBook’s accessory case for the Galaxy S 4, a fold-out case complete with a 4.8-inch e-paper screen on the inside […]

3Doodler hands-on: 3D printing for the mass market

Kickstarter success 3Doodler proved there was a market for 3D printing without the geek requirement, but can crafting in the third-dimension really be as easy as wielding a hot nib? True, you won’t be creating any replacement machine parts, but with a $99.99 price tag that’s probably no surprise. We caught up with the $2.3m […]

Jabra Solemate Mini hands on: big sound meets ultra-portable

Jabra introduced its original Solemate wireless speaker late last year, and as we noted in our hands-on, it was about the weight and size of your average water bottle. For those who need something with more portability, the company is back with a new offering, the Jabra Solemate Mini, which it hails as an ultra-portable […]

Kindle Paperwhite 2013 hands-on: refining the nighttime e-reader

The team at Amazon behind the Kindle have refreshed the Kindle Paperwhite with a boost to both software and hardware, and all the way over in Berlin this week we’re having another look at it. This device looks – from all outward appearances – to be the exact same model as the original. It’s once […]

Moen MotionSense Touch-Free Faucet hands-on

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.

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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.

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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!

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

Lenovo ThinkPad Helix extended hands-on: Rip and Flip up close and personal

We’ve been given another opportunity to get right in deep with Lenovo’s newest convertible tablet running full Windows 8: the ThinkPad Helix, and this time we’re making a point of checking out not just the ripping and the flipping, but the spoiler on the back and the precision ruined craftsmanship as well. As you may well know from our previous look at this machine, you’re able to open it up in its notebook form to use it as a full-function Windows 8 laptop, press the button on the lower left of the display, “rip” it out, use it as a tablet, and place it back in place the other way around – then you can push it back down flat and have a massive battery capacity as well.

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One of the more interesting things we’ve learned in this new look at the machine is the fact that you get a couple of relatively hidden cooling fans under the hood in the back. Have a peek at this sequence of photos to see the spoiler (our term, not theirs) coming up as you life up the hood of this beast. Under that spoiler is a couple of fans that’ll keep this machine cool no matter what you’re processing or indulging in.

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The Lenovo Helix is solid, made with the same level of attention to detail that the full ThinkPad line always is. When we took a few minutes to literally carry the device around for a while, we noticed it was relatively light and felt solid above all else. The connection between the tablet and the keyboard is strong and ready for everyday work and play action.

Have a peek at the photos and video above and below and make sure you tune in throughout the week to our CES portal for every bit of CES 2013. We’ll be getting much more hands-on and up to the minute updates as we see the best of the season appearing right here, live from Las Vegas.

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Lenovo ThinkPad Helix extended hands-on: Rip and Flip up close and personal is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Boogie Board Sync 9.7 hands-on

These days, it seems that the art of taking down handwritten notes is dying. Why use a pen and paper when you’ve got a tablet or ultrabook in your bag that you can use to type things up instead? There is something to be said for handwritten notes, however – sometimes it’s much faster to write down something by hand, and during big shows like CES, taking along a pen and some paper ultimately cuts down on the amount of stuff you’re taking onto the show floor.

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Of course, the environmentally-minded among us might be concerned with the amount of paper we use to take down these notes, but thankfully the folks at Improv Electronics have found the answer to that wasteful issue. Say hello to the Boogie Board Sync LCD eWriter, which is outfitted with a 9.7-inch pressure-sensitive LCD screen that lets you jot down notes on the fly and then share them in any number of ways. This isn’t the first Boogie Board eWriter we’ve seen, but it certainly is the largest of the bunch.

The Boogie Board Sync comes equipped with a micro SD slot, so if you’d like to stash your notes on a card and move them to your other devices later, you can certainly do that. There’s also a micro USB port for wired transfer, but if you’re a fan of going wireless, this baby also comes with support for Bluetooth. Using that Bluetooth functionality, you can send your finished note to any other Bluetooth-supported device, whether that’s a computer, smartphone, or tablet. You can also sync your Boogie Board with a second screen using Bluetooth, meaning that what you write down on the eWriter shows up on your second screen (perfect for presentations and the like). Fancy saving your note and uploading it to Evernote to refer back to later? You can do that too.

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The models we saw during ShowStoppers certainly look nice, but at the moment, they’re only in the prototype stage. Though they do feel good in the hand at the present moment, we’re expecting a few things to change as we move toward the final product, which is scheduled to be released in time for 2013′s holiday season. Hopefully we’ll get to spend a bit more time with the Boogie Board Sync soon, but for now, have a look at our CES portal for much more from the show.

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Boogie Board Sync 9.7 hands-on is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Spigen SGP New-Coated Backpack Series hands-on

This week we got the opportunity to have a chat with Sue Choe of Spigen SGP at ShowStoppers during CES 2013, and she brought with her a backpack full of goodies for us to look at – the backpack itself being one of the best! This is the Spigen SGP New-Coated Backpack made specifically for the multi-device citizen amongst us, working with so many pockets inside that you’ll never be able to fill them all up! And it’s rather fashionable, too.

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This backpack has 11 main storage spaces made for your laptop, tablet, mouse, chargers, pencils and pens, smartphone, and whatever else you’ve got that you simply must bring with you on a regular basis. The inside is lined with some extremely soft synthetic fur in a couple of the most important places, keeping your most precious high-quality devices scratch-free no matter how many times you push them in or pull them out.

As you’ll see Sue demonstrate, this backpack looks deceptively simple in its outward appearance. You’ve got several color choices including Black, Orange Brown, Gray, Khaki (green), and a lovely shade of Navy blue, each of them with their own complimenting accent colors. The pack has padding galore on the back so you’ll be comfortable all day long as well as padding underneath so you can set your back down on the ground without worrying you’ll be smashing your devices.

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Have a peek at the hands-on photos and video we’ve got here and be sure to check this bag out in the near future up on Spigen SGP’s own online store. You’ll be able to pick this back up for $99.99 USD immediately if not soon for you and yours. Also be sure to check the rest of our Showstoppers 2013 coverage and our massive CES portal, too!

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Spigen SGP New-Coated Backpack Series hands-on is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

SoundMatters Dash 7 portable Bluetooth speaker hands-on

The past few days we’ve seen countless little Bluetooth speakers, JAMBOX look alikes, and various speakers but the new SoundMatters Dash 7 packs a powerful punch for such a small speaker. First mentioned earlier this year their ultra portable Bluetooth speaker was on display here at CES 2013 for ShowStoppers so we snagged a few photos.

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The speaker boasts pristine omnidirectional sound for such a small device. It’s also bundled with an angled stand for directional listening. The stands design mimics an Apple smart case too. It weighs just over 7 ounces so is extremely lightweight, and stands only 0.75-inches tall. Essentially, it’s designed to be nestled below your smartphone or tablet without restricting the view.

As you can see from our images below, the device is impressively sleek and we can confirm it’s rather light and ultra portable. Being able to lightly toss it nearly anywhere your smartphone or iPad goes without wasting much more space makes it quite versatile compared to some of their competition. The front face has the power button and led, along with a volume up/down dedicated button for ease of use. Around to the side is a 3.5mm audio out if you opt not to use Bluetooth, as well as a sub out feature if you really want to push out some bass.

Just like the Jawbone JAMBOX the Dash 7 uses a woofer/tweeter setup for sound, as well as a floating and moving battery to improve bass response. This makes the sound much better, louder, and crisper than you’d expect from such a tiny little speaker. Colors include red, white, black, and silver and the SoundMatters Dash 7 will hit the streets in February for around $219. Pretty big price, but that brings big performance in a small package.

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SoundMatters Dash 7 portable Bluetooth speaker hands-on is written by Cory Gunther & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.