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CES 2009
Asus releases world's first Skype-certified standalone Videophone
By Loz Blain
13:50 January 7, 2009 PST
January 7, 2009 As Internet connectivity extends further around the world and broadband uptake becomes almost ubiquitous, Skype finds itself in an excellent position dominating the Internet telephony business with its simple, familiar software and free Skype-to-Skype calls around the world. It's certainly our preferred communication tool at Gizmag, keeping our globetrotting team in touch without any fuss. And now it can be completely divorced from the computer, as Asus has shown with its AiGuru SV1 standalone videophone at the 2009 Vegas CES. The US$300 AiGuru can connect to the net through your home wifi, and with its built-in speaker, camera, screen and microphone, you've got a fully functional videophone right out of the box, ready to connect to the world's biggest videophone network. Read More
Flexing your cords to eliminate cable tangles
By Loz Blain
06:19 January 7, 2009 PST
January 7, 2009 A simple invention here, but one with some merit - Flexicord cables can be gently bent into shape, and they'll stay the way you set them, the idea being that you can coil them up so they're always the perfect length, and never in the way of anything else. They're available in HDMI, Cat5e, RCA phono jack, S-Video and USB varieties in lengths up to 10 feet. Read More
Zivio Boom Bluetooth headset with flexible, extendable... boom
By Loz Blain
01:52 January 7, 2009 PST
Phone conversations in noisy environments present interesting challenges for makers of Bluetooth headsets. And while BlueAnt decided to go with a sophisticated noise canceling algorithm, the Zivio Boom goes about the task of getting a clearer voice out of the microphone in a much more old-fashioned way - with an extendable, bendable Nitinol boom mic that you can position right in front of your mouth. How better to isolate your voice? Read More
ECLIPSE car entertainment unit features removeable standalone GPS navigation unit
By Loz Blain
01:11 January 7, 2009 PST
Fujitsu Ten Limited's latest all-in-one car entertainment system incorporates CD, DVD, MP3, WMA, iPod audio and video, Bluetooth phone integration and a fully-featured TomTom navigation system - all mounted in the dash so no part of the driver's line of sight to the road is obscured. The unit's touch-screen is removeable, and acts as a standalone GPS nav system when it's not attached to the main unit. Read More
DisplayLink ups the ante with 2nd Generation 1920x1200 Chipset
01:08 January 7, 2009 PST
Amongst a bevvy of unannounced new monitor designs that included the company's video over USB technology, DisplayLink quietly demonstrated their 2nd generation chipset at the CES 2009 preview today, pushing their maximum supported resolution from 1600x1200 up to a full 1920x1200. Read More
Shure announce PG27USB/PG42USB condenser microphones and X2u XLR-to-USB adapter
By Tim Hanlon
00:06 January 7, 2009 PST
With the democratization of digital music recording and production in full flight thanks to applications like GarageBand, Shure have released three new USB-based products to cater for the ever increasing market of users who need to record audio to their computers, but don't have access to professional pre-amplifiers - the PG27USB and PG42USB USB condenser microphones, and the X2u XLR-to-USB adapter which turns any existing XLR microphone into a plug-and-play USB microphone. Read More
Pacemaker portable digital DJ system gets an update, lower price
By Tim Hanlon
23:59 January 6, 2009 PST
We first covered the Pacemaker portable digital DJ system back in June 2007, and it has since won a number of awards including a CES Innovations and Engineering Award for 2009. A new model targeted at consumers has arrived with a smaller 60GB hard drive, a lower price point (US$550) to match, and one key new feature designed to aid beginner DJs - the ability to beatmatch and synchronize two songs with a single button press, and get straight to the fun stuff like EQ, filters, effects and crossfading. Read More
Lenovo adds lightweight 16-inch Laptop
By Mike Hanlon
18:23 January 6, 2009 PST
Lenovo has announced the the IdeaPad Y650, one of the thinnest and lightest 16-inch laptops available at just 5.6 pounds. The new Y650 was one of three new additions to the IdeaPad laptop lineup alongside the 15.6-inch Y550, and the 14-inch Y450. All are configurable with up to 500GB of storage space and up to 4GB of DDR3 memory. Read More
HP introduces new notebook in Mini line
By Kyle Sherer
17:57 January 6, 2009 PST
HP's 2140 notebook PC uses a low-power Intel Atom processor, and includes integrated Wi-Fi Certified WLAN, a VGA webcam, and optional Bluetooth 2.0. The lightweight model will be available later this month from USD$499 Read More
Innovative new Portable Power Products for Vehicles
By Mike Hanlon
16:37 January 6, 2009 PST
Here’s a solution with what we anticipate is massive latent demand – two strong names (Energizer and UPG) have allied to produce a line of energy-related automotive products that can charge portable devices, run kitchen appliances, jump-start a car and even inflate a tire. There’s even a US$140 all-in-one product that includes an inverter that will allow motorists to convert power from the vehicle’s DC adapter to AC and USB outlets, a jump starter that jump-starts vehicles without a second vehicle, and an air compressor for inflating, tires, airbeds, inflatable toys ad infinitum. Read More
Nu.M8 GPS childrens watch and child locator
By Mike Hanlon
14:17 January 6, 2009 PST
800,000 children are reported missing each year in the United States. In the U.K., that number is 140,000 children and there is no greater ordeal for a parent than not knowing where they are. Gartner estimates that the worldwide market for GPS based location devices will grow from 16 million in 2007 to 300 million in 2011.Using GPS-based systems to keep track of your pets and/or children is a trade off between peace of mind and cost – we’ve detailed numerous pet and child GPS locators, and the just-announced Nu.M8’s main claim is that it does not rely upon the child being responsible enough to keep their locator with them in a bag or pocket. When Nu.M8 is securely fastened to a child’s wrist it cannot be removed without sending an alert to the parent’s phone. As it’s also discretely hidden inside a watch, it’s more likely that if something goes wrong, the parent locates their child, not the technology. Read More
LG “Trumotion 480Hz” LCD TV Panel
By Mike Hanlon
12:19 January 6, 2009 PST
January 7, 2009 LG Display is showing its latest kit behind closed doors at CES in a private room at the Bellagio Hotel - an LCD TV with 480Hz refresh rate , further accelerating the advent of ultra high-speed images without sacrificing picture quality. LG Display’s ‘scanning backlight’ is the technology that enables a backlight to be repeatedly turned on and off to reduce motion blur and enhance contrast. When combined with the company’s 240 Hz technology, the display can refresh 480 images per second. The “Trumotion 480Hz” LCD TV panel has a response time (MPRT) of 4ms, eliminating motion blurring for fast moving images and will hit the market in the second half of 2009. Read More
SanDisk's new Ultra Backup Flash drive
By Kyle Sherer
10:36 January 6, 2009 PST
SanDisk’s Ultra Backup USB Flash drives allow users to securely store and protect their data at the touch of a button. Billed as world first functionality for a USB portable Flash drive, the backup technology is designed to quickly and painlessly copy important files and will be available from April in capacities ranging from 8GB-64GB. Read More
Lenovo's IdeaCentre A600 All-in-One Desktop
By Mike Hanlon
01:26 January 6, 2009 PST
The IdeaCentre A600 is Lenovo’s first all-in-one desktop and has the same levels of style and presence as Apple’s iMac. The A600 is very slim, features a 21.5-inch frameless screen, an integrated speaker system including a bass sub-woofer and Dolby Home Theatre audio certification, an optional Blu-ray player, a digital TV tuner and an optional 4-in-1 remote controller with air mouse functionality (presumably accelerometer-based ), enabling users to control on-screen objects according to the movement of the remote. It can also be used as a cordless VOIP handset, a media center/TV remote, and Microsoft Vista Media Center users can use it to operate DVDs, movies and TV. There’s also VeriFace facial recognition technology which allows users to use their face as their log-on password.The IdeaCentre A600 all-in-one desktop will be available in April from US$1000. Read More
Minoru 3D Webcam to launch at CES
23:25 January 5, 2009 PST
3D vision systems have been threatening to make the transition from quirky novelty to mainstream consumer product for some time now, and though the jury is still out on whether that will actually happen, we can certainly expect a flurry of 3D products to hit the market during 2009 - starting with this one. Using two cameras incorporated into a single stand to produce a stereoscopic effect, the Minoru 3D webcam's image can be viewed in 3D using the familiar red and cyan 3D glasses. Read More
Pentax Optio P70 compact – 12 MPX plus 720p video
By Mike Hanlon
19:47 January 5, 2009 PST
January 6, 2009 Digital still image and video continue to converge with Pentax announcing the US$200 Optio P70 at CES. The ultra-slim P70 takes 12 megapixel still images and 720p video, sadly at just 15 FPS, but it’s a start. There’s a 4X optical zoom (equivalent to 27.5mm-110mm), a 2.7 inch high-resolution, wide-angle view LCD panel, and new Pixel Track Shake Reduction technology to assure sharp images with low noise even in poor lighting. Read More
Fuji’s new eco-friendly, long-lasting, guilt-free EnviroMAX batteries
By Mike Hanlon
19:34 January 5, 2009 PST
Despite promises of portable alternative power sources, batteries still rule the roost and apart from being a costly form of energy, we all know that we’re contributing a little bit more to the planet’s indigestible waste with each one we purchase – until now! Fuji is announcing a new line of eco-friendly, high performance consumer batteries at CES. EnviroMAX batteries do not contain cadmium or mercury or any ingredients harmful to the environment, are packaged with recycled paper and fully recyclable PET plastic and can be disposed of through normal waste systems or in landfills as they degrade. Fuji is claiming equal or better performance/longevity to the major equivalent brands, and an affordable price. They’re due in stores in April. Stay tuned for more info when we get our hands on a set. Read More
Alexis Olson
- November 9, 2009 @ 21:08 UTC
