Get your CES 2014 liveblogs right here
We realize that not everyone can be at CES this year – after all, that Las Vegas Monorail only holds so many people at any one given time – but here’s the next best thing. As per usual, we’ll be liveblogging the week’s biggest press conferences, so you can follow the action from the comfort of your own computer. Speaking of making things a bit more comfortable for you, the reader, we’ve compiled links to all of our liveblogs for this year’s show just after the break.
Monday January 6th
- 11:00AM ET: LG CES press event liveblog
- 3:000PM ET: Live from ASUS’ In Search of Incredible event at CES 2014
- 4:00PM ET: Live from Intel’s CES 2014 press conference
- 5:00PM ET: Samsung CES 2014 press event liveblog
- 8:00PM ET: Sony CES 2014 press event liveblog
Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Laptops, HD, Mobile, Samsung, Sony, ASUS, LG, Intel
Alcatel to bring world’s fastest octa-core phone to Europe in Feburary
TCL’s already jumped the gun by launching its Idol X+ in China last month, but the same flagship device will be heading to Europe this February under the Alcatel brand. For those who missed the news first time round, this dual-Micro SIM, 7.9mm-thick Android phone packs MediaTek’s 2GHz MT6592, which is currently the world’s fastest true octa-core chipset. You’ll find the usual top-spec components around the Idol X+ as well, including a 5-inch 1080p IPS display, a 13-megapixel main camera (which supports 40-megapixel panorama and digital stabilization for video capture), a 2-megapixel front-facing imager, a 2,500mAh battery and dedicated audio amplifier chips by ESS. Internal storage starts from 16GB (with 12.3GB available to the user), along with microSD expansion of up to 32GB. The phone also comes with a pair of JBL earbuds, but there’s no word on whether the China versions’ Bluetooth activity tracker will be included as well — at least it won’t be called Boom Band, as it will apparently be a more refined version when it goes global.
We were left rather impressed by the Idol X+’s design and build quality. The solid plastic bezel features a brushed metallic effect, accompanied by a spin finish (achieved by in-mould labelling) on the back of the phone. Like the screen, the backside will also have a nano-coating treatment to minimise fingerprint smudges. Shoppers will be given a color option of either black or white when this 3G phone lands in Europe some time in February, and it’ll likely be sold for around the attractive $300 price point unsubsidized.
Brad Molen contributed to this report.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Are regular speakers too opaque? Check out the Clio
Does your speaker look a bit too, you know, speakery? ClearView’s got an interesting solution in the form of the Clio, a new product unveiled today that it’s deemed “the first invisible speaker.” That title’s a bit of a stretch, as you might have guessed. For starters, there’s the clearly visible base, which houses the electronics, controls and inputs. The phrase refers to the transparent, curved glass at top, which resonates to produce sound waves and certainly makes the system less conspicuous than most speakers out there.
So, aside from looking different, what benefits does such a technology provide? For starters, the sound waves disperse in 360 degrees, so if you put the speaker in the middle of a room, you’ll be able to hear clear sound on either side. Convinced? You can pick one up right now through the company’s site for $350.
Filed under: Portable Audio/Video
SteelSeries launches the Stratus, the first wireless iOS 7 gamepad
With its new gaming protocols in iOS 7, Apple opened the door for gamepads that make use of the iPhone’s Lightning connector to bring assortment of inputs to iOS titles. Recognizing that not all iOS gamers own an iPhone, accessory maker SteelSeries has unveiled its new Stratus controller, becoming the first wireless gamepad to support Apple’s latest iOS platform in the process. Unlike Logitech’s PowerShell and PowerA’s MOGA Ace Power, the Stratus connects to an iPad, iPhone and the iPod touch via Bluetooth 2.1, putting four pressure sensitive face buttons, four shoulder buttons, dual analog sticks and a 4-way D-pad in a design that reminds us a little of Sega’s Genesis/Mega Drive gamepad, at least in black. While you won’t be able to attach your iOS device to the Stratus and play on the move, it does mean you can set it aside and play against up to three other players on the big screen via AirPlay. Without that additional clutter, the Stratus comes in significantly lighter than rival controllers, giving you around 10 hours playtime on a full (USB) charge. SteelSeries has already made the Stratus available for pre-order on its website for $99.99 / €99.99, you can find the link in the source below.
Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds, Mobile
Via: SteelSeries Press
Source: SteelSeries Status
Philips’ 27-inch monitor with NVIDIA’s G-Sync tempts gamers with silky-smooth visuals
When NVIDIA unveiled its G-Sync tech that alleviates lag, screen tearing, and stuttering, it counted Philips among the companies that would make monitors with its secret sauce. Now that CES has rolled around, Philips has finally revealed a panel that uses the graphic titan’s technology. The panel (catchily dubbed 272G5DYEB) measures up at 27 inches, carries a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080, a 144Hz refresh rate, 1,000:1 contrast ratio and displays up to 16.7 million colors. If you’re fixing to connect the screen to your PC via HDMI, you’re out of luck as it only sports a DisplayPort. Enjoying the buttery visuals will drain your pockets of $649 when the monitor arrives this spring. Of course, if you can’t wait till then, a modified ASUS VG248QE is already available with G-Sync from a handful of boutique PC outfits.
Garmin’s latest GPS navigator has a backup camera for avoiding fender benders
Here’s a nice feature from the sometimes staid world of in-car GPS devices. The latest from Garmin features a wireless backup camera that’ll show what’s behind you on its 7-inch display. The ruggedized camera plugs into your vehicle’s rearview lights for power, switching on when they do, so you can toggle between that image and the standard navigation screen. The Nüvi 2798LMT package runs $400 and includes the standard Garmin features like voice-activated navigation and free traffic reports and maps.
Filed under: GPS
Garmin’s new dash cam will record your crash, man
In the grand scheme of things, $220 might be a small price to pay when it comes to accident liability. Or $250, for that matter. In addition to the rear-facing camera it announced today, Garmin’s also offering up a window-mounted dash cam. Where the other helps you avoid potential collisions in the first place, this one’ll record the incident if, god forbid, you do get in an accident. The camera records wide-angle video in 1080p, 720p or WXGA resolutions, turning on and off with your engine. The Dash Cam has an incident detector, saving relevant video to its 4GB of storage (a number you increase via expandable memory). The 2.3-inch display, meanwhile, makes it easier to position the cam correctly, and, if need be, you can pull the camera off the windshield to take snapshots. The footage is timestamped and, if you opt for the $250 GPS version, geostamped, so you know where incidents occurred. Both models are arriving next month.
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 802 processor is a 4K powerhouse for your TV
With 4K TVs (and content, hopefully) promising to be one of CES 2014′s biggest trends, it makes sense that Qualcomm would introduce a processor tailored to handle heavy-duty streaming. The new Snapdragon 802 is just that: a TV-specific quad-core SoC that shares many features with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 and its “Ultra HD” 805 for mobile video.
According to Qualcomm’s VP of Marketing Tim McDonough, the Snapdragon 802 brings the best of smartphones to your smart TV. So, in addition to powering 4K content on your living-room set, the processor will enable a much-improved app experience (read: programs that run at an actually usable pace) on your big screen. Of course, it can also handle multitasking, from browsing online while streaming a movie to simultaneously playing up to four HD videos on one TV. And thanks to Hollywood Quality Video, a video-processing engine, 1080p content can be upconverted to a level “approaching Ultra HD.”
As for where the processor itself will live, that’s up to the OEMs. The Snapdragon 802 can be built into both TVs and set-top boxes. The processor won’t turn up in devices until late 2014, but we could have a few demoes in store for us at CES this week. If you’re looking for more nitty-gritty details, head past the break for some additional specs.
- Quad-core Krait 1.8 GHz CPU
- Adreno 330 GPU
- Two-stream, dual-band 802.11ac
- AllJoyn integration
- Snapdragon Studio Access content protection
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
With the Snapdragon 602A, Qualcomm looks to improve the connected car
In addition to announcing a version of its Snapdragon 800 processor tweaked for your home theater, Qualcomm is introducing a chip made specifically for in-car entertainment. The Snapdragon 602A, unsurprisingly, shares several specs with the Snapdragon 600 chip seen in mobile devices, but it’s made to meet the automotive industry’s requirements for temperature, longevity and more. It also packs in plenty of additional tech, which we’ll get to in a minute.
Qualcomm’s been involved in the connected-car space for about a decade, with 3G and 4G modules to show for it. Though it offers Gobix 9×15 3G/4G LTE modules along with WiFi and Bluetooth, the 602A is ambitious on more than just the connectivity front: The chip will initially power infotainment — serving multiple video streams to numerous screens in your car, for instance — but will pave the way for more advanced connectivity and safety features. For example, facial-recognition support could let you start the car by looking in a camera, and gesture recognition could enable a smarter backup cam.
As with the Snapdragon 802, the goal behind the 602A is to bring the dynamic app experience of smartphones and tablets to a different environment. This means improved 3D navigation, cloud-based software and integration with mobile devices, among many other things. Support for both Android and QNX gives carmakers options for building their own infotainment systems that comply with the automotive industry’s requirements, as well. Qualcomm hasn’t mentioned a timeframe at this point, but we have it on good authority that such an announcement is coming this week.
Filed under: Transportation
EnerPlex Jumpr Slate is the thinnest lithium polymer battery money can buy
You know what you don’t want? A fat external battery. Sure, you want one with plenty of juice to recharge your myriad mobile devices, but power packs with slim profiles are preferred. And EnerPlex has just the thing you need in the 6.7mm-thick Jumpr Slate. It’s got two full-size and one micro-USB output ports, four LEDs to let you know how much (or how little) juice you have left, and it comes in 10,000 and 5,500mAh sizes pushing 2.4 amps. Both Jumpr Slates land at the end of the month, with the big boy costing $99 while the smaller version costs $59.
Filed under: Peripherals, Mobile
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