Category Archives: CES 2012

Zagg HZO – Waterproofing for Electronics

CES 2012, Mobile,

Zagg Logo

Zagg’s protective films are popular “first purchases” for new smartphone owners and at CES 2012, Zagg shows off their latest protection mechanism. Todd chats to Bill from Zagg to find out what it protects against.

The adage is that water and electricity don’t mix, and by extension, water and mobile devices don’t mix well either. Zagg hopes to change that with a new nanotech-based coating, HZO, that repels water so effectively that a dunk in the drink will have no effect on the device.

The HZO coating is applied during the manufacturing process so that every component is properly treated and waterproofed. There’s no physical skin or cover as the water-repellency is at the molecular level. Almost any device can be waterproofed – smartphones, tablets, MP3 players, headphones, but it has to be done during manufacture, not by the end-user.

Zagg is currently in negotiation with major OEMs so expect water-repellent devices to hit the market in 12-18 months and if you want to see an iPhone working underwater, then watch the video.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network.

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Basis Wearable Health Monitoring

CES 2012, Health,

Todd talked to Jeff from Basis at the digital experience event at CES 2012 about their new product for health monitoring.

Basis is coming this spring with a wrist wearable health monitoring system to help you keep track of your overall activity level. Different from the heart monitors you would wear for working out, this new system will track your heart rate, temperature, perspiration, sleep and activity level as you go about your daily life. It will take that information and upload it to Basis’ cloud service and give you all the data along with some recommendations of things you need to do to get into better overall health.

The device and service will be available in early 2012 for $199. This includes a lifetime membership to the cloud service.

For more information, go to www.mybasis.com

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Toshiba introduces a USB 3.0 Thumb Drive!

Accessories, CES 2012, ,

Todd talked to Scott at the Toshiba booth about the new “SuperSpeed” USB 3.0 Thumb drives that will be available this spring. The drives are up to 10 times faster then USB 2.0 at 220mb/sec reading and 94mb/sec writing.

They will be available in 32GB and 64GB sizes and will be $100 and $200 respectively.

Scott also showed off Toshiba’s new SD Cards with wifi. The product will be called “FlashAir” and will be a 2 way wifi enabled SD Card. Other wifi cards have only been one way where you can pull photos from the card wirelessly. This new card will allow you to put files on the card from other devices as well as download from the card wirelessly.

For more information check out toshiba.com

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HP Envy 14 Spectre

CES 2012, Computers, ,

HP logoLast week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas computer maker HP unveiled the Envy 14 Spectre, a new 14 inch laptop with some fairly impressive specs behind it. It comes with either a Core i5 or Core i7 processor, an option for a 128 GB or 256 GB SSD, 4 or 8 GB of DDR3 RAM, Mini DisplayPort, HD webcam, Gorilla Glass inside and out, and USB 3.0. Users also get a choice of Windows 7 Home Premium, Ultimate or Professional, but you will have to go with the 64-bit version, as this new notebook doesn’t come in a 32-bit version. HP claims a nine hour battery life, but perhaps the nicest touch is the keyboard, which has individual LED’s behind each key to make them easily visible in low, or even no, light conditions.

Although I haven’t seen the HP Envy 14 Spectre referred to as an “Ultrabook” that’s the first word that comes to mind when I see it. The sleek, thin design and the lack of an optical drive all point to that category, which was the hot meme at CES 2012. There is more to this notebook than just the specs I listed above, but you will need to watch the video below to get all of the details. The Envy 14 Spectre will start at an MSRP of $1399. You can also visit HP for more info.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network.

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GoPano Turns iPhone Camera into 360° Periscope – CES Unveiled

CES 2012, Gadgets, , , , ,
GoPano
GoPano

By now, we’ve seen a lot of lenses that you can attach to your iPhone to make them take better pictures. But this lens from GoPano does something different: It makes some great 360° pictures and video without hassle.

Simply attach the iPhone case, then attach the GoPano mount. Start your camera (or video) and you are recording in panoramic view. When you are done, upload it to the GoPano website and you can pan the video to see what’s happening around you. Attach a microphone to your iPhone and people can get a new experience from your videos.

GoPano starts at $79.95 and is for the iPhone 4 and 4s. They also have a lens attachment for other cameras if you want to get higher quality photos or video. You can then use the Video Warp software to process and publish video.

Video by Jeffrey Powers of Geekazine

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Cadillac User Experience (CUE) – Showstoppers at CES 2012

CES 2012, Mobile, , ,
Cadillac Cue
Cadillac Cue

While at CES Showstoppers, we stopped by Cadillac for the customer user experience (CUE). This is Cadillac’s in-car NAV and computer system. The Cadillac CUE is a full infotainment and interface. It will start in the XTS and ATS, along with the SRX in 2013.

This is Cadillac’s “centerpiece” of future interiors. Along with the side dash, they remodeled the drivers dash. Capacity multi-touch display, haptic feedback (tactile feel to pushing a button) and other great advancements through the touch system.

Another interesting change is where the glovebox is – under the button panel. All in a stylish interface.

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Belly-Bean Functional Workplace

Accessories, CES 2012, ,

Belly Bean One of the biggest problem with laptops is that they get too hot to use on a lap. Many answers to this problem aren’t very stylish and look rather dorky. Belly Bean is a stylish solution for this problem. It looks like a cross between a skate board and a surf board. Belly Bean is made of hard-rock maple and on the back is EVA (Ethylene vinyl acetate) foam, which prevents heat transfer. EVA foam is also used in diving and dry suits.

Belly Bean is a functional workspace large enough for a 17 inch laptop with room left over. It is $49.00 and is available through the Belly Bean Web site. So now you can look great and be cool while you continue to work with a lap top on your lap.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central

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Lethal Protection Gadget Positioning Device

CES 2012, Gadgets,

Lethal Protection LogoLethal Protection is the name of the company but it’s not a clue as to the product. It’s not a bullet-proof vest, it’s not ferocious guard dog but what is it? Todd finds out what it is from Melissa of Lethal Protection.

Winner of a CES Innovation Award, it’s called the Life-Phorm Pro and it’s an one-size-fits-all gadget positioning device. Only it’s weird…very weird…but in a cool way. Think GorillaPod but scary and it’s not just for cameras – tablets and smartphones fit on just as well.

Life-Phorm Pro with DSLR

The flexible six legs allow myriad standing, gripping and hanging positions, all the while keeping your gear off the floor. The Pro version is made from aluminum and carbon fiber, weighing in at only 8oz.

Lethal Protection is setting up manufacturing and production of the Life-Phorm Pro and it’s expected to ship in April of this year. The Pro version will run $149 and the basic version will be $69.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network.

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MyLink Radio by Chevy

CES 2012, Mobile, , ,

Most people today especially teenagers and young adults want to be connected with their music and phones at all times, including when they are in their cars. Often though the cars that have infotainment systems are above the budget they can afford. If you are a fan of the Chevy
brand than you maybe in luck.

In 2012 Chevy is introducing the MyLink Radio for two of their entry level vehicles the Chevy Spark and the Chevy Sonic. The MyLink Radio comes with AM/FM and SirusXM installed. You can connect a Bluetooth enabled smartphone, a USB device or an iPod. Then the music plays directly though your car speakers and you can see what is playing by looking at the MyLink system instead of having to pick up your device. MyLink Radio will also come with the ability to launch Pandora and the Stitcher Radio apps.

The apps themselves will run and be updated through the phone. You can also make calls through the system either by using the touchpad on the screen or buttons on the steering wheel. It also pulls the information from your phone directly on to the device. There is also an option to view slideshows or watch movies through MyLink Radio. Because of safety issues this will only work in when the car is in park.

The MyLink Radio is an optional feature and should be available in June for the Spark and in September for the Sonic. They are considering opening up the API for other developers. This will be a great option for those who want to be connected but can’t afford those vehicle with the full infotainment systems.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central

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