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CES 2011: Samsung Announces 9 Series Laptops!

Posted 1/10/11 6:34 pm EST by in CES, Tech


The name of the game is portability and Samsung’s new 9 series “ultra-this and light” netbooks look like they are going to be right at the front of the pack. Weighing in under 3 lbs these Windows 7 PCs are encased in a light-weight material known as duralumin. This is first time the aircraft-grade aluminum alloy has been used to cover a laptop and not only is it light, it looks freakin’ awesome.

The 9 Series sports Intel’s new Sandy Bridge Core i5 processor, a 128GB solid-state hard drive, a Micro SD card slot, mini HDMI out and a 13.3” SuperBright Plus LED screen that is said to be 40% brighter than standard laptops. At just over .5" thick, It’s a pretty slick little computer; the ports and such on the sides are hidden from view and actually flip down to keep with the netbook’s stylish appearance. One side sports USB 2.0, a headphone jack and the Micro SD slot. On the other side you’ll find a USB 3.0 slot and the mini HDMI out. Sadly, just like most other netbooks, the 9 Series won’t come equipped with a disk drive.

There were three models on display at Samsung‘s CES 2011 booth, including the aforementioned 13.3”, an 11.6” and a model that looked to be about 6-7” diagonally. Unfortunately, the folks here in the good ole’ US of A will probably only get the 13.3”, although they did say that could change. They wouldn’t come off an exact price for the new 13” netbook, but we should be seeing them in the retail space in February of 2011!

Stay tuned to MTV Geek! for more CES 2011 coverage!

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CES 2011: BoomPhones May Change Headphones Forever!

Posted 1/10/11 4:09 pm EST by in CES, Tech


Boomphones aren't your typical over-ear headphones. Yes, they'll plug into your iPhone and slam beats against your eardrums just like any other set and they provide a microphone so we can answer our phone calls. However, they have one feature that makes them stand out. When we don’t feel like locking ourselves away in a personal music experience we can tap a button on the outside of the set, instantly transforming them into a portable boom box!

The new headphones look great, coming in a bunch of color schemes, and it’s simply a great idea. Riding our bike or skating down that busy sidewalk with headphones on can get pretty sketchy, with the external speakers we can listen to music and answer phone calls, and still hear the world around us. They probably won’t get any random parties started, but they’d be well suited for that hot cocoa break after a long day on the slopes.

The headphones have three modes; a passive mode that doesn’t use any battery power, a bass boost mode that provides a much more full-bodied sound, and the boom box mode that turns on the external speakers. You’ll get about 10 hours of constant play with the bass boost, and 4-6 hours in boom box mode. The headphones are rechargeable via mini USB so you thankfully won’t have to buy any batteries.

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CES 2011: Orbotix Sphero Hits The Ground Rolling!

Posted 1/10/11 1:32 pm EST by in CES, Tech


A few months back we talked about a new augmented reality game that Orbotix would be showing off at CES this year. A few days ago, on the CES 2011 floor, we got a chance to play with a prototype of this smartphone/Bluetooth controlled device, and we were pleasantly surprised.

The Sphero is baseball-sized ball that geeks worldwide can control with their Android, Windows Phone 7 and iOS devices, or any Bluetooth enabled PC. We got to try it out using an iPad for a few minutes, unfortunately we didn’t play any games, only the standard driving app was available at the time. (It was the end of the day and the phones with games on them needed a charge) There is definitely a lot of potential for different games and the open API will let anyone who has the free time develop one.

So far, developers have been pretty creative with apps, there is even one on the way designed specifically for cats. The app requires you to be connected to the internet, when Sphero A (the one in your home) is pushed around by your cat, Sphero B (the one at your friend’s house) mimics the movements seemingly moving by itself and confusing cat B to no end. This will go on both ways and basically has two cats unknowingly playing with a ball together… except they are alone! That’s just one example; there are Sphero apps for us humans too! We can play a tag style game in which, for example, one Sphero is lit up green with the other red, when the Spheros run into each other the colors switch. You’re it! No tag backs!

While the prototypes on the show floor were constructed of plastic, the production model will be made of elastomer (the stuff your toothbrush is made from) to help with impact resistance. However, Orbotix says it should be treated like a smartphone; don’t roll it down the stairs. It will come with an induction charging system (that sadly wasn't on display) and should be available for the 2011 holiday season under $100. If you head over to GoSphero.com you can reserve your very own right now!

Stay tuned to MTV Geek! for more CES 2011 coverage!

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CES 2011: Greensound's Luxury Speakers Are Glass!

Posted 1/10/11 11:44 am EST by in CES, Tech


If you’re looking for some ultra-classy and insanely expensive speakers the Greensound Technology booth was the place you should have been at CES 2011. Their floor standing speakers provide 360 degrees of listening pleasure, and they are constructed almost entirely out of glass!

The sound is delivered from the base of the speakers and then resonates through the surface of the upright glass. You’ll hear lows at the bottom, mids in the middle and highs at the top, and they really do sound good. There are three different sets each coming with a glass subwoofer and two free-standing glass speakers. The Serac speakers and Bravura subwoofer combo is largest set and reserved for mansion and luxury yacht owners. The next step down is the Floe Vela set which seems like its being aimed at hotels and upscale offices. Finally, there is the Floe Lux line up; these are being marketed toward the younger generation as a “cost efficient” model.

They didn’t really want to talk about price at the booth, however we did find out that just one of the largest Serac speakers costs $8,000. The other sets are said to cost less but, you can bet they are still overly expensive -- they are made of glass after all. Read More...

CES 2011: Ford Introduces a Fully-Electric Focus!

Posted 1/10/11 9:00 am EST by in CES, Tech


In a keynote at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show, Ford CEO Alan Mulally announced the automaker's first fully-electric vehicle. The cleverly named Ford Focus Electric comes complete with an at-home charging station and its very own smartphone app.

The new 5-door hatchback, zero-emission car's 3 hour charge time is half that of the Nissan Leaf's. Driver's can get a full charge on their electric wheels before their lunch break and regenerative braking will allow careful drivers to regain up to 94% of the power wasted when slowing down from the mind-boggling top speed of 84 miles per hour.

To get the most out of the on-board power supply Focus Electric will come equipped with a fully customizable Smartgauge that will do things like coach and score drivers on regenerative braking and show the car's remaining range and charge surplus. It will also provide navigation, hands-free calling and entertainment.

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CES 2011: Lady Gaga & Polaroid Announce New Camera Sunglasses!

Posted 1/7/11 12:31 pm EST by in CES, Tech


Last year at CES Polaroid surprised the tech-savvy crowd with news that Lady Gaga, of all people, would be taking the reins as Creative Director. This year, fans of the entertainer and the tech geek elite were finally introduced to the first products stemming from the "Grey Label" collaboration.

Surprisingly, the presentation started with the reveal of a pair of sunglasses. Known as GL20s, they sport a camera capable of both still image and video capture. To take it a Gaga-style step further, two small screens were shoved behind each lens so we can show off our POV video and images. The recorded images and videos are stored on one of the arms, which is actually a detachable USB drive!

Following the sunglasses announcement, Lady Gaga went on to tell us a little bit about her role as Creative Director at Polaroid. According to her she was asked, "Gaga, what is the camera of the future?" She then held up her phone for the crowd to see and said "This is, this is the camera of the future. I have tons of fans, I have arena shows every night with 20,000 little lights flashing at me as they take pictures on their cellphones the entire show. So I said, how can we bring the cell phone into Polaroid? How can we create something that's digital that almost never gets printed, into something that is instant?" This led to the introduction of a new mobile Bluetooth printer, the GL10, capable of spitting out images taken with our phones in under 50 seconds using Zink (Zero-Ink) technology! The printer, weighing in at a mere 15oz, will launch with an Android app while iPhone, Blackberry and Windows Phone 7 apps are currently in development. Read More...

CES 2011: Panasonic Announces Three Viera Tablets!

Posted 1/7/11 9:40 am EST by in CES, Tech


We knew going in to this year's CES we would be surrounded by tablets, after all they are pretty cool. However, we really weren't expecting Panasonic to get on the slate wagon, but they have.

The new Android based tablets will hit shelves in three different sizes; 4", 7" and 10". From what we saw demoed at CES it seems their primary purpose will be to enhance the Panasonic TV experience. For instance, while we're watching a hockey game we will be able to browse the tablet for different camera angles on the ice. Touch the box showing the angle you want and slide it toward the TV, and the picture instantly changes to the angle selected (that was pretty cool to see in action). This feature is something we'll only find on Panasonic products for the time being but, there will no doubt be copycats.

The tablets are currently in prototype form, they are running Android 2.2 (Froyo) and thankfully will give users full access to the Android Market on top of the new Viera Connect Market, WooHoo! Another interesting feature was quickly shown off at the Panasonic booth. The 10" tablet, which looks like it is meant to be used mainly in landscape mode, features a webcam that we can use to video conference with our friends, while we're watching TV! On demand content can also be viewed on the tablet and Viera TVs simultaneously.

Hardware specs are pretty limited at this point but we do know there is a mini HDMI out and an SD card slot. As far as availability goes, the tablets will hit the "global market" later this year.

Stay tuned to MTV Geek! for more from CES 2011.

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Woodsy's World of Star Wars - STAR WARS BLU-RAY RELEASE!

Posted 1/6/11 6:51 pm EST by in CES, Movies, Star Wars, Woodsy's World of Star Wars


OK fans, did I not just list this announcement as one of my TOP TEN from 2010?  After you're done doing kartwheels down the hallway, catch your breathe and read this!  At 11:30 am PT today coming from the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vega$, Lucasfilm announced the official release of the Blu-ray set coming to a galaxy not too fary away this September 2011! Winning big - woo hoo! Read More...

CES 2011: Motorola Announces XOOM Tablet!

Posted 1/6/11 4:53 pm EST by in CES, Tech


2011 is said to be the year of the tablet and Motorola Mobility hasn't let us down. In a press event on Jan. 5th the mobile giant announced its first competition to Apple's dominant iPad platform, and with the help of Google and Verizon they have really outdone themselves.

Dubbed the Motorola XOOM, the new touch-screen tablet is running the first version of Android developed specifically for tablet devices, Honeycomb baby! The new device sports a 2GHz dual-core processor, the same one found in the recently announced Moto Atrix 4G. Full HD video support is thrown in too, with the tablet rockin' a 1280x800 1080p resolution.

To keep up with all the other tablets out there the XOOM will obviously come equipped with an accelerometer for all our motion sensitive apps. It also features front- and rear-facing cameras, with the front-facing one letting us use Skype video conferencing! Similar to other Android devices it will thankfully have full 10.1 Flash support. Read More...

CES 2011: Microsoft CEO Makes Big Announcements!

Posted 1/6/11 11:03 am EST by in CES, Tech


CES 2011 is officially underway and Microsoft's CEO, Steve Ballmer, took to the stage to give us the inside scoop on what changes and new products we could expect this year. Honestly, it started out pretty slow, but that quickly changed.

When Kinect launched for Xbox 360 back in November a lot of us, who were looking forward to the controller-free system, got stuck with a big disappointment. The voice and gesture commands that were supposed to make our Netflix app controller free were completely absent. Finally, Microsoft has announced the features will be hitting the console this Spring! To make things even better, they dropped some more good news. Hulu Plus is officially heading to our consoles and just like the Netflix app, it too will feature the voice and gesture commands Kinect currently proivides our Zune libraries.

Microsoft didn't end the Xbox LIVE announcements there, oh no. Avatar Kinect takes our Avatars -- and Kinect itself -- to a whole new level. Using the Kinect system's facial recognition and body tracking, the free upgrade for Gold subscribers, literally puts us in control of our Avatars. The on-stage demo showed friends watching a football game using the ESPN app, but rather than using voice chat or Video Kinect to get the trash talk rolling, gestures and even facial expressions were conveyed through the Avatars. When you stand up and shout at the ref for a bogus call, your Avatar will do the same, matching the appropriate arm-flailing and dirty looks.

The recently introduced Windows Phone 7 made an appearance too. Apparently updates will be "pushed" to new and existing Windows Phone 7 devices later this year, giving users new features like copy and paste while providing significant changes to reduce load times when switching between apps. On top of that, folks waiting to get their hands on a Windows handset will be happy to hear Windows Phone 7 will be landing on Verizon and Sprint networks in the first quarter of 2011! That's not a very long wait kids!

Gaming and phones obviously aren't Microsoft's only focus. Windows 7 is still going strong with the computing giant saying their Windows 7 PCs are the fastest selling PCs ever. New hardware like an ASUS tablet with an Intel Core i5 processor, wireless keyboard and capacitive touchscreen will only keep this trend going. Tablets aren't the only Windows 7 suprises we got. The new Microsoft Surface was also shown off during the event. New infrared sensors replacing the cameras used in previous versions make Surfaces more versatile than ever. No longer will they have to be a table -- mounting them on a wall and using them for interactive kiosks is now something easily achieved, and they will be available within the next few months running a full featured version of Windows 7.

The rumors of Windows 8 appearing were put to rest. Although, Microsoft did show off a new version of Windows. Unfortunately, this new version used the same user interface we see in Windows 7 but it was running smoothly on devices under development using nothing but ARM chips! That was pretty cool. Stay tuned to MTV Geek! for more CES 2011 coverage.

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CES 2011: Motorola Atrix 4G, King of Smartphones?

Posted 1/6/11 9:30 am EST by in CES, Tech


At a CES 2011 press event on Jan. 5th, Motorola shocked the crowd with an incredible new smartphone. Not only does it put most recent tablets to shame, this Android powerhouse could easily replace your netbook!

Kicking down the smartphone door with a first of its kind 2Ghz dual-core processor, the Motorola Atrix isn't your everyday smartphone. While it may run Android 2.2, the new WebTop application (exclusive to Motorola devices) is what really makes this new device stand out. WebTop allows users to take the phone and literally turn it into a desktop Andriod PC! No kidding, just place the phone in its dock, hook up a monitor and keyboard and you're ready to roll. WebTop features a full version of Firefox, and when I say a full version I mean it. It's not some specifically designed version for mobile, according to Motorola reps it is the same version you can download online right now!

The desktop conversion of this phone is only the beginning. Motorola also has a setup to turn it into a laptop! Just throw it in the laptop dock and once again you're ready to go. You can even pull it right from the desktop dock and throw it in the laptop version without any interruption to what you were working on. They even showed us Angry Birds running and being played with a mouse! Read More...

Samsung Galaxy Player Set To Take On iPod Touch!

Posted 1/5/11 2:28 pm EST by in CES, Tech


Well it looks like the success of the Galaxy line of smartphones has inspired Samsung to take a new direction with Personal Media Players. Their phone division has taken over those responsibilities and the Galaxy Player will be the first in their new line of media players set to take on Apple's iPod Touch.

Currently available for preorder at Amazon UK, the new Galaxy Player will run Android just like the phones, except you won’t have any calling capabilities. Like the iPod Touch in relation to the iPhone, it’s the same basic idea just on a different platform. You can drag and drop any media files you want, whether it’s audio or video and if you don’t want to watch the latest video everyone is talking about on a 3.2” screen, you can share media stored on the device with other devices via wireless internet!

The current versions come with either 8GBs or 16GBs of onboard storage for apps, music and videos. However, both flavors sport a Micro SD slot on the side to provide more storage. The new iDevice competitor will give us 30hrs of music time but, that number takes a pretty big hit when you switch over to video, cutting the battery life down to about 5hrs. It will support a bunch of video formants including MPEG4, DivX and XviD and if you do plan on watching a lot on that little screen, Samsung has made the battery accessible so we can switch it out for a spare! Read More...

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