ces 2010

Hands-on with the Boxee Box

When Boxee announced its first hardware product in December 2009, details were pretty scarce. But the company is using the Consumer Electronics Show to provide a more complete picture of the Boxee Box.

To recap what we already know: the funky Box is a media player that can play a wide variety of local media files, as well as a large and growing array of online content. Local files can be accessed via the SD slot or USB ports, and the list of compatible files is comprehensive: … Read more

Hands-on Slacker Radio for BlackBerry 3.0 beta

At November's CTIA show in San Diego, Slacker outlined a plan for its music-streaming Slacker Radio apps for BlackBerry, Android, and iPhone. A few months later and several cities over, my colleague, Jasmine France, takes you through a hands-on look at Slacker's embellishments to its iPhone app (caching!) from CES in Las Vegas. In the meantime, I've been tooling around the most recent beta version of Slacker Radio for BlackBerry 3.0.

At CTIA, Slacker told us that version 3.0 of its BlackBerry app would soon be able to sync cached stations over the air, through … Read more

Netgear debuts first Wi-Fi Direct device

UPDATED on January 11 at 12:30 PST: Though based on the final Wi-Fi Direct specification, the Push2TV is not yet certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance group, which is the owner of the Wi-Fi Direct designation and plans to start the certification program for Wi-Fi Direct later this year.

LAS VEGAS--Remember the time you needed to hook up your laptop to an external screen, be it a monitor or a TV, and had to fumble around with cables, ports, and the laptop's keyboard? Now, you won't have to do that anymore.

Netgear, in collaboration with Intel, unveiled Thursday … Read more

Slacker announces caching for the iPhone

Oh, I'm sorry...I can't hear you over the deafening chorus of angels singing "Hallelujah!" Yes, it's true: the iPhone and the iPod Touch are one step closer to subscription music and I'm pleased as punch about it. Slacker, which released an app for the devices earlier this year, is about to roll out an update that will allow for caching and over-the-air refreshing of stations.

While the new capability isn't a huge deal for the iPhone, it's a big win for iPod Touch owners because it means you won't need … Read more

The 404 Podcast 493: Where we pulled the plug on the Microsoft keynote

LAS VEGAS--Our good buddy Clayton Morris from "Fox and Friends" joins us live onstage at CES 2010 to chat about this year's ongoing trends in technology. But before we get to all of that, we feign responsibility for the power outage at Wednesday's Microsoft keynote address. Just kidding, guys; please divert your hate mail elsewhere.

The first half of the show is all about emerging tech at this year's CES: we quickly touch upon the growing popularity of 3D visuals and their place in the home, and Clayton fears the day that he finds his parents sitting on the couch staring at the TV through huge glasses. Jeff dishes his usual plate of hate on 3D (not to mention Project Natal and iPhone gaming), and we have to quickly move on before he blows a gasket.

The next story is about another fallen child at the hands of 4Chan, but the story is admittedly kind of funny. YouTuber Lukeywes1234 was just another kid expressing his love for Super Mario Bros. and Harry Potter through a series of YouTube videos; that is, until 4Chan got word and innocently subscribed to his videos...by the thousands.

For the rest of that story and more on the latest e-readers and an appearance by the Google Nexus One, be sure to check out today's episode of CNET's The 404 Podcast and come back tomorrow for our final show from the CNET stage at CES 2010!

EPISODE 493 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Samsung announces large-format LED displays

LAS VEGAS--As Samsung and other vendors continue their CES-LED onslaught, not even giant Large Format Displays (LFD) are safe, as the company announced what it claims is the first LFD displays to incorporate LED Backlight Unit (BLU) technology.

The Samsung Syncmaster LED LFD 460EX, 460EXn, 550EX, and 550EXn are new LFDs with LED backlight tech. According to Samsung, the LED LFD series is Samsung's thinnest, lightest, and most energy-efficient professional LCD display in the 46-inch- and 55-inch-screen class to date. They will measure a small 1.6 inches deep and will boast a purported 43 percent weight savings over … Read more

ViewSonic rolls in with four new monitors

LAS VEGAS--ViewSonic rolled into CES this year with no less than four new LCD computer monitors.

On Thursday, ViewSonic announced the 24-inch VX2450wm-LED and 22-inch VX2250wm-LED, both of which have a resolution of 1,920x1,080. Each monitor also includes integrated stereo speakers, SRS Premium Sound technology, and DVI and VGA inputs.

The VX2450wm-LED and VX2250wm-LED monitors will be available in April for the respective suggested retail prices of $299 and $219.

Also announced was the VX39 Series LCD, available in 22-inch, 24-inch, and 27-inch screen sizes. The VX39 Series has a 1,920x1,080 resolution; a 2ms response time; … Read more

OtterBox delivers new Palm Pre case

If you're a Palm Pre owner looking for some serious protection for your smartphone, you're in luck: OtterBox has announced its Tandem Series, a new case line designed for slider phones with the first model offering "flagship protection" for the Pre.

Building a case for a slider like the Pre is tricky. According to OtterBox, the Tandem Series provides two custom fit polycarbonate shells with overmolding and an adhesive screen to shield against scratches.

"Overmolding is an injection molding process that combines two materials into one interconnected component," says Curt Richardson, OtterBox's CEO. &… Read more

Intel's Wireless Display technology connects PCs and TVs

Update: Intel's Wireless Display technology has been nominated for the Best of CES Awards in the Computers and Hardware category.

LAS VEGAS--While many media consumers have connected laptops, desktops, and small form factor PCs to their large plasma and LCD monitors for years, these setups typically required either a direct video connection or the use of clunky media extender boxes, with limited functionality and file format compatibility.

Intel aims to radically change this equation with its new Wireless Display technology, also known as "WiDi."

The process involves taking a WiDi-enabled laptop with one of Intel's new … Read more