Please enjoy this video of dancing drones
Listen, it’s CES. We’re tired, you’re tired, and yet there’s no end to the madness in sight. So, please, take a minute and enjoy this video from the gentleman who brought you that really amazing video of drones playing the James Bond theme. And don’t forget to breathe.
Kurio 7x 4G LTE tablet gives kids Verizon data on those long family drives
Sure, you can give your kids a child-friendly tablet to keep them entertained during the trip to Grandma’s, but what if they want to play an online game or two? Techno Source has just introduced a rare cellular-equipped kids’ tablet, the Kurio 7x 4G LTE, for that very purpose. As the name implies, the 7-inch Android slate has built-in Verizon data that keeps little tykes connected in most parts of the US. Per-app parental controls prevent Junior from visiting salacious websites or streaming music after bedtime. The company hasn’t shared many hardware details, but the presence of a (sadly unnamed) quad-core processor should give the tablet enough performance to handle at least 2D games and browsing. While there’s no mention of pricing just yet, the LTE-toting Kurio is expected to ship in time for that big summer vacation.
Filed under: Tablets, Wireless, Verizon
Source: Kurio World, PR Newswire
Leaked T-Mobile ad suggests it’ll pay for families to leave its rivals
When T-Mobile USA CEO John Legere isn’t busy getting himself kicked out of an AT&T party, he’s likely putting the finishing touches to his own CES announcement. Rumors have suggested that T-Mobile will soon make it easier for consumers to switch to the UnCarrier from rival operators, and a banner ad spotted by Droid Life suggests its willing to put its hand in its pocket to do so. The advertisement, which briefly appeared on T-Mobile’s website before it was unceremoniously pulled, says the operator will “pay your family’s termination fees when you trade in your devices,” countering AT&T’s promotion that gives T-Mobile customers up to $450 if they switch to its NEXT plan.
T-Mobile’s small-print says it’ll accept ports from AT&T, Verizon or Sprint customers and transfer up to five lines. While the initiative appears costly, it’ll look to recoup its outgoings by requiring new customers to trade in their existing smartphone and choose a new phone offered on its UnCarrier plans. Droid Life indicates that the T-Mobile will likely limit the amount it is willing to pay — we expect Legere and co. to confirm payment caps and all the other details at its UnCarrier 4.0 event when it kicks off at 12:30PM PT.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, AT&T, T-Mobile
Via: The Verge
Source: Droid Life
CES 2014: FLIR Systems Debuts ‘FLIR ONE’ Thermal Camera Case for iPhone 5s and iPhone 5 [iOS Blog]
FLIR Systems showed off its FLIR ONE thermal imaging camera case for the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5 at CES 2014, allowing users to display heat signatures from live humans, animals, and environmental sources up to 100 feet away. In addition to its infrared capabilities, the FLIR ONE houses a rechargeable battery that can power the case for up to two hours, and also increases the battery of an iPhone by up to 50 percent.
FLIR ONE’s unique ability to see and measure infrared energy gives consumers a versatile new tool that can be applied in a wide variety of applications. For example, homeowners and contractors with a FLIR ONE can easily identify heat or cooling leaks in buildings, find studs in walls, or locate water damage. An outdoor enthusiast can observe wildlife, day or night, navigate in the dark, determine if the day’s catch is fully cooked, or make sure a campfire is out by using FLIR ONE. A family can detect intruders in total darkness, find a lost pet, or see through smoke in an emergency using a FLIR ONE.
FLIR also says a developer SDK for the device is in the works for late 2014, with select developers getting early access. The FLIR ONE camera case itself will begin shipping in Spring 2014 and will come in grey, white, or gold.
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Martian Notifier Smartwatch Makes Debut at CES 2014 for $129
I have been a big fan of Martian and their original ‘Dick Tracy’ voice command line of smartwatches that made their debut at CES 2013. They have since taken all the users feedback and combined it into a new smartwatch offering, the Martian Notifier. Where many smartwatch manufacturers are taking the all inclusive, large touch screen, high dollar approach to the smartwatch game, Martian is going backwards. Aiming to make the Notifier the smartwatch to have in 2014.
The Notifier is, in my opinion, is the correct implementation of a smartwatch design mixed with functionality. Making it more of an extension of your device, rather then attempting to mimic your device. It gives you a classic and modern analog watch face that runs off its own separate watch battery. Implementing a small LCD screen that sends you a running read out of your text messages, incoming caller ID, Calendar notifications, email and plenty more. The Notifier smartwatch is capable of giving you all your notifications and alerts from your phone directly to your wrist.
There is a complimentary app that gives you full control over which notifications you receive to your wrist which ones you don’t. Not to mention date and weather information at the tap of a button. Go one step further and trigger Google Now voice commands from your wrist, rather than from your phone.
The Martian Notifier is one heck of a watch and is sure to make a fairly large splash this year. Especially when you see all that it can do, what it looks like and that the watch band is a standard watch band that can be interchangeable, all for $129, how can you not pick one up?
Take a look through the photo op we have with the new Martian Notifier and let us know what you think. Be sure to check out all the detailed specs and learn more at Martiannotifier.com.
JVC outs more MHL-ready in-dash receivers at CES 2014
Face it, your old car’s factory stereo system isn’t going to last forever – eventually, you’ll need to upgrade. Luckily, JVC is here to trot out it’s latest head units at CES 2014. Just like last year, the company has outfitted two of its new receivers (the KW-V0BT and KW-V40BT, specifically) with MHL support, giving Android users easy access to their mirrored apps while on the road. The new receivers can mirror iPhone 5 apps too, provided one brings their own Apple Lightning AV adapter. Folks without MHL capable devices (or those who opt for the company’s lower end receivers) will still find support for 20 iPhone 4 and 4s apps through Bluetooth, including Waze and MotionX navigation. All seven of the companies new models also support Pandora, iHeart Radio and a standard assortment of hands-free features; you know, wireless music streaming, one push voice calling and other phone functions. JVC says its new receivers are starting to roll out this month and will continue to arrive through March.
Filed under: Misc, Transportation
Simplicam watches your house while you’re away, uses facial recognition to tell you who’s home
WiFi cameras are a handy tool to keep tabs on your home, but they’re really only useful if you’re looking at them. Checking up on your family means pulling up an app, logging in and manually scanning your living room for occupants. ArcSoft says it has an easier way: facial recognition. By equipping its Simplicam WiFi camera with motion, sound and facial detection software, the firm says it can notify you when your family comes home or if someone is lurking around when they aren’t supposed to be. It also includes two-way talk, automated alarm systems, and access from any PC, iPhone or Android device. Oh, and by signing up for Closeli’s optional cloud service, you can record, share and save clips from the camera too. Simplicam will be available next month for $150. Looking for more? Check out the company’s website at the source link below.
Filed under: Misc
Source: Simplicam
CES 2014, Day 2: Five signs you’re at the biggest tech show on Earth
It’s easy to lose track of yourself in a city as busy as Las Vegas. Between the iconic Strip, the historic downtown casinos and the international trade shows, folks have a habit of waking up without a solid sense of location. We understand, and we’re here to help. It just happens to be the second day of CES. Take a deep breath; take a careful look at your surroundings; and see if any of the following five stories sound familiar. If so, there’s a good chance you’ve been doing the trade show shuffle at the Las Vegas Convention Center. If not, well, then you just got fed Engadget’s top five stories of CES 2014, day two. Really, it’s win-win.
Sony’s Kaz Hirai and the recipe for a CES keynote
It’s not a real trade show until industry bigwigs take the stage and run through the keynote formula. Sony CEO Kaz Hirai was certainly up to the challenge, kicking off the morning by looking back at Sony’s successes and failures, chatting with Breaking Bad’s Vince Gilligan and Sony Pictures’ Michael Lynton about the evolution of TV and trumpeting the PlayStation 4′s multimillion-unit sales figures. No keynote is complete without announcements, however, and Sony had plenty. In addition to proposing a Life Space UX projector that promises to turn your home’s walls into 4K displays, Kaz revealed two new cloud services designed to stream television content and PlayStation games over the internet, finally delivering on the company’s 2012 Gaikai acquisition.
Oculus goes deeper into the Rift
Palmer Luckey’s virtual reality headset impressed us as a low-resolution prototype. It blew our minds again when Oculus VR upgraded it with an HD display. Now, the company has taken it a step further, building yet another prototype with an even better screen, less motion blur and positional-tracking technology. With the help of John Carmack (the mind behind PC classics like Doom, Quake and Wolfenstein 3D), the company is creating virtual experiences that are more realistic than ever. The latest headset, called the Crystal Cove Prototype, may not be representative of what a final consumer model will look like, but Oculus VR is clearly pushing the envelope in terms of virtual reality hardware.
Razer reinvents the desktop PC
Thought you knew how to build a gaming PC? Think again. Razer has traded in the desktop PC’s usual configuration of motherboards, PCI-E cards and RAM chips for a tower of modular pods, each outfitted with a specific hardware component that can be swapped in and out on the fly. The strange-looking computer tower is called Project Christine, and it’s Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan’s attempt at making building your own computer a simpler, more user-friendly affair. To the PC gamers that habitually assemble their own rigs out of off-the-shelf parts, Christine could seem like an unnecessary stroll into a walled garden, but newbies wading into the category via Valve’s Steam Machine initiative could find Razer’s latest project to be an accessible alternative.
Audi unveils a sports car with laser-powered headlights
If you’re thinking of picking up a high-end hybrid, you may want to take a look at Audi’s CES offerings. Today the company revealed its Sport Quattro Laserlight for the first time, a hybrid electric concept car with, you guessed it, lasers headlights built in. These beams promise to shine brightly across five football fields of darkness, and their casing is nothing to laugh at either — the vehicle boasts an impressive 700 horsepower electric and gas engine that can run 90 miles on a single gallon. It’s not too hard on the eyes, either.
Scanadu’s Scout tricorder is finally complete
Looking for a futuristic gadget? How about a real, functioning tricorder? The Scanadu Scout is the culmination of big dreams, massive crowdfunding and an X-prize competition to create one of Gene Roddenberry’s fictional scanning devices. This isn’t Spock’s clunky scanner, however; it’s a sleek, lightweight medical device that fits in the palm of your hand. Backers will be able to check their vitals this March, but we’re just excited to see this piece of science fiction technology materialize in the real world.
Samsung’s 98-inch 8K TV lets us go to the mall without leaving CES
Despite announcing plans to flood the market with a number of new HD and Ultra HD TVs, Samsung still found room in its CES booth for the first 8K TV we’ve seen from the manufacturer. Labeled as QUHD or Quad Ultra HD, it’s also only the second flatscreen with 7,680 x 4,320 pixels that we’ve seen, period. Still, our eyes may be getting jaded as a result of all the super high-res displays we’ve seen lately because this one didn’t have the shock value Sharp’s 8K Super Hi-Vision screen garnered with its debut a couple of years ago.
Another reason could be the demo content, as Samsung opted for a Robin Sparkles-ish mall scene that was impressive in its sharpness and realism, but didn’t exactly draw us in as viewers and the crowded booth gave little room to take it all in. The demo video even magnified specific sections at time to emphasize the 8K res, but we’d prefer a reel with more action. Check after the break for a few more close up pictures and let us know if you can see the 8K difference.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Samsung
Origin’s Genesis and Millennium PC cases take customization, expansion to new heights
Honestly, gaming PC cases are already pretty customizable and flexible, but Origin seems to think there’s room for improvement. In order to accommodate as many possible configurations of components, Origin has made it possible to mount a motherboard in one of four different orientations: standard ATX, inverted ATX, rotated 90 degrees or rotated 90 degrees and inverted. That means it can handle practically any combination of high-powered graphics cards and over-the-top water-cooling systems you can imagine. In addition, the company will be selling an expansion kit that will turn the mid-tower Millennium into the full-tower-sized Genesis that allows you to add either a giant radiator or 24 additional hard drives. Though, even the Millennium has room for five hot-swappable drives. So you should be pretty set on storage even with the “entry-level” model. And we use that phrase pretty loosely, since the Millennium starts at $1,629 and the Genesis weighs in at $1,849. You can see the whole system in action after the break.
AIVAnet 