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What was hot at this year's Vegas gadget show (AP) : Technet |
- What was hot at this year's Vegas gadget show (AP)
- For minorities, new 'digital divide' seen (AP)
- Balls, blocks, cars among high-tech toys at CES (AFP)
- Tablets, smart gadgets rule at Consumer Electronics Show (AFP)
- Google's Android stars at electronics show (AFP)
- Car tech dazzles at Consumer Electronics Show (AFP)
- Hands-On With Haier's New HDTVs (PC World)
- Home appliances get 'smart' at CES (AFP)
- 9 Top-Notch iPod Nano Cases (Mashable)
- What we know about the Verizon iPhone (Appolicious)
- Nintendo to ship 1.5 million 3DS in Japan by end-March: report (Reuters)
- New biz expansion: Hello Africa, India's calling (AP)
- Facebook denies shutdown rumors (AFP)
- Able Planet Tower of Power (PC World)
| What was hot at this year's Vegas gadget show (AP) Posted: 09 Jan 2011 08:46 PM PST LAS VEGAS – Gadgets revealed at the annual International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas flop more often than they pop. This year's show, however, delivered many products that are bound to make a difference for years to come. Microsoft provided a sneak peek at a radical new version of Windows, Verizon showed the first consumer gadgets for a wireless network that's faster in many cases than wired broadband, and many manufacturers showed tablet computers with the potential to give Apple's iPad a run for its money. The show itself, the largest trade show in the Americas, was back in high form, after two lean years. A pre-show estimate put attendance at more than 126,000 people, and the crowds pointed to attendance well above that, but perhaps not as many as the 141,150 people that showed up in 2008. Here are the can't miss developments from the show, which ended Sunday: _Tablets. Touch-screen tablet computers crowded the show, as brand names large and small showed off a slew of devices meant to compete with Apple Inc.'s iPad. From a hardware standpoint, companies touted features that the iPad doesn't yet have, such as front- and rear-facing cameras for video chatting and taking high-definition videos and the ability to operate over wireless carriers' new and forthcoming high-speed networks, together known as 4G. As for software, the upcoming Honeycomb version of Google Inc.'s Android software seemed a popular choice. Many of the tablets unveiled — such as the Xoom from Motorola Mobility Inc. — will run Honeycomb, which is more geared toward tablets than current versions of Android, which has its roots in smart phones and their smaller screens. Some tablets shown will run the Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 7 PC software, though. And the business-focused 4G PlayBook, which comes from BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Inc., runs RIM's own software. • Verizon's first consumer 4G devices. Verizon Wireless lit up its 4G network in December, with limited coverage but unsurpassed data speeds. The network uses fresh, uncrowded spectrum and is designed from the ground up to carry data, resulting in connections that in many cases beat the speed of DSL lines and cable modems. (In the long run, with more people on the network, Verizon expects download speeds to average 5 to 12 megabits per second, comparable to non-premium cable modems.) For now, only plug-in laptop modems can take advantage of it, but at the show, Verizon showed off smart phones from Motorola, LG Electronics Inc., HTC Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. set to arrive in the first half of year, along with two tablets. However, Verizon promptly stole its own thunder by inviting journalists to a second press conference on Tuesday in New York, less than a week after its big reveal in Las Vegas. It's widely believed that Verizon will announce that it will start selling Apple Inc.'s iPhone, now available in the U.S. exclusively through rival AT&T Inc. The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that this is the case. AT&T is building its own 4G network, and plans to have it up and running this summer. In the meantime, it indicated at the show that it's starting to call its 3G network "4G." • Windows running on cell phone chips. The computers looked half-finished, with exposed components, and ran what looked like plain vanilla Windows 7. Under the hood, though, these computers had components that signal a seismic shift for Microsoft and the PC industry. Instead of running on processors from Intel Corp. or Advanced Micro Devices Inc., the mainstays of Windows PCs for three decades, these computers were running on cell-phone-style chips based on designs from ARM Holdings PLC. That could mean laptops and tablets with longer battery lives, and give Windows a better chance of gaining a foothold in the emerging world of tablet computers. Apple Inc.'s hit iPad tablet runs on an ARM-based chip, which is part of the reason it can last 10 hours on one charge. Microsoft didn't say when an ARM-based version of Windows might be available, but indicated that it's at least a year away. • Intel and AMD strike back. Intel and AMD, whose processors are the "brains" of PCs, unveiled new chips with significant design changes, in part to help them hold off threats from tablets and smart phones. The idea is to make traditional, low-cost computers using their chips more competitive with the mobile devices. The new designs promise to make computers better at doing graphics-intensive tasks and playing video. Intel and AMD are doing this by putting graphics capabilities, historically handled by a separate chip, on the same silicon as the computer's main, general-purpose processor. That means data move more quickly. An added benefit is longer battery life, an important quality if these chips are to be competitive with those used in tablets. With the functions on the same chip, the power the parts need to talk to each other is reduced. • 3-D TVs with cinema glasses. Last year's big new thing in TVs, 3-D, didn't catch on as manufacturers had hoped. One problem might be the bulky, expensive, battery-powered glasses the sets need. This year, LG Electronics Inc. is trying a different take on 3-D, with light, inexpensive glasses of the kind used in movie theaters. Vizio Inc. already sells one such set, and Samsung Electronics Co. said it was working on similar technology. In LG's and Vizio's version of the technology, the screen resolution is halved, but not everyone will notice. The flickering effect sometimes produced by the battery-powered glasses is missing, and the lighter glasses also don't darken the image as much. • Free TV on the go. TV broadcasters are adding signals to their towers that are designed to be picked up by portable gadgets such as small TVs, laptops and cell phones. It's unclear how interested the public will be in this technology. An earlier attempt at broadcasting subscription-based TV signals to gadgets failed for lack of interest. But gadget makers including Audivox and LG are forging ahead, providing consumers with an array of "Mobile DTV" gadgets this year. They range from portable TV sets to plug-in antennas for the iPad. A big obstacle for the technology is that cell phone carriers aren't interested in selling phones with Mobile DTV receivers. • High-speed color printing. It's not often that a new printing technology comes along. After all, both inkjet and laser printing have been with us for decades. Now, a startup called Memjet promises a significant twist on inkjet printing. The technology allows a desktop printer to spit out one page per second in color, at low cost. Instead of having a print head that moves back and forth across the page, it has a head that's stationary and spans the whole page. The printer should be on the U.S. market this year through an undisclosed partner, priced around $600. |
| For minorities, new 'digital divide' seen (AP) Posted: 08 Jan 2011 09:34 PM PST When the personal computer revolution began decades ago, Latinos and blacks were much less likely to use one of the marvelous new machines. Then, when the Internet began to change life as we know it, these groups had less access to the Web and slower online connections placing them on the wrong side of the "digital divide." Today, as mobile technology puts computers in our pockets, Latinos and blacks are more likely than the general population to access the Web by cellular phones, and they use their phones more often to do more things. But now some see a new "digital divide" emerging with Latinos and blacks being challenged by more, not less, access to technology. It's tough to fill out a job application on a cell phone, for example. Researchers have noticed signs of segregation online that perpetuate divisions in the physical world. And blacks and Latinos may be using their increased Web access more for entertainment than empowerment. Fifty-one percent of Hispanics and 46 percent of blacks use their phones to access the Internet, compared with 33 percent of whites, according to a July 2010 Pew poll. Forty-seven percent of Latinos and 41 percent of blacks use their phones for e-mail, compared with 30 percent of whites. The figures for using social media like Facebook via phone were 36 percent for Latinos, 33 percent for blacks and 19 percent for whites. A greater percentage of whites than blacks and Latinos still have broadband access at home, but laptop ownership is now about even for all these groups, after black laptop ownership jumped from 34 percent in 2009 to 51 percent in 2010, according to Pew. Increased access and usage should be good things, right? "I don't know if it's the right time to celebrate. There are challenges still there," says Craig Watkins, an associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin and author of "The Young and the Digital." He adds: "We are much more engaged, but now the questions turn to the quality of that engagement, what are people doing with that access." For Tyrell Coley, engagement mostly means entertainment. In December, the 21-year-old New York City supermarket clerk launched a Twitter conversation about "(hash)femalesneedto." The number sign was a "hashtag" that allowed others to label their tweets and join the discussion. Within a few hours, (hash)femalesneedto was the top trending topic on Twitter meaning more of the site's 17 million users were talking about it than anything else. Most comments came from black users and focused on relationships, advising women to do things like "learn sex is not love" and "learn how to love themselves." "There's always something happening on Twitter, some drama, people talking about something," says Coley. "Twitter is a great social network to kill time. When you're bored, get on Twitter. Next thing you know you'll be out of work or whatever. Twitter makes my day go by. That's why I'm on almost every day." Coley is black, and so are most of his 3,756 Twitter followers. So are about 25 percent of all Twitter users, roughly double the percentage of blacks in the U.S. population, according to a February 2010 survey by Edison Research and Arbitron. Many of Twitter's trending topics have been fueled by black tweets. Coley has been responsible for several (hash)youcantbeuglyand and (hash)dumbthingspeoplesay also sprang from his iPhone. He has a desktop computer at home, which he used to apply for his supermarket job. But he uses his phone for 80 percent of his online activity, which is usually watching hip-hop and comedy videos or looking for sneakers on eBay. This trend is alarming to Anjuan Simmons, a black engineer and technology consultant who blogs, tweets and uses Facebook "more than my wife would like." He hopes that blacks and Latinos will use their increased Web access to create content, not just consume it. "What are we doing with this access? Are we simply sending e-mail, downloading adult content, sending texts for late-night hookups?" Simmons says. "Or are we discussing ideas, talking to people who we would not normally be able to talk to?" Simmons has made professional connections and found job opportunities through social media. But when he first started using Twitter, the first thing he looked for was other black faces to connect with. "The African-American community has a built-in social layer," Simmons says. "We tend to see other African-Americans as family. Even if we haven't met someone, we often refer to other black people as `brothers' or `sisters.' "The root of that probably goes back to slavery, how we had to have tight connections because the slave masters could easily break up families," he says. "We needed that sense of family really to protect ourselves during slavery and Jim Crow. That still is woven into, oddly, the fabric of black America to this day. And I think we see this social construct online." Facebook and Internet access are what most of Miguel Amador's customers want when they enter his two stores in Latino neighborhoods in Camden, N.J. Five years ago, the majority of his revenue came from music CDs. Now his mobile device sales are up 50 percent from a year ago. His top seller is the MyTouch 4G phone, which costs $499. Amador immigrated from the Dominican Republic 20 years ago. He uses a laptop at home and a desktop in his store to run his business and update his two Facebook accounts. One account is for personal use he estimates that 75 percent of the people he knows are on Facebook and one is aimed at his customers. He recognizes that mobile phones are more limited than computers: "Phones are more for entertainment right now. I don't want to use the word uneducated, but I don't think (customers) are 100 percent educated on what the Internet can do in your life. They just see you can have fun on it." "For the Latino community," he says, "people without Internet are missing about 65 percent of the opportunities in life." Yet mobile Internet access may not be the great equalizer. Aaron Smith, a Pew senior research specialist, says there are obvious limitations on what you can do on a mobile device updating a resume being the classic example. "Research has shown that people with an actual connection at home, the ability to go online on a computer at home, are more engaged in a lot of different things that people who rely on access from work, a friend's house, or a phone," Smith says. For those Latinos with mobile access, their connections are often related to geography. "Most Latinos here want to communicate with each other, they have family in other places that they want to be connected to," Amador says. "And they want to be involved in the American community. They see everyone on TV talking about Facebook and Twitter, and they want what other Americans have." Yet despite these forces pushing ethnic groups together online, Simmons has seen his social network expand. Only about half of his 2,834 Facebook friends are black, down from about 80 percent when he signed up in 2006. The early days of the Internet were filled with visions of a Utopian space where race would disappear, famously captured by a 1993 New Yorker cartoon with one pooch sitting at a computer saying to another, "On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog." But the reality has turned out much differently, says Peter Chow-White, an assistant communications professor at Simon Fraser University and co-author of the forthcoming anthology "Race After the Internet." He says there is "absolutely" still a racial divide online, in terms of broadband access and the ability of blacks and Latinos to make their voices widely heard. "As long as you have structural inequalities in society, you cannot expect to have anything less than that on the Internet," he says. "The Internet is not a separate space from the world, it's intricately connected to everyday life and social institutions." That's what danah boyd found as she documented a form of "white flight" among teenagers from MySpace to Facebook in 2006-07. A social media researcher for Microsoft and a fellow at Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet and Society, boyd interviewed teens in 17 states and spent more than 2,000 hours observing online practices. She found that black youth were more likely to be on MySpace, while whites were leaving what some called MySpace's "ghetto" environment for Facebook. Although few white teens explicitly said they were leaving MySpace to get away from blacks or Latinos, boyd said their comments were often closely tied to race and class. "The higher castes of high school moved to Facebook," one 17-year-old told her. "It was more cultured, and less cheesy. The lower class usually were content to stick to MySpace." These movements "reflected a reproduction of social categories that exist in schools throughout the United States. Because race, ethnicity and socio-economic status shape social categories, the choice between MySpace and Facebook became racialized," boyd wrote in an article to be published in "Race After the Internet." Today, Facebook has eclipsed MySpace in popularity, and Facebook says that blacks are about 11 percent of all U.S. Facebook users. But no ethnic group has increased its Facebook usage more than Hispanics, which went from about 3 percent to 9 percent of U.S. users since 2006, according to the site's own analysis. Amador believes this trend, along with more Internet access in general, is speeding up the process of assimilation for Latinos by connecting them to their friends and families back home. "When you're far away from something, you have a strong feeling for it, and you want it more," he says. "But now that we can get closer to those things, it makes us much more comfortable here." Smith, the Pew researcher, says more research is needed to understand the implications of blacks and Latinos moving so quickly to mobile Web access, because this technology is changing the patterns of Internet use as profoundly as the shift from dial-up to broadband did over the past decade. "Mobile is a totally different experience," he says. "It's a huge change when the gateway to information in the digital world is always with you." ___ Jesse Washington covers race and ethnicity for The Associated Press. He is reachable at http://www.twitter.com/jessewashington or jwashington(at)ap.org. ___ Online: Facebook's ethnic demographics: http://on.fb.me/h83kfF danah boyd's study: http://bit.ly/hBKVli Anjuan Simmons blog: http://bit.ly/e2UCll Tyrell Coley on Twitter: http://bit.ly/hwNsnv Craig Watkins' "The Young and the Digital": http://bit.ly/e2uFKP This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Balls, blocks, cars among high-tech toys at CES (AFP) Posted: 09 Jan 2011 08:46 PM PST LAS VEGAS (AFP) – Balls, blocks and miniature cars with a high-tech twist were among the toys at the Consumer Electronics Show -- although at prices only adults who are still children at heart may be able to afford. Among the playthings which attracted attention during the show which ended on Sunday were Mattel's classic Hot Wheels cars, the zippy little metal racers which fly down an orange plastic track at high speeds. These Hot Wheels, however, are equipped with a video camera on the front of the car which records their stunts. The underside of the car features a tiny video screen and the videos can be downloaded to a computer using a USB connection for viewing. Children who are too old to play on the floor with toy cars anymore can mount them on a helmet or a skateboard and record their exploits for their Facebook friends. The camera-equipped Hot Wheels will be available in time for Christmas next year and cost 60 dollars. Another toy -- a finalist for a "Best of CES" award -- is even more high-tech than the new Hot Wheels cars -- a glowing robotic ball that is controlled by an Apple iPhone or an Android smartphone. Sphero, as the ball is called, rolls around the floor on command, stopping, starting, turning and navigating around objects. "The gaming options are endless," said Jim Booth, vice president of business development for Orbotix, the Boulder, Colorado-based firm behind Sphero, which has a light inside and is about the same size as a tennis ball. "You can get simple driving apps to more complex multi-player games," Booth said. "Office golf -- we've had hundreds of ideas." Sphero will go on sale in the United States in late 2011 and will cost under 100 dollars -- smartphone not included. Orbotix also plans to open up the Sphero platform to other developers so they can make their own games. Building blocks have also been reinvented for the digital age by a pair of former students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the prestigious engineering school located in Boston. Sifteo cubes feature a color screen and can be combined like dominoes in various ways to play games or solve puzzles and equations. In one game, for example, the tiles rapidly flash commands to a player who earns points by responding correctly. The tiles each have an accelerometer inside and are linked wirelessly to each other and to a computer which houses the game software. A basic set of the matchbook-sized Sifteo cubes is three blocks. The game goes on sale later this year and will cost 149 dollars. Mattel has also taken an Internet sensation and made it low-tech -- the addicting Angry Birds videogame from Finland's Rovio which involves catapulting birds at pigs which have stolen their eggs. A plastic and metal version of Angry Birds, recommended for children over the age of five, will go on sale this year and cost just 15 dollars. |
| Tablets, smart gadgets rule at Consumer Electronics Show (AFP) Posted: 09 Jan 2011 07:14 PM PST LAS VEGAS (AFP) – Slick touchscreen tablet computers and smarter devices for the home and the car took center stage as the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) wrapped up on Sunday. The always connected lifestyle was on full display at the annual gadget extravaganza as Internet technology ruled at a show traditionally dominated by eye-popping new television sets. Tablet computers to rival Apple's iPad were the hot new products on display along with powerful new smartphones, ultra-thin laptops and Web-connected and 3-D TV sets during the four-day event. "The tablet wars are now launched, with everybody under the sun producing tablets," said Endpoint Technologies Associates analyst Roger Kay. "A lot of companies, particularly Asian companies, are offering to create tablets for you on the fly if you want a tablet with your brand on it." Emphasis on mobile gizmos and making traditionally dumb devices smart with Internet connections made CES celebrities out of chip makers Intel, AMD, and Nvidia as well as US telecom carriers Verizon and AT&T. Rival chip makers showed off fast new processors combining graphics and traditional computing power. "What that means is a lot more connected stuff," analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group in Silicon Valley said of the chip announcements at CES. "Everything thinner, lighter, more powerful and more intelligent." Technology titans Apple and Google were absent but their influences weighed heavy at CES. Scores of tablets based on Google's Android software were launched in bids to challenge Apple's hot-selling iPads. Motorola Mobility's Xoom tablet computer powered by a coming "Honeycomb" version of Android tailored for such devices was crowned the best gadget at CES in what could be a sign of renewed glory for a faded technology star. "Of the hundreds of tablets at the show, I didn't see any that were better than the iPad," Enderle said, with a caveat that he didn't see the Xoom. "I think the Honeycomb ones have a chance, but they are going to roll against an iPad 2 by the time they come out." Apple is expected to introduce a second-generation of its iPad later this year as Honeycomb becomes available to tablet makers. "The 800-pound gorilla not in the room was Apple, of course," Kay said of the focus here on competing with or making accessories for iPads, iPods, iPhones or MacBook laptop computers. The show floor featured smart home appliances such as ovens which can download recipes and vehicles which give drivers hands-free voice control access to their smartphone applications. Korea-based LG and first-time CES attendee General Electric were among major electronics makers that showed off washing machines, dish washers or other appliances made smart with computer chips and the Internet. Televisions continued to dazzle, with high-definition or 3D screens boasting Internet connectivity for getting digital content from the Web. Another important theme at the show was car technology, with Ford unveiling an electric Focus sedan and Internet services tailored for all models. "Everybody and their brother are making the car into a living room," Enderle said. "I'm starting to worry about what people are going to be doing in their cars other than driving." Audi's self-driving cars were not seen zipping around CES but a concept car developed by General Motors was -- the two-wheel EN-V, or Electric Networked Vehicle, which can park itself or be summoned using a smartphone. "It's not just computers in control of the car, but computers that people use in the car and location-based services that go with that," said Kay. With 2,700 exhibitors at CES, offerings ranged from the practical to the frivolous. "People were running around pretty excited about a lot of products they were seeing and it felt like a lot of buyers were there to buy," Enderle said. More than 140,000 people attended the show, compared with 126,000 at the annual event last year, according to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) trade group behind CES. "CES was a phenomenal worldwide event that spanned global industries including technology, automotive and entertainment markets," said CEA president Gary Shapiro. "This global technology gathering featured more innovation, more news, more social media buzz and more international attendance than any other show in CES history." |
| Google's Android stars at electronics show (AFP) Posted: 09 Jan 2011 01:38 PM PST LAS VEGAS (AFP) – Google may not have had any gadgets on display at the Consumer Electronics Show which closed here Sunday but the Internet giant made its presence felt. At a show where touchscreen tablet computers were king, Google's Android operating system was the crown prince. Motorola Mobility's Xoom tablet powered by Honeycomb software, a version of Android designed specifically for the touchscreen computers, took the coveted title of best gadget at CES. And Honeycomb, or Android 3.0, was the operating system of choice for dozens of the other tablet makers showing their wares on the crowded show floor at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Motorola Mobility, South Korea's LG Electronics, China's Lenovo, US computer giant Dell, Taiwan's Asus and Japan's Toshiba were among the global electronics giants unveiling Android-powered tablets, to name just a few. While Apple's iPad still rules the tablet roost, Android, which is already widely used by smartphone makers, is shaping up to also be a major force in the tablet arena. Android, which Google licenses to manufacturers for free, has become the number two mobile operating system in the United States according to comScore, with a 26 percent market share trailing Research In Motion's Blackberry OS but ahead of the 25 percent for Apple's iPhone OS. Another technology giant expected to make a splash in the tablet arena, Seattle-based Microsoft, with its Windows 7 operating system, again failed to deliver. Windows-powered tablets were few and far between at CES and attracted little notice with the exception of the Eee EP121 from Taiwan's Asus, which runs Windows 7 software and features a 12-inch (30.5-centimeter) touchscreen. As if adding insult to injury, a Lenovo hybrid tablet-laptop, the IdeaPad U1, runs Windows 7 when serving as a U1 laptop and Android when the detachable screen is removed to work as a tablet, the LePad. Rotman Epps said Google's Honeycomb actually "poses a much bigger threat to Microsoft than it does to Apple. "Of the 24.1 million tablets we expect US consumers to buy in 2011, the majority will still be iPads, but consumers looking for a cheaper, feature-rich alternative will turn to Google, not Microsoft," she said. "I guess the world will have to wait for Windows 8 tablets," Rotman Epps added in a blog post. Mike Cleron, a Google engineer, said the Mountain View, California-based Internet search giant had spent more than a year "rethinking everything about Android from the ground up" before coming out with Honeycomb. "We optimized Android for the new hardware," Cleron said, pointing out features which were not available on the first version of the iPad such as multi-tasking. Most of the Android-based tablets on display also integrated other features not included on the iPad such as front- and rear-facing cameras to enable video chat and the ability to run Adobe Flash video software. Motorola Mobility device team head Alain Mutricy, accepting the award for best gadget at CES, described the Xoom, whose 10.1-inch (25.6-centimeter) screen is about the same size as that of the iPad as the "next generation of tablets." "Our partnership with Google has been very intense and has enabled some great technology," Mutricy said. |
| Car tech dazzles at Consumer Electronics Show (AFP) Posted: 09 Jan 2011 01:35 PM PST LAS VEGAS (AFP) – Automakers are taking a drive into the future at the Consumer Electronics Show. The annual event is traditionally a showplace for mobile phones, computers and television sets but car makers are grabbing a lot of attention this year with the latest in automotive technology and a glimpse at what's to come. US automaker Ford even chose Las Vegas over next week's Detroit Auto Show to reveal its first all-electric car, the Focus Electric, which can get up to 100 miles (160 kilometers) on a single battery charge and goes on sale this year. Audi attracted crowds to its CES stand with a demonstration of a "head-up display" that resembles a videogame, projecting important information like a car's speed or directions in hologram fashion on the windshield directly in front of the driver. "It shows you where to turn, the speed limit and your speed so you don't have to look down at the dashboard," said Jessica Silvia, a spokeswoman for the German automaker, which has also been experimenting with self-driving cars. Audi's self-driving cars were not seen zipping around CES but a concept car developed by General Motors was -- the two-wheel EN-V, or Electric Networked Vehicle, which can park itself or be summoned using a smartphone. Test rides in the two-seater bubble-like EN-V, which was making its debut in the United States after first being shown at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, were a popular diversion among CES attendees. Ford showed off the 2012 Ford Focus version of MyFord Touch, a touchscreen navigational and entertainment display mounted on the dashboard that besides being touch-responsive can also understand 10,000 voice commands. "I can get destinations, I can get songs. I just have to tell it what I want," said Paul Aldighieri, a Ford spokesman. "We don't want you to control the content with your hands we want you to tell the car what you want." The information on the screen is color-coded -- blue for climate, red for entertainment, green for navigation and yellow for phone -- to minimize the amount of time a driver takes their eyes off the road. Ford also introduced a new software program called Sync Applink which can access mobile applications like Pandora Internet radio after being connected to an Apple iPhone, a Blackberry or an Android-powered smartphone. Aldighieri said Ford was working on putting a full Web browser in the car. "It's part of the future," the Ford spokesman said, although he quickly added that it "would be locked out while you're driving." QNX Software Systems, a subsidiary of Blackberry maker Research In Motion, gave a demonstration of a dashboard-mounted display a spokesman described as a "mobile office." Once a Blackberry is synched to the car using Bluetooth "you can see your contacts, your email messages, your text messages," said Sheridan Ethier. "It'll read your emails back to you while you're driving," Ethier said. "It's a nice way to drive your vehicle and stay connected to the office." Audi chairman Rupert Stadler said staying connected -- even when behind the wheel -- is the future. "In every other aspect of our lives, the Internet and all it has to offer has become increasingly mobile," Stadler said in a CES keynote speech. "We're making the Internet mobile in an automobile," he said, with interfaces designed to minimize driver distraction. |
| Hands-On With Haier's New HDTVs (PC World) Posted: 09 Jan 2011 12:49 PM PST Haier's 2011 HDTVs look bright, sharp, and slick--and as the official TV brand of the NBA, we simply had to stop by at the CES show floor and check out their upcoming gear. First, we took a look at their revamped edge-lit LED TV lineup--the high-end EV series, which comes in 42-inch, 46-inch, and 55-inch models. Design-wise, their glass bezel and swivel stand look slick, if slightly conservative. Check them out for yourself in the video below. Next, we got a quick tour through their Internet-connected features, which were served by the built-in Wi-Fi adapter. At the moment, they've got Netflix, Pandora, and Hulu Plus, with plans to add Blockbuster's video rental service. Of course, the EV series can automatically update the firmware through the Wi-Fi network connection, so they'll be able to add new services as they become available. Watch the video below for a quick look at the menus and apps. Check out PCWorld's complete coverage of CES 2011. |
| Home appliances get 'smart' at CES (AFP) Posted: 09 Jan 2011 11:30 AM PST LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AFP) – Mobile phones aren't the only things getting smart. Home appliances are too. On display at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) here along with the latest smartphones and touchscreen tablet computers are ovens, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, refrigerators and other products for the "connected" home. South Korea's LG Electronics is attracting the most buzz on the home front with its line of "Thinq" household appliances which are connected to a home Wi-Fi network and can be controlled by a smartphone or a computer. LG refrigerators with touchscreen LCD displays let users keep tabs on where food items have been placed in the machine and when they expire. "You can use a drag and drop system with icons or voice commands," said Patrick Steinkuhl, product insight manager at LG Electronics USA. "You can say things like 'Ground beef top shelf.' It has default expiration dates built in but if you want to change those you can," he said. "You're in complete control." An owner of the LG refrigerator can access its contents while shopping via a smartphone and figure out, for example, whether they need to pick up another gallon of milk or orange juice. "I have the ability to see what's in my fridge from my phone," Steinkuhl said. "We're connecting devices that have never been connected before and we're connecting them to you," he said. "In the past we had the technology to do this but we never had the infrastructure to support the technology," he said. "Now we're there. "We have the capacity to support smartphones and smart software and Wi-Fi is a very strong way to connect," Steinkuhl said. LG is also displaying an oven that can access a home computer server, download preprogrammed recipes and display them on a screen built into the front of the machine. "It shows all of the ingredients and the cooking process," Steinkuhl said. "And when my roast is finished cooking it will a message to my phone that says 'Your roast is done.'" LG is also showing off washing machines that can be instructed to run at the most cost-effective times and a camera-equipped robot vacuum cleaner, the Hom-Bot, that can be told remotely to start cleaning the floor. The camera embedded in the robot can also be used to keep an eye on the house while the owner is away. US home appliance giant General Electric is making its first appearance at CES to show off its home energy management solutions including "Nucleus," which gives consumers information about electricity consumption. Nucleus, which is expected to be available later this year, works with smart meters, smart appliances, programmable thermostats and software applications to help homeowners monitor their usage and reduce their electricity bills. Joseph McGuire, the president of the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, said US government energy standards -- and tax credits for energy efficient appliances -- were a big driver for innovation in the sector. Ultimately, though, it's consumers who will decide, he said, with the ability to cut down on electricity bills a prime motivating factor. It's not just the standard household items such as washers and dryers which are taking advantage of the latest technology, other home devices on display here are too. Cedric Hutchings, co-founder of Withings, a French start-up showing off a baby monitor, a blood pressure monitor and other products at CES, said smart devices are opening up all kinds of new possibilities for the home. The Withings baby monitor features a camera equipped with night vision that can send pictures and audio to an iPhone or any other device with a connected screen. A microphone allows parents to talk to the child from another room and they can be awoken by alarms if a baby's sleep is disrupted. |
| 9 Top-Notch iPod Nano Cases (Mashable) Posted: 09 Jan 2011 11:30 AM PST While we were impressed with the LunaTik iPod nano watch kit in our recent hands-on, it hasn't stopped us from wondering what other case options are out there for owners of Apple's newest iPod nano. Apple has played around with the form factor of the nano perhaps more than any of its other products, so there aren't as many cases available for the 6th generation nano as there are for other Apple devices. We set ourselves the challenge of finding some cool cases for the new nano -- wrist-based and otherwise -- to give you a great selection of coverings to choose from if you're looking to protect your iPod. Have a look below for our favorite options and let us know in the comments which ones you like. And be sure to share any others you've spotted that look good.
1. Scosche tightGRIP
Scosche keeps it simple with these silicone skins available in packs of three. They come in red, black and blue (pictured); or pink, purple and white. Cost: $19.99
2. Rainydaye Knitted Cozies
If you prefer things hand-made rather than made en masse, then these colorful, knitted cozies from Etsy might be perfect for your nano. Cost: $9.00
3. Belkin FastFit Armband
Created for sporty types, your nano just clips onto Belkin's armband. It offers a convenient way to keep your music player at hand, but out of harm's way, during exercise. Cost: $29.99
4. Griffin Slap
Available in a rainbow of colors, the Slap takes the nano watch case idea back to the Eighties with a flexible, silicone-wrapped spring-steel band that can adjust to fit any size wrist. Cost: $24.99
5. Navitech Hard Cover Case
If you need some serious protection for your little 'pod then Navitech's hard cover case will make sure your nano -- and its screen -- stay safe from harm. Cost: $3.99
6. iWatchz Q Series
With its simple attachment -- just press, slide and click -- the iWatchz will turn your nano into a bright timepiece with incredible ease. Cost: $24.95
7. Griffin Wristlet
Described as a "fresh, fun, stretchy protection" for your nano, the Wristlet encases your iPod in tough, stretchy silicone while the wrist strap offers an alternative to attaching the device from a clip. Cost: $19.99
8. The Leather Wrist Cuff
This Etsy seller has taken the watch concept and created a very cool leather wrist cuff that your nano can clip to as a watch. Cost: $34
9. Socks
The classic iSock has been shrunk down for the newest nano. They're sold as a six pack, meaning you can change the cover to suit your mood, or share the love with five friends. Cost: £3.85 (approx $5.50)
BONUS: Gelaskins
The new nano may be mini, but it's not too small to get the Gelaskin treatment. There are a ton of great vinyl designs available to perfectly fit all sides of the little MP3 player. Even if it isn't technically a "case," these skins are a cool way to cover your device. Cost: $14.95
More Gadget Resources from Mashable- 6 Great Gloves for Touchscreen Gadget Lovers - Especially For You: 8 Great Gadgets You Can Personalize - 10 Great Watches for Gadget Lovers [PICS] - 10 Cool and Unusual Laptop Sleeves [PICS] - 10 Pieces of Gorgeous Geek Jewelry [PICS] |
| What we know about the Verizon iPhone (Appolicious) Posted: 09 Jan 2011 07:42 AM PST |
| Nintendo to ship 1.5 million 3DS in Japan by end-March: report (Reuters) Posted: 09 Jan 2011 06:45 PM PST TOKYO (Reuters) – Nintendo Co plans to ship about 1.5 million units of the 3D-capable handheld game players in Japan in the first month after its launch on February 26, President Satoru Iwata said in an interview with the Nikkei business daily published on Monday. "It's important that we ensure a continuous supply," Iwata was quoted as saying by the Nikkei. The company will work on preventing the shortages of products that happened earlier when DS versions were first released, the report said. The 3DS is scheduled to go on sale in the United States and Europe in March and Nintendo targets to sell 4 million units worldwide by the end of that month, according to the Nikkei. Microsoft Corp's Kinect and Sony Corp's Move controllers have improved upon the Nintendo Wii's motion-gaming technology. Apple Inc and Google Inc's Android have chipped away at Nintendo's handheld gaming market share. The Nikkei said Nintendo may release the 3DS in emerging markets in Asia and elsewhere where economies are growing rapidly. (Reporting by Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Anshuman Daga) |
| New biz expansion: Hello Africa, India's calling (AP) Posted: 09 Jan 2011 09:01 PM PST NAIROBI, Kenya – Millions of mobile phone subscribers in Africa saw the icon on their phone screens change from Bahrain company Zain to Indian company Airtel last fall. The change means little to the average customer, but for the continent, it's another sign that India is moving in. The expansion by Bharti Airtel into 16 African countries underscores the rise of India in Africa, at a time when much of the focus on foreign investment here has been on China. The Indian government is raising its diplomatic profile in Africa, with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Cabinet leading several business delegations in recent years. And Indian companies are striving to keep up with China's business profile in Africa, taking advantage of historical ties with the continent. "I think one of the things that India doesn't want to allow to happen is that it doesn't want to get behind in this kind of engagement," said Sanusha Naidu, research director at the Britain-based Fahamu organization, an advocacy group tracking African issues. Naidu said India's renewed interest in Africa has not received as much attention as China's because India is not seen as a threat. "It is seen as a democratic state," Naidu, a South African, said. "It doesn't have a communist regime. All that plays in favor of India." India and China are vying for Africa because of the bottom line: Africa represents new growth. "This is the last growth continent in the world. Europe is a done industry. The U.S. is a done industry. Southeast Asia is old," said Sunil Mittal, founder and chairman of Bharti Airtel. "Our model is not suitable for a matured market. We need growth and Africa is the right place to grow." The International Monetary Fund said in October that sub-Saharan Africa will register the second-highest growth rates in the world in 2011, behind only Asia. The IMF said sub-Saharan Africa's economic growth rate will be 5 percent in 2010, compared with 2.5 percent in 2009. This year, the IMF projects Africa's rate will be 5.5 percent. The relations between India and Africa are centuries old. In the 1960s and 1970s, India helped newly independent African states by training them at Indian universities and other institutions. Indian conglomerates such as the Tata Group have had a presence in Africa for decades. But India is now changing its relationship with Africa from the political, such as advocating an end to colonialism, to the economic. In recent years, some Indian companies have expanded their business in Africa, propelling what were once small operations into major players. New companies have also moved in. Among them are: • In October 2008, Indian conglomerate Essar Group launched a mobile telephone company in Kenya, in its first investment in Africa. Since then, it has acquired mobile telephone companies in Uganda and the Republic of Congo. Essar Oil, India's second-biggest private oil firm, entered an agreement in 2009 to acquire 50 percent of Kenya Petroleum Refineries, which serves three countries in east and central Africa. Last year Essar won the bid to acquire a 60 percent share in the state-owned Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Co. • In 2005, Karuturi Global, an Indian agriculture company, bought 15 hectares in Ethiopia to grow roses for export, an investment of about $1.9 million. Karuturi has since grown that investment to have 75 hectares of roses. In 2007, it bought one of the largest flower farms in Kenya, in a deal valued at about $65.5 million. In the past two years, Karuturi has acquired another 311,700 hectares in Ethiopia for an undisclosed amount of money. • Indian drug companies Cipla and Ranbaxy have been a lifeline for years for millions of Africans who are HIV-positive, because they produce far cheaper generic anti-retroviral drugs than the branded drugs from European and American companies. Ranbaxy, which moved into South Africa in 1996, now has 10 full-fledged subsidiaries or offices across Africa. This year, it is opening its second manufacturing facility in South Africa. Cipla also opened a new manufacturing facility in South Africa in September. Along with business, India is playing a philanthropic role in Africa, while at the same time raising its profile. During a summit with African leaders in April 2008, India pledged more than $500 million in grants for development projects. It also pledged to increase by more than $2 billion its lines of credit to African countries and regional economic groups. The summit was India's first with African leaders. However, China has held three such summits since 2003, where it has pledged loans and infrastructure projects much bigger than what India has promised. In its most recent summit in November 2009, China pledged $10 billion in loans over a three-year period. In October, India's Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma led a trade mission to East Africa. He said India is exploring whether African farmers can be encouraged to grow legumes and export them to India, the world's largest market for legumes. "I think at this time India is taking off in terms of industrialization, so definitely they are looking for a market," said Jacob Mignouna, the technical director at the Nairobi-based research organization the African Agricultural Technology Foundation. "Of course there may be some philanthropic aspect of it, but the bottom line is, they are looking for trade, for opportunities also for the Indian industries." The close relationship between India and China is reflected in trade. Between April and July 2010, India exported $4.8 billion worth of goods to Africa — a 51 percent increase from the same period in 2009. India imported about $7.8 billion worth of goods from Africa between April and July 2010, a 40.7 percent increase from the previous year. The Bharti Airtel investment in Africa is so far one of the biggest from corporate India. Last year, Bharti Airtel, India's largest mobile phone company, tried and failed to acquire South Africa's MTN, one of the continent's largest communication companies. This year Bharti Airtel bought the Africa operations of Kuwait operator Zain for $10.7 billion, and immediately began slashing prices. Call prices dropped 50 percent or more in 11 countries to attract more customers. Founder Mittal said he wants to more than double the company's Africa business in the next 2 1/2 years to 100 million subscribers. At the end of September, Bharti Airtel said it had about 40 million subscribers in Africa. Africa for its part needs to look more critically at its developing relationship with India, Naidu warned. "Is it (Africa) gaining technical experience? Is it gaining development experience? We need to interrogate the relationship much more clearly," said Naidu. "I think we need to ask those questions where if Africa is not gaining out of this relationship, then what needs to be done?" ___ Adigun reported from Abuja, Nigeria. |
| Facebook denies shutdown rumors (AFP) Posted: 09 Jan 2011 05:54 PM PST LAS VEGAS (AFP) – A rumor Facebook was shutting down wafted over the Web, forcing the hugely popular social network to deny it had any intention of closing. The rumor was started by a satirical online website whose other news flashes include such items as "Alien Spaceships to Attack Earth in 2011" and "George Clooney Running for President." As unlikely as it would seem that the social network with more than 500 million members would shut down, the rumor spread rapidly on Twitter and on Facebook itself. Facebook denied it was shutting down in a statement posted on... Facebook. "We didn't get the memo about shutting down, so we'll keep working away like always. We aren't going anywhere; we're just getting started," it said. |
| Able Planet Tower of Power (PC World) Posted: 09 Jan 2011 10:59 AM PST The Able Planet showed off lots of goods at CES, but the most impressive was the yet-to-be-named sound tower. The sleek black tower stands a few feet tall and 9 inches across. Slide in an iPhone, iPod, or even an iPad at the top to play music. The surprising part is the sound piping out of its relatively low 70W power. The CES test model kicked serious bass while releasing clear vocals. The wood housed speakers give some good feedback, and the tower automatically charges any devices connected. The tower will be out this Spring for about $250. Check out our complete coverage of CES 2011. |
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