touchscreen

Fujifilm continues to grow its selection of cameras that use its Super CCD EXR sensor technology, which makes sense since the sensors actually perform very well. And with a 5x zoom compact camera, a full-size 14x megazoom, and two 10x compact megazoom models available, it also makes sense to add an ultracompact in the mix.

The 12-megapixel F700EXR features an internal periscopic Fujinon lens with a 5x zoom. All of the manufacturer's latest shooting features are included, like Face Recognition, Pet Detection (yes, it optimizes focus on the faces of dogs and cats), tagging of photos and movies for … Read more

There is no joy in Jet-ville, as Scott aptly demonstrates. Sure, he's still wearing his Jets jersey and hat, but a brave face can't hide the pain. Of course, he points out that he'd still rather attend a game in-person (even int he cheap seats), than watch it in HD 3D at home.

We also delve deep on the latest Apple tablet rumors, going over operating systems, network connections, and even the perfect tablet price. Check back Wednesday to see how accurate our guesses were.

Related links: >>Can 3D ESPN replace going to the game? &… Read more

Most of the talk recently has been about Apple's looming event on January 27, where it's been widely reported that the company will unveil a tablet PC of some undetermined size. Whether this device is a game-changer along the lines of the original iPod or iPhone remains to be seen, but lost in the shuffle is the possibility that Amazon's breakthrough e-reader, the Kindle, may be on the verge of an upgrade.

To be clear, I don't have any inside information or anonymous sources telling me that Amazon's bought thousands of parts from some Taiwanese manufacturer. But let's speculate for a moment on the possibilities for a new Kindle and what it might look like.

For starters, the Kindle 2 (now called the Kindle, U.S. and international wireless, latest edition), was launched on February 9 of last year. That's relevant because in recent years Amazon has been doing its best to imitate Apple, and Apple tends to be fairly regimented in rolling out updates to its major products. For instance, new iPods tend to be announced in the fall, and new iPhones have been released in June.

You could argue that while Kindle has had upgrades to its wireless service (Amazon added an international option by moving from Sprint to AT&T) over the year--and the Kindle DX was released in May of 2009--the Kindle, now approaching a year old, is due for a bigger refresh in February, especially if Apple's slate proves to be the e-reader on steroids that many are positing it will. (As has been widely discussed, the potential big strike against the Apple tablet could be price. If it ends up being in $750-$1000 range, that's rather expensive for someone looking for a device you plan on primarily using as an e-reader).

In the last couple of days, Amazon has also made a few announcements pointing to the possibility that a new device is coming. In describing the terms of its new higher 70 percent royalty for authors using its Digital Text Platform for publishing content in the Kindle Store, Amazon said that it was planning on adding new features to both the store and the Kindle.

The next day it followed up with an announcement that it was releasing a new software development kit (SDK) so developers could create new apps for the Kindle. In its release, the company referred to the new apps being tested on the simulators for the current 6-inch Kindle and Kindle DX, but it's debatable how suitable the current Kindles are for running apps, particularly when you factor in the lag times of E-ink.

The release also has a quote from an EA Games executive talking about developing games for the Kindle platform.… Read more

It appears the touch technology in Apple's iPhone has a decent leg-up on the competition. Recently a number of other touch-enabled mobile devices have surfaced (Droid and Nexus One), and like the iPhone have a large front screen to accept gesture input. While each has been touted as having "touch" technology, and all have been sold on features such as the network, operating system, and app availability, the interface in the devices have not been given much attention.… Read more

It's pretty safe to say that people like to share their photos either in person or online. The Slice is designed to improve the sharing experience with several features, including 2GB of internal memory.

The 14-megapixel camera is pure point-and-shoot, and is designed around a 3.5-inch touch-screen display and an internal 5x zoom lens with stabilization. It can record 720p HD-quality movies at 30fps, too.

Kodak has beefed up in-camera tagging options and paired it with a search system that lets you quickly sort by person, place, event, or date. Plus, the Share button that's a staple … Read more

With all the hype around Apple's still-mythical tablet, it's easy to forget that HP has been making a 12-inch consumer tablet for several years.

In fact, the product that started life as the HP tx1000, and is now called the TouchSmart tm2, is one of the only convertible tablet laptops aimed at mainstream entertainment consumers; most tablets are intended for medical, educational, or other specialized markets.

While convertible tablet laptops, which have screens that rotate 180 degrees to fold down over their keyboards, have never been a mainstream product, there's a certain appeal to using the multitouch … Read more

Traffic Rush is a fun, fast-paced, cartoony arcade game in which you must direct traffic at a busy four-way intersection--much like other "traffic control" games. The touch interface is easy and natural, with you swiping vehicles to speed them up or tapping them to temporarily stop them. You have to choreograph a colorful collection of trucks, motorcycles, and various passenger cars, all with different speeds (and sound effects), and the number of vehicles--and, inevitably, close calls--increases as the game progresses. Your game ends when you fail to avert a crash, and you're given your score, average vehicle … Read more

With all the crystal-ball-watching over the seemingly imminent Apple tablet, one issue hotly debated around the CNET offices, but infrequently mentioned elsewhere, is the hypothetical device's status as a mobile computer.

There are two schools of thought on this: either the Apple tablet (or iSlate, or whatever it ends up being called) will be a 10-or-so-inch tablet PC with a full Mac OS X operating system; or it will merely be a larger-screen version of the current iPod Touch, which has a closed, limited phone-like OS.

The former would mean it could very likely run any software you'd run on a MacBook, from Firefox to Photoshop, and maybe even install Windows 7 via Boot Camp or Parallels. The later points to a hermetically sealed ecosystem, where apps would have to be approved and sold through an official app store (as in iTunes). … Read more

It's been years since the concept of a digital convergence was seriously debated. Today, it's rare to see a single-function electronic device.

Digital still cameras can record video, and camcorders can take still photos. Even cheap cell phones include cameras. There are Web browsers in cell phones, cameras, televisions, and digital picture frames. In fact, it seems like it's only a matter of time before everything with a battery or power cord will be connected to the Internet.

So it's a little startling to see a new gizmo that does nothing but display text, especially when … Read more