(Credit:
Acousticom)
Acousticom manufactures audio communication equipment utilized by the Department of Defense and leading aerospace companies. The company is well-known for its flight helmets, but it is coming to CES 2010 with something almost everyone can enjoy--the Sound Egg.
The egg chair is back, but with a 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound system and an intimate media experience not intended for sharing. The chair can be connected to a television or computer and its unique foam insulation means no more complaining from your significant other. Go ahead, play Call of Duty all you want--he or she won't hear a thing.
The Sound Egg was initially manufactured as a demonstration tool for trade shows. Although this is still a marketed use, Acousticom is making it available as a consumer electronics item. The $1,450 seat is not for everyone, but audiophiles might call it an "investment."
Qualcomm will offer its FLO TV on a handheld television, putting this existing service on a dedicated device for the first time.
Qualcomm's FLO TV Personal Television
(Credit: Qualcomm)FLO TV, the Qualcomm-owned provider of a live mobile TV service, unveiled the FLO TV Personal Television on Tuesday, with availability slated for holiday season at retailers.
FLO, or "forward link only" technology, is designed for multicasting a large volume of rich multimedia content cost effectively to wireless subscribers. AT&T and Verizon already offer FLO TV on mobile phones in the U.S.
Qualcomm says the FLO TV Personal Television is "created with the single focus of delivering high-quality TV." The device receives live and time-shifted content with no buffering, downloading or waiting to view content, according to Qualcomm.
Content includes CNBC, Comedy Central, ESPN, ESPNews, Fox, Fox News, Fox Sports, MSNBC, MTV, NBC2Go, NBC, NBC News, NBC Sports, Nickelodeon, CBS, CBS College Sports, and CBS News. (Editors' note: CBS College Sports and CBS News are offerings of CBS, which is also the parent company of CNET News.)
Though handheld TV is still somewhat of an unknown quantity, viewership--like that of more traditional big-screen TV-- tends to spike during major national events, according to Qualcomm. Its service saw a surge in viewers, for example, during March Madness--the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship.
Qualcomm cited market research from TeleAnalytics that projects a broadcast mobile TV market of $2.8 billion and 50 million users in North American by 2013.
FLO TV Personal Television subscription service starts at $8.99 per month and the device will sell for $249.99. Specifications include a 3.5-inch diagonal screen and weight of of just over 5 ounces. Its battery supports more than 5 hours of active FLO TV viewing or 300 hours standby.
The television uses a capacitive touch-screen allowing channel surfing with a finger swipe. It also includes a built-in stand and stereo speakers.
Picking the right TV is important. Right behind your health, and your family, and world politics. But face it, it's up there. It beat world peace once in a survey--seriously.
Anyway, this week the Top 5 tells you the best TVs you can get. And you have a chance to win a Star Wars space shooter. Watch the show, answer the question in the comments below, and you could get a free thing. And that's important too.
(Credit:
Erica Ogg/CNET)
BERLIN--LG rolled out its recently announced "borderless" TVs here at IFA on Thursday for all the cameras.
They were introduced in North America at the end of July. By "borderless" they essentially mean it's an HDTV without any noticeable bezel. Using an injection compressed molding and special laminating process, the TV does have a bezel, but it's very small, is flush with the TV, and has no space between it and the screen. It's just like the "edge-to-edge" glass concept on Apple's MacBook Pro, but much larger.
See our previous post on it here.
Yo!... can the technology support slang?
(Credit: Crave Asia)There are less fortunate people in the world unable to enjoy the brilliant sights and sounds offered by the latest home A/V technologies. Fortunately, help is on the way in the form of a new "Talking TV" technology tailored for the visual and hearing impaired, dyslexic, and elderly.
Co-developed by Ocean Blue Software and the U.K.'s Royal National Institute of Blind People, the world's first talking digital TV system offers enhanced information accessibility and ease of use via two complementary approaches.
Currently implemented in a set-top box, the system delivers onscreen text-to-speech capability with multiple language support, plus a customizable user interface. The latter includes high-contrast color schemes, adjustable font sizes, and comprehensive help functions for improved legibility. More importantly, the software behind this new technology is said to be compatible with other consumer products.
Such disability-friendly devices can be expected to hit the market later in the year according to the press release, though no availability or pricing details have been set as yet.
(Source: Crave Asia)
The TiVo: close, but no cigar.
(Credit: TiVo)Roku announced this week that it signed on with Major League Baseball to deliver MLB.tv Premium to its set-top box. It's the first live content that the device, which is best known for its Netflix streaming, will offer.
But like many other set-top boxes on the market, the services the Roku box offers aren't unique to that device. Netflix streaming is available on a large and growing number of devices, including TiVo DVRs, the Xbox 360, and all newer LG and Samsung Blu-ray players and home theater systems. In addition to the Roku, MLB programming is available on the PC, through Boxee, and through various cable and satellite TV packages.
Indeed, many TVs, Blu-ray players, DVRs, and home theater systems now have a baseline configuration that makes it relatively easy to add streaming services via postpurchase firmware upgrades. At this point, adding content seems almost as simple as calling the content provider and having lawyers work up an agreement between the parties.
The problem is, those partners are not necessarily working together. The hardware providers want those streaming or download services to be exclusive to their boxes. The content providers want their entertainment to be made available on as many devices (STBs or otherwise) as possible. Those very different goals are causing set-top boxes to provide most, but not all, the services that consumers want.
... Read moreDon Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
We're proud to announce the debut of CNET LIVE, the new portal for all live shows, including The 404, on CNET. Don't worry, the transition won't be as difficult as DTV. We'll give you detailed instructions on how to tell all your friends about the show! Listen in for all the juicy details on our weekend staycation and why Wilson should never consume liquor again.
Atlantic City: What a dump!
(Credit: The404/CNET)So now that the weekend is over, we can talk about our top secret trip...to Atlantic City! It's always good to get away for a little bit, even if it's just for a day, so we packed up our bags and took off to AC for a little gambling and good times. What was supposed to be a relaxing trip turned out to be 24 hours of "The Hangover"-esque partying. We all indulged in our own vices: Jeff hit the blackjack tables like a white bat out of hell, Justin explored the dark crevices of AC's back alleys, and Wilson Tang ate chicken. That's right, you read it correctly: Wilson Tang finally broke his "vegetarianism" and is now an official chicken chaser. Unfortunately, his bout with poultry at Friday's dinner left him with a mad stomach ache and he party pooped his way out of the trip. What a shrew!
Click here for a full set of pictures from The 404's trip to Atlantic City.
Lots of stories to talk about today, namely two big news items from over the weekend: the DTV official transition and the mad rush for Facebook Vanity URLs. Actually, the long-awaited DTV transition went off without a hitch, which makes sense, because it's been in the works forever now, although we're pretty sure someone in Florida tried to eat her converter box. Facebook Vanity also had little to no effect on real life, although there did seem to be a slight flux in traffic on Thursday night as people rushed to reserve their own Facebook URLs. In the spirit of American sportsmanship, some of the landgrabs were a little disingenuous; for example, check out the profile for our own Molly Wood. In fact, my own name got snaked by another Justin Yu, so feel free to add him and let him know how much you love The 404. In the meantime, check out the Facebook profiles for the Real Justin Yu, Wilson Tang, and Jeff Bakalar.
EPISODE 362
Download today's podcast
Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video
... Read more
(Credit:
Runat)
Remember the lovable four-legged alien with big teeth from the Disney movie "Lilo & Stitch"? If your little tyke is a big fan of Stitch, this is the perfect bedroom-size LCD TV for him or her.
This 20-inch panel has a full-size Stitch climbing over its back, complete with a moveable jaw that conceals the onboard controls. For a hefty 100,000 yen ($1,015), this Japanese concoction will deliver a monitorish 1,680x1,050 resolution, HDMI input, and B-CAS Japan digital TV broadcast support.
That said, you will have to hand-carry it back from Japan even if you're willing to pay that ridiculous price for a 20-incher.
(Source: Crave Asia via Akihabaranews)
Here's your chance to score a 52-inch LCD for less than a grand.
(Credit: CompUSA)You missed your chance to nab a big ol' TV in time for the Super Bowl, but March Madness is just around the corner (go Spartans!).
Here's a pretty sweet deal to satisfy your hoop dreams, Lost lust, and more: CompUSA has a 52-inch Vizio VX52LF LCD HDTV for $999.99.
That's a mighty big screen, folks. It's a refurbished model, meaning that its warranty expires after just 90 days. But given that new 52-inchers routinely sell in the neighborhood of $2,000, I'd say it's a risk worth taking.
The VX52LF is a 1080P LCD with three HDMI inputs, two component inputs, and a universal remote that can control a VCR, DVD player, and a cable box.
Too good to be true? Well, maybe. I can't find any trace of this model on Vizio's product pages (though it is listed in the Support section), and reviews are few and far between.
As it happens, I'm in the market for a new TV, and I've been seriously eyeballing this one. Also in contention: Vizio's 47-inch GV47LF, which CompUSA has for $749.96. It's also a refurb, but there are reviews aplenty, and they're mostly stellar.
Update: As of today, Feb. 10, the GV47F is down to $699.99. Think my decision just got a little easier.
Decisions, decisions. Either set will run me $99 for shipping. Is it worth $250 to make the jump from 47 inches to 52? That's the kind of question that keeps me up at night. If anyone owns either model, please hit the Comments pronto, and share your thoughts, please.
We already knew this was coming, but now we have actual pics that give a better sense of its scale.
Philips introduced its new Cinema 21:9 TV with a wider-than-wide-screen display at a press event in London. Our favorite blokes at Crave UK were in attendance and snapped a few frames of the "mutant telly."
Head over to Crave UK for a whole gallery of photos, as well as their take on the trouble of a new viewing format. (Alternatively, if you find wide screen worthless, head here.)
