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Intel describes its 'Y' chips ambitions for tablets

LAS VEGAS--Intel is trying to move its chips from below the keyboard to behind the glass.

In other words, more emphasis on the tablet half of the equation.

Behind the glass: "We believe...detachables are fundamentally different," Adam King, Intel's director of notebook marketing, said in an interview with CNET, referring to laptop designs with displays that can be removed from the base to become standalone tablets.

"The point of differentiation is that the processor is...behind the glass," he said.

"Detachables we think of as a tablet first. Because when you take it … Read more

What mattered on CES Day 2

Alright folks, we're into the business end of CES now, but still the hot products keep on coming. With so much to choose from, I've had problems squeezing everything into this roundup, but here's what stood out at the second official day of the show.

After more than 68,000 people sunk a total of $10 million into the project, it's safe to say there is lot of interest in Pebble's new watch. With an e-ink style display and the ability to change watch faces as often as you like, it's a lot cooler … Read more

Dell Windows 8 tablet now starts at $499

LAS VEGAS--The Latitude 10 tablet, which runs the full version of Windows 8, now starts at $499, Dell said today.

Dell claims it's the "first full-featured, enterprise-ready Windows 8 tablet experience at a price below $500."

True or not, it's clear that, so far, the Windows 8 tablets out there have not been cheap compared to some of their Windows RT and Android rivals.

Specs include 32-bit Windows 8, a dual-core Intel Atom 1.8GHz Z2760 processor, 10.1" IPS (1,366x768) LCD, Corning Gorilla Glass, Capacitive 10 Finger Touch, 2GB SDRAM, and 32GB of … Read more

Hands-on with Onkyo's sweet new $149 ES-FC300 headphones

LAS VEGAS--It seems as if almost every audio company is getting into the headphone market, so it's not surprising Onkyo has gotten into the game with two on-ear and two in-ear models.

I spent a little time with the two on-ear pairs, the ES-FC300 ($149) and ES-HF300 ($179). The difference between the two is the cord -- the FC300 has a tangle-resistant flat cable while the more expensive HF300 features an "audiophile-grade" 6N copper cable.

I liked the understated look of the headphones and found them pretty comfortable to wear. They're fairly lightweight but don't … Read more

ChargeDr lets you charge your tablet from a laptop USB port

LAS VEGAS--Want to charge your tablet while traveling? Hope you brought along a power brick, because a simple sync cable won't do the trick. That's because most laptop USB ports don't put out enough power for a tablet's big battery -- which is why you typically see a "Not Charging" message when you plug an iPad into a laptop.

The Digital Innovations ChargeDr promises to boost the power output of both laptop USB ports and wall adapters. Car chargers, too. The result: tablets can charge up to four times faster, phones up to two … Read more

CNET explores tech that is an extension of you

Reading your smartphone without needing to look at it. Playing video games with your eyes. Pouring beer using your mind.

These were some of the technologies showcased during CNET's "The Next Interface: You" panel today. CNET editors Lindsey Turrentine and Brian Cooley led a discussion about how humans will interact with devices that use people's bodies instead of traditional input devices.

The discussion included the people behind some of the superstars of this new area of technology -- Fitbit CEO James Park, Nest founder and VP of engineering Matt Rogers, and Leap Motion Founder and CEO … Read more

Plextor M5 Pro SSD goes Xtreme

LAS VEGAS--Plextor just added a touch of "extreme" to its existing M5 Pro solid-state drive.

The storage vendor demoed the M5 Pro Xtreme SSD at CES 2013, as a replacement for the M5 Pro that was released just five months ago. The new drive is on the same lines as the previous model, from the housing to the available capacities, which are 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB.

The only thing that's different, which is also the most important thing, is the performance. The new drive now offers, for the first time among consumer-grade SSDs, random read and write … Read more

Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme makes performance affordable

Fans of the Plextor M5 Pro, prepare to fall in love again! Showcased at CES 2013, its successor, the Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme, is not just faster, it also costs slightly less.

Other than the fact there's no included USB-SATA adapter, which very few SSDs come with, the new M5 Pro Xtreme has nothing else for me to complain about.

If you're looking to replace your computer's existing main storage device, be it a hard drive or a budget SSD, the Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme is an excellent buy, ranking near the top among the best internal drives to date.… Read more

Luminae glass keyboard: From vaporware to reality

LAS VEGAS--When the Luminae glass keyboard project concluded its campaign on Kickstarter in early 2012, it was pretty much just a glimmer in its creator's eye, more an idea than a product. That didn't stop it from nearly tripling its funding goal. Move ahead to CES 2013 and the Luminae from TransluSense is very much a real thing, and it's a thing of beauty.

A light pipe, infrared LEDs, and visible LEDs feed signals into the artfully curved glass. Three cameras look upward from below and see when your fingers break the light pattern. That's how it recognizes what you're doing on the glass. A smaller trackpad version will also be available.

So what's the purpose of a glass keyboard, especially one that costs $500? For starters, you'll never have to shake, toothpick, or vacuum crumbs out from under your keys ever again. Ultimately, the real answer is that it just plain looks awesome.… Read more