CES2012

LAS VEGAS--When Google first showed off Ice Cream Sandwich last year, the company promised that the update would unify the Android experience between tablets and smartphones.

And today at CES, Matias Duarte, Google's director of Android user experience, announced a further step in that direction.

While speaking with editors of The Verge, Duarte announced that Google has developed an Ice Cream Sandwich style guide for device manufactures and developers.

According to Android Developer Blog, the guide will be a place where developers can "learn about principles, building blocks, and patterns for creating world-class Android user interfaces." In … Read more

LAS VEGAS--When CNET reviewed Polk's I-Sonic ES2 almost four years (!) ago, we knocked it for lacking then-cutting-edge features like a CD/DVD player, satellite radio, USB port, and network audio functionality.

Fast-forward to 2012 and the story is the same, but the details have changed, with Polk's recently announced I-Sonic ES3 lacking many of the cutting-edge features we've seen on competing iPhone speakers, such as AirPlay and Bluetooth. Even the USB-looking port on the back, but close inspection reveals it's for service-use only.

Still, the I-Sonic's real claim-to-fame was always performance, not features, which is … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Verisonix's e-Speaker appears to contain technology so advanced it looks like magic. The speaker consists of two flat rectangular objects covered in a black material that are not only really thin and flexible, but emit a crisp sound comparable with larger speakers.

The secret apparently lies with electrets--a sheet of metal that has electrostatic qualities similar to a magnet and serves as the diaphragm. This is unlike a normal electrostatic speaker, which uses graphite as the diaphragm.

The main advantage of this technology is its very low power consumption. How low? As low as 0.1W. … Read more

Most manufacturers have made a marked effort to pare down the number of different Blu-ray player models they make, but not Panasonic.

Panasonic announced six new Blu-ray models at CES 2012, with separate 3D and 2D lines, plus the ultraslim DMP-BBT01. Half of the models also feature Panasonic's new touch pad remote, which might make it easier to navigate online content.

Panasonic's line of 3D Blu-ray players breaks down as follows:… Read more

LAS VEGAS--Humans can be such terrible drivers. We're checking text messages, drinking coffee, and doing needlepoint behind the wheel (yes, I saw that happen!). Advanced driver assistance systems are trying to save us from our folly.

Mobileye creates these high-tech systems. I was able to plug into a simulator at CES to check out the new 5-Series.

The 5-Series handles a lot of the multitasking people are so bad at. It watches for pedestrians, looks out for bicyclists, checks that you're in your lane, and even reads speed limit signs with a front window-mounted camera.… Read more

LAS VEGAS-- If there was one thing I was committed to this morning, it was to seeing the saddest man at CES.

You might remember him from yesterday. He was the unfortunate stage presenter who, on behalf of Sharp's fine televisions, found himself talking only to himself.

No matter how hard he tried -- and he tried -- people kept walking on by toward Samsung, Toshiba or Starbucks.

He even turned his back on the main aisle and vainly talked at those behind him. They kept their backs turned to him.

So this morning I went in search to … Read more

Toshiba is already pushing toward the next phase of ultrabooks--which can be summed up as making the skinny laptops more affordable.

Upcoming ultrabooks from Toshiba will break below the $700 mark, according to Carrie Cowan, a product manager in Toshiba's Digital Products Division. She spoke to CNET on Wednesday on the CES show floor (see video below).

To date, Toshiba's sole ultrabook offering has been the Portege Z830. Though it has been priced on occasion as low as $699 at Best Buy, it is usually listed at $799 or higher.

And Portege laptops are typically listed at even higher prices, as the brand represents Toshiba's upscale offerings.

But this spring Toshiba plans to bring ultrabooks into its most affordable Satellite line. That means prices at $699 and possibly even lower, Cowan said. … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Olloclip, a Kickstarter project in 2011, has come up with an easy way to get some fancy lens effects on your iPhone camera, for a fairly reasonable price.

While the Olloclip wasn't launched here at CES 2012, it's definitely a product to keep an eye on in 2012.

The approach is simple--one piece of equipment, three different lenses for your iPhone 4 or 4S.

Applying the Olloclip and switching between lenses is a breeze, as you will see in the video below, in which Olloclip CEO Patrick O'Neill gives us a rundown of how to … Read more

Verizon goes all in for 4G, the first Android watch is pleasing on the eyes, and Google TV adds cloud gaming from OnLive.

Links from Thursday's episode of Loaded, from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas: