2010 CES

DXG promises sub-$200 3D camcorder

LAS VEGAS--There's really very little to say about the DXG 3DView camcorder because it doesn't seem to exist yet. At least not in any sort of final form.

Outside the camera and camcorder manufacturer's booth at CES 2010 is a small setup of some 3D images being played back on a special screen. I got the impression that they weren't created with a DXG product--current or future--but simply a demonstration of what 3D looks like. Around the corner from this display, though, is this poster advertising the dual-lens 3DView camcorder. (Why the giant ram's … Read more

Avner Ronen on the Boxee Box (podcast)

LAS VEGAS--Boxee is in the business of letting you watch Internet content on your TV. The company has long offered software to make that possible via third-party hardware ranging from Windows PCs to Apple TV boxes, but it now plans to launch its own hardware--the Boxee Box--in partnership with D-Link.

Boxee founder and CEO Avner Ronen has a lot to say about this powerful new trend, including advice for independent producers who can use Internet technology to "get an audience and monetize it."

I spoke with Ronen at the Showstoppers press event at CES.

Subscribe now: … Read more

Nokia talks up business in the developing world

Editor's note: This speech was blogged live, so be sure to scroll down for updates.

LAS VEGAS--Nokia President and CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo is just taking the keynote stage at CES Friday to discuss the company's strategy for reaching the world's developing markets with its products.

Update at 9:15 a.m. PST: Nokia is the world's leader in cell phones. And while the company has struggled over the past year to hold its dominance in the high-end market, it clearly dominates the emerging market with low-cost phones tailored to the millions of customers who live on … Read more

Why the White House is backing away from Net neutrality

Editors' note: This is a guest column. See Larry Downes' bio below.

LAS VEGAS--The Obama administration and its allies at the Federal Communications Commission are retreating from a militant version of Net neutrality regulations first outlined by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski in September.

That's my reading of a number of recent developments, underscored by comments made by government speakers on a panel on the first day of a Tech Policy Summit at CES in Las Vegas.

Genachowski had initially described his vision for the future role of the FCC as a "smart cop on the beat preserving a … Read more

Slate mania grips PC makers

LAS VEGAS--Call them tablets or slates, but companies at CES seem obsessed with showing off the possibilities of PCs stripped of their keyboards and touch pads. These slate devices are essentially handheld screens that do some or most of what your laptop does, but with touch controls and, often, 3G data access.

We've seen several versions this week, in situations ranging from extensive hands-on demos to arms-length sneak peeks of devices that may or may not ever see the light of day. Of course, all of these products are operating under the very long shadow of Apple's still-unannounced tablet. (… Read more

Friday Poll: Most exciting CES happening so far?

This week can more or less be summed up in three words (or should we say three acronyms?)--CES, CES, CES. It's virtually impossible to keep up with the avalanche of announcements rolling out of the gadget blowout in Vegas, and if your head is spinning as much as ours, you'd be hard-pressed to list your standouts just yet.

But what if your pushy Crave editors told you you absolutely had to cite your pick for the most exciting or noteworthy news out of CES 2010 so far (or else Crave would only post Hello Kitty gadget news … Read more

Ford exec talks in-dash car tech (podcast)

Ford Motor made big news at CES this week with its revamped MyFord touch interface to put entertainment and driving controls in reach of the driver with minimum distraction.

The company is putting three LCDs in the instrument panel--two next to the odometer, and another 8-inch screen in the center panel.

A few hours after Ford's CEO Alan Mulally gave his keynote address, Larry Magid sat down with Jim Buczkowski, director of Global Electrical and Electronics Systems Engineering at Ford, to talk about company's recent innovations and plans.

The interview runs 11 minutes 38 seconds.

Subscribe now: iTunes (audio) | … Read more

E-readers' next chapter might not have happy ending

LAS VEGAS--There were e-readers aplenty at the Consumer Electronics Show, but there's substantial doubt if there are enough interested buyers to go around.

Amazon talks up the Kindle as its best-selling product, but even the market leader won't say how many digital readers it has sold. Sony has long had its own readers and Barnes & Noble has jumped into the fray with the Nook. But it hasn't stopped there.

Plenty of other would-be rivals showed up at CES, each hoping to make a name for themselves. But, that could be tough, analysts say.

"Just being … Read more

Touching the LG Rumor Touch

LAS VEGAS--After we got a good look at the LG Lotus Elite, we turned our attention to the LG Rumor Touch, the other phone LG announced at CES.

The Rumor Touch has very little in common with the other Rumor handsets--the previous Rumor phones were rather basic and didn't even have 3G. As the name suggests, the Rumor Touch now has a 3-inch WQVGA touch-screen display in addition to a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a design reminiscent of the LG Xenon.

In our few minutes playing with the phone, we have to admit that the touch screen interface didn't … Read more