3d

The entire consumer-electronics world will be focused on Las Vegas this week as the 2013 International CES kicks off in Las Vegas. Today is about major press conferences from the industry's leading companies, but tomorrow, the eyes of the industry will be on the opening keynote address from incoming Panasonic President Kazuhiro Tsuga, who will follow brief remarks on the state of the industry by CEA President and CEO Gary Shapiro. The event starts at 8:30 a.m. PT (11:30 a.m. ET) on Tuesday, January 8, and CNET will be there covering it live. We'll … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Now 3D Systems is getting serious.

Along with the new midrange Cube, 3D Systems has also introduced a new, higher-end desktop 3D printer, the CubeX, with technical specs that puts it in direct competition with MakerBot's Replicator 2 and forthcoming dual-color Replicator 2X 3D printers.

Starting at $2,499, the CubeX boasts a 10.8x10.45x9.5-inch build area, dwarfing that of MakerBot's Replicator 2 (11.2x6x6.1 inches). And while you will soon be able to purchase a two-color capable Replicator 2X from MakerBot, 3D Systems will offer the CubeX in both two- and three-color options.… Read more

LAS VEGAS--With an updated Cube 3D printer, announced this morning, 3D Systems has demonstrated its commitment to improving the ease-of-use for consumer 3D printing.

The new Cube might look familiar if you recall the company's original model, announced at last year's CES. The new version is available in a few new colors now, but it otherwise largely looks the same. The biggest functional change on its exterior comes to the build plate.

Whereas before the Cube's build plate was a heated piece of metal, the new build plate is glass, and is unheated. Traditionally, you heat the … Read more

LAS VEGAS--The E series is Vizio's mainstream line of TVs for 2013, with myriad size and feature levels, but one feature shared among most of them is Smart TV.

The smallest Vizio Smart TV in 2013 will be the 24-inch E241i; I can't think of a smaller TV with built-in streaming and other Smart TV features. It and most of its larger E series brethren will use the same suite of apps and streaming services found on models like the E3201-A0, a TV I called "the strongest value we've seen yet among 32-inch TVs." I … Read more

LAS VEGAS -- There are bazillion different types of iPhone cases out here, and a company here wants to help people make their very own right from their iPhone.

Sculpteo, who is presenting at CES Unveiled, is in the 3D printing business and has a product that lets people design and create an iPhone case that captures 3D depth from photos they've taken.

On display here are a number of options, from cutouts of people's silhouettes, to the faux stitched Apple logo seen above. The company says it can even tweak the texture to give objects a soft, … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Home theater evokes wall-shaking action films, but in the real world sometimes you can't watch your Blu-rays like you're actually at the movies.

The two higher-end models in LG's new 2013 Blu-ray lineup, the BP530 and BP730, have an interesting feature called "private sound mode" designed for those moments when you can't crank your system. Using an app on your smartphone, private sound mode lets you listen to the audio from your Blu-ray player, creating essentially a DIY wireless headphone solution. And while that may not exactly be a "breakout" feature, … Read more

Screensavers have long outworn their welcome, but some people still refuse to live without them. If you wouldn't dream of having a blank black screen when your computer is idle, Solar System - Earth 3D Screensaver is for you. It shows you our planet in all of its glory.

The goofy early-'90s sci-fi music this application features is a weird choice, but it doesn't totally detract from the screensaver. As for the image, it's a cool spinning Earth that is actually fun to watch. It isn't the most accurate view of Earth you'll ever … Read more

The LP was invented in 1948, and judging by the sales surge over the past few years, LPs won't be going away anytime soon. Amanda Ghassaei's "3D Printed Record" project demonstrated vinyl's continuing relevance in the 21st century. Years ago when I saw an early demonstration of 3D printing, I knew the technology would eventually lead to printing LPs, but now it's a little closer to becoming a reality. First, however, there are major sound-quality issues to overcome with 3D printed LPs (though they can play tunes with fidelity that's far below MP3 … Read more

Sweet Home 3D for Mac is an interior design application that lets you lay out your furniture (or even your house). Sweet Home 3D for Mac is a free download and installs easily.

Sweet Home 3D for Mac lets you arrange and rearrange furniture in a framework house so you can get the optimum layout. You start using Sweet Home 3D for Mac by laying out the dimensions of your room, floor, or house. The more accurately this is done the better, as a few inches can make a huge difference in layout potential. After that, you can grab images … Read more