Toshiba to show off 3D you can take with you
Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology Co., Ltd. will be previewing 3D technology on handheld 3-inch and 9-inch LCD displays that don't require special glasses to work.
The technology works by integrating a 3D film with the backlight modules of small- and medium-sized LCD displays that use Optically Compensated Bend (OCB) mode to deliver clear, true autostereoscopic viewing. Left and right eye images are focused sequentially into the viewer's eyes, allowing for full resolution of the display panel, the company said.
Live from the LG press conference at CES 2009
Research: LCD panel market continues decline
Recent iSuppli data shows that the market for LCD panels continued to decline through the holiday season, as demand for TVs, notebooks, monitors, and anything with a 10" or larger LCD panel languished.
With declining demand from both the consumer and corporate sectors, LCD manufacturers reduced their production to a fraction of capacity. Hardware analysis firm iSuppli expects that the conditions of the economy will continue to disrupt the LCD supply chain well into 2009, and could have a severe impact on revenue until the market is stabilized.
Upgraded TiVo Search enables finding videos on broadband, cable
TiVo viewers are already accustomed to finding content textually through a menu, even if typing on a remote is a pain. But soon, a new feature will enable them to find Internet videos alongside their regular HD media.
Betanews tests of a late beta of the new TiVo Search feature reveals the presence of a very sophisticated underlying search engine, not only capable of estimating what you might be looking for -- the way Google tries to complete your query when you're typing it in -- but also associating content you've selected for viewing or recording with other content with a similar theme or with matching cast members.
CES Unveiled event provides a high-energy opener
If CES is a banquet, CES Unveiled -- the opening press event -- is like a tasting menu personally selected by the head chef. You'd expect the most luscious morsels, and possibly a bit of gastronomic overload by the end of the evening.
This year's go-around was no exception. Such events, at which a selected group of vendors show their shiniest new toys to the people most hungry to see shiny new toys, have a tendency to feature a beauty queen -- one product that's both interesting and irresistibly photogenic. Only at a tech show would the beauty queen look like Wall-E, but there it is: The cherry-red Minoru Webcam, propping itself "on its elbows" atop a monitor, attracted crowds so large that it was hard at times to approach nearby booths, let alone the 3D webcam itself. The $90 gadget includes five pairs of 3D glasses for your viewing pleasure.
HDMI technology picks up a tech Emmy
The founders of the High-Definition Multimedia Interface, which advanced the propagation of HD but angers many who dislike the specification's digital content control mechanisms, have been awarded an Emmy for their work.
The HDMI spec, released just over six years ago, manages one or more inputs in over 620 million products shipped so far; by the end of this year, 100% of digital televisions are expected to have at least one HDMI input.
Going green with iGo by eliminating 'vampire power'
LAS VEGAS - At CES this week, iGo will introduce a surge protector, a laptop charger, and an electrical outlet, all designed to conserve on power by temporarily stopping the flow of electricity to plugged-in devices once they've been fully recharged.
The company's new "green" products thereby eliminate "vampire" or wasted power, said Alison Copeland, senior direct marketing manager, talking with BetaNews tonight at the CES Unveiled press preview Tuesday night.
Pocket-sized music player / mixer to make North American debut
LAS VEGAS - This week's CES show will mark the North American rollout of a handheld device billed as the world's first pocket-sized DJ system.
Tonium's Pacemaker is not just a portable music player but a portable mixer, said Anders Friman, Tonium's CEO, speaking with BetaNews at Tuesday night's CES Unveiled press event in Las Vegas.
PowerMat intros an innovative battery charger
LAS VEGAS -- At CES this week, a company called "The Power Mat" will roll out a slick portable "mat" designed for charging up to about six mobile phones at a time.
The mat works with all sorts of mobile phones, contended officials in a booth at the CES Unveiled press preview event Tuesday night. The devices can be charged simply by placing them on the mat, which comes with its own power cord.
First look at Novatel's MiFi wireless hotspot
At the CES Unveiled press event tonight, Novatel Wireless gave a first look at MiFi, a pocket-sized WiFi hotspot for connecting up to five users in a local area to the Internet over a cellular connection.
Novatel actually introduced Mi-Fi on December 9. "But this is the first time MiFi has ever been shown outside of a lab," said a rep in the Novatel Booth.
AMD's Athlon Neo processor will take on Intel's Atom
As the netbook platform takes shape this year at CES, AMD is giving a more focused picture of what the inside of that platform could look like...but not too focused, at least not for a few days yet.
What AMD had been calling its "Yukon" notebook processing platform and will now call...something else, was officially unveiled this morning with HP effectively beating AMD to the punch. Its new dv2 line of netbooks will include AMD's new Athlon Neo processor, the centerpiece of the CPU maker's new netbook platform.
New Asus netbooks will feature Windows 7
At a press conference at CES 2009 Tuesday evening, Asus introduced the Eee 131, its first netbook with a built-in 512 GB hard drive. Asus has been working closely with Microsoft, so that the new Eee will run Windows 7.
5:59 pm PT: Both of Asus' new convertible netbooks will use Intel's Atom processors, though different versions. The 10-inch Eee will use Intel Z270 processor, which is what most netbooks use today. But the 8.9-inch model will use the Atom Z520, which provides 20% greater energy conservation.
Motorola puts a green jacket on a carbon-neutral handset
In the latest attempt to assuage consumers into buying more new stuff by telling them it's good for the environment, Motorola has announced a cell phone that it says is made out of recycled water bottles and is carbon-neutral.
"Through an alliance with Carbonfund.org, Motorola offsets the carbon dioxide required to manufacture, distribute and operate the phone through investments in renewable energy sources and reforestation," reads a company statement this morning announcing the company's new Motorola W233, dubbed the "Renew." "The phone has earned Carbonfund.org's CarbonFree Product Certification after an extensive product life-cycle assessment."
Microsoft elevates Bob Muglia's role in a changing company
The man who brought new life to the Server and Tools division, and who now challenges Ray Ozzie as the future prince of company keynotes, is being rewarded with an upgrade to his role that places him on a par with Dr. Qi Lu.
Up until recently, Bob Muglia's role at Microsoft has been to lead the Server and Tools division, making him effectively the fellow in charge of both Visual Studio and Windows Server -- two of the company's four pillars, besides Windows client and Office. (Frankly, SQL Server should be added to that list, and Muglia heads that project too.) Muglia has also been a member of the company's Senior Leadership Team, making him jointly responsible for corporate strategy. After today, none of those facts will have changed.
Microsoft claims Xbox 360 sold 8 million more worldwide than PS3
Once again just before CES week, Microsoft is claiming victory in the game console race, at least against rival Sony PlayStation 3. And once again, veteran analyst Sharon Fisher pores over the numbers.
When I was a kid, I used to love word problems. You know, "Sally is 6 years older than Jane, and Jane is twice as old as Margaret. If the ages of all three add up to 21, how old is each girl?"
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