CES - Computers and hardware

Microsoft has been in the software game long enough to know that when you're announcing a release as big as an operating system to millions of itchy-fingered techies, you release it when you say you will and you have the foresight to get your servers in a row.

Yet, the general release of the much-anticipated Windows 7 beta is overdue by hours, Microsoft having first posted the files late, and then pulled them when servers buckled under the traffic. What's left now is a sort-of apologetic, but mostly noncommittal notice that there's no estimated arrival time for … Read more

In a room much too dark to use my iPhone camera to take decent pictures (my main camera's battery died and I could not find a charger) Viewsonic showed off its answer (or perhaps question depending on which began conception first) to Samsung's 22-inch SyncMaster 2233RZ, the 22-inch Viewsonic FuHzion VX2265wm.

Like the Samsung, the FuHzion has a 120Hz refresh rate. This is double what a typical monitor has. The 120Hz refresh rate allows the monitor to display a stereoscopic image. Once you put the "3D" glasses on, games on the screen will appear to have … Read more

It's difficult to make the monitor category exciting, but Samsung continues to try.

The company showed off two new monitors specifically designed as companion monitors for a laptop. The first is the 22-inch LD220, which has a native resolution of 1,920x1,080, a 5ms response time, and a contrast ratio of 1000:1. This display connects to the laptop via USB . The second is the 19-inch LD190X, with a 1366x768 resolution, a 5ms response time, and a 1000:1 contrast ratio. The latter monitor differs in that it connects to the laptop via a wireless antenna.

Each of … Read more

Despite the economic downturn, the Wi-Fi section of the high-tech industry has been doing well.

According to In-Stat and Wi-Fi Alliance, the groups that certify wireless networking devices to ensure their interoperability, Wi-Fi chipsets were sold in a total of 387 million units in 2008, a 26 percent increase from 2007.

This was thanks to the demand by both consumers and businesses for a wide range of Wi-Fi-enabled devices. Almost all new mobile computers now have build-in Wi-Fi and so do most smartphones. The Wi-Fi implementation has branched out to other devices too, such as game consoles or media players. … Read more

Laptop mice are supposed to be smaller than average ones to save space in your bag, but do they have to be so small that only Stuart Little can use one? I'd rather sacrifice a little extra room in my bag for a comfortable mouse, but Jasco offers a peaceful compromise.

The Jasco Convertible Mouse looks similar to other laptop mice; it has a retractable USB cord, contoured buttons, and a small scroll dial, but the real difference is in the top slider that extends out the back to provide extra space for your hand. I tested both sizes … Read more

After finally seeing 3D stereoscopic games in action, I now know what all the excitement is about. Playing a game with the "3D" feature turned on delivers on the promise set up by movies like The Creature From the Black Lagoon 3D. Movies that still to this day disappoint me when I think back to how they were not 3D at all.

Enough about childhood disappointments. This week Samsung announced the SyncMaster 2233RZ, the company's first stereoscopic 3D-compatible monitor. Basically, with the right 3D graphics hardware (Nvidia 8, 9, or 10 series); glasses (the display will be … Read more

A report that Apple is planning a visit to CES next year had eyes rolling Friday morning from Las Vegas to Cupertino.

Cult of Mac reports, citing a source with "friends at Apple," says that Apple is planning to "go large" at CES 2010, now that Macworld is out of the way. The source called it a "done deal," noting that since Apple is really more of a consumer electronics company these days, the Consumer Electronics Show makes more sense.

Too bad nothing else in this report makes sense. Apple has never liked to … Read more

I blogged about ioSafe's Solo external hard drive the other day, and Thursday at CES, I was invited to the company's demo.

The Solo is heavier and bigger than most external hard drives that are based on a single 3.5-inch internal hard drive. Nonetheless, it looks good. The most important thing, however, is the fact that the demo unit survived both water submersion and intense heat.

The demo was done by first copying a few photos (some of myself) onto the Solo. Then the drive was literally thrown into a pool and stay submersed for a few … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Dell trotted out a fashion model to show off the newest addition to its notebook lineup, but beyond explaining the name of Adamo, gave no further details.

Though rumors about Adamo circulated in December, Dell wouldn't confirm its existence. At its press conference here on the second day of CES, the PC maker did that--and only that.

Here's what we know: Adamo is sleek, thin, and black. And it's not a Netbook, meaning there's no Atom processor inside. But which processor is inside, company officials wouldn't say. And it will be for sale at retail locations sometime in the first half of the year.

Dell will say that it focused heavily on the industrial design of the notebook, using top-of-the-line materials. Based on what's outside, we can assume it's at the higher end of the spectrum, performance-wise. "It will have the better capabilities you'd expect," Senior Vice President of Consumer Products Alex Gruzen offered.

Oh, and Adamo is pronounced "A-dahm-o." It means "to fall in love with" in Latin, said Michael Tatelman, vice president of consumer sales and marketing for Dell. "It started off as a project code name and then we fell in love with it too."

But Adamo wasn't the only news of the day. Dell also announced a new Netbook, the Inspiron Mini 10, a 10-inch Netbook that falls right between the Mini 9 and Mini 12. … Read more