ces 2012

Synology adds TV recording and more to its NAS with DSM 4.1 operating system

After more than a month in beta state, Synology's final latest version, version 4.1, of the DiskStation Manager operating system for its NAS server, was released today.

Synology is one of a few NAS vendors that regularly releases new versions of the operating system, which improves and adds features to its existing NAS servers. DSM has been by far the most advanced operating system for network-attached storage servers, which offers not just a vast amount of features and ease of use, but also the most robust user interface that resembles a native operating system. Like all NAS operating systems, DSM is accessed via a Web interface using a connected computer.

DSM is one of the main reasons Synology NAS servers, such as the DS1511+, or the DS412+, have been the best on the market, for both home and small business environments.… Read more

World's saddest TV pitchman loses his marketing department

Regular readers -- at least those with a heart -- might remember the saddest man at this year's CES.

He was selling Sharp's televisions. No one was listening. And now I hear of more woes that might impact his performance next year.

For AdAge is reporting that Sharp has eliminated its whole marketing department. Entirely.

There were reportedly 12 people in Sharp's marketing. Now they have been entirely blunted.

Sharp's PR agency offered this commentary to AdAge:

The functions of (Sharp's) Marketing and Communications Department will now be contained within its individual business units. These … Read more

Synology's DiskStation Manager 4.1 OS goes beta

Synology announced today that version 4.1 of its DiskStation Manager (DSM) operating system (firmware) for DiskStation NAS servers, such as the DS1511+ or the DS712+, is now in beta state. This means the final update will be available in a month or so.

DSM has been one of the main reasons why Synology NAS servers are the best among network-attached storage devices, thanks to its vast amount of features and robust and easy-to-use interface.

The new version offers some major additional features to the already feature-rich OS, including a Video Station and mobile apps for Windows Phone 7. The … Read more

Computex booth babe: Exhibitors want us to show more skin

An exhibition of electronic products surely wouldn't be the same without an exhibition of local models, students, and other women who would like to earn a little money in exchange for smiling a lot.

If you can't get a comely woman to hold your new tablet and thrust it at potential customers, then how on earth are you going to sell it?

It seems, though, that -- despite this week's kerfuffle featuring a sad sexist tweet from Asus -- booth babes will not be disappearing anywhere soon.

Indeed, reports from this week's Computex exhibition in Taiwan … Read more

The most anticipated laptops of 2012: Where are they now?

We're more than a quarter of the way through 2012 (believe it or not), so it's time to ask: where are those hot laptops we saw back at CES?

The good news is, looking back at the products we saw back then, is that a surprising number of them weren't vaporware. Even better, a great number of them have already made their debut and have been reviewed on CNET. … Read more

After quality misfire, Dropcam begins selling new HD camera

Dropcam founder and CEO Greg Duffy argues passionately that cloud is creating huge opportunities for startups to build hardware, just as his company does.

He's also learning first hand just how hard that can be.

This morning the company began taking general orders for its newest cloud-based home-monitoring camera -- about two months behind schedule. The setback stemmed from a good problem (big customer demand) and a painful one (sloppy manufacturing by the factory in China).

And so Duffy and his team have spent the last few months scrambling to figure out why the image quality wasn't up … Read more

HP's glass-covered HP Envy 14 Spectre available for pre-order, ships February 17

The HP Envy 14 Spectre, our Best of CES category winner in the Computers and Hardware category, is now available to pre-order on HP's Web site.

This unique-looking system caught our eye thanks to sheets of Corning Gorilla Glass covering both sides of the lid, plus additional glass over the entire wrist rest and touch pad.

At CES, we said of the 14-inch system: "Compared to thin 13-inch ultrabooks and laptops like the MacBook Air, the Envy 14 Spectre is no lightweight. The 20mm-thick, 14-inch ultrabook fits within the size guidelines for the newer class of 14-inch ultrabooks … Read more

Sorry Kinect, we've already tried motion control in laptops and it flopped

A handful of prototype laptops spotted at CES with Microsoft's Kinect hardware built in are currently generating some serious buzz.

Originally a hardware add-on for the Xbox 360 game console, the Kinect has the potential to be built into a lot of devices, at least those that run Windows. Enterprising hobbyists have already hacked it to work on PCs, and the next step is to take the bulky oversize Webcam hardware and shrink it down so it fits inside a laptop, with no external hardware required.

The Daily originally pointed out these prototypes, and described them as follows: "The devices, which at first glance appear to be Asus Netbooks running Windows 8, feature an array of small sensors stretching over the top of the screen where the Webcam would normally be. At the bottom of the display is a set of what appear to be LEDs."

My colleague Scott Stein was aptly dubious:… Read more

Get hands-on with 2012's coolest systems in our Laptop Talk Show

It's not every year that laptops take center stage (or even close to it) at CES. But in 2012, a combination of ultrabook hype and inventive product designs combined to make portable computers the most interesting category of the show.

A few weeks back, during CES, we shot the second version of what we're now calling the Laptop Talk Show. The show was streamed live online, and shot in front of a live audience, but has not been made available for on-demand viewing until now. This year's version features myself, Scott Stein, and Molly Wood going over … Read more