[Robo]

Well, the big thing this year certainly seems to be 3D TV. If you thought it was old after CEDIA, CES 2010 is probably going to be painful for you, since it seems like everybody is showcasing 3D TVs, 3D cameras, 3D conversion technologies...it's the new HD, for better or for worse. (Sony's press conference is even in 3D.) The problem is that lots of people just got an HDTV, and aren't going to be too keen on shelling out for another set anytime soon. But that's not going to stop Sony, Samsung, LG and Toshiba from trying to get people to think that 2D TV is so last decade.

Personally, I'm fine with 2D TV, and I'd rather see improved HDTV technologies (LED backlighting? OLED panels?) drop in price. But 3D is definitely what everybody is be pushing.

AT&T had an interesting conference. It looks like they're finally looking to diversify their smartphone line-up -- perhaps in preparation for losing iPhone exclusivity? In any case, they're finally embracing Android, launching no fewer than five devices in the first half of this year. These include: Dell's first smartphone, the full-touch Mini 3; three unannounced HTC devices; and a quirky qwerty with MOTOBLUR. AT&T is also going to be launching two webOS phones in the first half of this year, just like Verizon, leaving T-Mobile out in the cold (just as they were with the Centro -- I don't think they like Palm very much, which is a shame). I think webOS is a great platform that needs to be available on some larger, less dying carriers, so I can't wait for the announcement of the phones (likely a modified Pixi and Pre, like on Verizon) at Palm's presser tomorrow.

Finally, Kodak is launching the 14 MP Slice, which is the sexiest (consumer) camera I've ever seen, and despite my ELPH loyalties I fell instantly in love with it. I mean, it comes in a color named "radish," which I can only assume comes somewhere between "eggplant" and "plum." I must have one.

They're also replacing their Zi8, one of the best of the Flip-style cameras, with a thinner, cheaper, waterproof model with the same optics. Sounds like a winner to me.

But the early star of CES '10 is unquestionably Lenovo, who has gone absolutely goddamn crazy, announcing a China-market Android phone ("LePhone"), a Snapdragon-powered "smartbook" and the Linux distro it runs (both dubbed "Skylight"), netbooks, tablets, a crazy hybrid tablet-netbook, all-in-ones, and of course, a new line of ThinkPad notebooks, some of which are available in red. Yes. Red ThinkPads.

Microsoft's CES keynote starts soon, but video portions of it (Xbox-y stuff) have already been leaked. And speaking of leaks, the deets on the Verizon webOS phones just leaked out. They're both better than their Sprint counterparts, and not just because of The Network: The Pre gets double the capacity (16GB) and the Pixi gets WiFi. That's exactly what I expected the "Plus" designations to entail, of course.

So, AppleNova. Has anything at CES '10 caught your attention?

[curiousuburb]

iPhone controlled quadcopter, mainly.

[Brave Ulysses]

Far too much info to sort through. It will take me a few days to make sense of it all. Pretty amazing really and it makes me miss MacWorld Expo.

[ezkcdude]

Still waiting for the Asus Eee Keyboard from last year's CES.

[709]

So is the Xbox getting Blu-ray? It should. That would actually sell me.

[ezkcdude]

There's supposed to be an announcement of the MS tablet tonight.

[709]

Originally Posted by ezkcdude Still waiting for the Asus Eee Keyboard from last year's CES.

$499 - $599, available in February if engadget is to be believed.

[Robo]

Sony just announced a new "Personal Internet Viewer," the Dash. It's, well, a 7-inch tablet. It seems more like something you'd keep around the house rather than something you'd take on the road, though. I imagine Sony envisions users leaving it on their nightstands as a picture frame/alarm clock when not in use. In that sense, it's like an oversized Chumby, for those of you who know what I'm talking about.

They also introduced a new "monolithic" design language, tried to explain their new "make.believe" slogan (yes, they had an explanation for the dot, too), and talked up lots of content partnerships for their Readers and video downloading networks. More to come, maybe.

EDIT: They're replacing last year's apparently unloved "Webbie" Flip-style cameras with the "Bloggie" line, which is, of course, nearly identical and just restyled enough to be "new." Oh, how I love the camera world...

[709]

Originally Posted by ezkcdude There's supposed to be an announcement of the MS tablet tonight.

I'm looking forward to this, honestly. Only an hour and half away.

[curiousuburb]

[Robo]

Originally Posted by ezkcdude There's supposed to be an announcement of the MS tablet tonight.

I'm sure we'll see some form of Microsoft/HP "TouchSmart" tablet, but I doubt it will be Courier, to be honest. I'm sort of expecting Microsoft to make Courier themselves, a la Zune.

Steve Ballmer basically said as much, when pressed about it on the Engadget Show. In large markets (300M+ units), Microsoft believes in working with partners (phones, computers). In smaller markets, they don't have a problem going their own way (Xbox, Zune).

Which is good, because I kind of like the Courier, but will never buy an HP again. So I hope HP doesn't make it.

[ezkcdude]

Originally Posted by Roboman Sony just announced a new "Personal Internet Viewer," the Dash. It's, well, a 7-inch tablet. It seems more like something you'd keep around the house rather than something you'd take on the road, though. I imagine Sony envisions users leaving it on their nightstands as a picture frame/alarm clock when not in use. In that sense, it's like an oversized Chumby, for those of you who know what I'm talking about.

A 7" Wi-Fi Internet browser/digital photo stand for $199. Hmmm...me likey.

The question is whether you can type on it...

[Robo]

More pushing of the third dimension: Discovery, IMAX, and Sony are partnering to launch a 3D Discovery channel, which I imagine will replace Discover HD Theater (which is less relevant now that all the "normal" Discovery channels are in HD). Also, ESPN 3D is coming this summer. All PS3s will receive a firmware upgrade to support 3D games and Blu-rays, though you'll of course need a 3D TV.

Interestingly (or not), Sony's 3D Bravias seem to use active shutter glasses, rather than the REAL D polarization technologies everybody else seems to be using. Sounds...expensive. And not all the "3D-capable" Bravias will include the glasses...and those that do will only include two...I'll stick to 2D, thanks.

[Noel]

Did anyone else hear about LG's 7mm-thin TV? Holy cow!

[709]

There's no way in hell I'm watching my teevee with dorky glasses on. No matter what.

[Seinfeld]
"Avatar!"
[/Seinfeld]

[thegeriatric]

Canon announced 4 new printers, 3 all in ones, and just a printer.

http://www.macworld.com/article/1454..._printers.html

Look to be good specs and prices.

[Robo]

Motorola just announced that they're going to update all of their Android devices, including the CLIQ, to Android 2.1. (Take that, HTC!) This is especially important because MOTOBLUR devices like the CLIQ actually launched with Android 1.5, which wasn't even the most recent version of Android at the time.

They just made official the "quirky qwerty" I mentioned earlier, the Backflip, for AT&T. Whoops, sorry, they're not saying which carrier yet, despite the fact that models with the AT&T logo have already been leaked (and I believe AT&T used a picture of it in their Android presentation). So...

The Backflip is just like the CLIQ, except the keyboard flips...backwards. So, there's that.

[Brave Ulysses]

Originally Posted by Roboman More pushing of the third dimension: Discovery, IMAX, and Sony are partnering to launch a 3D Discovery channel, which I imagine will replace Discover HD Theater (which is less relevant now that all the "normal" Discovery channels are in HD). Also, ESPN 3D is coming this summer. All PS3s will receive a firmware upgrade to support 3D games and Blu-rays, though you'll of course need a 3D TV.

PS3 will be upgradable but not to Full HD 3D....



This whole 3D thing is confusing as hell. The point that a lot of people are overlooking in this mess is that not only do you need a new tv but if you route your video through your HDMI AV Receiver you also need a new AV receiver that supports HDMI 1.4.... of which no current receivers will be upgradable...

[ezkcdude]

Originally Posted by Roboman Motorola just announced that they're going to update all of their Android devices, including the CLIQ, to Android 2.1. (Take that, HTC!) This is especially important because MOTOBLUR devices like the CLIQ actually launched with Android 1.5, which wasn't even the most recent version of Android at the time.

Fragmentation, shmagmentation

[Robo]

Originally Posted by ezkcdude A 7" Wi-Fi Internet browser/digital photo stand for $199. Hmmm...me likey. The question is whether you can type on it...

It doesn't include a battery, which confrirms my suspicions that it's not meant to be portable. Still, for $199, it's not that much more than a decent photo frame/alarm clock, and it's web-enabled. The first Chumbies were $200 just over a year ago, and those had much smaller screens. But they were squishier.

I could see the Dash being a reasonably popular device in places you wouldn't want a full PC, like a bedroom.

[psmith2.0]

Originally Posted by Roboman So, AppleNova. Has anything at CES '10 caught your attention?

That helicopter thing kinda has me stirred up a bit.

[Robo]

Microsoft's huge Ballmer CES keynote has started, and...stalled. They're having technical difficulties. Uh-oh.

[709]

So nobody else is watching Ballmer Live™ ? Things are going....um...not well.

[edit] Robo's on the Ball....

[drewprops]

Al Roker jammed a quarter up next to the LG screen this morning and I made that cooing baby laugh they play with pampers commercials... "EEEeeee-Ahhhhh".

Ten years? Larry Niven's spray-on television screens from Ringworld.

There better be some super CRAP gadgets too.
I'll be disappointed if there aren't.




...

[709]

Jobs would be biting people's heads off right now and spitting them into the crowd.

[scratt]

Guys you've got it all wrong.. This *is* the Tablet demo.

[Brave Ulysses]

Black Stage of Doom?

[709]

Schadenfreude, thy name is Ballmer.

[drewprops]

I think this is part of the presentation. A sort of in-joke amongst the


oh who am I kidding?




...

[scratt]

The biggest computer company in the world at the biggest bleeding edge electronics shows in the world trying to do a keynote with it's number one employee...... and this is what we get.

People actually trust this company to provide software to run their businesses.

OMFG! This is truly hilarious! And it's not the first time either.

Someone needs to lend them a MacBook running Parallels..