2012

Lexar announced a 1000X-rated CompactFlash memory card line today that the company guarantees can keep pace with professional-quality video recording.

The 1X speed from days of yore meant 150KBps, and the new line of 1000X cards reaches sustained read speeds of 150MB per second. Write speeds are a smidgen slower--966X, or 145MBps--but still enough to keep up with the Video Performance Guarantee (VPG-20) "to enable professional-quality video capture at high frame rates with no dropped frames," the company said.

The cards are priced for professionals, too, with retail prices of $169.99 for 16GB, $299.99 for 32GB, $… Read more

JBL and Infinity, both brands of Harman International, will show aftermarket amps and speakers to enhance car audio.

JBL detailed its GTO series of amps in a press release, highlighting the amps ease of installation. The amps come with RCA-to-bare-wire adapters along with a CD to explain installation.

Once installed, the audio output can be fine-tuned. JBL fits the amps with color-coded knobs and LEDs to tell an amateur installer when the configuration is optimized.

The amps range from 640- to 1,935-watt maximum power output, and include multichannel and mono blocks among the GTO range. Prices run from $199.… Read more

Have a peek at AKG's two new pairs of noise-canceling headphones, the $349.95 K 495 NC and $249.95 K 490 NC.

AKG is highlighting that these both are on-ear models that fold flat and have built-in rechargeable batteries that charge via USB. Unlike a lot of noise-canceling models, including those from Bose, these can play sound when the battery dies or if you simply want to turn off the active noise cancellation.

The marketing line on the higher-end K 495 NCs is that they "deliver high-quality audio defined by a clarity of sound across all ranges, from crisp highs to deep lows." They feature brushed-metal parts, leather earcups, and an adjustable leather headband, and ship with a small carrying case, two audio cables, a USB charging adapter, and a flight adapter.… Read more

The Fujifilm X-Pro1 mirrorless camera is just the most notable of a slew of cameras that Wells Fargo kindly preannounced for those suffering from CES anticipation.

According to the story (which photorumors.com spotted last night) the camera will use a new 16-megapixel APS-C EXR sensor, cost about $800, and initially ship at the same time as three prime lenses: 18mm f2 (27mm equivalent), 35mm f1.4, and 60mm f2.4.

It will also feature an updated version of the X100's hybrid viewfinder.

I'll have real coverage of it next week. Stay tuned.

Google is tapping Santa Clara, Calif.-based Marvell to power its new TV, which will debut next week at CES.

Marvell's ARMADA 1500 HD Media System-on-a-Chip (SoC) has been designed into the next generation of Google TVs debuting at CES 2012, the chip supplier said Thursday. That chip is based on a design from U.K.-based ARM.

"Marvell and Google have teamed up to...[transform] the TV into the command center for our connected lifestyle," Marvell co-founder Weili Dai said in a statement.

The two companies have collaborated on software and chip technologies to grow the … Read more

Following a CES preview event last month, Broadcom today announced its first family of 802.11ac (also known as 5G Wi-Fi) chips, designed for a broad range of product segments.

The chipmaker says the new IEEE 802.11ac chips are three times faster and up to six times more efficient than equivalent existing 802.11n (known as Wi-Fi) solutions. This makes 5G Wi-Fi a major step up from the existing and popular 802.11a/b/g/n wireless solutions.

According to Broadcom, its 5G Wi-Fi chips will dramatically improve wireless range and data rates, allowing consumers to watch HD video, and transfer large amounts of data to and from more devices, in more places at once.

The fact that the chips make it possible to transmit a much larger amount of data than 802.11n devices in the same amount of time means that 5G Wi-Fi devices can enter low-power mode faster and more frequently, resulting in significant reductions in power consumption.… Read more

So how important is a back-facing camera to the overall tablet experience? Acer seems poised to have that question answered with the announcement of the Acer Iconia Tab A200.

Acer refers to the A200 as a full-featured tablet and for the most part, that is indeed the case. It sports a 10.1-inch screen, with a 1,280x800 resolution, plays 1080p video, and comes packed with Honeycomb 3.2.

Also, in mid-February you'll be able to upgrade to Android 4.0 via a free Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade. We assume this'll be an over-the-air update, but Acer didn'… Read more

Logitech cast aside all of our expectations for traditional mice with its new Cube design.

Gone are contoured molding and mechanical buttons, replaced in the Cube with a rectangular design and touch-sensitivity. The touch panel acts as the main mousing interface, enabled by what Logitech calls its Flow Scroll software.

Lift the mouse off your work surface and the Cube becomes a presentation device. Logitech doesn't mention a laser pointer in the Cube (perhaps in the Cube 2?), but it will at least let you click to advance through a slide deck.

If it doesn't have a laser … Read more

Your mobile device screens aren't large enough! At least, that's what Samsung thinks. On Wednesday it announced three new lines of monitors, which wirelessly connect to both your tablet and smartphone and allows you to control them from the displays' 27-inch screens.

A smarter, less 'Central'-ized station? In 2011 Samsung introduced Central Station, its wireless monitor docking station for laptops. Given the novelty of the tech, I couldn't help but be impressed with it, but definitely saw room for improvement. Compatibility with tablets and smartphones however, wasn't exactly what I had in mind. But, maybe … Read more