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Best of CES 2012: Where are they now?

CES is almost here, but it's important to keep in mind that the biggest consolidated electronics show of the year is often a mixed indicator of the year's actual tech trends. Case in point: consider CES 2010, where "big" products included smartbooks and Cell TVs, but the major wave of Android phones and the iPad were nowhere to be found.

With that in mind, let's look at CES 2012's Best Of awards winners and see where they are now that the year's about to come to a close. Were they Editors' Choice winners? … Read more

Bonus! Sony 'loans' Ultra HD video player to buyers of $25K TV

Those lucky folks who can afford a $25,000 4K Ultra High Definition TV from Sony now have something else to cheer about.

The Japanese electronics giant said today that it's now bundling an Ultra HD video player with the TV, giving users access to high-resolution content. And purchasers of the "4K Ultra HD Home Experience" also will receive an Xperia Tablet S that serves as a remote control.

In case that's not enough, Sony also is preloading the video player -- a hard-disk server -- with a gallery of 4K video shorts and 10 full-length … Read more

Whitman proclaims new products will return HP to 'greatness'

With Hewlett-Packard's stock price going south in a hurry, CEO Meg Whitman tried to advance the argument that HP's 'return to greatness' will based on great products.

"In terms of investments, we are very focused on product, product, product," said CEO Meg Whitman in today's earnings conference call, via a transcript provided by Seeking Alpha.

Whitman continued. "Great companies return to greatness on the basis of product."

She went on to cite products like its "Gen8" servers, Moonshot servers, and new lines of PCs, printers, and services.

Both Whitman and chief … Read more

Windows 8 tablets to be handed out to Emirates' flight crew

Emirates Airline is giving its flight attendants a tech upgrade. The airline announced today that it will be handing out 1,000 HP ElitePad 900 tablets equipped with Windows 8 to its crew and staff.

Emirates made this announcement today during the Windows 8 launch event in Dubai, which is home to the airline. The carrier said it picked the HP ElitePad 900 as its device of choice because it is light, has a long battery life, and was built specifically for business users.

"To support our crew, we have created an application on Windows 8 that delivers a … Read more

HP aims for business users with ElitePad 900 Windows 8 tablet

Expect HP's ElitePad 900 tablet to join several other business-focused mobile devices over the next few months. Intel's mobile push, along with that of Microsoft and Windows 8, will ensure no shortage of similar products. Whether HP can differentiate its tablet is another question, but from what we've seen of the ElitePad 900, we can at least say that it's taking the challenge seriously.

In terms of hard specs, the ElitePad 900 offers a 10.1-inch, 1,280x800-pixel Gorilla Glass-coated display. HP says the tablet as a whole will weigh around 1.5 pounds, and comes … Read more

Episode 15: Molly gets her iPhone 5

I really wasn't going to order an iPhone 5 -- I stayed up until midnight on pre-order night to order two unlocked versions, one to unbox, and one to torture, and then realized the unlocked versions weren't available.

So, I now own one, but I do think that makes this week's Unboxing more exciting, because of my personal stake in the whole thing.

Speaking of exciting, for those of you who requested that we torture test the Nokia Lumia 900, here it is! Jeff Cannata takes over this one, and I think he's really getting the … Read more

Who has the 'real' Windows Phone? HTC makes its case

With its Windows Phone 8X and 8S smartphones, has HTC actually replaced Nokia as the darling of Microsoft?

Ever since Microsoft veteran Stephen Elop took the reins at Nokia and struck a transformational deal with his former company to fully back Windows Phone, it was assumed that the fallen Finnish mobile devices giant would be first among equals when it came to the upstart mobile operating system.

Elop assumed the role when he said a year ago that Nokia's Lumia handsets were "the first real Windows Phone," a not-so-subtle jab against earlier efforts, and a comment Microsoft … Read more

Nokia City Lens app for Windows Phone 7 zooms in on local shops

Owners of virtually all Nokia Lumia phones will be able to discover local businesses via the company's new City Lens augmented reality.

Shown off by Nokia last week, City Lens overlays nearby businesses on the screen when you point your phone in their direction. Tapping a specific business reveals full details, including contact information, reviews, walking distance, and directions.

Though demoed for the upcoming Windows Phone 8 Lumia 920, the new app is actually available as of yesterday for the current Lumia 900, 800, and 710 Windows Phone 7 handsets. Owners of any of those phones can download City … Read more

Sony puts a price on its 4K TV: $25,000

A week after Sony Chief Executive Kazuo Hirai uncloaked the company's massive 4K 3D TV, Sony has uncloaked its price, too: $25,000.

People can pre-order Sony's 84-inch XBR-84X900 today, but it won't be in stores until November, Sony said today.

The 4K TV has four times the number of pixels -- 3,840x2,160 -- as a regular HD TV. The 4K label, a bit of a loose term meaning 4,000, refers to number of pixels across the width. Sony is pushing hard to move the industry to 4K video, hoping for a new upgrade … Read more

Sony releases first 4K TV: The 84-inch XBR-84X900

Sony has unveiled two of its biggest TV innovations of the year, and they're both inside the new XBR-84X900: it's the company's largest screen to date, and it's one of the first to feature 4K resolution.

The XBR-84X900 is the company's first 4K screen, and comes in the single 84-inch size. It's an edge-lit LED-based LCD TV that features passive 3D (another first for Sony) and comes with a 10-driver stereo speaker system.

For more information, check out our first take of the Sony XBR-84X900.