ces 2013

Among the throng of startups heading to the 2013 International CES next month will be one that's trying to crack through all the noise by stinking up the joint. Literally.

This is the goal of Charlene Coleman, the founder and CEO of Sensory Acumen, a bootstrapped venture from Orinda, Calif., that's spent the last three years working on a device, called GameSkunk, that spews all sorts of scents at people as they play video games. At least that's the hope.

"We thought this would take games to another level," said Coleman, who's now working … Read more

You won't have to bend over backward to see Samsung's latest effort in flexible smartphone screens.

Samsung Display, a spinoff from Samsung Electronics, will show off a pair of bendable screens at CES that could one day appear in a radically new smartphone or TV design, according to company representatives.

Attendees will get to see a 5.5-inch flexible screen intended for smartphone use, with a 1,280x720-pixel HD resolution and a 267 pixel density. In addition, the team will also show off a television-size 55-inch screen.

A flexible display offers design freedom, Samsung Display told CNET, noting … Read more

It's been called the Internet of Things, the connected future, the post-PC and even, in our minds, the post-mobile world: however you want to refer to it, the trend toward ubiquitously connected devices and people is inescapable and poised to change everything about the consumer electronics world.

At CNET, we're calling it the post-mobile future: mapping the next frontier of consumer electronics. Because let's be blunt: consumer electronics has been kind of a boring world for the past couple of years. It seems like all we talk about is smartphones and tablets, tablets and smartphones. Last year'… Read more

Monitors made some quiet strides in 2012. From the ramping up of extreme definition, 27-inch displays, to the proliferation of touch screens, monitor shoppers have never had such high-quality and varied choices.

Next month at CES 2013, I expect more of the same, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. CES will likely bring more refinements and baby-step evolution as opposed to a complete technological revolution.

Wider aspect ratios Earlier this year, Dell, LG, and Phillips announced new 29-inch, 21:9 aspect ratio monitors with native resolutions of 2,560x1,080 pixels. These displays are geared toward graphic artists … Read more

CES is almost here, but it's important to keep in mind that the biggest consolidated electronics show of the year is often a mixed indicator of the year's actual tech trends. Case in point: consider CES 2010, where "big" products included smartbooks and Cell TVs, but the major wave of Android phones and the iPad were nowhere to be found.

With that in mind, let's look at CES 2012's Best Of awards winners and see where they are now that the year's about to come to a close. Were they Editors' Choice winners? … Read more

This will be my 13th CES. Fewer than many, more than some. It's a grueling marathon of press conferences, swarming crowds, and endless lines.

When it comes to TV tech, David's take on what we'll see in Vegas is spot-on. I'm going to go one better, though. I'm going predict with stunning, remarkable, mind-blowing accuracy, exactly what we'll see at the show of shows.… Read more

It's been an exciting -- and busy -- year for networking and storage, two very important categories in consumer electronics. Important because they are at the core of information technology -- without either, most or all of your gadgets will come to a grinding halt. And as far as I know, we haven't yet seen the limit of what they can do.

That said, here is a quick roundup of the current state of this sector and what we can expect, based on my educated guesses, heading into CES 2013.

802.11ac This year will be remembered … Read more

In the year 2020, your car may recognize you when you get in, and immediately adjust the seat and mirrors to your preferences. At the same time, it could bring up your calendar on a screen, and automatically program your destination based on your next appointment. As passengers get in, each would have access to his own audio zone and be able to connect his smartphone and tablet to the car's own Wi-Fi hot spot.

Those are some of the technology promises built into automotive supplier Visteon's e-Bee concept car. The car, based on a Nissan Leaf electric vehicle, … Read more

If it feels like you've already gotten a full helping of new laptop, desktop, and tablet PC news very recently, you're right. That's because Microsoft's new Windows 8 operating system launched at the end of October, and with it, dozens of new and updated computers from every major PC maker.

While it's great that we've seen so many new systems, including inventive hybrids and convertibles, very recently, it also means there may not be much left for CES 2013, especially compared with last year's ultrabook-heavy lineup. That said, there are still some major … Read more