The Skiff Reader features an 11.5-inch touch-screen display and both 3G and Wi-Fi wireless connectivity options.
(Credit: Skiff)With plenty of e-readers expected to be trotted out at this year's CES, Hearst Corp.-backed Skiff and Sprint are hoping to attract attention with a reader that's thinner and larger than anything currently out there. In Las Vegas, the companies will be previewing the Skiff Reader, which features an 11.5-inch touch-screen display (1200x1600 pixels) that's just over a quarter of an inch thick and is designed for reading newspaper and magazine content along with e-books and personal documents.
Company reps say the Skiff Reader is the first consumer product to feature LG's "metal foil" technology, a next-generation e-paper display that's based on a thin, flexible sheet of stainless-steel foil. The new technology is less vulnerable to breakage than "the fragile glass that is the foundation of almost every electronic screen," the press release notes.
Other than dimensions and the fact that the e-reader will have built-in wireless 3G capabilities, as well Wi-Fi, details about the Skiff Reader are scant at the moment. While there was no word on availability or pricing, there was some talk about how the device's large screen would showcase print media in "compelling new ways."
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(Credit:
Liquid Image)
From the makers of the Digital Underwater Camera Mask comes a new gizmo that lets adrenaline junkies capture their skiing adventures. Liquid Image will be showing off its new 335 Snow Camera Goggle at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas.
The shooter is part of the new Summit Series of ski masks with integrated cameras. The hands-free snapper has a 5-megapixel image sensor that's also capable of recording 720x480-pixel videos with audio. Controls are laid out on the right side of the snow goggles and are large to facilitate users wearing gloves. The eyewear has 16MB of internal memory which can be expanded via the microSD/SDHC card slot.
The 335 Snow Camera Goggle has an estimated retail price of $149 and should be showing up in June.
(Source: Crave Asia)
We're back! Jeff and Wilson are joined in the studio today with "Kenri," and Justin chimes in from the San Francisco via the phone. It's back to our usual shenanigans again, and we recount our holiday break. Plus, we have an apology to make to a James Cameron.
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CNET)
Jeff tells us about his near death experience on the ski slopes. Listen to how a patch of ice almost did away with our favorite CNET emcee. Wilson recounts his Christmas vacation to visit his dear ole Ma. Finally, Justin tells us about how he's currently sunbathing in California, while we all freeze to death here in NYC.
With the exception of "Kenri," we all caught James Cameron's Avatar, and boy was it mind blowing! The film is just an incredible experience to watch, and we're pleasantly surprised to see it bring in more than $1 billion dollars at the box office worldwide. Wilson is not sure though that the movie is any good in 2D. The clips and trailers still look silly, so we're still recommending people catch it in IMAX 3D or Real3D. (Editors' note: Please catch Up in the Air. Two words: Vera Farmiga.)
Tomorrow is the first day of CNET's annual International CES coverage. There won't be a show tomorrow because we'll be en route to Las Vegas. We'll be hosting a live show Wednesday at 5 p.m., Thursday at 4 p.m., and Friday at 4 p.m. PST. We have some surprises up our sleeves, but honestly, we're just trying not to kill ourselves while partying it up in Vegas. If you're there, come by the CNET booth in the North Hall at the Convention Center.
EPISODE 491
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Video coming soon, check back later today!
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As inevitable as bad Wi-Fi and long taxi lines in Vegas, pre-CES leaks are unavoidable. This year, many laptops from big-name PC makers have leaked early, mostly thanks to online retailers surfacing the products before the official release dates. These leaks have largely surfaced via sites such as Engadget and Gizmodo, assisted by a tendency for some of these laptops to actually stealth-surface at retail outlets before anyone's noticed.
Keep in mind, this list is only part of what you'll see at CES in the laptops category--there are still plenty of surprises in store. At the same time, you're sure to hear more from us about some of these during the week, including hands-on impressions and videos.
Dell:
Toshiba:- Toshiba NB305-00F (Atom N450)
- Toshiba Satellite L500-00F (Core i3)
- Gateway NV5905H (Core i3)
- Gateway LT2102H (Atom N450)
It's been 9 months since Samsung first displayed its interchangeable-lens camera under glass; though now officially announced, in preproduction, and slated for availability this spring, there still isn't a whole lot of information available. Unfortunately, that includes price, which is key for this segment. Also still unknown are any real details about shooting performance, such as burst rate and shutter speed range. Samsung's only claim about autofocus is that it's "fast and decisive."
The most significant potential downside is the proprietary new lens mount--the Samsung NX mount. That alone has disappointed the small but vocal legions of Pentaxians who've been counting on Samsung to deliver an interchangeable-lens model to support their lenses (a reasonable assumption, given Samsung's dSLR relationship with Pentax). Samsung really could have used the support of these fanboys; now it has no built-in boosters to help with marketing. Although there's a plan to supply a Pentax K-mount adapter, it won't support autofocus. At launch, Samsung plans to offer three NX mount lenses: an 18-55mm f3.5-5.6, 50-200mm f4-5.6, and 30mm pancake.
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Every year product life cycles in the consumer marketplace grow ever shorter and we see ever faster turnover in cameras, phones computers, and so on. On the audio side, the latest and greatest receivers become yesterday's news faster than you can say "HDMI 1.4." It seems like no receiver can stay current for more than a year or so.
Speaker companies show a little more restraint and "refresh" their lines every few years, but even then new models rarely demonstrate actual performance improvements over the previous generations' models. Speaker manufacturer Magnepan doesn't play by those rules; it invests years of development in each of its models before introducing a new speaker. It has to sound better--a lot better--than the outgoing model before it's released to the world.
The new Magneplanar 1.7
(Credit: Magnepan)And not just in the opinion of the designers. New-model Magnepans undergo extensive "blind" listening tests with a wide range of audiophile and non-audiophile listeners (the listeners don't know whether they're hearing the old or new model). The new speaker must consistently score better than the old model before it goes into production.
When I first heard the Magneplanar 1.6 back in 2008 I said it was the best under-$2,000 speaker on the market. Incredibly enough it was 10 years old at the time! The Magneplanar 1.6 has stayed in production for 12 years, but now it's about to be replaced with the new Magneplanar 1.7.
Magnepan, based in White Bear Lake, Minn., builds nothing but panel (boxless) speakers. Not only that, Magnepan designs forgo conventional dome tweeters and cone-type woofers. As I pointed out in my August 14, 2008, blog that's why the company's Magneplanar 1.6 speaker mostly avoids sounding like a speaker. The speaker earned the top position in my Top 10 greatest audiophile speakers blog earlier this year.
The new Magneplanar 1.7 is also a flat-panel design, 64.5 inches tall and a mere 2 inches thick! The new speaker looks a little more contemporary, thanks to its aluminum, wrap-around edge molding. The old model was a two-way design, with a 48-inch-tall aluminum ribbon tweeter and a 442-square-inch mid/bass panel. The Magneplanar 1.7 is a three-way design, with a woofer, tweeter, and super-tweeter. The super-tweeter comes in around 10,000 hertz and is said to produce wider dispersion and better-resolved treble than the Magneplanar 1.6 did.
The other big difference is the Magneplanar 1.7 is a "full-range" ribbon design. ... Read more
(Credit:
Device Daily)
Thanks to Saygus, a small firm that specializes in video-calling software, Verizon will be the first to carry a two-way video-conferencing phone complete with a large touch screen, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and a 3D accelerometer.
They're calling it the VPhone, which may outshine its brother, the Droid, and its rival, the iPhone.
VPhone will be the first mobile device approved through Verizon's Open Development initiative, a program that encourages developers to build technologies to run on Verizon's network. So far, the company has only approved nonconsumer products.
Utah-based Saygus walked away with the Best of Innovations award in the wireless handsets category at the 2010 Design and Engineering Awards on November 10.
And it was deserved. Besides two-way video calls at 24 to 30 frames per second, the phone can serve as a wireless access point for up to eight devices. There's also a rear-facing camera with flash and a 5-megapixel lens, FM radio, and compass. Just for kicks.
Unfortunately, you won't find the VPhone in ... Read more
In this week's preholiday edition of the Digital City Podcast, we all get ready for our one long break of the year, accompanied by special guest smartphone guru (and new CNET East Coaster) Bonnie Cha.
Scott and Joe have seen James Cameron's "Avatar"; Bonnie and Julie haven't. We also discuss Intel's new Atom Netbooks, 3D Blu-ray on the PS3, holiday smartphones, and upcoming laptops and phones at CES 2010. Best of all, Scott gets a chance to show off his one and only Batjew T-shirt. Watch it on video or you'll miss it.
Plus, don't forget to enter a comment to win a 16GB Zune HD of your very own. Happy holidays!
Related links:
>>3D Blu-ray standard outlined, includes PS3
>>New Atom Netbooks: Strange timing for shoppers?
>>CES 2010 Preview: Cell phones
>>CES 2010 Preview: Desktops and laptops
>>Watch the Digital City live every Monday at 3 p.m. EST on CNET Live!
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(Credit:
Intel)
It's an exciting and interesting morning for Netbook fans, as full official details and even system reviews of new Netbooks bearing Intel's next-generation Atom processors have emerged.
However, does the timing annoy you?
While we've known new Atom Netbooks were around the corner for months now, the announcement hits just three days before Christmas Eve and after the last weekend of holiday shopping. Does the new Atom make you want a new Netbook or regret getting one this holiday? On the other hand, do the modest gains from the new Atoms make you want an ultralow-voltage thin-and-light with a faster processor instead, or a next-gen smartphone/smartbook/tablet that could do HD video just as well?
Or does it simply not matter to you? Early reviews indicate that the new Atom N450's gains are mild, and mainly assist the battery life of Netbooks to go even longer between charges than they already do.
Sound off--we'd love to hear your thoughts as consumers.
