ces

ZTE gets more love from the carriers

LAS VEGAS -- When the head of ZTE's North American business, Lixin Cheng, approached the U.S. carriers about building smartphones more than two years ago, he was met with skepticism.

During Cheng's meetings here at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, the carrier executives have told him: "Show me more."

It's indicative of the tremendous strides that ZTE has made in its relationships with the carriers, even as its brand continues to fly under the radar for consumers. After toiling in relative anonymity for the last two years building low-end and mass-market smartphones, the … Read more

Doggie's AWOL? Fire up this tracker app

LAS VEGAS--No need go into freak-out mode next time your favorite animal goes astray. Tracker Technologies is offering a handy locator solution with its MSP340 pet tracker.

We've seen other trackers before, such as Tagg, but this collar-based tracker, also known as the tbpt Tracker, works with an Android app that the company is showing off at CES 2013.

You attach the waterproof GPS/GSM collar to your pooch, and then forget about it.

If Rover bolts from the yard, activate the free app to figure out where he is.

Using the map function on the app, you can … Read more

Soft headphones meant for sleeping go wireless

LAS VEGAS--As their name suggests, SleepPhones (tagline: "pajamas for your ears") are designed for those who want to lie down while listening to music with a pair of headphones. Traditional headphones or earphones tend to get in the way or feel uncomfortable, especially when you rest on your side.

The current version of the SleepPhones, released in 2007, is essentially a pair of earphones hidden within a soft fleece headband. Most people will probably wear it like a hairband, though I can see the product being used as an eye mask for sleeping on a plane. Over the years, the material and speakers have been improved, but the cord remains. This limitation somehow doesn't give as much freedom in terms of head movement, and you have to keep the player close by. … Read more

Best of CES 2013: Razer Edge

LAS VEGAS--It's clear that computers, and tablets, are evolving. In a show full of some very big ideas, the Razer Edge gaming tablet takes the concept of tablet PCs championed by Windows 8 and devices like the Microsoft Surface and applies them to gaming. In doing so, it succeeds in showing us where tablets, computing, and even entertainment will be heading very soon. That's why it won Best of Show this year, and why it compelled us to award it as the best in its category. The Edge is evolutionary computing, but in a product that is very real, with little that's left to proprietary question marks.

The Edge went head-to-head with fellow gaming tablet nominee, the Nvidia Shield. The Shield got a splashy CES press conference unveiling and got many of us talking about the future of tablets and gaming. We were thrilled, in the middle of this conversation, to spend time with the Razer Edge and discover that this device offers a lot of what the Shield promises -- a gaming tablet with an attachable game pad that offers a variety of streaming and media features -- as soon as February. … Read more

Ion Scratch 2 Go turns you into DJ Suction Cups

LAS VEGAS--Achieving DJing glory on the iPad is possible thanks to some pretty nifty apps out there, but there's always been something missing from the experience. A cold flat screen just can't replicate the dynamism and quirks of real knobs and records. Ion Audio is taking a shot at putting the feel back into tablet DJing with a set of tactile controls.

A demo unit of Scratch 2 Go is on the show floor at CES 2013. It consists of a slider control, two round discs for scratching control, and two banks of three knobs each for all the fine tuning. They hang onto the screen thanks to what Ion describes as "industrial suction cups."

The suction cups feel pretty solid. Pull them up and look below to see what makes this tick. Underneath, the spinners have what looks like the tip of a touch-screen stylus. It's nothing fancy, but it works.… Read more

Golden-i headset could change the way people save lives

LAS VEGAS--Verizon's booth at CES 2013 isn't just a hotbed for the latest smartphones and tablets. The company is also showing off a compelling headset dubbed Golden-i.

Why is it so compelling? It is designed to give police officers, firefighters, and paramedics access to a cloud-based software interface loaded with tools tied to their professions.

The lightweight headset, developed by Kopin and Ikanos Consulting, offers a plethora of tech (such as a 1.2GHz dual-core processor) for the wearer that essentially acts as a powerful hands-free computer. The device contains a 14-megapixel camera, GPS, gesture control, speech recognition, and a micro display at the end of the headset stalk that simulates a 15-inch screen. A microSD port allows the user to record images or video during use.… Read more

Wearable tech takes CES 2013 by storm

Thursday's CNET Update from CES 2013:

As the 2013 International CES begins to wind down, here's a look at the rise of wearable tech on display at the show:

- The Pebble Watch raised $10 million on Kickstarter for its smart watch. The Pebble syncs to Android phones and iPhones, and will display incoming messages and caller information. Users can also program it to send custom alerts. The e-ink style LCD display makes it easy to see in bright sunlight, and you can change up the way you want the time to display, such as having it written … Read more

Bye-bye blemishes? Luna mini vows to clean your face better

LAS VEGAS--Foreo touts its Luna mini as the first facial-cleansing device to combine sonic pulsations with silicone brushes.

Honestly, from the shape of the device, I'd never have guessed it was a gadget for cleaning the face. But according to the manufacturer, it is six times more effective than washing by hand and can help prevent acne and other blemishes.

Here's how it works. Applying the Luna mini to your face sends up to 14,000 sonic pulsations per minute beneath the skin. This is said to effectively unclog dirt, oil, or makeup residue from pores. It apparently … Read more

Runtastic offers suite of training apps to get you in shape

LAS VEGAS--A finalist in the Mobile Apps Showdown here at CES, Runtastic offers a suite of training apps designed to improve your fitness in several different areas. The newest apps in the suite focus on running, push-ups, pull-ups, and squats -- arguably the most important full-body, calisthenic exercises in popular use. However, Runtastic does have other downloads available for activities like biking and hiking. To get started, you must create an account or sign in with Facebook.

The flagship Runtastic app is focused on running, and lets you plan routes, track times and calories, and do so much more. As … Read more

Three things I saw at CES that I'd actually buy

LAS VEGAS--So I've pretty much wrapped up my visit to CES 2013, and you know what? I enjoyed it. Most of my fellow bloggers and journalists will tell you it's a crowded, noisy, soul-sucking waste of time with nothing good to see, but I discovered some pretty cool stuff this week.

Stuff I'd actually buy, in fact. And as most of you well know, it takes a lot for me to unshackle my credit card from my wallet. Here are three things I saw at CES that I'm looking forward to owning:… Read more