Posted 01/07/10 at 12:01:39 AM by Nathan Grayson

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Posted 01/06/10 at 09:45:54 PM by The Maximum PC Staff

The Microsoft Keynote has started! Click the image below to jump into the conversation and follow along with tonight's announcements!

Read on to follow along with our keynote liveblog!

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Posted 01/06/10 at 08:33:45 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Samsung may not have perfected the mobile app store game but it still has the audacity to attempt something grander: Samsung Apps – the world's first multi-device app store. The idea is to let content owners and app developers reach a greater audience with apps that are compatible with different devices: HDTVs, Blu-ray players, home theater systems and phones.

Samsung Apps is “the world's first HDTV-based application store where users can download and purchase applications from select 2010 Samsung HDTVs, Blu-ray Players and Home Theater systems via the upgraded Internet@TV – Content Service.” Internet@TV is a widget-based TV service powered by Yahoo's Widget engine.

Samsung plans to have only free apps available at the time of Samsung App's spring 2010 launch. The paid ones will debut in the summer. You can expect a wide gamut of apps, including video, information, lifestyle, games, and sports.

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Posted 01/06/10 at 08:22:56 PM by Ryan Whitwam

Sony has announced yet another product at CES. This one is a bit of a head-scratcher for us, though. The Dash Internet Viewer is a sort of touchscreen widget station. Think Chumby, but with a larger (and frankly, beautiful) 7 inch screen and sleeker design. As it turns out, that’s exactly what it is; the Dash runs the Chumby OS.

Sony is pushing the app angle hard, because well, isn’t everyone? The Chumby OS already has over 1000 apps available, and Sony will be making some new ones of its own. The Dash will have Wi-Fi so you can use it to pull down data for those data-hungry apps. There is no internal battery, so don’t confuse this with a tablet device as some already have.  Is this something you need? If so, the Dash will be shipping in April for $199.

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Posted 01/06/10 at 07:34:54 PM by Ryan Whitwam

The spec sheets for the Verizon versions of Palm’s WebOS phones appear to have leaked ahead of the official CES event tomorrow. Sadly, there aren’t any big surprises here. The phones will be called the Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus, a naming scheme seemingly designed to get under Sprint’s skin.

The Pre Plus will get a welcome storage bump to 16GB from the current 8GB. The Pixi Plus will thankfully have Wi-Fi on board now. Neither phone will be graced with a MicroSD card slot or support for video recording, though. The Pixi will also still be equipped with the same middling CPU found in the Sprint version. No pricing or release dates were leaked, but we’ll most likely get those at the Palm event tomorrow.

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Posted 01/06/10 at 07:07:58 PM by Ryan Whitwam

This year’s CES is absolutely crawling with eReaders. The first real standout in that category is a demo unit from Liquavista with a full color display. This is not a LCD, though. Rather it’s more akin to the eInk screens we’re all familiar with. It could be the sort of device many people are hoping to see come to market.

The reader’s display uses the so called LiquavistaColor technology and electrowetting. This involves modifying the behavior of liquids on a solid surface by applying voltage. The display technology is impressive, but this is still just a prototype. Liquavista has preliminary plans for a late 2010/early 2011 launch. By that point though, many consumers may have already committed to an eReader platform.

Image via Gizmodo

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Posted 01/06/10 at 07:00:00 PM by The Maximum PC Staff

This week, we're here in Las Vegas for the annual Consumer Electronics Show. We'll be reporting about new PC hardware and gadgets from the show floor, various press conferences, and private meetings. As you can tell from out CES landing page, there have been plenty of product announcements before the convention floor has even opened its doors. We'll be getting our hands on these and more devices for photos and hands-on impressions. In addition to cutting edge gadgets like netbooks and mobile phones, we'll also be keeping tabs on the latest in system-building components. You can keep track of all of our CES 2010 coverage by clicking this link or the banner below.

Stay tuned for our Microsoft Keynote liveblog and more event coverage!

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Posted 01/06/10 at 06:56:21 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Warner Bros. had made it clear last August that it was not going to let movie rental services eat into its revenues by hurting DVD and Blu-ray sales. Now, it has concluded negotiations with Netflix, the largest movie rental service, and got its way. Netflix will only be allowed to rent out the film studio's DVD titles 28 days after they go on sale. As for the studio's end of the bargain, it has agreed to charge a reduced fee besides pledging more of its films to Netflix for its streaming service. Other studios are also expected to reach a similar understanding with Netflix.

The four-week delay is not without precedent. Universal, 20th Century Fox and Warner Brothers had imposed exactly the same rider on the sale of DVDs to Redbox, prompting a lawsuit from the movie rental company against the three studios. “The 28-day window allows us to continue making our most popular films available to Netflix subscribers while supporting our sell-through product,” Warner Home Video president Ron Sanders said in a statement.

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Posted 01/06/10 at 06:40:54 PM by Ryan Whitwam

One of the oft-repeated complaints about 3D video technology is the requirement that people wear glasses. While Gunnar Optiks isn’t out to change that, they would like to offer you the opportunity to look good while viewing your 3D content. Gunnar’s new line of 3D glasses will include versions for all major 3D technologies, but will have an eye toward style. Let’s face it, isn’t that really what it’s all about?

 The company plans to use its i-AMP lens technology to produce a higher quality set of specs. Most 3D glasses use flat plastic lenses, but the i-AMP lenses will be curved like normal lenses. Gunnar president Rob Arnes explained, “Currently most eyewear used in 3D systems is either disposable or of low-quality construction. With our expertise in optics and our commitment to the digital world, we see the opportunity as a natural fit.”

Gunnar Optiks makes the claim that the glasses help reduce eye strain, and make for a better image. Some agree with that assessment, but it’s far from a consensus. If you’re interested, the 3D shades should be out in Q2 and priced from $89 to $149.

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Posted 01/06/10 at 06:15:17 PM by Ryan Whitwam

AT&T finally seems ready to admit that this whole Android thing isn’t just a flash in the pan. The carrier that brought you the iPhone will be launching five Android phones in the first half of 2010. The announcement was a bit short on details, but there were some clues as to which handsets to expect.

AT&T plans to offer a Motorola handset with a “unique form factor”. This can only be the Moto Backflip we told you about recently. This phone is “blessed” with an awkward looking reverse clamshell design and a lack of Google apps (in the prerelease version at least). The announcement also said Dell’s first smartphone would be coming to the network. That clearly means a version of the Mini 3i with US 3G bands.

The remaining phones are to be HTC devices. No details on what these might be. Knowing HTC’s penchant for repackaging the same hardware, these phones could end up being variations of the Hero. We may see some of the phones spied in the leaked roadmap from a few weeks back. Any AT&T customers planning to buy into the Android craze?

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