ces2011

LAS VEGAS--If your home doesn't have a Wi-Fi network (or even if it it does) you can still get your iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch multimedia content onto a TV screen. Bigstream is a two-part hardware solution the has a transmitter you plug into your Apple device, and a receiver you plug into the AV or video jack of your TV.

The benefit is being able to quickly play music and games, watch videos, and run Keynote presentations online. In addition to your own content, you can also launch YouTube videos, Netflix, and other third-party apps.

In the case … Read more

Verizon Wireless did its best to steal the mobile show at its CES press conference yesterday. Not only did we get the long-rumored Xoom Honeycomb tablet, but the carrier also unveiled the first selection of handsets to go with its new LTE 4G network.

Admittedly, we're focused on the new handsets, like the Motorola Droid Bionic, the Samsung 4G LTE, the HTC Thunderbolt, and the LG Revolution, but Verizon had a couple of other tricks up its sleeve. In addition to Samsung's new Mobile Hotspot, which Bonnie Cha already mentioned, Big Red also unveiled another hot spot and … Read more

LAS VEGAS--At CES 2011, GM announced it would include Powermat's charging technology in its entire vehicle line-up, starting with the Chevy Volt. We took a close-up look of how Powermat implemented the technology.

Powermat put a Chevy Volt in its booth space at CES with its charging pads in front and back. This setup was conceptual, and GM will finalize the placement of the charging pads later. But the front pad, placed on the top of the center console, seemed a likely place. A pad between the rear seats is a less likely implementation, as GM probably would not … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Car audio manufacturers often tout some sort of way to upgrade their video receivers to support GPS navigation. However, that has usually meant purchasing an expensive module and paying for a second installation. If you have one of JVC's new KW-AVX series and an iPhone, adding navigation may be as simple as downloading an app.

JVC has announced a partnership with Fullpower, creators of the MotionX-GPS Drive app for the iPhone, to allow its receivers to interface with and directly control the MotionX app. After connecting an iPhone via the KS-U30 USB audio and video cable, you can … Read more

LAS VEGAS--It was a bit unfortunate for JVC that its "world's first consumer camcorder to offer 3D recording in Full HD" came the day after Sony's announcement of its consumer full HD 3D camcorder, the HDR-TD10; it's even similarly named to JVC's offering, the Everio GS-TD1.

Like Sony's offering, the JVC model has two of everything that counts: a pair of 3-megapixel BSI CMOS sensors and two f1.2 lenses (5x zoom in 3D, 10x in 2D). It only has a single processing engine--unattractively dubbed "Falconbrid"--but that's just marketing. … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Ask any hardened PC gamer and they'll tell you there's no better way to control a first-person shooter than a mouse-and-keyboard combination. We completely agree, and with the Eagle Eye 360 from Penguin United, Xbox 360 gamers can do just that.

While the company has already had a PlayStation 3 offering that provides the same functionality, the Xbox 360 version is new for CES. The device can bind all of the Xbox 360 controller commands to mouse and keyboard buttons and store up to two key-mapping schemes.

You'll need a wired Xbox 360 controller for the … Read more

It's our final live show from CES 2011, and it's safe to assume our position as Worst Podcast of CES. Case in point: did any of the other CNET Live podcasts receive an anti-teen-sexting pamphlet from PicsChecker after their show? The 404 must give off some kind of unique vibe, because this service seems to appeal to our demographic. Check it out and let us know what you think. No guest on today's show, but there's plenty of stories from CES to run down, so let's go right to it!

At last year's CES, Polaroid appointed Lady Gaga to the role of creative director, and this time we get to see exactly what she's been working on for the past 12 months. At her big press conference this year, Gaga announced that phones are truly the cameras of the future and debuted the GL20 Camera Glasses, an innovative pair of shades that feature two embedded OLED screens that can capture and display images of anything around you.

Also announced were the GL30 Instant Digital Camera, a printer enabled device that seems to be a throwback of the old "shake it to develop" days of Polaroid film that works in conjunction with the GL10 Instant Printer, a Bluetooth wireless device that can produce Polaroid-style prints in under a minute. TOLD you me and Gaga have a lot in common!

CES is no stranger to extravagance and ridiculousness, and this year saw a bunch of both, starting with the insane Samsung press conference. With their own child from the future emceeing the night, Samsung and DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeff Katzenberg stole the show with 3D images, Samsung dance routines replete with rectangular TV props, and a sneak peek at the Xfinity TV app for the Samsung Galaxy Tab that turns the tablet into a remote control and video player.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, indulge us as we take a minute to do what we do best: poke fun at some of the stranger, and perhaps more useless, products featured here in Vegas starting with this Wii/Kinect/Move-enabled bowling ball courtesy of our friends at CTA Digital.

This CTA booth girl looked all right playing with it, but this single-function accessory had us shaking our heads and wondering who would buy this toy.

Let's move on to the booth for Christian gaming site GameChurch.com that actually features a cardboard cutout of Jesus himself fragging enemies like there's no tomorrow. We had no idea Jesus was a gamer, but apparently he's achieved "Ub3r Pwnage since 33 A.D."

GameChurch.com is based on the idea that video game ratings aren't stringent enough for the God-fearing consumer, so the site is here to award its own "morality ratings" to popular video games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Strangely enough, the site also has a sister site at an adjacent convention called XXXChurch.com that seeks to save blasphemers from their own hands.

Stick around after the break, because we have plenty more craziness from the showroom floor to get to, including an exhibiting insurance company that lets you smash an Asus laptop with a hammer, a Steampunk keyboard fetish, and more rumors about the impending Apple iPhone coming to Verizon on February 3. Plus, don't miss our picks for Best of CES 2011. Thanks for listening!

Sony Ericsson released just one phone at CES, but the Xperia Arc is nothing to ignore. The hardware, to be frank, is stunning. The handset has a great feeling in the hand; we love the sleek profile; and the display is a looker.

The features are also impressive. We're particularly glad to see the device running Gingerbread--remember that the Xperia X10 ran OS 1.6 when it debuted--and the idea of the Bravia engine powering the media player is something we hadn't expected. We're still ambivalent about Timescape, and we hope it won't interfere with future … Read more

What do you do with a gadget that's sold 8 million units in 60 days? You make it work on a platform that's larger than the 50 million install base it's built to work with. That would be the reasoning behind bringing Kinect to PCs, which Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer did his best not to deny when talking to the BBC on top of the software giant's CES booth.

When asked by the BBC's Spencer Kelly whether Microsoft plans to let users plug a Kinect unit into a PC in the near future, Ballmer responded … Read more