Jan 04
OnLive and Vizio partnership integrates the cloud gaming service with Vizio’s TVs and forthcoming Via tablets and smartphones.
Originally posted at CES 2011
Jan 04
Alcoholic drinks turn ceramic compounds into superconductors. Can beer-based unobtainium be far off?
Jan 04
Toyota Entune in-car infotainment system interfaces with your smartphone, does everything but drive
Posted in: apps, bluetooth, Today's Chili, Toyota, video
Ford and Microsoft have been all over the smartphone-car integration scene with their SYNC system, but now it’s Toyota‘s turn. The outfit is launching a major initiative here at CES to make your vehicle more than just a mode of transportation, with the Entune infotainment system offering Bluetooth, a host of mobile apps and the ability to read-back and replay text messages. Entune is expected to launch as an option on “select models” later this year, with featured apps including Bing, iheartradio, MovieTickets.com, OpenTable and Pandora, not to mention location-based services such as personalized traffic, fuel prices, stock alerts, weather reports and sports scores. It’ll rely on voice commands and in-vehicle controls, enabling users to be informed and empowered while traveling. Aside from giving motorists the ability to reserve a table as they’re en route to an eatery and order a movie ticket for later, it’s also a fully-featured entertainment center — you’ll get access to HD Radio, a CD player, USB connectivity and Bluetooth audio streaming. Best of all, the entire setup is firmware upgradable via OTA updates, so the risk of obsolesce is lessened a good bit. We’re hoping to get some hands-on time with an Entune-equipped whip here on the show floor, and we’ll be sure to share our impressions just as soon as we do. For now, feel free to get a closer look in the gallery below and the video after the break.
Toyota Entune in-car infotainment system interfaces with your smartphone, does everything but drive originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jan 04
Stick-On JoyPad Upgrades iPad Gaming
Posted in: Accessories and Peripherals, Games, ipad, Today's Chili
The Fling is a stick-on game-controller for the iPad. It comes from Ten One design, the company behind the popular Pogo Stylus that lets you write on your capacitive touch-screen with a pen.
The Fling is made from bendy resin, aluminum and a pair of suction cups. You fire up a game with an on-screen joystick – a first-person shooter or Street Fighter IV, for example – and place the Fling over the top of the touch-controls. Stick it down with the suckers and you’re good to go. The Fling lets you make your moves on a rocking D-pad and transfers them to the screen beneath via the magic of conductivity. And because it’s transparent, you can see the game through its jellyfish-like body.
Here it is in action. Get ready on the mute button, though – there’s loud music.
Neat, huh? And just $25 – not dirt cheap, sure, but certainly no more than buying a decent controller for a regular console. I had moved on to finger-friendly games like Angry Birds and Cut the Rope, but the Fling may make me reconsider my abandonment of SFIV.
Fling product page [Ten One via Kotaku]
See Also:
- iCade: Spoof Arcade Cabinet for iPad
- Stick-On Buttons Turn Smartphones into Game-Pads
- Pogo iPhone Stylus Bounces Back. Again
Jan 04
Vizio has announced a pair of TVs with an ultra-wide aspect ratio of 21:9, as opposed to the standard 16:9.
Originally posted at CES 2011
Jan 04
Kodak adds Quick Comment option, activity sensor to refreshed Pulse digiframe
Posted in: Today's Chili
We’ve been talking a lot about second generation hardware at CES this year, but it’s not just Intel and AMD who are unveiling their next iterative step toward consumers’ pockets. Kodak has disclosed plans to update its Pulse digital photo frame — you know, the one that can receive images via its very own email address — with a new Quick Comments feature plus an activity sensor that switches the display off when no humanoids are moving about in front of it. It doesn’t seem like you’ll be able to author your own comments when responding to the sender of your latest pic, though you will be able to communicate via a selection of gorgeous pre-canned proclamations like the always popular “OMG!” and the ever-versatile “LOL!” The new Pulse will be arriving in the spring, costing $130 for the 7-inch variety or $200 for its 10-inch SKU. Skip past the break for the full press release.
Continue reading Kodak adds Quick Comment option, activity sensor to refreshed Pulse digiframe
Kodak adds Quick Comment option, activity sensor to refreshed Pulse digiframe originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 08:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jan 04
Joby Yogi, A Handy Bendy Gorillapod for the iPad
Posted in: Accessories and Peripherals, case, Today's Chili
LAS VEGAS — Along with its curious Ori iPad case, Joby has also launched a more conventional Gorillapod-like iPad accessory, the Gorillamobile Yogi.
The Yogi consists of a polycarbonate case with a rubber bumper. Into this case slides the tripod, with the prehensile ball-and-socket legs that are Joby’s trademark. The tripod can mount on a long or a short edge, and from there you can pretty much position the iPad any way you like, propping it on your lap, wrapping it around a wrist or hanging it from the back of an airplane (or car) seat.
A regular, mobile-sized Gorillapod actually makes a great iPad stand, as we found out back in July. But this version, custom made and actually joining securely onto the tablet itself, looks to be both sturdier and handier. Available now, for $50.
Yogi product page [Joby]
See Also:
- How-To: Gorillapod Doubles as Awesome iPad Stand
- Joby Gorillapod, Now for iPod Touch
- The (Ugly) DIY Gorillapod
- Gorillapod-Inspired Tripod Looks Like Robot Skeleton
Jan 04
Vizio shows off its full 2011HDTV lineup: ultrawidescreen, 3D, Google TV, widgets & all
Posted in: breaking news, BreakingNews, GoogleTv, LCD, LED, Today's Chili, vizio
No more dribs and drabs of information leaking out as Vizio has finally listed its entire 2011 LCD lineup, again featuring LED back & edge lighting across all models. That includes two ultrawidescreen 21:9 Cinema models in its Theater 3D line in 50- and 58-inch sizes, two VIA Plus TVs with Google TV in the XVT3D476SP and XVT3D556SP, and continuation of its existing Yahoo! Widgets based Vizio Internet Apps features including WiFi and Bluetooth QWERTY remote across TVs sized 22-inches and above. Check the press release after the break for all the models and what they offer, perhaps wisely there’s no detailed information about when and for how much they’ll be available just yet, so we’ll still have to speculate about which models will represent the sub-$300 3D portion of the lineup.
Vizio shows off its full 2011HDTV lineup: ultrawidescreen, 3D, Google TV, widgets & all originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 08:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jan 04
OnLive turns into Vizio VIA Plus app, destined for TVs, tablets and phones
Posted in: app, Television, Today's Chili, vizio
The OnLive MicroConsole is one way to get your streaming game fix, but here comes Vizio with four more — the bargain television company just revealed that those brand-new VIA Plus HDTVs and Blu-ray players (as well as that VIA Tablet and VIA Phone) will come with OnLive on board. Despite running as an internet app on top of the existing Vizio hardware, we’re told the service will support full 1080p resolution, stereoscopic 3D images, and OnLive’s low-latency wireless gamepads too — as Vizio’s units will apparently support IEEE 802.15.4. While the jury’s still out on when OnLive will actually be playable on touchscreens, CEO Steve Perlman says some games are being adapted to support touch right now, and that tablets that support external game controllers could also use OnLive normally. We’ve also got more good news for the home theater crowd, as OnLive’s signed a deal with SRS, bringing 5.1 surround sound as a free update to all OnLive users early next year. Because there’s nothing quite like having ears bombarded from all directions with digital explosions. PR after the break.
Continue reading OnLive turns into Vizio VIA Plus app, destined for TVs, tablets and phones
OnLive turns into Vizio VIA Plus app, destined for TVs, tablets and phones originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 08:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jan 04
Clickfree Wireless takes the Time Capsule approach, automates backups over WiFi
Posted in: hard drive, HardDrive, storage, Today's Chili
Tired of the power supply going sour in your Time Capsule? Join the crowd. Clickfree is making its annual CES introduction today from Las Vegas, and for those familiar with the aforementioned Apple product, you’ll understand exactly how the Clickfree Wireless works. Put simply, it’s an HDD-infused box with an 802.11n radio within, and it’s designed to automate the backup of an unlimited quantity of Macs or PCs without any wires whatsoever. Sort of. You’ll still need to plug it directly into each machine you’re hoping to duplicate as the initial backup takes place, but after that, all settings will be found and configured, and all future backups will happen without wires. Sadly, only two models are available at launch — a 500GB box for $179, and a 1TB unit for $249. If you’ve more than one machine in your house, you’ll probably need to wait for larger capacity units to surface later in the quarter, but hey, at least they’re en route.
Continue reading Clickfree Wireless takes the Time Capsule approach, automates backups over WiFi
Clickfree Wireless takes the Time Capsule approach, automates backups over WiFi originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 08:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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