ces 2013

How Samsung might actually get featuritis under control

Editor's note: This article was originally published January 9 during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. It was updated March 15 with information about the Galaxy S4.

Samsung has a serious case of featuritis, but it's trying to get better.

The Korean electronics giant has long been known for its push to include more and more features in its products, whether it's new capabilities like NFC in smartphones or software like smart TV apps. Samsung uses such features as a way to differentiate its new gadgets from those of rivals and from its older products, and … Read more

Crave giveaway: Big bag of CES 2013 swag, the sequel

Congrats to Brent P. of Brookfield, Mass., for winning last week's prize, a bag of swag collected by CNET staffers on the CES 2013 show floor. And now, for part 2 of our awesome-stuff-from-CES giveaway...

This week's winner also gets a bag of swag. But not just any bag, a Powerbag Instant Messenger bag. The bag contains a built-in removable, rechargeable 6,000mAh battery system for charging smartphones, e-readers, and many tablets. When it's time to recharge the Powerbag, just connect the included AC adapter and plug it into a wall outlet. I know lots of roving … Read more

Yes, LG will continue to make cheap plasma TVs

LG's 2013 plasma lineup is smaller than last year's, but the company is still making the non-LCD TVs. In addition to the sole top-end plasma, the 60-inch 60PH6700, there will be a pair of step-down series that lack Smart TV and 3D. As usual pricing was not announced, but these are bound to be among the least expensive televisions in their respective classes.

One will encompass two sizes, the 50-inch 50PN6500 and the 60-inch 60PN6500. Its main features are 1080p resolution and a new "Hair Line" bezel, which we assume means a thinner frame around the … Read more

Is this 3D-printed robot the first of thousands?

I love the one-upmanship going on in the word of 3D printing.

At CES 2013 I saw 3D-printed skateboards, flowers, and gear assemblies, and meanwhile there are now plans to print everything from body parts to buildings. So printing robots was only a matter of time.

InMoov is a full-size humanoid robot made from 3D-printed parts. Designed and built by Gael Langevin of Factices Ateliers in France, InMoov began last year as a hand, then an arm. It's now two arms and a head. … Read more

Microsoft blazes trail to next PC

PC makers take note. Microsoft is pioneering the next PC.

Surface Pro makes a good case as the template for the new PC for a couple of simple reasons: Microsoft put the device's electronics behind the glass, not under the keyboard, and the device uses a real processor.

Let's address the electronics first. Most of the newfangled laptops I saw at CES were convertibles. That is, the displays are not detachable because the core electronics are under the keyboard, just like your father's laptop.

And most of them were unimpressive. The mechanics necessary to flip and/or … Read more

Crave Ep. 105: How to clip your nails in space

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This week on Crave, we're back from CES with a look at some of the wackier stuff we spotted at the show. Then, Canadian astronaut Christopher Hadfield gives us a highly important grooming lesson on the safest way to clip our nails in outer space, and the Hal 9000 computer replica from ThinkGeek refuses to cooperate. … Read more

Rumor Has It: Bringing back souvenirs from CES 2013

We come at you live from CES 2013, where we saw so many TVs our eyes started bleeding. Kind of.

The week was a blur, but through the rubble we recall images of giant televisions, curved screens, a fork that vibrates, an awesome gaming tablet that Karyne wishes she owned 100 of, and blackjack tables. So many blackjack tables.

Thanks for watching!

Heard a tech rumor you think we should cover? Leave a comment below; ; send us a tweet (@EmilyDreyfuss, @karynelevy, and @CNETRumorShow); or call and leave us a voice mail at 1-800-750-CNET. … Read more

Crave giveaway: Laptop bag packed with CES 2013 swag

Last year, readers liked our CES swag giveaway so much that we're doing one again this year -- in a big way. CNET staffers collected so many great goodies at CES 2013 that we have enough freebies for two separate giveaways.

This week's winner will score, among other prizes, an itty-bitty 1GB NewKube Kube MP3 player; a Moshi VersaCover hard-shell case with foldable cover and stand for the iPad Mini; and a Twig bendable docking cable for the iPhone and iPod.

From Casio, there's a flash drive that can be worn as a bracelet, and another little flash drive from Pepcom. Then there's a much-abridged version of "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley. It was automatically shortened using a language heuristics engine from Stremor, maker of the TLDR (too long; didn't read) content-condensing plug-in for Chrome.

Oh, and did we mention the "Always On" and "Apple Byte" stickers signed, respectively, by hosts Molly Wood and Brian Tong? It all comes in a sturdy SwissGear CheckPoint-friendly computer backpack from Wenger. Woot. … Read more

This is the year Huawei smartphones break through

Huawei could not have asked for a better CES.

With best-selling heavyweights like Samsung, HTC, Morotola, and Nokia all but invisible from the show, the usually second-tier Huawei became a top dog when it announced two high-end Android phones -- the Ascend Mate and Ascend D2 -- and its first Windows Phone 8 device.

A relative unknown in the U.S, Huawei vowed two years ago to become a top-five vendor in three years. With one year left for it to achieve its own prophecy, things are finally looking good.

Better phones at last Back in August, I opined that … Read more