CES - Computers and hardware

LAS VEGAS--Exactly a year ago, Netgear debuted its first Intel Wireless Display-based display device, the Push2TV, which enables consumers to stream whatever is being viewed on a laptop to the TV without the need for cables or wires, via a click of a mouse.

Today the company announced the second generation of the product, the Push2TV HD TV adapter (model PTV2000), which now offers full-HD 1080p video resolution and other improvements, including:

30fps video: Image quality is now improved with full motion video.

Dual-band wireless connectivity: Supports multiple wireless bands to minimize wireless interference.

Extend mode: Users now can browse … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Not exactly new to CES, Acer's inventive Iconia laptop is making another appearance here. Back in November 2010, the dual touch-screen system was shown off in New York, along with a few Acer tablets, but little has been heard of it since.

Walking the line between tablet and laptop, the Iconia has two 14-inch screens, both of which are multitouch-enabled. The bottom screen can display content, a traditional QWERTY keyboard, or a variety of other control surfaces.

When we first saw it (and snagged a demo unit for a hands-on video tour), we said, "Iconia is, at its heart, a Core i5 laptop with familiar specs: up to 4GB of DDR3 RAM, integrated Intel graphics, a hard drive up to 750GB, and Windows 7 Home Premium. Ports are also typical for a high-end laptop: two USB 2.0, one USB 3.0, HDMI, and VGA."

In hands-on use, it seemed fast and responsive, and the onscreen typing function was usable, though awkward at first. It's similar to the Toshiba Libretto W100, which also had a dual touch-screen design, but crammed into two 7-inch screens. On the larger 14-inch screens, it feels much more natural, but as with iPad typing, there's sure to be a learning curve. We haven't spent enough hands-on time with the Iconia to tell if it'll be more than a gimmick, or if it will ever be as easy to use as a traditional keyboard. … Read more

LAS VEGAS--There's one high-end laptop hiding in Acer's CES 2011 lineup, and that's the 18.4-inch Aspire AS8950G. The system packs in Intel's new upper-tier Core i7-2630QM processor, ATI's new Mobility Radeon 6850 graphics processor, 8GB of DDR RAM, and a 750GB hard drive. A Blu-ray drive is also standard, as we'd expect in a high-end multimedia laptop these days.

The company says, "The new Acer Aspire AS8950G is the ultimate portable entertainment center," and it certainly seems well-outfitted for media consumption. The 18.4-inch display has a 1,920x1080 native resolution (exactly what we'd look for in a laptop like this), and the screen's edge-to-edge glass gives it a polished home theater look and feel. Audio isn't left out, either, and the Acer CineSurround sound system includes five built-in speakers and a dedicated subwoofer. … Read more

LAS VEGAS--No matter what new features and performance enhancements get added to new laptops, the primary issue for most buyers is still price. That's why any laptop line announcement needs to include a few budget-minded systems, such as the Acer Aspire 5253.

This 15.6-inch laptop starts at under $500, thanks to AMD's new low-cost E-350 processor, which is a dual-core chip meant to cover the ground between Netbook chips and full-power CPUs. AMD's Vision platform also includes integrated Radeon HD 6310 graphics.

The Aspire 5253 is a pretty standard midprice laptop otherwise, with a 320GB hard … Read more

The new midrange line of Aspire laptops from Acer aim toward "everyday multitasking, digital media enjoyment, and communication," according to the company. The new Aspire 5750, 5750G, and 7750G are among the first to make use of Intel's new second-generation Core series processors--in this case the quad-core i7-2630QM.

Of those, the Aspire 7750G supports up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, plus hard drives as large as 750GB, while the Aspire 5750 models have 4 or 6GB of RAM, and up to 640GB of HDD space. Besides that, the G model of the 5750 includes the new Nvidia GeForce GT 540M GPU, while the non-G version has Intel's revamped integrated HD graphics. The Aspire 7750G goes with AMD for its GPU, with discrete ATI Mobility Radeon HD 6550 or 6650 graphics cards.

The two 15-inch models, the Aspire 5750 and 57050G, both have 1,360x768 resolution screens; the 17.3-inch Aspire 7750G has a 1,600x900 display (although we think a high-end multimedia desktop replacement really should go all the way to 1,920x1,080). … Read more

Editor's note: This live event has concluded. For a brief rundown of what was announced, check out our summary post here. You can also replay our live blog in the Cover It Live module below.

LAS VEGAS--Intel has already shared a few details about its plans for 2011, but will likely get into a lot more detail today during its CES 2011 press conference.

And this is the place to be, live from the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, where several tech companies are holding press events Wednesday. You can get our up-to-the-minute updates in the Cover It Live … Read more

LAS VEGAS -- Advanced users need not apply but Clickfree's backup solutions, such as the Clickfree C2N could be lifesavers for many home/novice users, when it comes to backing up important data. By far, Clickfree has been offering the most easy-to-use backup solutions on the market.

And yet, it gets even easier as the company announced at CES 2011 a new solution called Clickfree Wireless. This new backup drive shares the same principle as the Clickfree C2N: once setup it works autonomously without requiring users' interaction. The difference is, it now works wirelessly, without even being connected to … Read more

LAS VEGAS--One of the problems I've had with most 3D monitors released so far is that they seemed to have had their 3D support shoehorned in.

Seemingly, the monitor manufacturer took a normal 60Hz monitor and simply tacked on 3D support--if that could considered a simple process--and did not develop a monitor with 3D in mind from the ground up.

At CES this week, Nvidia and Acer are attempting to change that perception with the Acer GN245HQ.

The GN245HQ is one of the first monitors to embed the 3D Vision Kit's 3D emitter.

Previously, in order to make … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Nvidia's 3D Vision Kit is the current premiere solution for 3D content on the PC. So far however, the monitors that have supported the technology haven't been impressive beyond their ability to display images at a 120Hz refresh rate.

At CES 2011 this week, Nvidia announced that Acer will soon release a 3D monitor that touts more than just its 3D support as its claim to fame.

According to Nvidia, the Acer HN274H is the first 27-inch monitor for PCs that supports stereoscopic 3D and includes a built-in 3D emitter.

Previously, in order to make use … Read more