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Minoru 3D Webcam: Cool Tech That Will Gather Dust
Tweet Share on Facebook January 8, 2009 Comment (1)Dave at CES: Another cool image technology that I don't think will go far is the Minoru 3D Webcam. The cutesy device has two eyes with cams that transmits 3D-like video across the Internet.
It sounds cool, and it is. Kinda. I only had a short time wearing the 3D glasses, and was for a few seconds wowed by the image appearing to pop off a standard LCD monitor. But I woon was shifting around, trying to get the right angle for the best 3D effect. And shifting, and shifting as a sweet kid pranced around in a backyard somewhere.
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Wireless Charging Pops Up Across CES
Tweet Share on Facebook January 8, 2009 Comment (8)Dave at CES: The promise that the upcoming Palm Pre can get juiced wirelessly underscored that cable-free power is finally arriving.
After years of talk, a number of companies are displaying wireless charging systems that actually work, or at least appear to. Slap a cellphone down on a special spot, and it comes away fully juiced.
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Palm Pre to Challenge iPhone, BlackBerry
Tweet Share on Facebook January 8, 2009 Comment (3)Dave at CES: There is life in Palm after all. The struggling smartphone pioneer introduced its Pre handset in an impressive demonstration of software and hardware. Palm says it can change the way people use their handsets and challenge the iPhone for innovation and ease of use, and the BlackBerry messaging.
In perhaps the smoothest demonstration I've seen of a new technology, company execs explained new metaphors like "cards" that represent different functions running at the same time. Fingers flick through open E-mails, IM chats and contact lists in quick fashion. Contacts, calendar and messaging are integrated with Facebook, Google Calendar and other Web services.
The handset itself has sexy, rounded edges and a sharp, bright 3-inch screen. A slide-out hardware Qwerty keyboard gives it a clear advantage over the iPhone. It comes with ample add-ons, including 3G support, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
In a breakthrough touch, the phone can be dropped onto an optional, puck-like base for wireless charging.
The phone is due sometime in the first half of this year. Many questions remain unanswered, including price and the decision to partner exclusively with Sprint, which itself is struggling. The carrier is losing subscribers amid customer service and coverage issues. Palm and Spring are both desperate for a winner.
Also, as impressive as today's demo was, it didn't cover some of the tougher challenges that the iPhone tackles with aplomb -- including video -- and barely touched on others, such as music organization and playback.
But Palm has a well-earned reputation for making phones that are easy to use. It's good to see the company strive to maintain that characteristic while reaching for a phone that can do more.
Those are my first impressions. What do you think?
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New Casio Camera Feature is Creepy
Tweet Share on Facebook January 7, 2009 Comment (3)Dave at CES: Maybe it was the demonstration, but I don't see the appeal of a new feature from Casio. New cameras can put a moving person onto a still picture, say a kid bowing on top of one of her drawings.
At best, I don't see that anyone would use it much. At worst, I found the combos a bit creepy. Maybe it was just the choice of subject matter.
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PC Keyboards Get a Makeover
Tweet Share on Facebook January 7, 2009 Comment (2)Dave at CES: The lowly PC keyboard is getting an upgrade this year. Gadget maker Logitech has added a small LCD to one of its keyboards that acts as a separate screen, while Asus is plugging a whole computer into the back of a keyboard.
The Logitech screen is small, about the size of an LCD on a common cellphone. But that's enough to be a display for videoconferencing or data for gamers. At $200, Logitech is aiming this keyboard right at high-end gamers who want every advantage at their PC.
The Asus Eee Keyboard includes a larger, 5-inch display. It also packs a full computer running Windows XP. It's basically one of the company's netbooks squeezed into a keyboard. The company hopes to release it later this year but isn't talking price yet.
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SanDisk Wants Us to Push Their Backup Button
Tweet Share on Facebook January 7, 2009 CommentOur refusal to back up our PCs also caught the attention of SanDisk, which is launching USB drives with a push-button for saving data. It's another effort by SanDisk to find a new use for the memory chips it makes.
This one doesn't seem a big winner. But there might be a market in people who already rely on USB drives for crucial files. Like a friend of mine, a non-techie who's always baffled by backup software and manually copies a few files to a thumb drive.
SanDisk's concept borrows from external hard drives, which come loaded with software that is invoked with a button on the drive. Smaller USB drives seem awkward for reliable backup. They are more portable, so maybe it's good for someone who wants to routinely haul a number of files with them. Even then, it depends on the software, which I haven't seen, and how easy and reliable it is to use.
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Phoenix Software Reduces Pain From a PC Boot
Tweet Share on Facebook January 7, 2009 CommentDave at CES: Shaving a few minutes off a starting PC also shaves the angst, the tension that feels like a kick in the stomach from a computer's boot.
HyperSpace is new software that offers a lean, fast and friendly partner to slow-starting Windows. I've been testing it for several days, and HyperSpace has quickly booted my laptop into a usable, if limited, Web-connected machine.
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Clickfree Backup Moves Off Pricey Disks to Pricey Cable
Tweet Share on Facebook January 7, 2009 CommentDave at CES: One of my favorite backup options just got more flexible. Clickfree software, which makes it almost mindless to back up a PC's precious data, now comes on a $60 cable that automates the process for any hard drive.
Before, the software came installed on somewhat pricey hard drives and DVDs. Plugging them into a machine starts the backup process. It usually requires a user to do nothing, meaning they might actually do something to finally protect their data.
At $60, the cable still costs more than other backup software, which often comes for free on some hard drives. But if it works as well as the Clickfree disks, none is easier to use. -
Palm Said to be the Next to Target iPhone
Tweet Share on Facebook January 6, 2009 Comment (13)It's well known that beleaguered Palm will launch an updated operating system called "Nova" at this week's electronics show in Las Vegas. It's also expected to unveil a new smartphone, one that a source at CrunchGear is calling "iPhone-like" with a large touchscreen:
The new phone will have a full QWERTY keyboard that will slide down under a portrait-oriented touchscreen....The new operating system is described as “amazing” and there will be a full software bazaar on launch. It will have media playback functions along with standard Palm calendar, email, and contact functionality.
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Feds Out of Money for Digital TV Coupons
Tweet Share on Facebook January 6, 2009 Comment (3)The government said new applicants for financial help with buying converter boxes will have to go onto a waiting list. More than 24 million households have requested more than 46 million coupons and more than 18 million coupons have been redeemed.
New applicants will have to depend on the pain of others, whose coupons expire after 90 days. That will free some of the $1.34 billion the government set aside for the program. Expired coupons is an unpleasant surprise awaiting millions who have requested but not cashed theirs.
Nearly 2 million households that rely on broadcast TV haven't even requested financial help. And about half of the coupons requested haven't been used, more reason to anticipate a meltdown when TVs go blank next month.
