smart

Enter the Hidden Hashtag Sweeps

We decided to make this year's CES even more interesting. We've partnered with our friends at Sprint to bring the CNET audience a chance to win big in the Hidden #Hashtag Sweeps.

In the From the Floor series I'll be bringing an exclusive pass to the CES 2013 show floor for all of you who can't be there. We'll show you the big screens and the bright lights that you'll find only at CES. Plus, we'll get you a first look at products, and throw you right into the center of the action … Read more

Wearing the future: Hands on with Vuzix M100 Smart Glasses

LAS VEGAS--Cyborgs, meet your gear. The Vuzix M100 Smart Glasses, a wearable Bluetooth/Wi-Fi headpiece with a built-in HD camera and WQVGA floating eyepiece display, are on hand to try out at CES 2013. Previously seen in nonworking prototype form at the end of last year, the M100 Smart Glasses will run on Android and eventually iOS and be available by summer 2013 (fall for iOS, pending app approval).

"It would feel like you're looking at a screen the size of your phone, but the image floats out in space," Vuzix President and Chief Executive Paul Travers … Read more

This small, slick fitness tracker senses your ticker

LAS VEGAS--It seems that many companies want in on the wearable fitness tracker craze, and Withings is no exception. Its new Smart Activity Tracker is a small, light, 8-gram device that records user activity, sleep, and even measures heart rate in real time.

About the size of a USB stick, the Smart Activity Tracker can handle all the typical pedometer duties such as logging the steps you take, stairs climbed, and calories burned. What sets this gadget apart, though, is its heart rate sensor located on back. Just place your finger tip in the right spot and the Tracker will … Read more

Panasonic joins LG's Smart TV Alliance

LAS VEGAS--Panasonic has joined LG's Smart TV Alliance, which was set up to develop and use a single connected platform for televisions from 2013 onward.

The Smart TV alliance was announced by LG in June 2012 in conjunction with Philips (TP Vision), but it has now grown to include Toshiba, Panasonic, and chipmakers such as Qualcomm and IBM.

LG's Smart TV interface is arguably one of the best on the market, and this agreement goes some way to creating an industry-standard platform, which is a boon for customers and developers.

The new platform allows for 3D video, MPEG-DASH … Read more

Computerized fishing rod won't put worms on hooks

If you like a little high-tech help when fishing for dinner, leave the fishfinder at home and try this electronic rod.

The SmartRod has an accelerometer that tells you when a fish bites your line. A sound or light alarm goes off so you can try reeling it in promptly.

Billed as the first of its kind in the world, the SmartRod is the subject of an Indiegogo campaign that's aiming to amass $50,000 for development with 20 days remaining. It's got a long way to go. … Read more

Ubuntu OS coming to smartphones

Thursday's CNET Update is disturbed:

Rumors come and go quickly in the tech world. A report from TechCrunch stirred up rumors that Apple was planning on buying the navigation app Waze. But CNET has learned that Apple has no plans to acquire Waze. It wasn't a radical idea, since Apple already works with Waze as a partner for Apple's mapping software.

Apple is, however, addressing a bug in the Do Not Disturb feature of iOS 6. The company said it won't be fixed until January 7. Do Not Disturb will silence incoming calls, alerts and notifications … Read more

Rumor Has It: Who wouldn't wear an Apple iWatch?

Happy new year!

This week, we've got a few rumors that are sure to turn heads. Apple is supposedly working on an accessory that could make Karyne's dream of being a secret agent finally come true: a smart watch! What features should it have? Leave us a comment!

Also this week, the next iteration of BlackBerry Messenger is rumored to come with a feature that other phones have had for quite a while; Toshiba is possibly working on a new technology that could be a game changer; and a Russian news site has a very unlikely video of … Read more

Samsung Evolution Kit makes smart TVs smarter

Last year Samsung promised that certain of its 2012 Smart TVs would get an upgrade called a "Smart Evolution Kit," and now the company announced the upgrade would be available soon.

Buyers of the LED-based UN75ES9000, UNES8000, and UNES7500 LED TVs, as well as the PNE8000 and PNE7000 plasmas, will be able to buy the kit for $299 in May. It installs by simply sliding into a slot on the back of the TVs.

The kit is basically a brain transplant for the TVs. It includes a new A15 quad-core 1.35GHz processor that offers a maximum 3.… Read more

Samsung teases robotic vacuum cleaner with a twist

Samsung revealed yesterday (albeit, with little detail) its latest robotic vacuum cleaner -- the Smart Tango Corner Clean -- just a week before a potential CES debut.

For those of you with visions of a Samsung-made Rosey the maid robot from "The Jetsons" zipping about your home, well, we're not quite there yet. However, due to the inclusion of appendages, the latest robotic vacuum from Samsung might give pause to prospective buyers of Roomba or Neato devices. … Read more

Apple rumor watch: iOS timepiece on drawing board?

After creating the iPod, iPhone, and iPad, is Apple now working on an iWatch?

A report cited by Business Insider claims that Apple has partnered with Intel to develop an iOS watch. Supply chain sources reportedly told Chinese blog site Tech163.com that the watch would be Bluetooth-enabled and sport a 1.5-inch OLED screen.

The so-called smart watch would debut sometime in the first half of next year.

Other sources have chimed in on the general concept, with Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, for one, saying he thinks wearable computing is a line that Apple might eventually get into. … Read more