Is it just me, or is this space stuff like, total rocket science? Telescope manufacturer Meade is looking to take "all of the hassle and [put] in all the fun" of looking at cool stuff in the sky, with its new ETX-LS. This massive telescope has a slew of features that bring clear images to users who couldn't locate a celestial body to save their lives.
The ETX-LS features Lightswitch Technology which lets users align the scope with the flip of a witch, using the Integrated Sensor Module and ECLIPS (Electronically Controlled Locate Identify Position System).
The telescope also features Advanced Coma-Free optics, an ECLIPS CCD for image capture, and the Autostar III hand-held controller, which features a database including more than 100,000 images.
Here's something cool: Internet radio for your car. mRoamer integrates the wonders of streaming Internet music into a standard car stereo alongside the standard AM/FM selections.
The mRoamer radio features more than 16,000 Internet radio stations from more than 200 countries. The system utilizes iRobot technology to improve scanning, and users can create customizable folders for presets and favorite stations on their units.
The company will also be integrating IPTV into the system in the "near future." Further software updates will also let users integrate the car stereo with premium music systems (I'm sure Rhapsody is eager to get on this bandwagon) and MP3 lockers.
Not really sure why this unit says "New Jersey" on it, but I'm sure it takes requests for anything off of Born to Run.
I've never seen the appeal of sunglasses with built-in earphones. OK, I suppose I get the theory, but in reality, there are time that you want to listen to you music when you don't necessarily want to be wearing sunglasses--like at night, for example (yeah, yeah, Corey Hart, I know, I know). That said, plenty of companies have been jumping into the space with both feet ever since it was pioneered by Oakley a few years back.
The latest is Step Labs, which is showing off its new TriSpecs at CES. These guys offer "high fidelity," according to the company, plus Bluetooth for pairing with your handset. The headphones also offer fairly good speech quality--I can attest to that, having tried out a pair last night. Also, unlike the Oakley Thumps, they actually look like something non-crazy people might wear in public.
According to Step Labs, the glasses are available now--well, sort of. The company actually doesn't have any distribution in the States. So in the meantime, if you really want a pair, be sure to check out the site.
Two terabytes of data in your phone? Seriously? That's what the SD Association announced today. The new SDXC card standard supports sizes up to 2TB, with data transfer speeds up to 104 MB/sec and potential future speeds up to 300 MB/sec. The SDXC specification will be released in the first quarter of 2009, the association says, which means that cards may come out by the end of the year.
"Big" SDXC cards will fit into digital cameras and music players. But the most amazing part of this news is that SDXC even applies to the sort of "micro" cards that go in cell phones. "The microSDXC card [would be] based on current SD interface for use in mobiles," an association spokeswoman said via e-mail.
How do you file away 2 TB of data on a flash card? The SDXC standard will use the Microsoft exFAT file system (aka FAT64), which extends the venerable FAT file system to handle file sizes greater than 4 GB and more than 1000 files per directory.
Badly Photoshopped rendering above is imaginary; SanDisk has no such card (yet.)
LG announced a new noise-cancellation technology called "DSE" at its CES press conference today. DSE uses dual-microphone noise cancellation and digital signal processing to kill off background noise coming through the microphone on phone calls. According to LG president and CEO Dr. Woo Paik, LG will be adding this technology into many of their phones during the second half of 2009.
Dual-microphone noise cancellation is a popular approach in many noise-cancelling Bluetooth headsets. Motorola has been shipping phones and headsets with their own noise cancelling technology, called CrystalTalk, for more than a year now. But more noise cancellation is better, especially in a popular phone brand.
We're all awaiting the annual Microsoft keynote, to help kick CES 2009 off in style. We're not really sure exactly what to expect--it'll certainly be a marked change from last year, what with all of the celebrity-packed Bill Gates goodbye videos, not to mention the Slash/Gates Guitar Hero battle.
One thing's for sure, however: For better or worse, the company's current CEO, Steve Ballmer, is alway entertaining. At the very least, we know we're in for a lot of screaming, frantic flailing, and probably some sweaty pit stains.
If you're looking for a quick, easy way to get back on the wagon, I suggest taking a shot only when Ballmer mentions Windows Vista. This year's address will be all about Windows 7--and beyond. And even more than that, it'll be about the Windows' "lifestyle" rather than any alliance to a particular iteration thereof. Oh, and they'll probably come up with an excuse to bust out the Surface again. And, if we're lucky, Gates will pop his head in for solidarity.
We'll start our live blog here at 6:30 PM PST, 9:30 EST (or a little before). Be sure to hit Reload. A lot.
If your New Year's resolution is to spend less money, let us help. Check out Gearlog's deals for Wednesday:
1. Quicken is taking $20 off of its line of personal finance CDs and downloads. Choose from the Deluxe package to help maximize your savings, Quicken Premiere to optimize your investments, Home and Business for personal and business in one, or Rental Property Manager for personal and rental property in one package. The discs range from $39.99 to $129.99.
2. Whoops, almost missed this one! Circuit City's New Year's Resolutions Event ends today, so hurry over to the site for a variety of deals. Save 15 percent off of select HDTVs, 25 percent off select games, 25 percent off digital cameras, and up to 50 percent off of computer accessories. Also, Netbooks, MP3s, fitness DVDs, and Wii Fit games and accessories are also on sale.
3. Good 'ol Woot. Today's deal brings us the Philips HTS6600/37B DVD Home Theater System (above) for $199.99. The system has a list price of $499.99, meaning you won't find a better deal anywhere else.
There are some weird phones at every CES (I'm looking at you, Neutrano) but the weird-award winner so far goes to something called the Logic Bolt. According to Logic Wireless, the brand-new company behind the phone, the Bolt is a GSM phone that will be sold subsidized by T-Mobile for $100 and has a built-in pico-projector.
Logic Wireless is a 19-person, Arizona-based company founded by Aasim Saied, the former owner of two software companies. "I built the whole company in the last three months," Saied said. "There was an existing company that made a prototype of the projector-phone. I took over the exclusive rights and redesigned all the features of the phone," he said.
According to Logic, the Bolt can project a two-hour movie on a 36-64" screen. The projector can route video from almost any source, including an XBox or Nintendo Wii, Saied said.
The phone uses an LCoS (liquid crystal on silicon) projector with an LED backlight from Butterfly Technology, a Chinese company that makes micro-projectors and projector modules.
The phone also has a 320x240 touch screen, the ability to read Microsoft Office documents, Bluetooth, GPS and a 3-megapixel camera. The Bolt runs a Java-based OS on its 100 Mhz MTK 6225 main chipset, and is made in China, Saied said. Bizarrely, the phone has a huge 1800 mAh battery but only gets 2-3 hours of talk time, which seems very short for a battery that size. Said said they're working on a 5-hour battery.
Now that we have a new President, all we need is a new presidential limo. The previous Commander-in-chief-mobile, which wheeled around the Bush clan, will retire along with the outgoing administration. Taking its place will be a brand new Cadillac stretch, which CNN refers to as "part car, part truck and, from the looks of it, part tank."
As expected, this Caddy is aptly armored, protecting its valued occupant-elect with 8-inch-thick doors and ballistic glass windows. Secret Service agent Joe Funk (whose name is probably not Joe Funk), President Bill Clinton's former driver, says that the incoming President will be totally isolated from the outside world once inside the vehicle.
"At the same time, I think he will be surprised at the communication capabilities, how the phones, the satellites, the Internet -- everything is at his fingertips," Funk said. "So at one end, you are totally removed from society. The other side of the coin is that he can have any communications worldwide at a moment's touch."
But don't expect this behemoth to get good mileage. Though the official specs are most likely classified, this bunker on wheels is expected to weigh more than a full-size SUV. The car is also a Cadillac in name only: According to Funk, the vehicle is totally modified and the only original parts remaining are the hop caps and the Cadillac insignia on the steering wheel. The limo is said to be ready for the Inauguration on January 20. Until then check out the video after the jump for more.
For impatient folks who love mobile media, SanDisk just announced "Ultra" versions of their 16GB MicroSD and M2 memory cards, which fit into mobile phones. The new Ultra cards transfer files to and from PCs faster than existing non-ultra cards, though SanDisk wouldn't tell us exactly how much faster; for that, we'll have to try them out in our labs.
The new card's ultra speeds seem to only come into play when you're using them with a dedicated, PC-based card reader - not if they're plugged into a phone already. That's because the speed of transferring files directly to a phone is usually limited by the phone, not by the memory card.
The new 16GB Mobile Ultra MicroSD will cost $119.99 and the 16GB M2 card (which works with Sony Ericsson phones) will cost $129.99. Both will go on sale this month.
This little guy was one of the surprise hits at tonight's CES Unveiled event at the Sands Expo. Conceptually, E-Filiate's Flexicord Cables are pretty basic. Still, it's easy to imagine more than a few instances in which they could come in handy.
The cords can be flexed into various configurations and will hold their shape--sort of the cable equivalent of a pipe cleaner. E-Filiate calls them "always the right length," because they can be straightened to 10 feet or wrapped around themselves to measure a far shorter lengths than that.
The Flexicord Cables are available in USB, phono jack, S-Video, and HDMI versions.
Speaking of basic, the cords ship with a "coiling tube," a transparent plastic tube that "allows the consumer to return the bacle to its original coiled shape.
Living in New York City, I've pretty much given up on driving altogether. Before tonight, if you'd asked me what sort of innovation was being made in the world of radar detection, I probably would have stared at you blankly until you walked away. Thanks to Cobra, next time the situation will be a little less awkward.
The company was at the CES Unveiled event tonight showing off a few new innovations in field with its 2009 line of devices. Six of the 12 new devices are compatible with the company's Advanced Universal Road Alert (Aura) Camera and Driving Hazard Database, a constantly updated resource that lets drivers know about roadway threats and red light camera. The database updates daily--users can import updates via a USB key.
The new devices also feature high-res, full-color displays, Intelliscope location-based direction alerts, and Intelliview picture-in-picture images. The new radar detectors range from $60 to $470.
There were lots of cool new gadgets on display at tonight's CES Unveiled event at the Venetian, but very few had any kind of a green focus. Fuji's new EnviroMax batteries were, of course, the notable exception.
The new disposable batteries boast a number of green features--interesting, considering the fact that the words "green" and "disposable batteries" don't usually go hand-in-hand.
The new EnviroMax batteries feature no cadmium and mercury. Their packaging has no PVC--it's also made entirely from recyclable materials. The batteries also require no special disposal.
The batteries will be available this spring--at, Fuji assures us, a reasonable price. For more info on the batteries, check out Fuji's green site.
All work and no play makes Brian a dull blogger. I'm actually not much of a gambler at all (seriously, mom, I promise) but the thing about being in Las Vegas for a week is, like it or not, you're gonna walk through a lot of casinos. The casino in the lobby of the Venitian is loaded with all kinds of fun slot machines--Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Top Gun--you name it.
Being the diehard tech blogger that I am, however, one particular unit caught my eye: an eBay slot machine. Not sure how this ties in with the company's new strategy, but whatever the case may be, it's one stunner of a gambling device.
I couldn't help but take a few minutes of video of the thing on my trust Creative Vado HD. Check 'em out, after the jump.
For PCMag's full CES coverage, go to http://www.pcmag.com/category2/0,2806,2235882,00.asp.
Of course not everything at CES Unveiled tonight was all about fun and games. Take Krown Manufacturing's cool--and useful--Sign Language Translator. The device is a lot like those standard language translators we've been carrying around in our backpacks for years, only, as one you might have already guessed, this one translates text into sign language.
The device translates more that 3,500 English words. Just input the text and the gadget plays back a video of someone performing the sign language version of the word. Pretty neat, huh?
The Sign Language Translator has a 320-by-240-pixel touchscreen display with a software-based keyboard. It weighs about 6 ounces and gets about 6 hours on a charge.
Check out a video of the translator in action, after the jump.
The Web abounds with gadget blogs. What makes this one different? Our posters are PC Magazine analysts and editors; we encounter an enormous amount of new products and announcements every day, and we know what you want to know about. Because Gearlog is the gadget blog written by geeks, for geeks.
Earthmate PN-40 GPS for Serious Adventurers
Earthmate PN-40 is a high-sensitivity, bright-color-screen GPS.
* Lightning-fast performance
* High-Sensitivity 32-channel Cartesio chipset
* Full DeLorme and USGS topos, aerial imagery, nautical charts
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Two terabytes of data in your phone? Seriously? That's what the SD Association announced today. The new SDXC card standard supports sizes up to 2TB, with data transfer speeds up to 104 MB/sec and potential future speeds up to 300 MB/sec. The SDXC specification will be released in the first quarter of 2009, the association says, which means that cards may come out by the end of the year.
LG announced a new noise-cancellation technology called "DSE" at its CES press conference today. DSE uses dual-microphone noise cancellation and digital signal processing to kill off background noise coming through the microphone on phone calls. According to LG president and CEO Dr. Woo Paik, LG will be adding this technology into many of their phones during the second half of 2009.
There are some weird phones at every CES (I'm looking at you, 
Now that we have a new President, all we need is a new presidential limo. The previous Commander-in-chief-mobile, which wheeled around the Bush clan, will retire along with the outgoing administration. Taking its place will be a brand new Cadillac stretch, which 
For impatient folks who love mobile media, SanDisk just announced "Ultra" versions of their 16GB MicroSD and M2 memory cards, which fit into mobile phones. The new Ultra cards transfer files to and from PCs faster than existing non-ultra cards, though SanDisk wouldn't tell us exactly how much faster; for that, we'll have to try them out in our labs. 
