Maximum PC CES2009 RSS Feed

Emo Labs Developing "Invisible Speaker" Tech for Displays

Andy Salisbury — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:32:38 -0600

While Emo Labs wasn’t a heavyweight at CES, they were able to garner some attention for their Edge Motion technology. A demo given to the crew of Technologizer gave plenty to be excited about, and for once the idea of an “invisible” speaker could be worth looking out for!

Evidently, the technology is similar to NXT’s SoundVu that had plenty of issues getting off the ground back in 2005. But, this new system uses “arrays of motors to wiggle the edges of a clear membrane” in order to produce audio, something that SoundVu didn’t do.

Emo Labs optimistically hope to have this concept integrated into the panels of TVs by the end of next year.

Image Credit: Emo Labs

Rumor: HP to Launch 3G-enabled Mini-Note in June

Pulkit Chandna — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:51:47 -0600

Currently all netbook manufacturers are pounding the market with a barrage of netbooks. The intervening lull between successive netbook models is constantly shrinking, leaving consumers spoilt for choice and a tad overwhelmed.

HP is about to launch a new netbook, the Mini-note 2140, in February but a report about its successor has already emerged. Its successor, the Mini-note 2150, will have at least one additional feature in form of a built-in 3G modem, according to Digitimes. The 2150 is rumored to be scheduled for a June launch. Nothing else is currently known about the 2150.

The 10.1-inch Mini-note 2140 will be launched in February with prices beginning at $500.

No BS Podcast #92: The Long Walk Home Edition

The Maximum PC Staff — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 14:47:01 -0600

Is there anybody out there? We're back for our first podcast of 2009 with a lively discussion of CES, Windows 7, Phenom II, the skiing conditions in Utah, and a whole lot more. What exactly is a whole lot more? Well, pretty much it's reader questions and Gordon's rant. (The rant is powered by three weeks of bottled-up rage though.

Do you have a tech question? A comment? A tale of technological triumph? Just need to get something off your chest? A secret to share? Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or call our 24-hour No BS Podcast hotline at 877.404.1337 x1337--operators are standing by.

Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/maximumpc/1337

ioSafe Solo Keeps External Drives Safe from Fire and Water

Paul Lilly — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:04:29 -0600

Should you have the misfortune of experiencing a flood or fire in your home, backing up your digital photos, music, documents, and other data probably isn't high on your list of things to do. Even power users tend to put family and pets first, and for those of you that are married, don't forget the wedding album (for the wife) and universal remote (for the husband).

A new product by Solo promises to keep your data safe in the event of a disaster if you don't have time to pick up your computer, laptop, and other devices containing your data. The company's ioSafe is an external USB 2.0 storage unit capable of holding up to 1.5TB, but unlike typical external backup drives, the ioSafe was built to withstand extreme situations. Solo says it can survive temperatures up to 1550° F for 30 minutes and/or being submerged in 10 feet of fresh- or saltwater for 3 days. To prove it, Solo posted a video demonstrating situations you probably (definitely) shouldn't try at home.

The ioSafe is available for preorder (ships January 28, 2009) in 500GB, 1TB, and 1.5TB capacities for $150, $200, and $300 respectively.

Image Credit: Solo

Banner Year for Blu-Ray, Still Not Coming to Xbox 360

Paul Lilly — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 15:15:55 -0600

It appears the Blu-ray format may finally be picking up steam. At CES, Andy Parsons, president of the Blu-ray Disc Association, described 2008 as a banner year for Blu-ray sales, and the numbers appear to back his claim. Fourth quarter sales saw 28.6 million Blu-ray sales, up significantly from 9.5 million a year prior. There are now nearly 11 million Blu-ray capable players in the U.S., although 6 million of those are PlayStation 3 consoles.

By comparison, in the same three year time frame after release, DVD players totaled 5.4 million units, not far above all non-PS3 Blu-ray players. And with 40 million homes equipped with HDTVs, there's plenty of room for Blu-ray player sales to grow. Helping to do that, 18 new Blu-ray players were announced at CES, including an HDTV with a built-in player by Sharp.

Despite Blu-ray's recent success, Microsoft reiterated it has no plans to integrate Blu-ray capability with its Xbox 360 console. According to Robbie Bach, Microsoft's president of Microsoft's Entertainment & Devices Division, the decision comes down to a combination of not enough users requesting a Blu-ray player, and because it wouldn't help "in the core of what Xbox does, which is gaming."

Image Credit: Flicker /pitzyper!

Archos the Latest in Long Line of Netbook Contenders

Paul Lilly — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 11:41:01 -0600

If you've blinked, chances are somebody has released a new netbook. This time that somebody is Archos, which doesn't come as much of a surprise, both because it's been rumored the media tablet maker would enter the netbook market and, well, who isn't these days?

Archos made its netbook splash at CES unveiling what it's calling the "Archos 10." As the name suggests, the new netbook comes with a 10.2-inch display. Other familiar specs include an Intel Atom 1.6GHz processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, a 160GB hard drive, 3 USB 2.0 ports, 1.3MP webam, 4-in-1 media card reader, Windows XP, and a 3-cell battery. Sound familiar? Not only has Archo stayed with what's become standard fare, but the Archos 10 is essentially a rebranded Hasee MJ125, according to Gizmodo.

Oops, we blinked - who's next?

Image Credit: Gizmodo

5 Most Awesome Things at CES

Norman Chan — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 10:00:00 -0600

Palm Pre is All Win

Finally, someone has announced an iPhone killer that we can all get behind. The Palm Pre surprised everyone at CES with its best-of-all-worlds specs and features. We’re talking about a multi-touch phone with slide-out QWERTY keyboard and a truly innovative web-integrated user interface.

Early impressions indicate a really smooth and fast interface and web-browsing experience, with all the productivity and media features that we’ve come to expect from a modern smartphone. It’s as if Palm designers made a list of everything that was lacking from the iPhone and made a point to incorporate it here. Real GPS, MMS messaging, USB port, and removable battery lets Palm blow a raspberry at the competition. Copy and paste is just gravy. But too bad it won’t be converting iPhone users anytime in the near future – the Pre is a Sprint exclusive.

Touch is Really Good

Img credit: pcmag.com

We’re as guilty as everyone who’s compared large touch-screen displays to the gesture-controlled interface shown in the movie Minority Report, but this year’s CES was the first time that futuristic technology actually felt within our grasp (or touch, at least). Intel’s booth showcased a prototype touch screen on a special glass pane with images projected onto it. The single-touch capacitive panel let us intuitively maneuver around a 3D representation of a showroom to read about Intel’s Core-i7 processor.

What was special about this demonstration wasn’t the technology used in the touch screen, but the unique implementation with a transparent panel. This prototype may not have practical applications or ever come to market, but we’re still enamored by anything that’ll take us back to 2002 and let us relive that awesome Minority Report scene.

Windows 7 Charms Us with Betta

It might’ve been the worst kept secret at CES, but announcement of the Windows 7 public Beta was still music to our ears. And despite initial download-server woes last Friday, this beta release has been pretty successful for Microsoft. We were surprised at how easy the installation process was, whether from installing on a new partition, upgrading from within Vista, or even running with Boot Camp on a Macbook Pro.

The OS’s performance also doesn’t disappoint – it’s been as stable as rock – and the new UI improvements (taskbar, UAC, libraries, etc) feel like substantial improvements to the Windows user experience. And with the beta ending in August, there’s a real possibility of Windows 7 being dated for sometime this year. The sooner we can forget about Vista’s growing pains and look forward to a fresh Windows restart, the better.

Ultra-Thin is In

The central CES hall was predictably dominated by fleets of flatpanels, but the models unveiled this year were noticeably more modest than in years past. Gone were 150” monstrosities and the battle for the largest screen size, replaced by the newest fad in LCD monitors – ultra-thin displays. Hitachi debuted a line of 1.5” deep HDTVs, while Pioneer and JVC both amazed us with prototypes that measured less than 10mm thick. But it was Samsung that showed everyone up with their 6.5mm thin panel, taking home the “thinnest TV” title. Advances in LED backlighting is what enables the these displays to be so anorexic, with the possibility of going even thinner once OLED technology is more developed. We don’t know if these ultra-thin displays will make good role models for the next generation of image-conscious televisions, but we have to admit – they’re damn sexy.

Don’t You Dare Call These Netbooks

img credit: Brian Solis

While every system maker was showing off new netbooks, Dell and Sony bucked the trend by revealing systems that defiantly reject the netbook moniker. Dell’s 13” Adamo is a new brand that looks like a Macbook Air-killer with its svelte form-factor and minimalist aluminum design. Hardware specs for this stylish ultra-portable have yet to be released, but Dell confirmed that this will be a high-end product produced in limited quantities.

img credit: Gizmodo

Sony, on the other hand, showed off a device that doesn’t quite fall into either the netbook or UMPC categories. The almost purse-sized Vaio P runs on a 1.33GHz Atom processor, 2GB of Ram, and boots into Vista, but also uses a Sony XMB-like instant-on OS for access to media and the internet (via built-in 3G). Starting at $900 (and going up to $1500 with storage upgrades), the Vaio P is another device that, unlike netbooks, doesn’t trade power for portability – if you can afford it.

Bonus: Light Attendance

Attendance falling 22% from last year may be a sign of the struggling economy, but at least it made walking through the typically packed exhibit floors much more manageable. We didn’t have to weave through swarms of packed crowds to make our meetings, and even the legendary taxi line waits (well over an hour in the past) were bearable. Hopefully exhibitors weren’t too discouraged by the emptier halls and will return next year.

Check back tomorrow for our Worst of CES picks!

Real-Guitar Music Game Lets You Rock Your PC

Andy Salisbury — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 17:26:09 -0600

CES there was a new kid on the block by the name of Disney Star Guitarist that was looking to teach you how to play an actual guitar instead of memorizing the five color-coded buttons.

The game works about the same as guitar hero, little gems float down the screen and once they hit a certain spot it’s up to you to place your fingers in the right place and strum (you can find a video here). Only this time, instead of the aforementioned color-coded buttons, you’re using actual strings, on an actual guitar.

Should the game actually be good enough to hold people’s attentions (read: not just Disney songs), there could be some real value here. After all, as a drummer I can see it as a good possibility for someone that plays Rock Band on the harder difficulties to hammer out a beat on a real kit. Perhaps the same rule could apply, once someone’s had enough opportunities to play “Hakuna Matata” on the 5-string?

Image Credit: Wired