CES 2012: Elegant Gadgets Abound
Check out the coolest gadgets from CES Unveiled 2012.
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The days of showing off electronic prototypes shoved into generic boxes are gone from the Consumer Electronic Show. The CES: Unveiled show provides press and analysts a chance to preview some of the newly announced products in a space that's a little more intimate than the Las Vegas Convention Center. The one constant across the gear we saw was an unparalleled attention to design along with (mostly) good utility.
True to form for CES, we saw products that ranged from gear bags to high tech thermostats--complete with speakers, and everything in between. The other trend that dominated Unveiled was either compatibility with or dependence on Apple technology. Many of the products we saw were solely designed compatibility iProducts.
One other notable trend, products introduced here weren't particularly cheap. We expect that trend will continue when the main show kicks into gear on Tuesday.
Thinking you'd like to move to Android tablets for your industrial application, but worried about a less than friendly environment? Fujitsu may have the answer. This 10.1" quad core tablet runs Android 3.2 weighs in at 597 grams and is water resistant. The tablet could be used by delivery drivers or others who need a tablet that can take a little abuse. These tablets might also be just the ticket for teenagers and others who are hard on their toys. Fujitsu also includes a hand gesture recognition system that allows device operation without you actually touching the tablet.
For more coverage of the show as it unfolds, be sure to visit InformationWeek's CES 2012 Special Report.
It's an ironic twist that most desk phones really aren’t all that good at reproducing sound. They're far better at supplying users with a pile of buttons and features that most people will never use. Invoxia aims to change that with its NVX 610 and other VoIP phones. The base of the phone contains eight microphones and eight full-range speakers.
The unit itself is simple and sleek, using an iPhone for phone and call control rather than offering a set of on-phone controls. Connectivity happens through Ethernet, USB and Bluetooth. All that elegant simplicity doesn't translate into low cost though. Expect to spend around $600 for the NVX610.
The number one New Year's resolution: lose weight. The number one broken New Year's resolution: lose weight. It's a seemingly endless and depressing cycle. But there's help. BodyMedia makes software and monitors that help resolvers measure their calories in and calories out. But as anyone who's watched Biggest Loser knows that's not enough to motivate most of us. It takes a coach, or more precisely a tough as nails trainer, who will get in your face and make sure you finish your workout. BodyMedia FIT coach is a software upgrade to the BodyMedia system that provides a coach's touch. The tough love comes from Jillian Michaels. No excuses... drop and give me 20!
From watching the baby, to seeing who's at the front door, to monitoring properties when you're away, you can find tons of applications for internet-connected cameras. In business, the applications vary just as widely, from security to staff or facilities monitoring. Samsung's latest set of cameras, dubbed Wi-Fi IP SmartCam&trade, advance ease of use, offering one touch configuration. And at $149, these cameras offer the sort of specs expected for WiFi capable cameras at an affordable price. The camera offers high-resolution video recording (640x480 / 30fps / H.264) and can record events in the dark through the use of non-visible infrared LEDs (up to 15 feet).
A baby monitor version (shown here), can easily be mounted on its swivel, or moved to wherever your child happens to be.
Wolf Blitzer will have nothing on you with the 46" 3M Touch System--but there's a catch, it's not commercially available yet. These multitouch systems are intended for kiosk use, and currently available in 32" and 22" sizes. Right now the most popular applications are in food service and casino gaming environments--basically any place where displays are likely to see some rough handing. The device can track up to ten simultaneous touch events.
There aren't too many drawbacks to the iPhone 4's camera. But one minor flaw is that it shoots in just one direction at a time. When it's important to catch the 360 degree view, there's now an elegant solution. The GoPano micro is a lens that attaches to the iPhone 4 and allows for capturing panoramic video and still pictures. Proper viewing requires the free GoPano app, and sharing happens through the GoPano.com website. The lens's lateral viewing angle is 80 degrees. Unwrapped video on the iPhone 4s coming in at an impressive 1920 x 456, 30 fps. The lens costs $79.
Airports take note: PowerTech has developed a slim receptacle add-on that provides multiple A/C and USB power outlets on a single plug. The company has developed several styles--including some that are intended to be permanently added to a receptacle, for use in lobbies or other public areas where users may want to power up. There's also a portable line intended for use by road warriors looking to reduce the number of chargers that they carry. The mobile versions are designed to be about the same size and shape as a typical smart phone.
The last thing road warriors need is one more thing to lug. But for applications ranging from sales to training, video projectors are indispensible. Optoma (which calls itself the projector experts) offers options as small as its PK320, weighing in at just eight ounces. The tiny projector also sports 2GB of internal memory and a microSD slot for up to 32GB of external storage. Its maximum resolution is 854 x 480 and the device sports a 100 lumen bulb.
The maximum brightness is used when the projector is plugged in, but output is restricted to 25 lumens when the device is running on its own battery. When running on battery, play time is about 1 hour. The projector has an expected price of $449.
The Kivic One wants to be an AppleTV--and more--for your car. The small brick can be connected to any monitor with an HDMI or composite video port, including TVs, projectors and more. It's compatible with Apple's AirPlay, DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance), WiFi Direct and the like, so that transfers from a variety of sources can take place over the air.
Kivic specifically aims its device at the car as an entertainment source for kids (or adults who aren't driving). At $200 it's not cheap, but it's cheaper than the integrated video systems found in many SUVs.
For most of us, earbuds--the tiny in-ear phones that come with most portable music players--are a less than exact science. They're usually loose, and when they are, you lose bass response and let in extraneous noise. Sonomax thinks it has an answer. The company uses a system that injects a moldable foam into your ears so that the fit is perfect. Normally, to get a custom fit would take the aid of a professional, but the use-once-and-toss silicone injector gets the job done in minutes.
A custom fit on the Sonomax earbugs doesn't come cheap. The entry level version uses a single driver and runs $199, the dual driver version is $299.
Sometimes there's just not enough time to get where you need to go and charge all your gear too. For those people who just can't bear the thought of their gadgets dying, the Powerbag may be just the answer. Primarily intended for smartphones, the Powerbag offers a choice of 3000 and 6000mAh batteries, which are capable of 2 to 4 recharges for most phones. The padded backpack offers a variety of connectors that should meet the needs of any device. Coming in a variety of styles and sizes, the Powerbag starts at $100.
USB seems pretty fast until you start to move around hundred gigabyte files. Then it's downright pokey. For those who've outgrown USB, Thunderbolt is a new technology developed by Intel and backed by Apple and others. Its functionally extends PCI express to an external port, greatly improving the transfer rate. LaCie now offers a set of external Thunderbolt drives, the smallest of which uses either 1 or 2 TB drives and can achieve transfer rates as high as 10 Gbps.
Pricing starts at $499. LaCie offers four different sizes of drives as well as a personal NAS system.
Pricing starts at $499. LaCie offers four different sizes of drives as well as a personal NAS system.
The days of showing off electronic prototypes shoved into generic boxes are gone from the Consumer Electronic Show. The CES: Unveiled show provides press and analysts a chance to preview some of the newly announced products in a space that's a little more intimate than the Las Vegas Convention Center. The one constant across the gear we saw was an unparalleled attention to design along with (mostly) good utility.
True to form for CES, we saw products that ranged from gear bags to high tech thermostats--complete with speakers, and everything in between. The other trend that dominated Unveiled was either compatibility with or dependence on Apple technology. Many of the products we saw were solely designed compatibility iProducts.
One other notable trend, products introduced here weren't particularly cheap. We expect that trend will continue when the main show kicks into gear on Tuesday.
Thinking you'd like to move to Android tablets for your industrial application, but worried about a less than friendly environment? Fujitsu may have the answer. This 10.1" quad core tablet runs Android 3.2 weighs in at 597 grams and is water resistant. The tablet could be used by delivery drivers or others who need a tablet that can take a little abuse. These tablets might also be just the ticket for teenagers and others who are hard on their toys. Fujitsu also includes a hand gesture recognition system that allows device operation without you actually touching the tablet.
For more coverage of the show as it unfolds, be sure to visit InformationWeek's CES 2012 Special Report.
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