CES - Computers and hardware

LAS VEGAS--Owners of Seagate's GoFlex TV: I have some exciting news.

Seagate announced today new firmware for the popular network media player to add support for Pandora and a remote control app for the iPhone/iPod Touch.

While the addition of Pandora is great news for music fans, I personally loved the remote control app after briefly playing with it .

Once loaded, the app turns the iPhone's screen into buttons similar to those of the GoFlex TV's original remote control and you can use the phone to control the player via Wi-Fi.

However, unlike the original remote, … Read more

With the teaser of the next version of Windows earlier today at CES, Microsoft rather surprisingly unveiled version 2.0 of Surface--the multi-touch, table-size computer the company introduced to the public back in early 2007.

Version 2.0 of the Surface is thinner, more accurate to touch, and can be put in places the previous one couldn't. And unlike the first one, this one might actually end up inside the homes of consumers instead of being relegated to retailers, hotel lobbies, and museums.

But there are some big unknowns--several of which Microsoft says should be addressed at tonight's … Read more

Consumer electronics company E Fun is bumping up its lineup of Android tablets.

Appearing at CES this week, E Fun will be demoing its new Next4, Next5, and Next6 tablets, all with built-in Wi-Fi and access to the Borders e-book store.

Running Android 2.2, the 10.1-inch Next4 will retail for $349.99, while the Android 2.1-equipped 7-inch Next6 will cost consumers $269.99. Both models include 2GB of memory, an SD card slot, a viewer for MP3 files and photos, built-in speakers, 25 pre-loaded books, and a G-sensor accelerometer that reacts when you tilt and move the … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Now here's a new idea...how about a tablet that runs on Windows instead of Android? Samsung's newly announced Sliding PC 7 is a funky hybrid touch-screen device with its own slide-out keyboard. It's a revamp on the idea of a Netbook, and an attempt to finally make a Windows tablet work a little bit better.

The 10.1-inch mini-laptop has a striking design, and has a multitouch screen so it can operate in both tablet and Netbook-esque format.

Specs are Netbook-esque: an Intel Atom Z670 CPU, 2GB DDR2 RAM, 32 or 64GB SSD drive, and … Read more

LAS VEGAS--We already knew a few of Samsung's product announcements for CES 2011, but the company held some of the more interesting stuff back for this afternoon's press conference.

Adopting the style of a fast-moving Demo conference, Samsung busily showed off a few dozen new products over about 40 minutes, starting with a Wi-Fi-only version of its Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet that will be available early this year.

Also getting time on the big stage was the Samsung Infuse 4G, which will be one of the first smartphones in the U.S. to tout Samsung's next-generation Super … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Sure, you love using your laptop when it's on your lap. I mean, that's what it's designed for, but when you take your laptop to your desk, you don't have quite the same experience as using a full-fledged desktop PC.

Depending on the height of the desk, the laptop keyboard can be awkward to use, and don't get me started on that fickle touch pad.

Today Samsung announced a potential solution, called Central Station; it's a monitor/hub that can wirelessly connect your laptop to all your desktop devices.

Here's how it … Read more

LAS VEGAS--For the past few years, PC enthusiasts have had few options when choosing a stereoscopic 3D-capable monitor. For the most part, if you were exposed to any 3D content on the PC, it was Nvidia's 3D Vision Kit that facilitated that exposure. Today, there's a new player in town.

On Wednesday, Samsung announced a new line of 3D monitors using its own proprietary 3D technology, eschewing Nvidia's. Samsung's SA950 and SA750 are the first monitors to take advantage of this tech.

Each monitor includes a unique aesthetic design, especially in the case of the SA950, … Read more

LAS VEGAS--In the last year or so, the Samsung PX2370 and XL2370 have set the world afire in the LED monitor space, and Samsung is not content to rest on its laurels.

Today the company announced two new slim LED monitors to follow up the X2370 line. The Samsung 550 and 350 are the new LED kids on the block and as you can see, they're both downright gorgeous.

The 550 is the more high-end solution, whereas the 350 will be offered as a lower-end LED monitor.

These LED-based monitors continue Samsung's attention to aesthetic design and functionality, … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Intel CEO Paul Otellini said its newest processor, dubbed Sandy Bridge, will generate one-third of total corporate revenue as the chipmaker pushes "processor graphics" as the new PC standard.

"Sandy Bridge will represent over one-third of Intel's corporate revenues this year. And will generate over $125 billion of revenue for the PC industry. This is a huge, huge product," said Otellini speaking at the roll out of its 2nd Generation Intel Core processor family.

And this new family of processors is enough of a change from previous products to justify those numbers, according to … Read more