Tag Archives: CES2013

Modular Robotics Makes Playing with Robots Fun for All Ages

April 1, 2013CES 2013, GadgetsCES, CES2013, CESTPN, kids, modular robotics, robotsPLUGHITZ Live

Modular Robotics Cubelets — Modular Robotics’ Cubelets in robot form

A walk around Eureka Park at CES will always lead you to something new and exciting that will make you literally want to put your hands on it. Modular Robotics was no exception, as their namesake product allowed us to do just that. The company has created a line of blocks that all have little computer chips inside them that allow them to act and react to each other. Using blocks such as sensors, rollers, blinking lights, motors and more, you can build any type of creation you want, and then even program the blocks yourself to do things you want it to do. These cool gadgets are for ages 6-60 and are a great stocking stuffer or birthday present for anyone, young or old. You’ll want to see what we created in the video.

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Video by Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live.

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Meet Luci: The Inflatable, Solar-Powered, LED Lantern

April 1, 2013CES 2013, GadgetsCES, CES2013, CESTPN, gadgets, lantern, led, luci, mpoweredPLUGHITZ Live

Luci Lantern by MPOWERED — Luci, a solar-powered, inflatable, LED lantern by MPOWERED

Meet Luci. She’s an inflatable, portable, extremely lightweight, life-saving solar-powered LED lantern. Why life-saving? Well, for starters, for every lantern we purchase here, one Luci will be donated to a developing country to literally give them light. Founder and CEO of MPOWERED, Jacques-Philippe Piverger, talks about Luci and how she proved to be an effective tool not only during the power outages in NYC but even in developing countries that usually depend on dirty and costly fuel for energy. Luci has been such a success, in fact, that she’s reached the top spot in Amazon’s outdoor and camping category, after just only two months of being on shelves. It was really a pleasure talking to Jacques-Philippe as you could really feel the passion for his product and for the cause during the interview. It’s one of the many great things about Eureka Park at CES.

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Video by Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live.

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i-Mego Offers Up Affordable, Sleek-Looking Headphones without Compromising Clarity

February 8, 2013CES 2013, Gadgetsaudio, CES, CES2013, CESTPN, gadgets, headphones, i-mego, soundPLUGHITZ Live

i-Mego Headphones — i-Mego has style, doesn’t skimp on quality

i-Mego is a CES 2013 Innovations Awards winner who specializes in really high quality headphones that don’t break the bank. Their over-the-ear Throne have two models that are specifically tuned for different types of soundstages, or what you’re listening to. They also sport a classic 50’s style look which are sure to make audiophiles everywhere happy. Getting into the Innovations Awards winner, i-Mego has created the Stone earbuds, which are kind of like an on-stage in-ear monitor but has four different shapes that fit almost anyone’s ear. This is much less expensive than shelling out $1,000 for custom in-ear monitors that have taken over the industry. i-Mego’s Throne and Stone prices are also sure to surprise you, given the quality and clarity of sound that they produce.

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Video by Scott Ertz of F5 Live.

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Toshiba Really Brings the Ultra with New Line of Ultrabooks

January 17, 2013CES 2013, GadgetsCES2013, CESTPN, computers, laptops, multimedia, PC, toshiba, ultrabooks, windows 8PLUGHITZ Live

Toshiba's Ultrabooks — Toshiba’s Ultrabooks

Toshiba showed off some of the sleekest ultrabooks we’ve seen at any CES to date that weren’t just prototypes. I was able to put my hands on four different models, ranging from a 21:9 aspect ratio ultrabook made for watching movies without having any bars on the sides, to a really great convertible that maintains the battery life we’ve been expecting to find in ultrabooks today. Toshiba also introduced their first touchscreen at a very affordable price, proving that the big companies are really onboard with the Windows 8 user experience.

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Video by Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live.

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ION has Gadgets for Many Types of People, Whether You’re Musical or Practical

January 17, 2013CES 2013, GadgetsCES2013, CESTPN, gadgets, ion, mobile, music, photos, sampling, scanner, tech, turntable, vinyl, wifiPLUGHITZ Live

ION introduced a bunch of products at the 2013 International CES. Some of the highlights include the DuoDeck, which is small and extremely portable turntable, where the vinyl record is larger than the device itself. This gadget is great for sampling, runs on batteries or USB power and needs no additional wires or drivers to work.

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Something else ION debuted at CES was AirCopy, a world’s first and something that makes you wonder why it wasn’t invented sooner. It’s a wireless scanner that generates its own Wi-Fi network so users can send any image over to their tablet or computer without needing to connect to an actual Internet network, or without having to load them into a computer, then sideload them to a mobile device. Call up the app from any device, slide the document in and off you go. It simply runs off a rechargeable battery that can charge via USB and gives you about four hours of use time in about half the time to charge and it works across almost every platform, iOS, Android and Windows Phone.

Video by Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live.

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Corning Introduces New Gorilla Glass 3.0 with Native Damage Resistance

January 17, 2013CES 2013, GadgetsCES2013, CESTPN, corning, gadgets, gorilla glass, live demo, native damage resistance, smartphones, tabletsPLUGHITZ Live

Each year Corning tries to outperform its previous class of Gorilla Glass. With 2.0 at the 2012 International CES, we thought they couldn’t do one better, but this year we were proven wrong. Of course, with Gorilla Glass, it’s all about the live demo, but here’s a quick rundown. The new Gorilla Glass 3.0 with Native Damage Resistance (NDR) can be made as thin as .5 nanometers and up to 2nm and is able to withstand scratches of over 7 Newton of force and critical loads of up to 15,000 grams before cracks will start to appear.

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Corning says that the glass should be available to over one billion devices moving forward. So, if you’re in the market for a new phone in the coming year, be sure to be on the lookout for one with the toughest glass to-date on protecting that precious screen.

Video by Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live.

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Ubisoft’s Frag Dolls Talk Gaming, Lenovo, Conventions, More at CES 2013

January 17, 2013Back Channel, CES 2013CES2013, CESTPN, E3, FPS, Frag Dolls, gadgets, gaming, Lenovo, PAX East, Shootmania, tech, UbisoftPLUGHITZ Live

The Frag Dolls are a team of professional female gamers recruited by Ubisoft to promote their video games and represent the presence of women in the game industry. We were able to catch up with three of the ladies, Valkryie, Pixxel and Daze, at the Lenovo and Social Media Club party, where they were in attendance to show off a new partnership between Lenovo and Ubisoft. Plus, all parties need some eye-candy, right?

We sat down and discussed a range of topics from how the girls all ended up with the Frag Dolls, best experiences at conventions and what’s in-store for the all-girl FPS team in the future. You won’t want to miss this one!

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Video by Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live.

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Chrysler Introduces Via Mobile Package, Brings Integrated Life Into Your Vehicle

January 17, 2013CES 2013, Mobileapps, automobiles, CES2013, CESTPN, chrysler, connectivity, mobile, smartphone, via mobile packagePLUGHITZ Live

Chrysler Introduces the Via Mobile Package

Talking with Chrysler at CES this year inside of a 2013 Dodge Ram took us on a very cool journey. Chrysler Group introduced the Via Mobile package, which allows full Internet radio into your vehicle from your phone. AM/FM, HD Radio and SiriusXM are all included, as expected, except Chrysler will be the first to offer the fully merged and integrated SiriusXM lineup into their vehicles with exclusivity for a limited time. There is also a media hub available in the center console. A USB port, SD port, aux port, USB charge-only port and Bluetooth streaming all compliment the 8.5″ resistive touch screen that resides in the dashboard.

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Enhancing the experience is a brand new navigation system that takes up the entire screen, complete with 3D models, pan-and-zoom, traffic (through SiriusXM). One cool, subtle feature that brings the entire nav together is called One-Step Destination Entry, where you can use your voice and give a command in one breath, such as “Navigate to (address).” You can also give the system points of interest, which commands such as “Find Nearest (name of place).”

Apps, with Buttons

What’s cool about the Apps Button is that all of your embedded apps, plus all of the apps from your phone, are displayed together through the dashboard screen, fully integrated using the Via Mobile package. Apps like iHeartRadio and more all connect to the dashboard, forcing the phone to turn off when the vehicle is in motion, which reduces distracted driving. Chrysler has partnered with Sprint as well and has embedded a 3G radio into their 2013 vehicles. With that, pressing the 911 button will take you immediately to a 911 dispatcher and not to a call center and queue. Better yet, it’s using Sprint’s integrated signal to make the call without tying up your cell phone line. Using the Assist app will display three different call centers: roadside assistance, uConnect to answer questions about your online account and smartphone app and the vehicle-specific call center to answer questions about problems you may have with your vehicle.

No announcements on timing, vehicle availability or pricing has been announced yet, but Chrysler said to stay tuned for news on that very soon.

Video by Scott Ertz of F5 Live.

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AblePlanet Lets Users Hear Things Like Never Before

January 16, 2013CES 2013, Gadgetsableplanet, CES2013, headphones, health technology, linx audio, tech, TPNCESPLUGHITZ Live

AblePlanet, the winner of over 30 CES Innovations Awards, has created a technology called Linx Audio, which is a technology that passively filters out undesirable noise and reduces distortion. This allows users to hear more of the sounds they want but at a much lower decibel range.

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From personal amplification systems and noise cancellation headphones to gaming headsets and even extremely affordable solutions, all members of the family can benefit from AblePlanet’s patented technologies. The company even offers a new gadget not seen before in portable headphones, an in-line balance adjuster. For those who are hard of hearing in one ear more than the other, this discrete cord simply shifts the sound to center it across your ears comfortably, without amplifying one side and damaging your good ear. AblePlanet seems to have the consumer’s health in mind as their first priority.

Video by Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live.

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Daniel J. Lewis from The Audacity to Podcast welcomes you to CES2013

November 20, 2012CES 2013CES2013, Daniel J. Lewis, home media, multimedia, podcasting, production, The Audacity to PodcastDaniel J. Lewis

Meet Daniel J. Lewis, the host of The Audacity to Podcast, a weekly “how-to” podcast about podcasting and using Audacity (and several other podcasts). Daniel will help cover CES2013 from the perspective of a podcaster and home-media producer. He’ll also assist in reviewing and interviewing the companies behind other gadgets that tech enthusiasts will love!

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