LG Electronics has introduced an enhanced line of connected, smart appliances.
The high-end refrigerators know what food they hold and grocery shoppers can remotely enter the items that they are bringing home.
The Health Manager application suggests healthy menus based on the ingredients available in the home.
The Blast Chiller cools a can of soda in four minutes, versus 20 minutes for a normal refrigerator. Moreover, the Blast Chiller can cool two beers or one bottle of wine in just eight minutes.
LG washers, home heating/cooling controls, and other appliances are also remotely controllable and designed to optimize energy efficiency.
If the size of the crowds packing the Microsoft booth demos is any indication, there is a lot of interest in Windows 8.
Maximized for touchscreen interaction, the Windows 8 user interface makes ample use of slide commands (which can be achieved via mouse or keystrokes for those not using a tablet).
The colorful tiled interface, dubbed “Metro Style,” is ubiquitous across all new Microsoft platforms including Windows Phone, and allows for a high degree of customization.
Cool features include automatically hibernating any open apps that are not actively being used, for maximum processor efficiency.
The ability to search and share content across multiple platforms (from hard drive to phones and social media) is also handy, as is a snapping function that keeps multiple windows open and locked in position.
Microsoft says there has already been 3 million downloads of the developer preview and a Windows Store opens in February when the public will be able to download a free trial version.
The commercial release remains unannounced, but is expected by the end of the year.
While the first large screen OLED consumer display panels are set to ship later this year, Sony has demonstrated what it believes is its successor — Crystal LED.
Crystal LED employs a thin layer of 6 million LEDs mounted on the display itself. This technique, says Sony, results in greater light efficiency and a higher contrast of images in both light and dark viewing conditions.
C-LED will have a longer life span than phosphor-based OLED. Screens larger than 55-inches can be manufactured, which just now is the limit for OLED. It is also said to have faster response times and wider viewing angles compared to LCD and plasma displays.
Showing at CES are two prototype 55-inch C-LEDs comparing side by side, favorably it has to be said, against its top of the range LCD.
When asked why Sony turned to Crystal LED rather than OLED in flat screens, at a Q&A session following the press conference on Monday, Sony chairman Sir Howard Stringer said: “It is the best TV out there and it is our technology. We are proud of it — it is the high end where we will lead the [category’s] recovery.”
Sony executive deputy president Kazuo Hirai added that Sony has OLED on the pro side and “as much as we are proud of the Crystal screen, we are not out of OLED.”
The Cube, by South Carolina-based 3D Systems, is a $1299 MSRP 3D printer for the home that will be on the consumer market in 3-5 months.
The USB and Wi-Fi enabled device is available for pre-order on the Cubify.com beta site.
ABS plastic used in printing will be sold for $50/bag. A 2-inch wide printed watchband, for example, uses about $3 of plastic and prints in under three hours.
Cubify.com will offer consumers downloadable templates that they can combine and modify, so they don’t have to learn 3D modeling from scratch.
The site also offers a 3D printing service for those who opt not to purchase the Cube.
Vuzix, in partnership with Nokia, will have an augmented reality monocular display on the market in Q3 2012 and consumer market augmented reality sunglasses with built-in camera, speakers, microphone, and motion sensors in 2013.
The SMART Glasses use fiber optics-like technology to route light in a 1.5mm waveguide from the side of the lens to a 1280×720 color display within the viewable area of the lens.
The lens has greater than 95 percent optical transmission and a 30-50 degree viewing angle, depending on the model.
The industrial monocular display is ruggedized for industrial and military use.
The unit has optional electronic sunglass tint control and integrated head tracker.
JVC’s GY-HMQ10 4K camcorder incorporates the company’s Falconbrid large-scale integration chip for high-speed signal processing and a 1/2-inch CMOS imager with 8.3 million active pixels to provide 3840×2160 footage at 24p, 50p, or 60p.
According to JVC, the LSI processing can dematrix the raw image data in real-time, and “is able to output 4K images to a monitor or projection system in real-time with virtually no latency.”
Suggested applications include cinematography and live event coverage.
Using MPEG-4 technology and an H.264 codec operating at up to 144Mbps, the GY-HMQ10 records up to two hours of 4K video to SDHC or SDXC memory cards.
The camera lists for $4,995 and is slated for availability in March.
Where to see it: Central Hall 8225, North Hall N105
It features a 3.2-inch touchscreen, 3x optical zoom and can shoot 720p video.
The SC1630, expected to ship by April, is being developed with an eye toward also serving as a smartphone, so the $300 price could drop if a U.S. carrier picks it up.
Polaroid also showed what is effectively a digital version of its classic Polaroid camera. The 14-megapixel Z340 instant digital camera has a 2.7-inch color LCD, zoom and light options, and accommodates still and video images.
The $299 Z340 produces 3×4 prints on Polaroid ZINK paper.
3DFusion is a New York-based developer of glasses-free 3D display solutions.
The company claims its 3DFMax 3D image optimization tech provides images without headaches, video artifacts, ghosting or sweet spots.
Its improved autostereo design has 27 viewing positions. The visual confusion between viewing positions has been suppressed to where it will be barely noticeable to the average consumer.
Image brightness, sharpness, and contrast for 3D content has been improved.
3DFusion is sharing a booth with post house Tao Creative and real-time 2D-3D conversion developer 3D-Bee.
If there is interest, 3DFusion will discuss unit loaners for evaluation and testing.
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.
Alcatel-Lucent is showcasing a new app called the Fan Cam, developed through its ng Connect Program with member companies 4DK and AFP.
The idea is for a wireless provider like Verizon or AT&T to partner with location-based entertainment (sports, music, and more) to further engage fans by allowing them to share user-created material.
Fans use their phones to register as participants at live events, where they could then access content like instant replays, fan-uploaded photos and participate in real-time contests and receive special offers.
Spectators can live-stream an event or game from their seat and the compiled content can be marketed afterwards or shared with friends. It can also be analyzed by an editor during the event and shown on the big screens.
“They’re doing all this content sharing on things like Facebook. Why not engage them directly?” an Alcatel-Lucent rep explained.
During Tuesday’s 3D panel Vince Pace, co-chairman of Cameron Pace Group, addressed the current 3D business model, noting that the aim is to “maintain quality and get the cost of 3D production down to the cost of 2D production.”
CPG is addressing that issue with technologies including its Shadow, which allows a production to generate 2D and 3D from a single camera rig.
ESPN, working with CPG, has started to work with what it calls 5D — or extracting the 2D from a 3D shoot. “That is a way to get two shows out of one,” said Bryan Burns, VP strategic business planning & development, ESPN.
Robert Zitter, executive VP and CTO of HBO, pointed out that with the HD transition, one could go back and use films as they were already HD. “We can’t do that affordably in 3D.”
Tom Cosgrove, president and CEO, 3net, is seeing a growing 3D appetite in international markets, notably in the UK, Italy and parts of Asia. “Particularly in the UK we are seeing a fast adoption.”
Said Zitter: “We don’t believe in charging extra for 3D. We are in the business of enhancing product to drive our subscription business.” He added that HBO is eyeing the opportunities of offering 3D on demand.
Burns suggested that next year, higher resolutions will be a topic, but “the mobile units that can produce that kind of quality really don’t exist today… Where does the money come from to build that kind of infrastructure?”
Several panelists expect to soon see proliferation of 3D on mobile devices.
Dell will begin releasing ultrabooks at the end of February. The XPS 13 will start at $999 with an Intel i5 processor, 13.3-inch LED screen and 128GB solid-state drive.
Ultrabooks are one of this year’s “it” items at CES. Positioned as the PC answer to the iBook in terms of performance, they are larger and pricier than netbooks.
The fact that Dell — one of the largest suppliers in the U.S. — has chosen to enter the market is seen as significant.
The XPS 13 weighs just under 3 pounds, has up to 8 hours of battery life and is being offered in an iBook-like aluminum case with an LED backlit keyboard and Gorilla Glass screen.
It will also feature Intel’s “Smart Connect” technology, prompting the unit to periodically “wake up” from sleep mode to update email and calendar items if a Wi-Fi network is available.
Future design plans include touchscreen capability and the ability to convert the clamshell into a tablet.
The PicoP Gen 2 HD laser display engine boasts 720p high-definition images and immersive displays up to 200-inches diagonal.
Its brightness ranges from 15 to 25 lumens.
MicroVision will make the technology available to OEMs for testing in Q1 2012.
The company is also demonstrating two new PicoMagic display applications: touch interactive and 3D displays.
The PicoMagic touch interactive display will allow users to interact with a projected image on any surface, instantly creating multi-user applications such as virtual whiteboards.
With PicoMagic 3D capabilities users will be able to experience 3D content from a small display device anywhere, anytime.
New York-based VoxLinc is demonstrating its AfterShokz bone conduction headset that transmits through the cheekbones – bypassing the eardrum so that the device is not in or covering your ears.
Ambient sound is unimpeded and eardrums are safe from loud sounds.
An iPhone version is available and allows conversations on the phone while monitoring the real world. Because they rest on the skin, even sharing is possible.
Extended use is easy since the comfort factor is high. They sound great and are light as a feather.
AfterShokz could be an ideal solution for use during production.
LG Electronics has introduced an enhanced line of connected, smart appliances.
