preview

CES 2008: Emerging technologies

Often, "emerging tech" describes something esoteric, a component or product so far on the cutting edge that its application to everyday life isn't immediately apparent. While we certainly expect to see such technologies on display at this year's CES, the broader emerging category contains developments that are closer to home and easier to grasp--literally.

High-tech homes The allure of the smart home, where everything from appliances to doors and windows to lighting is controlled from a single console (or remotely), grows greater every year. We fully expect to see more home automation products from such major … Read more

CES 2008: Gaming gear

Excited to see all the latest and greatest video game products at the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show? Don't be. New and noteworthy gaming products will be few and far between.

Unfortunately, CES just isn't a big show for gamers. You might think the world's largest consumer electronics expo would have plenty of stuff for remote-waggling, button-mashing misfits like myself, but that simply isn't the case. Virtually every games-only company from Nintendo to Electronic Arts steers clear of Las Vegas in early January, saving their news for GDC, E3, and the various other shows and events … Read more

CES 2008: Home audio

Pity the audiophile. Home audio was once the centerpiece of the consumer electronics experience, but it's been completely subsumed in recent years, with HDTV squeezing in on one side and the ubiquitous iPod on the other. Even what's left is generally referred to as "home theater," stressing that video is just as important--if not more so--than the audio experience. If they even want surround sound--most seem perfectly happy with their tinny TV speakers--the majority of consumers will opt for a cheap home-theater-in-a-box, grumbling at the $300 price tag even as they gladly shell out five times … Read more

CES 2008: Home video

Don't be surprised if the home video headlines at the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show look like reruns of the past four or five years. The big themes will continue to be the Blu-ray/HD DVD format war, network video delivery, and the slow but steady transition from analog to digital broadcasting.

We expect that the format war between HD DVD and Blu-ray will be front and center once again. Blu-ray players are already selling for less than $300, so we're betting we'll see players announced that go even lower. Meanwhile, we wouldn't be completely surprised … Read more

CES 2008: MP3 and portable video players

It's been a tumultuous year for MP3 players. Apple's iPhone arrived, presenting the best argument we've seen for converging your MP3 player, phone, and portable video player. Flash memory MP3 players became smaller, cheaper, and more ubiquitous, getting lost between sofa cushions all over the world. We also witnessed online music retailers finally embracing DRM-free music downloads, offering a beacon of hope for a music industry lost at sea. So what MP3 player trends can we expect to see for 2008? Here are a few predictions we're willing to stake our reputation on.

Flash goes even … Read more

CES 2008: Televisions and HDTVs

The annual International Consumer Electronics Show is all about trends, as opposed to actual product announcements complete with pricing, model numbers, and "click here to buy!" buttons. This year we're sure to see a few new trends join those old standbys from yesteryear--and the year before that and the year before that--so here's a quick rundown of what to expect from high-definition displays at CES 2008.

Larger OLED TV manufacturers have to find some way to shave profits from ever-more-commoditized products, and one of the best ways is to introduce a whole new technology. … Read more

Killer Download: Replacing Windows Explorer

Navigating your hard drive using Windows Explorer is pretty straightforward. Double-clicking a directory like My Documents brings up a list of items you have in that folder. You're given a couple of options for how you view the contents of a folder, such as arranging by date or by name. You also can view your documents using icons or tiles. The Windows Explorer window shares some of the features of Internet Explorer as well, like Favorites and toolbars. Clearly, this is nothing new to anyone who has used a Windows machine, and like many of you, I have my own ideas of how it could be made better.

We can probably agree that the options available with Explorer are adequate for navigating your hard drive, but a little more information and flexibility would go a long way. I found a few programs that add much more to file navigation, such as tabbed and paned directories for drag-and-drop file transfers and document previews so you know what you're opening before you open it. These Windows Explorer replacements offer tons of information about your files at a glance, like expanded properties and sorting capabilities not available with the default Windows setup. Some also feature much more intuitive methods for moving files around.… Read more

Microsoft's Virtual Earth Preview is Bullitt-proof

Ever since the first time I saw Lt. Frank Bullitt thrash his Ford Shelby GT around San Francisco, I have longed for a chance to drive the streets of this city unhindered by traffic restrictions, pedestrians, and other such annoyances. Thanks to a Microsoft application, my dream has virtually come true. The Virtual Earth Local Technology Preview makes use of streetside-view photographs similar to those used by Google's Street View application.

With the Microsoft service you get the added bonus of navigating the maps in either a yellow race car or a blue sports car. Drivers get a view … Read more

Canon 1D Mark III brings new sensor, processor to SLRs

Canon has countered Nikon's competitive new SLR cameras, revamping its high-performance line with the EOS-1D Mark III. The camera introduces a bevy of new features: a higher shooting rate, a new image processing chip, a live display, a more sensitive image sensor and a self-cleaning sensor.

The 10.1-megapixel camera, announced late Wednesday, can shoot 10 frames per second. That's a notch up from the 8.5 per second of the preceding model, the 8.2-megapixel 1D Mark II N. It can shoot a burst of as many as 30 raw images--those pulled directly off the sensor without … Read more

Blinkx makes video previews awesome

Embeddable video is getting pretty cool. Static preview images seem to be a thing of the past. Blinkx, which is showcasing its service today at Demo 2007, is announcing a new widget called 'Blinkx It' that crawls your blog or Web site to deliver contextual video content. Think of it as Google Ad Sense with videos and no advertising. For example, clicking the 'Blinkx It' widget below will bring up videos related to News.com stories:

This is nice and unobtrusive, but the results aren't necessarily pertinent. In most cases, I was unable to get a smattering of relevant … Read more