CES 2012: Computers and Hardware- Page 9

Samsung brings apps, video conferencing to smart TVs

Forget about the Super Bowl. Samsung is bringing Angry Birds to the TV this year.

Samsung announced at the Consumer Electronics Show today that its flagship smart TVs for this year will allow people to easily move between TV programs and applications.

"It's the first TV to feature an Angry Birds on-demand animated channel, on 2010, 2011 and 2012 Samsung smart TVs, and for free," Samsung Electronics America President Tim Baxter said during the company's press conference in Las Vegas.

The dual-core processor allows for multi-tasking. "Say you're watching a movie on Netflix and … Read more

Samsung touts even smarter TVs and mobile devices (live blog)

LAS VEGAS--Samsung Electronics kicked off its press conference today, as expected, highlighting its smart TV lineup and what the company is calling "Smart Interaction" technology, which gives viewers control over their set by waving, shouting, or otherwise using gestures and voice.

Next up, also as many expected, Samsung unveiled its "ultimate TV," a 55-inch "super" OLED TV. And it went on to showcase new mobile devices, including the Samsung Galaxy Note on AT&T, Galaxy Tab 7.7 on Verizon, and a second-generation Series 9 notebook.

You can replay the entire live blog … Read more

LaCie one-ups itself with dual-drive Thunderbolt storage

LaCie, one of the first companies out of the gate last year with storage using Intel's fast Thunderbolt interface, introduced a dual-drive system called the 2big today at CES.

The 2big can be configured with two drives paired for high performance and capacity (RAID 0) or for high reliability by mirroring (RAID 1). Some people will appreciate fast backups, no doubt, but it seems likely that those willing to spring for Thunderbolt will be more inclined to take the performance route.

In addition, LaCie introduced its eSATA Hub Thunderbolt Series. eSATA is an external version of the usual internal … Read more

Samsung raises design bar with Series 9 laptop (just don't call it an 'ultrabook')

One of last year's most head-turning laptops, the Samsung Series 9, is back, with an even slimmer, sleeker look.

Just one year ago, at CES 2011, the term "ultrabook" was never uttered. Instead, we saw a handful of very thin Windows laptops looking to duplicate the aesthetic and commercial appeal of Apple's MacBook Air, but without the help of a new category name (or R&D fund) from Intel. Of those, the most eye-catching was the Samsung Series 9, a 13-inch thin laptop that had a lightweight duralumin case. At the time, we said it … Read more

Hands-on with the Samsung Series 5 Ultra: Like a Series 9, but affordable

For those who have been craving a more affordable Samsung ultrabook, here's your savior: the Series 5 Ultra.

Last year, the Samsung Series 9 nearly stole the show as one of the must-have laptops at CES, but the thin 13-incher--an ultrabook before the name ultrabook was coined--cost more than a MacBook Air.

This year, the Series 9 survives, in an even sleeker yet still expensive iteration. The Series 5 Ultra, which comes in both 13 and 14-inch varieties, starts at $899. That's the price we've come to expect from a Windows ultrabook, and surprisingly enough, the Series 5 Ultra looks like it hasn't made too many concessions to get there.… Read more