A small company was making waves at CES by demonstrating the world’s first eye-controlled arcade game — an adapted version of the classic Atari game “Asteroids.”
Tobii, a Swedish company previously focused on helping people with physical limitations, is eyeing far greater things for its technology.
At their booth the company had laptops outfitted with their eye-tracking technology. Attendees were flipping through photo albums, navigating Microsoft Windows and playing games. The systems were incredibly intuitive to navigate and very responsive, if not a little bulky.
Tobii plans to fix that, however, and in an estimated three to four years, it plans to shrink the sensor so that it doesn’t alter the form factors of the devices it’s used in, while not drastically impacting the price.
The technology works by shining a near infrared light onto the eye and detecting the reflections off the pupil.
Near infrared light was chosen as the operating wavelength because it offers a robust response that works reliably in any light, giving the user the freedom to use the controls no matter where they are.
The company is targeting a very broad market with plans to develop it as a touch-less assist for surgeons and license its OEM technology to various companies, including a car manufacturer interested in detecting driver drowsiness.
First announced at last year’s CES, Sony is now demonstrating the market-ready version of its head-mounted 3D display.
As detailed at its August launch, the device simulates a 150-inch screen 12 feet away and features dual OLED screens as well as virtual 5.1-channel surround sound.
The headset, although a bit front-heavy, was comfortable to wear — but is a challenge to enjoy with prescription glasses. The head mount and processing unit combined weighs about two pounds.
The picture quality is amazing; however, the audio performance leaves something to be desired.
The device is priced at $799 and is being positioned as a lower cost alternative to a traditional big screen HDTV and surround sound system.
The HMZT1 Personal 3D Viewer is listed in the Sony Store, but is not shipping yet (expected soon).
At Tuesday’s keynote, Mercedes-Benz CEO Dr. Dieter Zetsche introduced the new SL, the first vehicle equipped with the second generation of the company’s mbrace technology that provides full Internet access and a host of apps designed for in-vehicle use.
In addition to the SL, Mercedes also brought along its F-125 concept to demonstrate how it envisions technology shaping the future of the automobile.
The F-125’s infotainment system can predict and adapt to the user’s needs by performing tasks like suggesting an umbrella if the forecast predicts rain at your destination three hours from now or by automatically downloading podcasts and news based on your previous interests.
Zetsche announced that Mercedes will kick off the world’s largest car-to-x communication test in Germany in the next few weeks to prove that “a connected car is a proactive car.”
The car-to-x communication system uses driver’s smartphones, in particular their GPS data, to connect every vehicle on the road, providing not only real-time traffic information on an unprecedented level but a road condition warning system that the company hopes is the first step towards “accident free driving.”
Daimler AG will continue rolling out its Car2Go car-sharing service and has introduced its Car2gether app that combines ridesharing with social media for safe carpooling alternatives.
The company is also working with Apple to develop apps in support of its connection-based initiative.
Optoma, one of the largest producers of DLP projectors, is adding three new LED models to its mobile offerings, including the newest Pico model, the PK320.
The 8-ounce, palm-sized PK320 features WVGA resolution and produces 100 lumens when plugged in, but it can be battery-operated for up to an hour while still providing 25 lumens.
The other two projectors, the ML300 and the ML500, increase the intensity (the larger ML500 delivers images of up to 180-inches), while still maintaining a compact footprint (8.7”W x 1.7”H x 6.7”D).
The LED sources in the projectors offer longevity with a 20,000 hour lifespan and all three come equipped with media and Office viewer software to allow for PC-free playback off internal memory or SD cards.
The devices are intended to support “road-warrior” executives in need of convenience and performance, but have obvious appeal for recreational users.
The PK320 is expected to hit stores by the end of this month with the other two entering the market later this year. Prices range from $449 for the PK320 to $699 for the ML500.
PowerTrekk offers outdoor enthusiasts an alternative to batteries and solar chargers with its new fuel-cell charger for USB-compatible devices.
The device uses a tablespoon of water from the nearest available source, even saliva in extreme cases, and the PowerPukk fuel pack to convert hydrogen into electricity as it passes through the lid’s fuel cells, delivering 5W of charging power – or enough energy for two charges of most devices.
During the process the chemicals in the Pukk are transformed into sodium silicate, better known as the scrubbing agent in toothpaste. Each Pukk costs $3 to $4.
The device captures excess energy from the hydrogen-to-electricity conversion in a detachable battery in its lid that can be carried and used separately as a spare battery.
The lid can also be charged via USB without the fuel-cell system.
The Pentax Q is the world’s smallest and lightest interchangeable lens camera, according to the company.
It joins the growing lineup of point-and-shoot cameras at CES that are taking on SLR features, further blurring the line between professional and personal photography.
The 12.4MP Q is 3.9-inches long, 2.3-inches wide and 1.2-inches deep, shoots full 1080p video and has five types of attachable lenses including a fisheye lens for increased field of view.
The device also comes with a P-TTL flash with retractable pop-up extension to reduce red eye.
The camera features a micro HDMI port to facilitate instantaneous playback directly on most HDTVs.
The Q is available now for $749.95 and comes with one standard 47mm equivalent prime lens.
During its press conference on Monday, DISH introduced Hopper, its new three-tuner satellite receiver capable of recording six live HD channels at the same time.
The receiver is the basis for DISH’s new PrimeTime Anytime feature that allows playback of any primetime show from ABC, NBC, FOX and CBS up to a week after it is first aired.
DISH also touted Hopper’s Wi-Fi capabilities and seamless Sling integration that will allow customers to view their recordings remotely on mobile devices.
The company cited a Nielsen study that indicates the average person spends 24 hours monthly watching content stored on their DVRs, compared to just 4 hours of watching TV online. More than half the programming stored in DVRs is primetime network shows.
The company is hoping to slice into Hulu’s market and mentioned that its advertising-free, same-day-viewing capabilities give it superiority over the popular streaming site.
Six months into his new job as CEO of DISH Network, Joe Clayton detailed the company’s new strategy at its CES press event Monday.
He emphasized that the beginning of this year marked a new era for DISH, complete with a new brand image, mascot, management team, partnerships, logs, services and promotions, website and advertising strategy.
DISH hopes to emulate the way cell phone companies have energized sales through uniquely tagged products like Droid, Razr, and Galaxy by upgrading their technology and giving the units shorter, more memorable names.
Their new base platform, Hopper, is 40 percent smaller than its competitors, uses the fastest CPU available for satellite receivers, has three tuners capable of recording live HD TV on six channels at the same time, and comes equipped with a 2TB hard drive as well as expansion options.
Their secondary platform, Joey, is more compact and does not come with a hard drive, but has the same processor and up to three of them can be used independently to play, pause and record live TV.
Part of the company’s new marketing strategy includes targeting families looking for wholesome entertainment as well as using its new partnership with Univision to attract Latino viewers.
DISH also announced it has revamped its satellite-based Internet offerings through a partnership with Viastat that can offer download speeds of up to 12MBPS and can be bundled with their TV programming for $79.99 a month.
LG officially introduced the first phones equipped with true HD IPS displays, the Optimus LTE and Spectrum, at their CES press conference Monday morning.
Both phones feature a 4.5-inch display and boast an astounding screen density of 329 pixels per inch.
The Spectrum sports a 1.5GHz dual core processor, 8MP camera/camcorder, 1.3MP front facing camera and Android Gingerbread 2.3, which can be upgraded to Android Ice Cream Sandwich upon its release.
The Spectrum clearly received the most fanfare on the day, even receiving its own intro from ESPN’s Stuart Scott.
ESPN representatives took the opportunity to stress the continued partnership with Verizon and LG as well as to announce that its ScoreCenter app will be preloaded on the Spectrum.
Less information was released on the Optimus LTE, but LG CTO Scott Ahn said more announcements on all LG phones will follow at next month’s Mobile World Congress.
NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang focused Monday’s CES press conference on the new line of devices utilizing the Tegra 3 processor, stressing the variety of mobile solutions companies have to offer individual users with different needs and expectations.
Billed as a quad-core device, the Tegra 3 actually has five CPUs. The fifth processor, or “ninja” core as it’s affectionately called by its creators, provides the key to the new variable symmetric processing.
Huang said the processing makes it possible to maintain or increase computational power while maintaining low power consumption.
The company also demonstrated its prism display technology that enables devices to maintain image fidelity as backlights are dimmed to save power through a reprocessing of each individual pixel’s brightness and color.
The company unveiled another new feature of the Tegra 3, Direct Touch, where the ninja core is used to directly sample data at roughly triple the rate of a traditional capacitive touchscreen.
Huang highlighted Tegra 3’s support of Android Ice Cream Sandwich as well as the new OS’ ability to unite the development process and user experience across platforms, from mobile phones to tablets and ultrabooks.
The announcement accompanied a demo of the Transformer, which utilizes the Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS. Pro gamer Jonathan Wendell took to the stage to show how smoothly the device runs even when operating the most resource-demanding new games.
Asus also used the occasion to announce the release of a new 7-inch tablet powered by the Tegra 3 that is capable of keeping up with the Transformer Prime, priced at only $249.
The announcement may impact devices like the Kindle Fire by providing superior computing power and functionality at a comparable price.
Microsoft was also on hand to demonstrate Windows 8 on a Tegra 3 device and detail how the new OS is being carefully crafted to take advantage of Tegra 3’s quad-core technology to deliver full screen immersive applications.
NVIDIA also announced that the Tegra 3 will be incorporated into the Lamborghini Aventador and two of the processors will be used in the new Tesla Model S (one to run the virtual console and the other to power its infotainment system).
LG reiterated its focus on creating a truly immersive entertainment experience at its opening press conference at CES Monday.
The crown jewel of the program was LG’s new 55-inch 3D OLED TV, which at only 4mm thin and 7.5 kg in weight is the world’s thinnest and largest OLED TV.
The contrast ratio on the new display is fifty times greater than that of traditional LED/LCD and LG has coupled it with their Triple XD Engine in hopes of creating truly life-like images.
LG also detailed improvements to their 3D Smart TV line including upgrades in both resolution and size, with the largest model now coming in at 84-inches.
In concert with the ultra-thin and ultra-large displays, the company introduced its new 3D surround sound, which uses advanced signal processing to control not only the lateral sounds but the vertical audio information as well, thereby encasing the user in the cinematic environment.
LG also debuted two new ways to interface with its TVs, the new Magic Remote with voice recognition and a 3D gesture interface that uses a 3D camera device similar to Microsoft’s Kinect.
Utilizing ASTEROID, an Android-based platform introduced last year at CES, Parrot is expanding its range of after-market connectivity solutions designed to integrate Internet functionality to the driving experience.
Devices range from a 3.2-inch dashboard mount model to a 6.2-inch central console replacement. All have wireless remote controls to mount to the steering wheel and are designed to access the Internet through a tethering cell phone or 3G key.
Parrot is currently developing applications to display the versatility of its devices, some of which include speed trap notifications and geolocation.
The company also stresses the open-source nature of ASTEROID and hopes it can be used to expand their app library as time passes. Along with Internet radio applications like Pandora, some of the devices are also capable of providing entertainment by capturing live TV broadcasts.
Parrot hopes to use the central console device as a base to expand to a multiple monitor entertainment system in the future.
Devices are expected to be available later this year, but no pricing has been announced yet.
A small company was making waves at CES by demonstrating the world’s first eye-controlled arcade game — an adapted version of the classic Atari game “Asteroids.”
