CES 2012
On-site coverage from the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
Violet launches Karotz smart rabbit
CES 2012 came and went, and while there were literally hundreds - or perhaps, thousands of new devices that were launched across over a million square feet of showfloor space, not all of them made it to our hallowed pages. Well, Violet’s Karotz does have a place, though, simply because it has been a long time in coming. The long-awaited US launch has finally happened, with this being the self-claimed first hardware device to date that was tailor made for Facebook, the world’s most popular social network at the moment with more than 800 million users and counting. Just in case Karotz looks familiar to you, that is because this is the third generation “rabbit” from the Nabaztag line.
Being an immensely popular robotic companion that actually changes the way you live out your daily life, as it is capable of delivering a link to the family, friends and the world. With Facebook compatibility thrown into the mix this time around, it will complement Karotz’ already impressive range of features.
Continue reading » Violet launches Karotz smart rabbit
PrimeSense geared to make everything on your TV motion-controlled
While I was meandering from booth to booth at CES, I saw one display for PrimeSense, and I thought that someone was just playing Fruit Ninja for the Kinect.
Instead, I discovered PrimeSense, a way of taking control of the television with motion control, not just the video game aspect. It would appear that PrimeSense is ready to take the Kinect to the next step, and their 3D sensor, shown here in this picture, is prepared for a new future.
PrimeSense enabled me to take control of my video content. From a motion-controlled menu, I was able to select different videos by making a grabbing motion and pulling it to me. Their channel surfing menu was set up so I could see all my channels simultaneously, and I could select one with the grabbing method.
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Turtle Beach graces CES 2012 with Ear Force XP400 and XP300 premium wireless gaming headsets
CES 2012 sees the debut of two more premium gaming headsets from Turtle Beach - the Ear Force XP400 and XP300, where you can see the former depicted above. Both models have been specially optimized for wireless game audio and chat on the Xbox 360, not to mention playing nice with the Sony PS3 as well. These headsets deliver whole new levels of convenience and versatility, while ensuring the renowned game audio performance that is associated with Turtle Beach as well.
With the new XP400 and XP300 headsets, wireless Bluetooth chat will also be a staple feature, something that only the acclaimed XP500 headset previously offered, helping those who are on a tighter budget to get more bang for their hard-earned buck. Apart from that, rechargeable batteries and new 5GHz dual-band Wi-Fi RF wireless technology will make sure that you will more or less do away with interference even when there are wireless networks at home.
Continue reading » Turtle Beach graces CES 2012 with Ear Force XP400 and XP300 premium wireless gaming headsets
Mimoco graces CES 2012 with Mimomicro
Just how far can a USB flash drive go in terms of marketability? I suppose if you happen to be a generic manufacturer who slaps on company logos for different customers, then there is always a steady stream of business, but you will not really stand out from the rest of the crowd. Why not take the same route that Mimoco does, by working with other intellectual properties worldwide to create officially licensed products? Case in point, Mimoco’s latest attempt at milking George Lucas’ seemingly perpetually full cow dry involves the Mimomicro.
This is a new versatile miniature storage device that will feature either a sculpted vehicle or character from the Star Wars universe, and not only that, Mimoco has also teamed up with DC Comics as well to tap into their veritable wealth of characters.
Continue reading » Mimoco graces CES 2012 with Mimomicro
The Neat Company goes to the cloud at CES
Most of you know that I am always looking for some sort of “neat factor” when it comes to the gadgets that I report about.
The Neat Company is something that I just had to write about. As soon as I saw how their NeatDesk can create digital copies of business cards, receipts, and 8 x 11 papers, I had to be a part of that vision. I mean, they have “neat” in their name, for crying out loud!
As you might have guessed, The Neat Company wants to make your desk clearer by removing the paper clutter and turning it into digital records. The Neat Company’s software uses optical character recognition to understand words from your paper files. It will then create a database for your contacts, and even an expense report for your receipts. Nice!
The Neat Company has also added NeatCloud and NeatMobile. NeatCloud provides users with their own customized cloud-based backup and automatically syncs with Neat’s software for “unfettered access to their information”. NeatMobile allows users to use their smartphones for capturing and storing information to their Neat digital filing systems.
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Razer Naga Hex gaming mouse
Gaming is serious business, and for those who take their frags and RTS strategies seriously, then surely high-end hardware is the name of the game for such gamers. CES 2012 proved to be a potent platform for Razer to continue with their serpentine collection of gaming peripherals, with the latest one being the Razer Naga Hex gaming mouse. Yes sir, their latest gaming mouse will feature half a dozen thumb buttons that was specially designed for MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena), action-RPG and hack and slash genres.
The inspiration behind the Naga Hex? Its predecessor of sorts, the award-winning Razer Naga MMO gaming mouse came with a 12-button thumb grid, so the Razer Naga Hex now sports six large thumb buttons that have been optimized for the user interfaces found in action-RPG and MOBA games.
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TOSY Robotics announces mRobo with Justin Bieber making an appearance
Robots, CES 2012, Justin Bieber, it makes no sense, or does it? TOSY Robotics is a leading robotics and high-tech toys manufacturer that hails from Vietnam, but they do know a thing or two about capitalism. After all, what better way to draw attention to a product of yours than to have a worldwide celebrity appear at your booth on the showfloor? This is what TOSY Robotics did to promote their mRobo Ultra Bass, a state-of-the-art portable speaker which also functions as a dancing robot (hello there, Transformers! I see what you did there).
Multi-platinum selling Pop & R&B singing sensation Justin Bieber also made an appearance with the mRobo Ultra Bass yesterday, and if you happen to be at CES this year, you might want to make a beeline for the TOSY Robotics booth at the LVCC South Hall Ground Level.
Continue reading » TOSY Robotics announces mRobo with Justin Bieber making an appearance
BluCan Bluetooth Vibration Speaker and Speakerphone from GiiNii
GiiNii, makers of the AudioBulb, had a new product on display at CES with the BluCan.
The BluCan is a Bluetooth speaker that is a little smaller than a can of soda. What you can’t see in this picture is that one twist will cause it to elongate so it is taller. The BluCan can seamlessly pair with Bluetooth enabled devices, in order to play your music off the headphones and on the go. When it is resting on a flat, solid surface, it becomes a 360 speaker capable of good range.
Of course, there are a lot of speakers that can do that. The BluCan has an integrated speaker, so you can actually use it as a phone when it is wirelessly connected. By the way, the Blucan has controls for play, pause, track forward, track backward, as well as answer, volume, and hang-up. So if your phone is charging across the room, you can still have the power of your speaker.
I’m not certain when the BluCan is due out, but it will be sometime this year. I also don’t have a price either. By the way, GiiNii also announced that the AudioBulb will be in a smaller size, in case you wanted to know.
