According to former Microsoft Windows President Steven Sinofsky, this year’s CES was about “refinement across many product lines.” This includes mobile, service integration, build quality, social integration, connected life and more. Mobile took top prize for being “front and center for every product” at CES, which goes hand-in-hand with social integration and connected life — all of which is happening via mobile devices. Continue reading CES 2013: Former Windows President Reflects on Trade Show

The panoramic image has a rich history dating back to the 1800s. People have long pursued 360-degree imagery “in an effort to virtualize the experience of visiting an exotic locale,” according to Technology Review. A new project from Panasonic, called “DIVE into World Heritage 3D,” aims to create panoramic travel destination images seen clearer than ever before. Continue reading Panoramas: Panasonic Simulates Travel with Five 3D Cameras

Marc Freed-Finnegan and Jonathan Wall left the Google Wallet team in 2012 to launch their own startup. Many thought the two would develop a rival mobile wallet, but the duo’s new venture is heading in a different direction. Called Index, the startup “is essentially offering to turn every store into the same sleek, technology-driven experience of an Apple store, where you get that one-two punch of efficient, yet tailored service,” explains Wired. Continue reading Index: Startup Aims to Personalize Your Shopping Experience

Yesterday, we posted a story about the potential disruption to gaming that could result from the upcoming Steam Box from Valve. In a rare and candid interview, The Verge talks with Valve CEO Gabe Newell about his company’s gaming hardware, biometrics, gaze tracking and the future of gaming. Newell envisions an ecosystem of content developers, which will include the gamers themselves. Continue reading Valve CEO Gabe Newell Discusses Steam Box, Future of Gaming

While Microsoft made a point of not having a CES booth this year, it quietly showcased its new Surface Pro tablet in a private suite. The unit is a full-on computer in a tablet, with an Intel i5 processor, true HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 on a 10.8-inch screen and a complete Windows 8 software suite. It’s due to ship January 26 with a retail price of $899 for 64GB of memory and $999 for a 128GB version. Continue reading CES 2013: Windows 8 Strong on Surface Pro, Ships This Month

Unlike last year, Research In Motion was not an official CES booth exhibitor this time around, but BlackBerry devotees got a sneak peek at the company’s new BlackBerry 10 at the Venetian Hotel. The touchscreen-only device does away with the BlackBerry’s iconic QWERTY keyboard and home button. RIM is set to officially unveil its two new BlackBerry units at a press conference January 30 in New York (originally scheduled for the fourth quarter). Continue reading CES 2013: RIM Quietly Shows BlackBerry 10 in Suite Demo

The debut of the RCA Mobile TV Tablet made CES attendees sit up and take notice. Sporting an 8-inch HD (1024 × 768) screen, the device combines mobile DTV with over-the-air TV reception and doubles as a touch-based Android tablet. Equipped with dual cameras, Wi-Fi and GPS functionality, it is also being touted as the first dual-tuner mobile TV as well as the first integrated unit to feature the Mobile Content Venture consortium’s Dyle mobile TV service. Continue reading CES 2013: RCA Wins One for the Nipper with Mobile TV Tab

Canon did not announce any major new products at CES, but it was finally showing the production version of its newest DSLR camera, the Canon EOS-1D C. Sharing the same basic chassis and form factor as its flagship still camera, the 1D X, the 1D C features several significant changes to both its hardware and software that are designed to optimize the camera for motion imaging. Perhaps most significantly, the 1D C was one of the only cameras to be found at CES capable of recording full 4K resolution footage to onboard storage media. Continue reading CES 2013: Canon Demos its Most Powerful DSLR (VIDEO)

Action sports camera manufacturer GoPro had a significantly larger presence at CES this year than they have had in the past, and they used that space to display their latest camera, the Hero3. Available in three different versions, the Hero3 is a significant upgrade from previous GoPro cameras, and offers a number of technical features that are clearly targeted at making it into a camera that is capable of delivering broadcast-quality footage. Continue reading CES 2013: GoPro Displays Latest Action Sports Camera (VIDEO)

There were a large number of Ultra HDTVs unveiled at CES, but HD or Blu-ray played on a 4K display “visually is not an enjoyable experience,” contends Technicolor CEO Frederic Rose. “A lot of manufacturers say ‘don’t worry, we have software that can upgrade what you are watching.’ What we see is that it doesn’t work because the chip technology that is used in the Connected TVs is actually not performing enough for what is required.” Technicolor is suggesting an alternative. Continue reading CES 2013: Technicolor Addresses 4K Upscaling, Color Science

Canon is showing it line of cameras including the EOS-1D C, EOS C100, EOS C300 and EOS C500 (which began shipping last month with a $30,000 list price). It also announced two additional Cinema EOS Primes, a 14mm and 135mm, both slated to ship in the spring. Larry Thorpe, national marketing exec and senior fellow at Canon USA, offered his take on the direction of 4K. Continue reading CES 2013: Larry Thorpe Discusses Canon and a 4K Viewpoint

Toshiba showed that it is serious about 4K with a range of Ultra HDTVs, including the L9300 series that will be available in 58-, 65- and 84-inch LED models. To demonstrate what native 4K would look like on its displays, the company showed 4K content shot with a RED Epic camera and played from the soon-to-be-released, $1,450 REDRAY 4K Cinema Player. Continue reading CES 2013: Toshiba Teams With RED For 4K Ultra HD Demo

Sharp showed a 32-inch 4K IGZO monitor, initially aimed at professional applications such as CAD, architecture and medical applications. The Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide (IGZO) technology increases the amount of light transmitted per pixel. Continue reading CES 2013: Sharp Shows 4K IGZO Monitor, 4K and 8K TVs

While the latest new displays and the stunning new tablets and smartphones tend to get the bulk of the attention at CES, in the smaller booths, hidden in the nooks and crannies of the Las Vegas Convention Center, one can find a smattering of simpler, humbler tools that can make life a lot easier for people on working in physical production. Here, we look at some tools for shooting in the field that are all new at this year’s CES, including lights, camera mounts, protective gear and storage options. Continue reading CES 2013: Production Tools for Personal and Professional Use

Panasonic demonstrated its interest in 4K through the CES unveiling of a prototype 56-inch 4K OLED display and 20-inch 4K tablet. It is also focusing on production, previewing a proof of concept 4K x 2K camcorder that is aimed at prosumer applications as well as broadcast. The camera will offer a frame rate of 30 fps, but very little additional information was provided. Continue reading CES 2013: Panasonic Shows Proof of Concept 4K Camcorder