CES 2012: Must See Products- Page 3

Aurasma debuts 3D augmented reality at CES

LAS VEGAS--Initially launched in July of last year, Aurasma, the augmented reality platform for Android and iOS, has just gone 3D. And did we mention it's a top-10 finalist in this year's Mobile Apps Showdown at CES?

If you're not familiar with Aurasma, it's a bit like a QR code reader that doesn't actually use any QR codes. See, with Aurasma, you simply have to point your device's camera at something, and if the app's image recognition technology fires, then a 3D pop-up will appear. You can watch the pop-up as-is, overlayed on … Read more

Nokia lures photographers with new Lumia 900

Nokia used the Consumer Electronics Show to hold a coming-out party for its new phone: the Lumia 900.

It's based on the Windows Phone platform, will use AT&T's 4G LTE network, and boasts a 4.3-inch AMOLED screen that's designed for rich media experiences, the company said at a launch event today in Las Vegas. (By comparison, the Apple iPhone's screen size is 3.5 inches.)

But the company's announcement wasn't as far-reaching or as detailed as some customers might have hoped: there's no word yet on on the Lumia 900'… Read more

Waterproof tablet drops into AT&T this month

LAS VEGAS--Finally, a Honeycomb tablet for the hot tub.

The Pantech Element, announced during AT&T's CES 2012 press conference, is a waterproof tablet running Android 3.2. The tablet is due out on January 22, priced at $299 with a two-year contract.

The device uses an 8-inch screen, with a 1.5GHz dual-core snapdragon processor running behind it. All of the Android tablet standard features are present, such as front- and rear-facing cameras (2 megapixels and 5 megapixels, respectively), microSD memory expansion, Micro-HDMI output, and a Micro-USB transfer connection.

To keep these ports from fizzling out underwater, … Read more

Samsung brings voice, gesture control to TVs

LAS VEGAS--Now that gesture you make to your TV might actually elicit a response from the boob tube itself.

Today at CES, Samsung has announced that certain of its high-end TVs will include new Smart Interaction technology, which allows control over the set by waving, shouting, or otherwise using gestures and voice.

Think of Smart Interaction as Microsoft's Kinect built into the TV, without the games. The feature depends on a camera and microphone sandwiched into the bezel along the top of the screen, powered by voice and gesture recognition software developed, the company told CNET, internally by Samsung … Read more

MakerBot Replicator 3D printer beams in

LAS VEGAS--It was only a matter of time before a 3D printer manufacturer latched on to "Star Trek's" famous make-anything device.

Expanding its product portfolio, MakerBot Industries today unveils the MakerBot Replicator, one of, if not the, first with the ability to print objects made from two different colors.

The Replicator starts at $1,799 for a model with a single extruder, and $1,999 for the dual-extruder attachment, which allows for two-color-printing (or Dualstrusion, according to MakerBot Industries).… Read more

Netgear Media Storage router makes Apple Time Capsule so last year

LAS VEGAS - Apple Time Capsule, Netgear is about to open a can of "so yester-year" on you!

The networking vendor announced today at CES 2012 its totally new Media Storage Router (model WNDR4700), a major upgrade to the previous version, the WNDR4500, which was the company's top-tier home router for 2010.

At a glance, the new WNDR4700's features seem similar enough to its predecessor. The new router integrates storage functionality that offers consumers backup, storage, streaming and wireless networking solution in a single package. … Read more

Sharp shows 8K resolution prototype TV

LAS VEGAS--LG and Toshiba have already shown HDTVs with twice the resolution of 1080p, aka "4K," but Sharp is going one better by showing its prototype 85-inch, 8K television at CES 2012.

Here's the company's press information:

Sharp is also developing its "Super High-Vision" 8K displays. These fully immersive units offer dramatically higher resolution than any current HDTV televisions with an astounding 7,680 pixels of horizontal resolution. Unique LCD panel and proprietary high-vision video content driving technologies position Sharp to realize direct-view LCD high-vision for the mass-market in the near future, further cementing … Read more

Victorinox Swiss Army SSD: Storage for the jackpot winner

LAS VEGAS--If you've won at the casinos here and wonder how to spend your jackpot, I have a suggestion.

It's the Swiss Army solid-state drive (SSD) that Victorinox, the maker of Swiss Army branded products, unveiled today at CES 2012.

This is a tiny portable storage device about the size of the small-size popular Swiss Army tool set. In fact, the storage part can be pulled out and collapsed into its case just like you can do with a Swiss Army knife.

Victorinox claims that the Swiss Army SSD has a few unique attributes, including being the word'… Read more

Thunderbolt storage now gets bus-powered with Elgato

LAS VEGAS--Mobile Mac users now can finally say goodbye to their USB or FireWire portable drives.

Elgato showed off today at CES 2012 the first bus-powered Thunderbolt drive, the Elgato Thunderbolt SSD.

While bus-powered--a feature that allows storage devices to draw power directly from the peripheral port, negating the need for a separate power adapter--has been widely popular with USB portable drives, it has been a challenge for the Thunderbolt connection. The Thunderbolt port is slated to offer up to 10 volts of power, but because parts and pieces of the Thunderbolt interface, such as the cable itself, require energy … Read more