Lenovo has made an impressive splash at this year's CES and the main halls haven't even opened up yet: its bold new takes on ultramobile notebooks--the IdeaPad U1 Hybrid, Skylight, and IdeaPad S10-3t--have caused a big stir and bigger discussions as to whether each will perform as well as they look. In a one-on-one hands-on today, we got a chance to spend time with all three and their more buttoned-down IdeaPad S10-3, and our impressions are positive but mixed.
To start with, the Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Hybrid is a fascinating idea. The sleek round notebook has a form almost like the old clamshell iBooks from years ago, or a Motorola PEBL as a laptop. Textured surfaces on the inside and a shiny, translucent ruby lid give the machine an instantly eye-catching appeal. The showcase feature of the U1--the undocking of its 11.6-inch screen to become its own handheld Qualcomm Snapdragon-powered tablet--is accomplished via a pin dock at the base of the screen that activates Wndows 7 when attached, or turns on
... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog
Jabra Extreme
(Credit: Jabra)LAS VEGAS--Jabra announced a brand-new Bluetooth headset at CES 2010, dubbed the Jabra Extreme. It's named after Jabra's new noise-canceling technology called Noise Blackout Extreme, and it has dual microphone noise cancellation, automatic volume control, background noise reduction, acoustic shock protection, and an overall improvement in call quality.
The Extreme also features multipoint technology, A2DP music streaming, and new "ultimate-fit" ear gels that promise long-lasting comfort. It has a talk time of 5.5 hours. The Extreme will launch this month at Best Buy and BestBuy.com for $79.
Samsung hasn't released photos for the BD-C5500 and BD-C6500 yet. We'll update this post as soon as we have them.
(Credit: Samsung)LAS VEGAS--Samsung's flashy CES 2010 Blu-ray news may be the BD-C6900 3D Blu-ray player and ultraslim BD-C7500, but the company also rolled out two mainstream models, the BD-C5500 and BD-C6500. Like most of Samsung's CES 2010 home theater announcements, details are scarce, but here's what we know so far.
Key features of the Samsung BD-C5500:
- Low power consumption (13 watts during playback; .1 watts in standby)
- Wi-Fi ready (requires USB dongle, sold separately)
- Supports Internet@TV/Samsung Apps, which will provide content from Netflix, Pandora, Vudu, Blockbuster, Picasa, and Twitter
- Meets Energy Star 4.0 guidelines
- No release date or pricing announced
Key step-up features of the Samsung BD-C6500:
- 15-second disc load; 15-second boot-up
- Built-in Wi-Fi
- Meets Energy Star 4.0 guidelines, but doesn't have the same low power consumption as the BD-C5500
- No release date or pricing announced
Internet@TV and Samsung Apps are Samsung's ... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog
(Credit:
Nyko)
LAS VEGAS--Last year we saw the introduction of the Nyko Wand, which allowed for button commands to be sent through the controller's Transport technology. Though promising, we found the Nyko Wand useful only when using it with the company's Action Pak system.
While we had been anticipating that Nintendo would eventually come up with a device that incorporates Wii MotionPlus technology into one single controller, Nyko has beaten Nintendo to the punch with the Wand +.
This is most significant because it eliminates the clunky setup that using the Nintendo-branded products require. The Wand + severely reduces the controller's overall size and should provide for an more comfortable total gaming experience.
(Credit:
Nyko)
We hope Nyko introduces a few more useful accessories for the Transport technology in 2010. The Nyko Wand + will go on sale in March for $40.
LAS VEGAS--3D Blu-ray is one of the big stories at CES 2010, and it's no surprise that Sony is a major player in Blu-ray's next incarnation. Sony announced its first standalone 3D Blu-ray player, the BDP-S770, which also manages to integrate the best features of its current Blu-ray players.
Key features of the Sony BDP-S770:
- 3D Blu-ray player
- HDMI 1.4 output
- Access to the Bravia Internet Video platform, which includes Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand, YouTube, Pandora, Slacker, and NPR streaming capability
- Built-in Wi-Fi; Ethernet also available
- DLNA compliant; capable of sharing photos, music, and videos from a connected PC
- Front panel USB port
- SACD-compatible
- Onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio
- Available in the summer of 2010, no pricing announced
In 2009, Sony's BDP-S560 had Wi-Fi, but limited streaming media options; the BDP-N460 had tons of streaming media options, but only Ethernet connectivity. The Sony BDP-S770 has the best of both players, so you'll have easy access to some instant gratification media when you're tired of ... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog
LAS VEGAS--We knew 3D was coming, but we didn't expect it to be integrated into a home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) system this quickly. Sony announced the BDV-HZ970W, a home theater system that features an integrated 3D Blu-ray player and a 5.1 speaker system with wireless rear speakers.
Key features of the Sony BDV-HZ970W:
- Integrated Blu-ray 3D player
- 5.1 speaker system with wireless rear speakers
- Multiroom functionality utilizing Sony's proprietary S-Air wireless audio products
- HDMI 1.4 output
- Access to the Bravia Internet Video platform, which includes Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand, YouTube, Pandora, Slacker, and NPR streaming capability
- Wi-Fi capable with included USB dongle; Ethernet also available
- DLNA compliant; capable of sharing photos, music and videos from a connected PC
- Front panel USB port
- SACD-compatible
- Onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio
- No release date or pricing announced
The BDV-HZ970W reminds us a lot of the Sony BDV-E500W we reviewed in 2009, which was a solid Blu-ray home theater system, but we felt it didn't offer enough to justify its ... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog
Sony BDP-S570
(Credit: Sony)LAS VEGAS--3D Blu-ray may be getting all the buzz at CES 2010, but standard Blu-ray players are still the meat-and-potatoes of the home theater market. Sony announced two new standard Blu-ray players at CES 2010--the BDP-S370 and BDP-S570--building on the streaming media features of the BDP-N460.
Key features of the Sony BDP-S370:
- HDMI 1.4 output
- Access to the Bravia Internet Video platform, which includes Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand, YouTube, Pandora, Slacker, and NPR streaming capability
- Ethernet jack
- DLNA compliant (with firmware update); capable of sharing photos, music and videos from a connected PC
- Front panel USB port
- Browse actor and movie information via Gracenote
- Control via iPhone/iPod Touch
- SACD-compatible
- Onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio
- Available in the spring of 2010, no pricing announced
Key step-up features of the Sony BDP-S570:
- Built-in Wi-Fi
- Streaming video noise reduction
- Available in the spring of 2010, no pricing announced
We reviewed the Sony BDP-N460 just last month and were impressed with its wide variety of streaming media content ... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog
Canon Pixma MX870
(Credit: Canon)LAS VEGAS--Canon rings in the New Year with four new all-in-one printers built for the home office and small business crowd. The Pixma MX870 ($200), Pixma MX350 ($150), Pixma MX340 ($100), and Pixma iP2702 ($50) all sport a similar design to their predecessors with 2.5-inch LCD screens, Easy-Scroll jog dials, PictBridge USB support, and Ethernet/Wi-Fi connectivity, but we're particularly interested in Canon's newest software enhancements: Auto Document Fix and Auto Photo Fix II.
All four models include Auto Document Fix that improves on the printers' scanning performance by automatically sharpening and blackening text documents to increase their readability. The feature also removes the background on media documents like magazines or newspapers that also makes pages much easier to read.
Amateur photo enthusiasts will also appreciate the Auto Photo Fix II on all four new models, as well. We've tested the first iteration of this software on previous models and found that while it won't take the place of a solid Photoshop job, but its Multi-Zone Exposure Corrections and other improvements in face detection and auto-sharpening can be valuable assets for quick corrections.
Canon also recently announced the Easy-PhotoPrint EX application for the Apple iPhone--the free app is compatible with all new Canon multifunction printers and lets you wirelessly print pictures from your handset.
More photos of all four models are available after the jump.
... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog
In as few as 10 minutes, you can give yourself directions on your Garmin.
(Credit: Screenshot by Antuan Goodwin/CNET)LAS VEGAS--Even with the advent of robotic text-to-speech turn-by-turn directions, I still really enjoy playing with the different prerecorded voices on the GPS devices that I test. There's something about getting directions in a funny accent that's just comforting to me, which is why Garmin's new Voice Studio software is so intriguing.
The downloadable software will allow users to record and upload their own voice prompts to compatible Nuvi GPS devices, so that they can hear turn-by-turn directions in their own voices. The software guides users through recording replacements for the 65 words and phrases that the device uses to give directions, which can then be previewed in the application before packaging for download to your or your friends' devices.
I can see all kinds of ways that this could be dangerous in the wrong hands. I could confuse my parents by swapping the audio prompts for left and right; replace all ... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog
The Sony Dash is due out in April for $199.99.
(Credit: Sony )LAS VEGAS--If you've been following Chumby Industries at all, you know the company was more interested in licensing out its Internet mini apps than making actual hardware devices. Yes, there's the recent Chumby One, but it's good to see that Sony's now enlisted Chumby's services to help power its upcoming Dash personal Internet viewer, which arrives this April for $199.99.
The Dash features a 7-inch color touch screen (measured diagonally) and access to more than 1,000 free Internet apps, including news, calendars, weather, sports, social networking and more via your existing home wireless connection. On top of that, you can tap into audio and video content from Sony's Bravia Internet video platform, including YouTube, Pandora Internet radio, Epicurious, Crackle, Livestrong, Blip.tv.
According to Sony, other content includes a Navteq app for traffic updates on a customized route and a Cozi app for simple management and syncing of family calendars. Not surprisingly, Sony Music ... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog
