Get ready to be very jealous, folks. Susi's showing off some of the Samsung phones that only are available in Asia at the moment. If high quality mobile TV and 10 megapixel cameras float your boat, this is one for you...
It's not often we feature Dresser Wayne, who are "an industry pioneer for the retail fueling industry". But we're about to rectify that. They've got together with Microsoft to produce a gas pump which has the ability to stream music and videos to anything Wifi enabled, such as Windows Automotive products. You'll be charged at the pump, along with the cost of your fuel. And having spent the entire Christmas period in a car with just one CD, I can assure you, this is no small thing. What's more, because the pump is Wifi enabled, it'll also be able to provide realtime traffic and weather reports, displayed on its 10" touchscreen.
Kat 'gonzo journalism' Hannaford is back with more CES madness, this time the mysterious Simpsons phones from Samsung. If you want one, start harassing those in the know now. They'll only go on sale if the demand is there.
You should know when looking at this photo, that I am no basketball player, scraping in at about 5' 3" in the mornings (I shrink during the day). Still there's no denying that this is a big screen. However, don't panic. Sharp can still claim to have the largest LCD, as this is rear projection screen. This makes it slightly more cumbersome, at 40" in depth, but still comes fully suped up with 1080p HD and 10,000:1 contrast ratio. But never mind that, we really just wanted to show you the ridiculous size of it. Unless you've got the spare $50,000?
Here's a very dark and mysterious looking Susi at the Samsung stand at CES showing off the new MP3 players that were announced on Sunday.
The LG shine phone is quite lovely, really. Can't help thinking it would be better if that 'e' was a 'y', though...
Channel 4 is the worst culprit of volume fraud in existence. And by volume fraud, I mean the thing when the volume gets really really loud between programmes, as if deafening you makes you more likely to buy the freaking shampoo (not being American, I've never used the word freaking. But I like it. Expect more). But Channel 4 may have met its match.
Anyway, Dolby have cracked the volume issue, not only between programmes, but between channels and between different sources (DVD, TV, console etc) and announced it today. It's only the first stage - they now need to convince manufacturers to put it in their televisions, but hey, it's a freaking start.
Susi's got yet more news from Philips (how long were they at the stand for?) with this vid showcasing a swish new wireless HDMI unit that'll mean no more messy cables from TV to DVD etc when it (hopefully) launches in the UK at the end of the year.
At the beginning of this video, Susi says what she's showing you is "the future of Philips, maybe even the future of the world." If that doesn't encourage you to watch, I don't know what will..
They say diamonds are a girl's best friend, and that's definitely the case here. Susi's been drooling over Philips' special diamond studded ambilight television. Sadly, this one's not for retail, but perhaps that's a good thing. The only way we'd afford it is if we were very, very lucky on the tables at one of the many casinos were constantly skiving off at definitely not visiting whilst here in Vegas.
Although this isn't completely new, it is a pretty good piece of kit, so I thought it might be worth bringing it to you fine people's attention. The idea is that you use this piece of hardware to connect to two different USB devices to transfer files between them. So, you can transfer your songs from your iPod to your friends Samsung player (very much like the Zune is touting), or digital camera photos between cameras. The manufacturers quote 80 seconds per album which is pretty fast, thanks to the USB 2.0.
Even though most of us dislike shooting videos at the best of times, there's an instance occasionallywhen you wish youhad been the one showing the gadget off instead. After watching the rather homoerotic video of Tech Digest's Stu riding the Giddyup, and feeling very, very scared, I can't help but think it should've been Susi, Gemma, or even myself in the video instead. Simply to avoid the embarassment you'll feel after watching the video below. The Giddyup comes from a company called Sunpentown, and will be available in the US late January 2007 for $599. It not only works your abs, but also your back and legs, and if you've had one too many Jaffa Cakes, you can alter the speed to have a harder workout. Well, it, erm, sure looks like a hard workout, cough.
Send a fashion girl around a tech event and this is what happens. Laptop bags and bunnies. Still, after all the iPhone madness, you need a bit of light relief. Those Olsen twins get everywhere, don't they? I thought at least at CES I'd be safe, but no, Mary-Kate and Ashley have bought out a range of laptop bags and convertible notebook sleeves aimed at the tween / young teen market (do kids take laptop's to school now?) and they were on show this morning. They're pretty standard fare, in camo canvas with pink linings (everything has pink linings now), and will be available from February. Apparenly MK&A is the most popular girls' brand in the US, but the slightly older range from the same people - Lola - might be more suitable for anyone over the age of 15. It was also on show in quilting, tweed, sparkly brown floral and various other girly prints and colourways, and also hits the shops in Feb. Here's a little peek at the line. [Gemma]
Roving reporter Stuart, of Tech Digest infamy, interviewed Nokia this morning on their reaction to the iPhone announcement. They don't regard it as a threat apparently, preferring to see it as a kind of 'kick up the arse' to keep Nokia designing good phones. They are also pleased to see someone else preach the convergence message.
It wasn't all glowing praise though, Nseries Computers Pekka Pohjakallio, also had this to say: "They had music, internet, an email deal with Yahoo and a deal with Google, but it is a 2G device, not 3G, which was a surprise to me," he says. "And it's coming first to the US market with Cingular, so let's see. But overall, it's very exciting for us."
For the full interview, check out Tech Digest.
Honda unveiled their newest Asimo robot at CES today, and he showed off some sweet moves, including running the length of the stage, running in circles, dancing, playing football and going up and down stairs. Here's four videos showing it.
First up, Sporty Asimo. A bit like a spice girl, but slightly more realistic. He can play football, run like an athlete (a slow one), and even run in circles - which is apparently something of a holy grail in the robot world.
Stuart from Tech Digest is expecting his first child soon (yep, it's a miracle! A man with a womb!), so got quite excited when he spied the new Hasbro/Creative MP3 players for babies. They've teamed up to create a line of prototype products called Playskool. They're standard-looking baby toys, except with an MP3 player made by Creative that slots into the back, allowing you to fill your baby's ears with sweet, sweet music. Or the very apt Cradle Of Filth, obviously. They had several styles on display, which can all play for up to two hours, and are DRM-compatible. Unfortunately they're only at the prototype stage, but representatives assured us they're expected to go on sale in the US and Europe in Autumn, costing well under $50.
With the other Shiny's off covering the big stuff, I'm left to find the cute, weird and wonderful items that are being unveiled here at CES. Popabrella is the perfect example. Your eyes do not deceive you, this really is a mini brolly to protect your camera from rain and glaring sunlight. It might seem a bit ridiculous at first but it's already won invention awards and the CES stand was packed with people vying for a look. Think of all those pictures ruined with rain spots...they may be a thing of the past. Plus people will stare at you in wonder, which is always good (trust me, I'm the girl with the pink sparkly laptop). It comes in two designs, the Popabrella for your run of the mill point-and-click jobbies, and the PRObrella for serious DSLR users, priced at $19.95 and $29.95 respectively (plus a hefty postage fee). [Gemma]
This isn't breaking news, but I couldn't resist a picture. I think the CES hysteria may have finally set in. Let loose (again! they're idiots!) in the small halls this morning, I found some light relief at the Nabaztag stand. If you thought the legendary wi-fi bunny couldn't get any more twee, just take a look at these little cuties. If I didn't want one of these before, I definitely do now. I also want a pink bedroom with grass and flowers, if my housemates are reading. As we've mentioned before, the second generation rabbit comes complete with a new body part - a bellybutton - that allows him to listen to commands and record voices so you can send voice messages (apparently, his ears are busy doing other things). Pre-order one now on the suitably sweet 'nabaztore' now. [Gemma]
Whilst our intrepid crew take a well deserved cocktail breather, lets take a look at the latest new from CES as of early afternoon Tuesday (UK time).
Rhinestones, rhinestones everywhere
Sling switch-reverse it with the SlingCatcher
Samsungs' Simpsons themed mobile
Novelty USB flash drives (yep, the Sushi's back)
The pot pourri phone from iLuv
Boynq girlified computer peripherals
R2D2 mobile entertainment system
We've been blogging and shooting videos for what feels like weeks, so we thought it time to give you a rundown of the Top 10 CES 2007 vids so far. Drumroll please...
1. Is it a robot? Is it a hamster? Is it both? Really, it's anything you want it to be.
2. More robots, this time Star Wars-themed. R2D2 will do anything media for you, but he really doesn't want to see that Paris Hilton video again. Please.
From: Apple bans drunk driving apps on iOS devices, sanity wins out