January 2012

FashionWare Fashion Show And Gear Diary Is There

Last night at CES featured the Fashionware Fashion Show which featured a showcase of wearable technologies including solar powered backpacks, sophisticated mobile phones and netbooks, and fashion powered by light or movement, climate changing gear, and more. Here is their description of the show: FashionWare captures the excitment of the new wearable and sensor-based technologies combined with style and sophistication. Our approach is to mix the traditional fashion show runway with education about how high tech is transforming fashion. Targeting fashion afficionados and technologists,some of the outfits are future-tense and some are available today. The outfits are accessorized by some…

Events, Gear Bits, Yum Log

IcePan Ice Cream: Made in a Pan Right Before Your Eyes

On the way back from a meeting at the Wynn Hotel we passed by a small kiosk for IcePan. IcePan is ice cream that is made right in front of you while you watch. It is never put into an ice-cream maker but, instead, is made using a pan kept at 35 degrees below zero. (Yeah, it is cold.) We shot a video of it being made so, without further ado… I scream, you scream, we all scream for IcePan Cream. (Yeah, I went there.)

Editorials

Should Google Be Limited In HOW They Evolve Search?

I have been thinking quite a bit about HOW to address all of the ‘stuff’ flying around about Google, Google +, ‘search your world’, Twitter, Facebook, and a partridge in a pear tree … because in some ways things seem very clear but in other ways not. So what I decided was to drop a couple of ideas and then open it up for everyone to discuss. First off, let us start with the baseline assumptions. First: Google has a monopoly in search. Second: Google’s search monopoly is a ‘natural’ monopoly. (more in a minute) Third: Google sees search as…

News

Find My iPhone: Almost Needed It, Glad It Was There

I came tremendously close to disaster at CES two years ago. While in the cab to the airport my 13″ MacBook pro slipped out of my bag. I got out of the taxi and went into the airport. My MacBook did not. At security I realized I did not have it with me. Worse yet, it was not password protected. I freaked. Fortunately I was able to contact the cab dispatcher. Ten minutes later my driver, a tremendously awesome and honest guy, was back at the airport. Disaster averted. Fast forward two years. Judie and I had just finished meeting…

Events, News

Pyramid Distribution Brings Us the iGoGo TV and Android-Based TV-Box

Today we heard about a cool new set-top box for your HDTV from Pyramid Distribution, called the iGoGo TV. The iGoGo is an Android-powered box that brings a robust ‘smart TV’ experience to your home. Because it is based on standard Android 2.3, it means you will be able to run tons of the same Android apps you already know and love. Featuring wired and wireless networking, support for 1920x1080p full HD, 4GB built-in memory expandable to 32GB by micro SD, support for USB hard drives for unlimited storage, and more. The iGoGo also includes a 2MP webcam with microphone,…

Events, News

ifrogz Boost Near Field Speaker: pre-release first look

I stopped by the ifrogz booth during the first day of CES to see what new offerings they had. In recent years the company has been increasing its selection of ear and headphones and, this year, they are taking things a step further. I got to see their Boost speaker which, when it comes to market this spring will retail for under $40. The size of two or three iPhones stacked on top of one another, the Boost is an unusual item. The company uses the term “near field”: to describe the technology employed but. as Francis was quick to…

News

Random Cool Video: “The Flight of the Bumblebee” at 600 BPM!

I remember seeing the YouTube video below last year when it was posted and noted as a ‘world record’. Apparently now it has been certified by Guiness as a world record, and the guitarist – John Taylor – has demonstrated his massive speed technique for Wired as part of an article. Thrashers, shredders, and heshers, lend me your tinnitus-damaged ears! The Great Question has been settled. The fastest guitar player alive is not Eddie Van Halen nor Yngwie Malmsteen nor that guy from Morbid Angel. Nope, it’s John Taylor, a 28-year-old music teacher in Westminster, Colorado, who last spring claimed…

News

Grabby-Hands Stanford Snags a Case-Mate Case

I stopped by to visit our friends at Case-Mate a little bit earlier today to see some of the different offerings they have. One case caught my eye. It was a dual layer case with a soft insert and a hard shell. On it were the words “I’m on a deadline”. Yeah it spoke to me. They gave me one. Apparently I’m not the only one. Judie saw. Judie grabbed. Judie said “Mine.”. End of story.

Events, News

Kobo Officially Part of Rakuten Now

It’s official, Kobo is now a division of Rakuten, meaning that Kobo now has some deep parental pockets and an even stronger international reach. While they may still be number 3, they have an opportunity to grab more share in 2012, as B&N struggles to expand internationally. Plus from the sound of Kobo’s press release they had an excellent holiday season! According to Kobo: December 25th was Kobo’s best day ever for eBook downloads, with several ebooks downloaded every second by readers in over 150 countries Kobo saw a 10-fold increase in new customers compared to the company’s pre-holiday period Compared to…

Events, News

Waterproof Protection from the Inside Out: HzO Technology Coming to a Smartphone Near You

Here is one of the biggest finds of CES so far. We’ve seen a number of companies that are offering new technologies that will waterproof electronic devices, but the technology HzO is bringing to market is different. And better…

News

Jill-e Designs Shows Off Stylish E-GO Leather Tablet Tote for iPad 2

You may not be able to deny that Albus Dumbledore from the Harry Potter movie series has style, but you too can be stylish sporting Jill-e Designs’s new E-GO Leather Tablet Tote for the iPad 2. You can be a technophile, but there’s no excuse not to look spiffy as well! The E-GO Leather Tablet Tote features: Top quality, weather-resistant, all leather construction Adjustable leather strap to carry cross-body or on shoulder Messenger bag styling with secure snap enclosure Protective padded interior with stylish fabric lining Protective pocket for tablet or e-reader Additional interior space for notepad, wallet, glasses and…

News

Hey Slackers, We’ve Got Slacker Radio Subscriptions

Hey all you slackers, we’ve got some great Slacker Radio subscriptions to give away. We have 2 1-year 3 3-month subscriptions. For a chance to win one leave a comment with your five songs playlist of favorites. Will pick some winners tonight and a few more tomorrow. Good luck.

Events, Gear Bits, News

Adobe Debuts Photoshop Lightroom 4 Public Beta on Adobe Labs

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom provides a powerful set of tools with a singular focus: making our photos look amazing. In the past Adobe has opened up their ‘lab’ and allowed early access to in-development tools to a limited audience. Now Adobe is opening up their Lightroom 4 beta to EVERYONE! It is a great opportunity to get a peek at the upcoming version of one of the most powerful photo editors available. Here are some of the new features: Lightroom 4 beta is a major software update adding a broad range of new capabilities based on feedback provided by the photography…

Events

Innovative Live Advertising from Lenovo

Well this is a bit different… I have seen other forms of live advertising in the past, but Lenovo just took it to a new level. We have all heard of blazing fast computers and internet speeds, but what about typing on top of a car?

Events

iBike POWERHOUSE Brings a Complete Fitness System to the iPod Touch and iPhone

I don’t know about you, but for me, trying to get into and keep on a fitness plan is difficult. Unless you have motivation, it can be difficult to keep with it. Personally, one way I have found that works to keep motivated is to have a training partner, or use statistics to track my progress. Well, the iBike POWERHOUSE does both! The iBike POWERHOUSE is a fitness tool which combines an iPhone 3G/3GS/4/4S or an iPod Touch with a hardware device which: A weather-proof / shock resistant patented smart case and sensors The iBike POWERHOUSE app Goal-specific plans developed…

News

Wilson Electronics New Sleek 4G LTE Universal Cellular Signal Booster Rocks!

I’m a big fan of Wilson Electronics Cellular signal boosters, and I got to spend a little bit of time Joe Banos (their CEO) checking out their new 4G LTE Universal Cellular Signal Booster and learning about what’s going on in the booster market. Joe sees 2012 as the year that carriers will acknowledge that customers want better signals on their mobile devices by embracing cellular signal boosting technology. Verizon is the first carrier to get fully on board, and Joe said another carrier is expected to do the same in the next few weeks. Wilson has just released a universal…

Events, News

YurBuds Ironman Pro Earbuds Stay In… Even If You Do Backflips!

Here at CES last year I was introduced to a new earbud company. YurBuds was offering their Inspire earbuds. The bright red earpieces stood out and promised a degree of comfort and “stay-putt-edness” that is in great demand among people who listen to music while doing a strenuous activity. I was skeptical but ended up impressed by their sound. Elana, who hates in-ear headphones, tried them on and within minutes co-opted the pair the company had given me for review. (The company kindly replaced mine.) A year later Elana’s YurBuds are going strong and she continues to evangelize for them…

News

The Other Twinkie Drops: Hostess Files for Chapter 11

Growing up, Hostess was EVERYWHERE – Twinkies, Ho-Hos, Sno-Balls, Suzy-Qs, Fruit Pies and so on. Not to mention Wonder Bread, the enriched white bread that got good mileage out of touting nutrients added to notoriously deficient product. I even remember the advertisements in comics featuring Batman and the Archie gang. But then people realized that regardless of enrichment white bread was deficient, and moved more to whole grains. Also, the infamous ‘infinite shelf life’ tests for Twinkies didn’t help the company, and as more and more low-price competitors such as Little Debbie found favor in traditionally strong Hostess (and Drakes,…

Events, Gear Bits

Here’s an Original Use for the BenQ GP2

While visiting with Texas Instruments DLP PICO, we discovered that they had a familiar product — the BenQ GP2 — set up to do something we thought was pretty mind-blowing … So you set an iPhone in the BenQ’s cradle, and then you can use another iPhone or an iPod touch (connected by WiFi) as a gaming remote control, with the action being displayed on the wall for everyone to see. That’s a pretty cool and offbeat use for what might otherwise seem like a very straightforward piece of equipment. What do you think? =) BenQ GP2

Events, Game Diary

Embarrasment for Intel After Faking Ultrabook Gaming Demo

We’ve seen it all at CES – vapor-products, stuff we won’t see for months (if ever), dummy products as show-pieces, and more. Now Intel – with the demo for their ‘bet the farm on it’ Ultrabooks … got caught faking a demo when the VLC control panel showed up a few times as shown above. The executive on stage tried to play it off, but the credibility of the entire show was lost. Check out the video: Since the demo – more to the point since being CAUGHT – Intel has admitted that the demo was a video done for…

Events

DLP Pico Engine Powers a Smartphone Projector: From the CES Floor

Here’s another implementation of TI’s DLP PICO chip… This smartphone is also a projector. This “embedded Pico smartphone” is not yet on the market but it may very well be the direction the market is going. (This post and many more being brought to you from CES-stay tuned to Gear Diary for more great coverage all week!)

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