Hasta La Gadget!

This week the folks at United Aircraft have let it be known that they’ll be bringing wi-fi connectivity to their planes, this making them the first US-based international carrier to offer said connections while traveling over the ocean. Jim Compton, Vice Chairman and Chief Revenue Officer for United, spoke up about the service, noting that this is part of their efforts to make the airline the top choice for international flight – “With this new service, we continue to build the airline that customers want to fly.”

This service will be working with your wireless device galore, including but not limited to your laptop, smartphone, and tablet. You’ll be able to get internet on the flight starting at $3.99 ranging all the way up to $19.99 depending on the service you’d like to work with. Standard prices range from $3.99 to $14.99 depending on how far you’ll be flying – that including basic speeds (the exact internet speed not being shared at the moment by United).

If you’re working with Accelerated internet, you’ll be paying between $5.99 and $19.99 USD – these prices also based on the length of flight you’ll be taking. The hardware being installed to make this all a reality is none other than Panasonic Avionics Corporation’s Ku-band satellite technology – this is different from air-to-ground technology being used by many national companies today.

The roll-out of this tech for you and I will be starting with two Airbus 319 aircraft right here at the start of 2013 with connectivity hitting 300 mainline aircraft by the end of this year – that’s a whole lot of connectivity! You’ll be able to work with this tech on Airbus 319 and 320 aircraft for starters as well as Boeing 737, 747, 757, 767, 777 and 787 sooner than later!

United becomes first international US-based airline with wi-fi is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This may not the sexiest Android phone that has been announce this year, but at 100,000 Won or less than 100 USD the ULALA I-K1 has only one goal, being the most affordable and elegant Smartphone you can get. Targeting customers looking for a second phone the ULALA I-K1 will be sold in Korea with any contract and will come by default with Android 2.3.5, an ARM Coretex A5 CPU, a 3.5″ screen with a HVGA resolution (320×480), a dual SIM Slot, WiFi+3G+Bluetooth, a MicroSD Slot, a 3Mpix …

Remember Romo, the adorable iPhone-faced track-equipped robot? We met up with Romotive in Vegas at CES 2013 to play with the 3rd generation model that was recently launched on Kickstarter. The company also gave us an exclusive first look at a 3rd generation prototype with Lightning connector. We sat down with CEO Keller Rinaudo to discuss the new robot and catch up on what the team’s achieved over the past year.

As a refresher, we first encountered Romo when we covered it for our Insert Coin feature in October 2011. Back then, the robot used rudimentary analog electronics and plugged into the iPhone’s headphone jack. After a successful initial Kickstarter campaign, Romotive moved from Seattle to Las Vegas where we caught up the team on our stage during CES 2012. The 2nd generation model was available both pre-assembled and it kit form with support for iOS, Android and Windows Phone. It was upgraded to digital electronics but still used the audio interface to control its tracks and featured hacker-friendly auxiliary ports. Hit the break for more.

Continue reading Romo gen 3 gains Lightning connector, we go hands-on (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Robots, Mobile, Apple

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Among the many, many things that LG is unveiling at CES this year is the curious addition of a sound bar with built-in video streaming. That still sounds like a contradiction of purpose to us, but the Smart Sound Bar, also known as the NB3730A, is more fascinating once you dive into the details. The large-sized bar pumps out 300W across its 2.1 channels, and its WiFi takes internet audio and video from CinemaNow, general internet radio, Netflix, Pandora and Vudu. Bluetooth audio is built-in as well. It’s ultimately built for those who don’t have an online-capable TV, Blu-ray player or media hub at their disposal — a group whose ranks are thinning quickly, but certainly still exists.

We got a quick glance at the Smart Sound Bar for ourselves. From a design perspective, it’s simple to operate and thin, if not exactly short. This won’t be a good fit for that small TV in the basement, then, although it’s perfect for that big wall-mounted set. We’d like to tell you how well it works in real life, but expo conditions dictate otherwise: LG unfortunately lacks an internet connection for the sound bar on demo, and an extra-crowded booth isn’t the ideal environment for gauging audio quality. If you’re mostly wondering whether or not it will fit into the living room decor, however, we’ve got a gallery for you below.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, LG

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Back in early November, Belkin unveiled the NetCam WiFi camera, but it only supported standard definition, and it was the company’s first try at implementing a wireless camera. However, the company has released a sequel here at CES 2013, and its calling it the NetCam HD. We stopped by the company’s booth to get a look at the new device.

The NetCam HD touts 720p video capabilities, as well as digital audio capture for monitoring while your on the road. It also boasts easy setup with an Android or iOS smartphone with your home’s wireless router, so there’s no need to get on your computer to configure the device, which is incredible convenient, especially for those who use their smartphones the most.

If you need to monitor your house at night, Belkin included night vision capabilities in the NetCam HD, just like the device’s predecessor. A companion mobile app handles most of the workload, and email alerts can be pushed to your inbox when motion is detected, complete with a screenshot of the culprit passing through.

Additionally, the NetCam HD will launch with the recently outed WeMo SMART platform that adds to Belkin’s home automation tools for a variety of in-home uses with electronics and appliances. The NetCam HD is slated to hit shelves this spring at a price of $149, which is just a tad more than the original NetCam.

Belkin NetCam HD WiFi camera hands-on is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.