If you hope to survive against the reigning king of MP3 players, otherwise known as the Apple iPod Nano, you better have some jaw-dropping feature that makes you stand out. Unfortunately, while Haier America's latest offering, the HEC Video MP3 Player, puts a good foot forward with its solid sound quality and a very palatable price tag, its quirky navigation isn't going to do much to tempt prospective iPod buyers. However, if you've been hunting for a music device that actually has a decent shuffle algorithm, the HEC is worth a look.
This week, Donald and Jasmine discuss the firmware fix to the Zune HD, which can now count itself a feature short of one-upping the iPod Touch, thanks to a new Gigaware remote that adds HD radio to the omnipresent king of MP3 players. We also get to spend a little one-on-one time with the slick-but-confusing Cowon E2 and the boring-but-shuffletastic Haier America Video MP3 Player. Plus, we direct you to a couple of how-tos you may find worth your while, and we address some listener questions about earphones, podcast management, and iPod speaker docks.
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Even Haier is getting in on the wireless HDMI game.
(Credit: Erica Ogg/CNET)BERLIN--Though still struggling to find homes in the hearts of consumers in North America, the two competing standards for wireless high-definition home video have taken their battle on the road.
Here at IFA, several companies showed products using either WirelessHD, which uses the 60GHz band to send signals, or WHDI, which operates in the 5GHz band.
Philips, which has shown wireless HD kits at the Computer Electronics Show for several years, is giving it a go in Europe too. The new kit comes with a transmitter and receiver pair that can send up to 1080p signals at 30 frames per second (fps) at a range of about 65 feet. Toshiba and Funai also demonstrated similar versions of WirelessHD adapters here.
Vestel's wireless HDMI adapter.
(Credit: Erica Ogg/CNET)Long the domain of big brand names in electronics, promising wireless HDMI products has now even come to smaller and regional manufacturers. Three new companies demonstrated TVs that receive high-definition signals without wires: Haier, Vestel, and TCL, all using the WHDI standard. If you haven't heard of any of those three, you'd be excused since one is more known for its air conditioners and washing machines, another makes white-label TVs, and the third is sold mainly in Europe.
You'd also be excused for being slightly skeptical. We've heard these promises for a while, that the soon speakers, TVs, and video players will connect to each other without wires. While gadget exhibitions like IFA here this week are great places to show off forthcoming technology, we have a hard time believing that this in fact is the beginning of a new wave of wireless, high-definition devices for the home.
But the tide could be starting to turn. Just recently the European Union finally approved use of the 60GHz band, which WirelessHD operates in. That could theoretically open the floodgates for more wireless high-def products. However, there are problems with in several European countries, so mass adoption is likely still a ways off.
A mockup unit of the Haier H7.
(Credit: Leonard Goh/CNET Asia)China electronics maker Haier on Tuesday displayed its first Android mobile phone, the H7, at CommunicAsia 2009 held at the Singapore Expo.
The H7 is probably the fourth phone we know of that's employing the Google-developed OS, besides the HTC Dream, Magic, and the Samsung I7500. It's understood that the Haier phone will definitely operate on Android OS 1.5, but the company does not dispute that it will ship the handset with OS 2.0 if the firmware is available by then.
As the unit displayed at the booth was just a mockup, we weren't able to give the H7 a try to see if it's more responsive than the HTC phones. But its specifications state that the upcoming phone has a 2.8-inch touch-screen display, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth connectivity, FM radio, GPS, and a 2-megapixel camera with onboard flashlight.
A representative at Haier's booth told CNET Asia the H7 is expected to cost about $150, and is slated to launch in France first in September.
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Huawei shows off Android phone, dubbed U823X
(Source: Crave Asia)
The Haier HLT71 7-Inch LCD TV is currently the bestselling TV on Amazon.
(Credit: Haier)As most people are by now aware, on June 12, full-power broadcast TV stations in the U.S. will stop broadcasting their analog TV signals and will only broadcast TV signals digitally. Obviously, that impacts people who have older TVs and still use antennas to get a TV signal at home. But what's not talked about as much is the thousands of portable TVs that will stop receiving signals once analog signal disappears for good. For those who rely on such sets to tune into sporting events, such as the NBA Finals, the analog switch-off requires immediate action.
It's no wonder, then, that the top two bestselling TVs on Amazon are portable TVs with digital tuners. The Haier HLT71 7-Inch Portable LCD TV sells for $105.99, while the Axion AXN-8701 7-Inch Widescreen Portable Handheld TV is $119.99. Coby's 8-inch TF-TV891 Widescreen LCD TV isn't as popular, partially because of its higher $159.98 price tag, but it still sits in the top 15.
So far we really haven't seen any digital portable TVs from tier-one manufacturers, which explains why all the top-selling portable TVs are from budget brands. We're still waiting for Sony's waterproof Bravia XDV-W600 to show up. (The 4-incher turned up in blogs late last year, but hasn't been heard from since.)
Anybody looking for a new portable TV? (Let's hope that all the old ones don't end up in landfills.) As always, feel free to comment.
The waterproof Sony XDV-W600 may be the future of portable TVs--but we're still waiting for it.
(Credit: Sony)
Donald and Jasmine discuss Pandora 2.0 and the new Slacker app for the iPhone and the iPod Touch. Also on deck: a bit of info from the NAMM show and a little good-natured ribbing at Haier America's expense. Oh, and we poke some serious fun at Microsoft...prepare for your ears to bleed a little first, though.
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Haier America Rhapsody Ibiza Touch
(Credit: Haier America)Last year, appliance manufacturer Haier America surprised me by producing its very first MP3 player. More specifically, I was confounded by the fact that the company actually made a decent one that offered a variety of compelling features most mainstream MP3 player companies had overlooked (wireless podcast updating, for example).
Now, Haier is updating its Rhapsody Ibiza line with--get this--the Mini and the Touch. Those certainly aren't the most original names (in fact, the words "blatant rip-off" come to mind), but to Haier's credit, the new players look nothing like the iPods of the same name.
First up is the Rhapsody Ibiza Mini, which will replace the current flash-based Ibiza Rhapsody. This pocketable player measures just 3.5 inches by 2 inches by 0.4 inch and features a 2.2-inch color QVGA screen dominating its face. Just below is a four-way directional pad composed of tactile controls for main navigation. Around the edges of the device, you'll find a dedicated volume rocker, a power button, and a Wi-Fi connect key.
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Haier is no stranger to the HDTV market, however CNET has as of yet only reviewed one HDTV from the company. Kind of weird seeing as how Haier is the official HDTV of the NBA.
We'll soon have a chance to make it up to the NBA, though, as this week Haier is introducing two new HDTVs. The 47-inch HL47XT1 and the 42-inch HL42XT1 each have a 120Hz refresh ...
Read the full post at CNET's CES 2009 blog.
Uniformity across the screen is one thing many flat-panel HDTV owners take for granted. Plasma TVs generally have perfect uniformity: the screen is the same brightness and the same color in all areas, and it looks the same from every angle. Most LCD sets, while less than perfect, have screens that are uniform enough to not distract from the viewing experience. Then there are models like the Haier HL47K.
The Haier HL47K (screen simulated).
(Credit: CNET)This bargain-priced 47-inch LCD won't wow anybody with its black levels or color accuracy, but for the money those aspects of its image quality are decent enough. Unfortunately, its screen uniformity is not. In our testing this set basically failed every aspect of our uniformity tests, suffering from brightness and color variation, backlight banding and poor-off-angle performance. To top it off, there's even a stuck pixel!
On the plus side, the Haier is really cheap for a 47-inch 1080p HDTV, and its looks and connectivity aren't bad at all. It also outperformed the dismal Honeywell we just reviewed, so that's something.
Check out the full review of the Haier HL47K.
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Haier's bubble-shaped Experience Center in Beijing also serves as a giant screen where evening light shows will highlight the company's history and environmental-protection efforts.
(Credit: Haier )In between attending track-and-field events and trying to locate uncensored Web sites, visitors to the Beijing Olympic Games will be able to experience a day in the life of a futuristic-home dweller.
China-based appliance manufacturer Haier on Wednesday opened the doors to its "Making the World a Home" Experience Center in Chaoyang Park, Beijing. The center, which will be open to the public for the duration of the Summer Games, will take visitors through 16 hours in the life of a consumer using Haier's U-Home (Ubiquitous Home) technology, which relies on the Internet, mobile communication, and fixed telephone networks to let users communicate with their home appliances anytime, anywhere.
Haier's vision of such a day will look something like this: In the morning, while the consumer is exercising, the jogging machine will monitor his pulse rate or energy consumed. When he leaves home, U-Home technology will automatically shut down the lights and rev up the security system. Back home in the evening, the intelligent bed will recognize when the consumer is ready to turn in, and it will shut down the lights and the television, and close the curtains.
The bubble-shaped Experience Center also serves as a giant screen where evening light shows will introduce Haier's history, Olympic sponsorship, and environmental-protection efforts. The entertainment area of the center will offer virtual sport games that let visitors test technology by Haier, which is also an official white-goods sponsor for the Beijing Olympic Games.
Click here for CNET News' package of stories on tech and the Beijing Olympics.
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