Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
While I was waiting to watch Panasonic’s 3DHD demonstration earlier this week, I overheard what was surely the strangest conversation I’d ever eavesdropped at CES. https://gizmodo.com/panasonic-3dhd-decent-3d-video-thats-as-impractical-as-5125971 You see, while I thought that I’d arrived at the right spot for the 3DHD demo, I’d really been waiting in a sort of backstage area, where engineers, CEOs…
Fair warning—crazy French smart meters that detect the presence of cars and tell nearby authorities to come and bust you are making their way to the UK. Are we next? The meters create magnetic fields capable of registering the metal mass of vehicles. They have a direct computer link to a police station. Under a…
We usually stay in a dump of a hotel, the Imperial Palace, for $200. This year, we’re at the Wynn for $129. In short, if you didn’t rebook your CES hotel, you were overpaying. Everyone feels bad for the people who didn’t bother to recheck rates after the economy crashed, and are paying $400 for…
HDi’s Blu-ray player is one of the first great Blu-ray + digital file players we’ve seen, being BD Live compliant and playing back DivX/XVid/WMV9/H.264/MKV files. Best of all, it’s got a built-in BitTorrent client. There are various players like the Network player, BD Prime, HD Base and HD Center, all of which have various mix-and-match…
Bless you National Electronics Inc, CE wholesalers out of NYC—I will buy your Bravias, so long as a palette of Live at the Acropolis DVDs is part of the deal.
The Dell Mini 10 was the other announcement at today’s Dell event that wasn’t the Adamo, and it actually has some decent features, which include a 720p screen with end-to-end glass and a TV Tuner. The Mini 10 has a Z530 1.6 GHz Atom processor, and a smattering of relatively pedestrian features like 3G WWAN,…
Late last night we passed by Martin Cooper, inventor of the mobile phone, in front of the Vertu store at the Wynn. Yes, that Vertu, the makers of the $310,000 cellphone. https://gizmodo.com/stephen-colbert-replaces-his-310-000-vertu-with-someth-5068205 When we realized who it was and turned around, he was already whisked away by his comely entourage, but we wonder what he…
We had a quick hands-on with a prototype of the upcoming Bug Labs QWERTY module. The keys were tiny, requiring fingernail presses, but overall it felt pretty solid with firm buttons resistant to mistypes. https://gizmodo.com/bug-labs-open-source-gadgets-getting-pico-projector-3g-5125563 The Bug Labs booth at the Sands Convention Center (see: coffee, exposed circuit boards and lab coats).
With a data transfer rate of 480mbps and LED light indicators, this four-port hub may seem like any other USB Hub, except it is annoyingly perky. The Smiling Face USB Hub’s head can be rotated a full 360 degrees in order to direct his perkiness to you, no matter where you place him. And if…
Earlier rumors regarding the Palm Pre have it priced at over $200—but one Russian blogger with a history of accurate reports on the canceled Razr 3 claims it will be as high as $399. https://gizmodo.com/awww-sounds-like-palm-pre-will-be-over-200-5126961 Whether this figure reflects the contract or full retail price is unknown, but the blogger also states that the price…
It has been in the works for months, but Verizon and Alltel have finally consummated their relationship—making Verizon the nation’s largest wireless carrier with nearly 83.7 million subscribers. https://gizmodo.com/official-verizon-wireless-absorbing-alltel-to-become-l-5013412 In the meantime, Alltel will continue to operate under their brand until a full integration is completed sometime in the next year. All-in-all it seems like…
So after all the teasers for the 13-inch Adamo “luxury product” leading up to CES, Dell pulled the curtain off the Adamo, then refused to explain ANYTHING about the laptop. https://gizmodo.com/dell-confirms-adamo-is-macbook-air-competitor-5117243 They’re so tight lipped with details, they wouldn’t even answer a question asking what class of laptops this falls under (see: luxury product). We…
There have been other handheld charging devices that utilize the power of the sun and wind, but none claim to match the capacity of the Kinesis K2. Apparently, one hour of exposure to wind or sunlight will net you around 30 minutes on the phone. A full charge should be able to power up a…
The free Windows 7 Beta has gone live for the first 2.5 million downloaders. Keep in mind that the beta will expire on August 1st, so you will need to reinstall a commercial version. Updated 8:10 PM EST Sure, 2.5 million seems like a lot, but those downloads will go quickly—so get on it ASAP…
Not only Steve Ballmer has smashed again the stupid Zune cellphone rumors but, talking with the Financial Times, he has suggested the possibility of killing the Zune hardware: https://gizmodo.com/rumor-smash-no-zune-phone-at-ces-5107042 Asked if Microsoft would counter with a “Zune Phone”, Mr Ballmer said: “You should not anticipate that.” He added that the company would stick to its…
A Cult of Mac’s source says that Apple will “go large” at CES next year, replacing Macworld. Wait, didn’t Apple just say that they were killing Macworld because they think trade shows are irrelevant? While Cult of Mac’s—Wired’s Mac centric blog—source says “it’s a done deal” citing “friends who work at Apple”, this doesn’t match…
This Sony Vaio P is tiny, so it’s quite amazing to see how many things can come out of it. I think the PC User guys threw in some PSP circuits to confuse us. https://gizmodo.com/sony-vaio-p-super-dont-call-it-a-netbook-hands-on-5125930 Head to PC User for more hardcore Vaio P, for porn. [PC User—In Japanese]
I love this cutaway illustration of the new Cadillac One by John Lawson, Obama included. Specially things like “Doors: eight-inch thick and the weight of a 757 door”. Other highlights: • It can withstand rocket impacts and it’s perfectly sealed against biochemical attacks. • Petrol tank: Can withstand a direct hit thanks to a special…
Somewhere between the first EeePC and their awesome media-center-in-a-keyboard, ASUS became the Chuck Bukowksi of the gadget world: Drunk, unpredictable, prolific and occasionally brilliant. Then what of the Eee PC D200 touchscreen NAS-cum-router? https://gizmodo.com/eee-keyboard-an-entire-touchscreen-home-theater-pc-5124985 I’d say it falls under the drunk/brilliant category. According to Einfach Eee website (Varning! German!) the box will include an Atom…
Just after Slacker for BlackBerry quietly slid out of the gates yesterday, MobileCrunch caught up with a company rep at the ShowStoppers CES event and found out that the iPhone version isn’t far behind. https://gizmodo.com/slacker-internet-radio-comes-to-blackberry-for-lazy-ass-5048490 Not at all far, as it turns out. MobileCrunch reports that the release could come as soon as tomorrow, which…