Ricoh R Development Kit Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

Ricoh’s new Theta R can live stream spherical video for 24 hours straight.

Ricoh

While Ricoh’s Theta S 360-degree cameras can make it feel like you’re experiencing a place or event firsthand, being able to experience a live event as it happens adds a greater level of immersion.

Ricoh R Development Kit, arriving this spring, will be able to deliver just that as the first compact camera capable of up to 24 continuous hours of fully spherical, 360-degree live video streams. The kit includes the camera, camera stand, downloadable software development kit (SDK), plus image-control tools and source code.

Though there are other cameras that can live-stream spherical video, none at the moment are so compact and capable of doing so for an extended period of time.

The Ricoh R’s live streams are captured in 2K resolution at 30 frames per second. Video is stitched within the camera in real time into an equirectangular projection format (think flattened globe), which can then be output via HDMI or USB and recorded to microSD card. Plug in its power adapter and you’ll be able to send a continuous, live stream for up to 24 hours.

Ricoh will have a prototype being demonstrated at its booth at CES 2017.

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TCL P series (2017 Roku TV) Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

TCL

We’ve always loved TCL Roku TVs for their low prices and best-in-class smart TV system, but image quality hasn’t been a strong suit. With the P series introduced at CES 2017, the Chinese TV maker doubles down on picture-enhancing features.

The P series will have a 50-inch size for $500, a 65-inch size (pricing TBD) and another size between those two (TCL wouldn’t specify, but I’m guessing 55).

The Ps use the same Roku TVs system as other TCLs announced at the show, but what sets them apart is full-array local dimming, a technology found in many of the best-performing LCD TVs we’ve tested. TCL calls it “Contrast Control Zone” technology, but according to the company’s description it sounds like the same thing. All sizes in the P series have 72 zones of dimming (er, control), and typically more zones means a better picture.

The sets also work with both types of high dynamic range content, Dolby Vision and HDR10, and TCL claims they’ll be the first Roku TVs with Dolby Vision. They also have a wide color gamut with “advanced LED phosphors” for more realistic color. (TCL wouldn’t specify what percentage of the DCI color space they cover, however.) On paper, the specs rival some of our favorite current TVs for the money, Vizio’s 2016 M and P series.

TCL P series Roku TV

• Three sizes from 50 to 65 inches
• Contrast Control Zone (local dimming) technology with 72 zones
• Dolby Vision and HDR10 high dynamic range (HDR)
• Wide Color Gamut (percentage DCI unspecified)
• 4K resTtolution
• Roku TV operating system
• Remote with voice search, headphone jack for private listening

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Asus HiveSpot Mesh Wi-Fi System Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

Asus’ HiveSpot and HiveDot mesh Wi-Fi systems share the same exact look.

Asus

Asus unveiled not one but two app-enabled home mesh Wi-Fi systems today at CES 2017: the premium HiveSpot and less-expensive HiveDot.

Like all home mesh systems, both new products are modular, consisting of three identical hardware units. You use one to connect to an internet source, like a broadband modem, and it will work as the main router. After that you can use the other units as wireless extenders to quickly and seamlessly extend the Wi-Fi network, allowing Wi-Fi clients to automatically switch between them without interruption.

Dedicated back-haul band

According to Asus, the HiveSpot is a tri-band AC2134 Wi-Fi system, meaning each of the hardware units is a tri-band router that includes two 5GHz bands (each has a top speed of up to 867 megabit per second) and one 2.4GHz band (up to 400 Mbps). What’s special about this system is that one of the 5GHz bands is used only for back-haul — the job of wirelessly connecting the hardware units of the system together. In other words, the main router uses this band to send its Wi-Fi signal to the satellite units, which in turn dedicate one 5GHz frequency just for the job of receiving that signal. After that the satellite units use the other 5GHz band and the 2.4GHz band to rebroadcast signal to clients.

This means that even when the units in the system are connected together wirelessly, there will be minimal or no signal loss, which normallly happens when an extender uses the same band to both receive and rebroadcast the signal. With this feature, the HiveSpot joins a small group of Wi-Fi systems, including the Netgear Orbi and the recently announced Linksys Velop, that function without signal loss. In fact, the HiveSpot has identical hardware specs to the Velop.

Each hardware unit comes with two network ports and the system can be managed via a mobile app.

Asus

Security protection for the entire family

The HiveSpot goes one step further than both the Orbi and the Velop however, by offering Ai Protection at no extra cost. This is a built-in network security suite powered by Trend Micro that detects and blocks online security threats. Basically the entire home network powered by the HiveSpot system is protected in real-time against online malware and cyber threats.

Ai Protection has been available in other Asus high-end routers, like the RT-AC5300 or the RT-AC88U and works well in my experience. It can stop the threats from coming into the network, preventing devices within the network from reaching out to malicious sites and isolating an infected device to prevent further infection.

There are other vendors that offer this protection at the router level, such as Symantec with its recently announced Norton Core, but Asus is the only vendor so far that does it for free.

Friendly pricing

When it becomes available during the second quarter of 2017, the HiveSpot will cost $400 for three units. That’s $100 less than the Linksys Velop and the same as the Netgear Orbi, which only includes two hardware units.

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But $400 can still be a big chunk of change. This is why Asus also offers the HiveDot, which is almost exactly the same as the HiveSpot minus the third dedicated back-haul band. This means it will incur signal loss (exactly like the case of the Google Wifi or the Eero,) and means that clients connected to a satellite unit will have just half of the real-world speed as those connected to the router unit. The HiveDot also doesn’t include Asus’ Ai Protection, either. In return for these sacrifices, it costs just $300 for three units, $200 cheaper than the Eero.

Both the HiveSpot and the HiveDot mesh systems will be available in the second quarter of this year. Make sure you check back then for their full reviews.

Click here to find out what else is happening at CES 2017.

Monster iSport Victory BT Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

Four the new models in Monster’s new iSport headphone lineup.

David Carnoy/CNET

Companies like Bose and Beats tend to be pretty focused in their headphone offerings, with a limited number of models in their lineups. In contrast, Monster has never been shy about putting out a plethora of headphones at various price points, and that philosophy is on display with its 2017 line of iSport headphones, which includes 7 new models, 4 of which are wireless.

The headliner is the Victory BT ($100), which is similar to the Monster Adidas Sport Adistar that I reviewed last year. I got an early sample of the Victory BT, and it’s a very good in-ear wireless sports headphone that competes with Jaybird’s X3 in terms of fit and sound quality. But it’s a little hard to find at the moment (hopefully it will get wider distribution soon).

I’ll have a full review of the iSport Victory in the coming weeks and hopefully get my hands on a few of the other models previewed below so I can offer some comparisons.

Here’s a look at the 2017 Monster iSport wireless lineup (when we get accurate international pricing, we’ll add it).

iSport Achieve BT ($60)

• Durable and sweatproof
• High isolation factor for focus
• One universal antimicrobial ear-hook with multiple eartips for perfect fit
• Low profile, flat cable
• Three-button ControlTalk lets users Play/Pause their music for on-the-go calls
• 5+ hours playback time
• Available in black, blue and green

iSport Intensity BT ($80)

• New reflective cable for extra safety running at night and in low-light environments
• Durable and sweatproof
• Hybrid noise isolation
• Multiple anti-microbial ear-hooks for perfect fit
• Premium finish with high quality touch and feel
• USB charging cable and carry pouch
• 3-button Universal ControlTalk with Micro-USB Charge point
• 6+ hours consistent playback time
• Available in blue and green

iSport Victory BT ($100)

• New smaller design
• New two sound-engineered Monster Sound profiles (warm-up and sport) so you can customize your workout audio experience
• New twisted, reflective cable for extra safety running at night and in low-light environments
• Sweatproof
• OmniTip fins enabled secure fit
• Multiple sized eartips
• Noise-isolating design
• 8+ hours playback
• Available in black, blue and green

iSport Freedom v2 ($200)

• Touch-sensing controls for play/pause, tracking and volume
• Three listening modes (wireless, wired and USB Direct Digital Audio)
• Two different sound profiles (standard and “turbo” mode)
• Pair two devices to share music
• Low battery voice prompts and indicator LEDs
• Built in high-intelligibility mic with advanced echo suppression
• Durable and sweatproof
• Available in black

Late this year, Monster will release its new AirLink iSport, a set of totally wireless sports earphones. No word on pricing yet.

David Carnoy/CNET

In addition to the new wireless models, the new Monster iSport Wired models include:

iSport Achieve ($30)

• One universal ear-hook
• High sound isolation
• In-line microphone
• Low profile flat cable
• Available in black, blue and green

iSport Strive v3 ($40)

• Three sets of patented SportClip
• Sweatproof and durable
• Anti-tangle cable
• Partial noise isolation — great for outdoor running
• In-line microphone
• Mic for hands-free calling
• Available in black

iSport Compete ($50)

• Includes three sets of eartips
• High sound isolation, targeted at activities requiring high level of concentration
• One-button ControlTalk for hands free calls
• New ergonomic in-ear shaping designed to provide extra comfort and stability
• Carry pouch for convenience
• Available in blue and green

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Hisense H8D series Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

Hisense

You’ve probably never heard of Hisense TVs, but five years ago had you heard of Vizio?

Today Vizio is one of the top TV brands in the US, a position Chinese giant Hisense aspires to. The company is making another big push at CES this year by introducing a bunch of new TVs under its own brand and that of Sharp, which it acquired in 2015.

The Hisense TVs that have me most intrigued is the H8D series. Available in sizes from 50 to 86 inches, its pricing undercuts Vizio’s M series, which earned CNET’s Editors’ Choice award, and offers my favorite picture-enhancing feature for LCD TVs: full-array local dimming. Hisense won’t divulge how many dimming zones the TVs have, and they lack some of the M series extras (like Dolby Vision HDR and a free tablet), but the Hisense H8D still seems like a budget picture quality contender.

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The company also announced a bunch of new TVs in other series, including more expensive models and a handful of Roku TVs, one of which seems pretty high-end (with Dolby Vision and local dimming in a 75-inch size). All can handle HDR10 sources, all but the entry-level series have wide color gamut (although Hisense didn’t specify how wide) and most offer local dimming, either edge-lit or full-array. The sets branded “Sharp” are similar too; many offer full-array dimming for a relatively low price and the best uses quantum dots for improved color.

Here’s the full rundown. You may also want to check out my writeup from October, although some of the details and TVs have changed since then.

Hisense 2017 TV lineup

Hisense 2017 Roku TVs

Sharp 2017 TV lineup

Hisense 100H10D Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

Hisense

TVs are getting bigger every year, but 100 inches is still gigantic, and actual TVs this large are exceedingly rare. The only one I know about, Sony’s 100-inch Z9D, costs a cool 60 grand.

The Hisense 100H10D will cost a mere $13,000 when it ships this summer, but it isn’t an actual TV. Instead it’s a projection system, consisting of an included screen and surround-sound system along with a short-throw laser projector. (Important to note that for now, Hisense only has plans to ship in the US. We’ll update you if that changes though.)

The advantage is lower cost compared to gigantic-screen TVs, but it still costs a lot more than a standard projector with a separate screen (although 4K projectors start around $10K). Hisense claims a brightness of 300 nits, which is plenty for most well-lit rooms (and brighter than any standard projector) but still falls short of many LCD TVs.

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So who will the 100H10D appeal to? Folks who have 13 grand for a new TV, who want something even bigger than an 85-inch
LCD TV
(which cost $4,000 and up), and don’t have an extra dark room for a standard projector. And oh yeah, they’ll also need to trust a relatively unknown brand.

Hisense 100H10D specifications

• 100-inch short throw projector with included screen
• Laser projection engine (20,000-hour lifespan)
• 300 nits brightness
• HDR10 compatible
• 4K resolution
• Wide color gamut (95 percent of DCI-P3)
• 5.1 surround system included

Asus ZenFone 3 Zoom Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

A huge battery and advanced camera features fight for top billing on the ZenFone 3 Zoom.

Asus

Running out of battery should be the last thing on your mind when playing with the Asus ZenFone 3 Zoom’s many camera features. A phone built around the camera experience would naturally suck down battery resources with all that photo processing, which is another reason to go ahead and let your jaw drop at the 5,000mAh battery packed within the phone’s aluminum frame.

That’s a lot of battery.

In addition to the promise of long battery life, this whopper of a power bank can also charge other devices.

At heart, though, the ZenFone 3 Zoom is all about photography. It has:

• Two 12-megapixel cameras (one 25mm, one 56mm with 2.3x optical zoom)
• A 13-megapixel front-facing selfie camera, with screen flash
• Portrait mode to artfully blur the background in an image (yes, like the iPhone 7 Plus does)
• RAW file support — once it updates to Android 7.0 Nougat (that comes default in the new software)
• Full manual mode
• Enhanced low-light sensitivity

It’s hard to get a sense of just how good a camera is when you’re in a bustling conference ballroom bathed in the harshest of artificial lights, devoid of things you’d actually want to take photos of. That said, the settings were thorough, the camera was easy the navigate, and the phone’s light, thin, curved (if a little plasticky) body made it easy to aim and shoot. The screen reliably flashed when I took (and then immediately deleted) my selfie.

What else does it have? A 5.5-inch screen, aluminum body and Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor. It goes on sale in February, though we don’t yet know for how much.

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Story updated at 2:19 p.m. PT with hands-on impressions.

ShadeCraft Sunflower Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

The ShadeCraft Sunflower’s robotic arm follows the sun and shields your eyes.

ShadeCraft

I love being outside, but direct sunlight can be kind of annoying. Fortunately, Los-Angeles-based robotics startup ShadeCraft has come up with a seriously cool solution — the Sunflower.

The latest tech news:

• Self-driving cars to headline CES 2017
• Whirlpool turns food waste into fertilizer at CES
• Siri and Alexa’s future: Health and emotional support?

The Sunflower is an autonomous patio umbrella/shade that has a ridiculous amount of tech packed into it, all designed to keep you comfortable no matter the outdoor conditions. ShadeCraft says the Sunflower won’t be ready until 2018, but here’s a list of its promised smarts:

• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity
• Solar-powered
• Built-in security camera
• Integrated lighting
• Built-in sensors
• Related SmartShade app for Android and iPhone

While we’ve seen all sorts of cool one-off products and ideas expand into bigger trends — Amazon Echo, anyone? — we haven’t seen anything quite like Sunflower before. It certainly seems like a clever way to manage the sun, but we’ll just have to see it for ourselves. We’re tracking down Sunflower here at CES for hands-on photos and video, so check back soon.

Click here to find out what else is happening at CES 2017.

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Griffin Technology Connected Toaster Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

Look upon this app-enabled toaster. Look upon it and weep.

Griffin Technology

Whenever someone speaks disparagingly about the smart home, they’ll often express their skepticism with a pejorative reference to a hypothetical internet-connected toaster.

People, I’ve found this toaster — or the latest attempt at it, at least.

The magical device comes by way of Griffin Technology, a self-described manufacturer of “useful and fun solutions.” And, if your problem is poorly toasted bread, then boy, do they have a solution for you.

It’s called the Connected Toaster, and it boasts a Bluetooth radio and a smartphone app. It costs $100 (which converts to roughly AU$140 or £60). It is not a joke. Its sole mission is to toast your favorite breads and bagels to crusty, app-enabled perfection. Sync everything up, and you’ll be able to dial in to the precise toast settings you’re craving with just a few taps. And, should the need to toast bread ever arise once more, never fear — the app will remember your preferences.

Of course, an untouched rotary dial is pretty good at remembering your preferred setting, too. Just sayin’.

Still, in fairness, $100 actually isn’t that terribly outrageous for a nice-looking, high-end toaster. In fact, we’ve tested and reviewed designer toasters that cost as much as $500. No apps for any of those, though.

And after all, this is CES. If it ain’t broke, put Bluetooth in it.

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Plume Labs Flow Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

Check the air quality instantly with Flow.

Joshua Goldman/CNET

Plume Labs would like to help you understand the quality of the air you breathe, and it’s developed a wearable device along with a mobile app to do just that.

Unveiled at CES 2017, the Flow is an air-quality tracker. Tap the capacitive touch button on front and 12 multicolor LEDs give you current as well as historical air pollution exposure feedback at a glance. A 360-degree air intake senses air quality fast, measuring particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, ozone, volatile organic compounds, temperature and relative humidity.

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For more detailed information, the Flow will connect to your iPhone or Android device via Bluetooth LE and its mobile app will give you personal exposure reports along with pollution levels for nearby areas.

Pricing and availability is still up in the air, but preorders are expected to start in the spring.

See all the latest news and gadgets from CES 2017 here.

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