When Microsoft announced earlier this week that it would be selling Kinect for Windows starting in February, a number of people envisioned a near future where they would be moving the cells around on their Excel spreadsheet by waving their hands, or finally getting quality motion controls for PC games that have never been ported to the Xbox 360. But neither of these situations is really what Kinect for Windows is about. [More]
ces 2012
How Heavy Is A Phone That Promises Up To 21.5 Hours Of Continuous Talk Time?
By 1.12.12
Earlier this week at the Consumer Electronics Show, Motorola unveiled the latest member of its RAZR family of cellphones, the Droid RAZR Maxx, which the company says can deliver up to a whopping 21.5 hours of continuous talk time. [More]
Why Don't We Have Color E-Ink Readers Here In The U.S.?
By 1.12.12
While there are a number of full-color devices like the Kindle Fire or the Nook that are sold as e-readers, there is a segment of the e-book reading world that views them as dumbed-down tablets with too-bright backlit screens that suck up battery power. Many of these people have been waiting for a color version of the E-Ink technology used in all the non-Fire Kindles and a few other readers to eventually become a reality. Well, now it is, but you won’t be seeing it stateside in the near future. [More]
What Is This "Connected Appliance" Stuff All About Anyway?
By 1.12.12
While much of the buzz at any Consumer Electronics Show revolves around the sexier kids in school — TVs, computers, cell phones — there is a quiet rumble surrounding the impending release of a horde of “connected appliances,” which is a blanket term for fridges, washers, dryers, dishwashers, stoves and ovens that communicate in some way with each other and maybe with the outside world. [More]
FCC Chair Calls AT&T/T-Mobile Failure "Reminder Of The Benefits Of Competition"
By 1.11.12
In less than a year, AT&T went from swallowing up T-Mobile USA for for $39 billion to owing T-Mobile’s German parent company $3 billion in cash and another billion in spectrum because that deal slammed into the regulatory roadblock at the FCC and the Justice Dept. Speaking for the third year in a row at the Consumer Electronics Show, FCC chair Julius Genachowski defended his agency’s actions against the deal. [More]
Best Buy CEO: Feedback Is The Gift You Don't Always Care To Open
By 1.11.12
This afternoon at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn got the chance to talk about the state of his company and the recent spate of reports declaring the beginning of the end for the nation’s largest chain of electronics stores. [More]
Here’s A Credit Card That Looks To Trap ID Thieves By Making Them Think They’re Clever
By 1.11.12 — Updated: 1.8.15
We’ve already seen credit cards that generate unique, random security codes every time a card user makes a purchase, so that it would require the buyer to have the physical card on them in order to buy something. But here’s a card that wants the ID thief to think he’s more clever than he is. [More]
Photos: Behind The Scenes At CES 2012
By 1.10.12
In a few hours, the folks at the Consumer Electronics Show will fling open the doors to the Las Vegas Convention Center and a crowd the size of a small city will begin gawking and toying with the latest in doodads and whatsthats. But for the second year in a row, me and my trusty camera phone were able to convince someone I had a reason to be on the show floor so I could snap a handful of last-minute preparation pics before anyone caught on to my antics.
[More]
CES Unveiled: Where Manufacturers Bring Their B Game To Mildly Impress The Press
By 1.9.12
The actual tech stampede that is the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas doesn’t start until Tuesday, but the press gets here a few days early so manufacturers can officially announce what’s behind those curtains on the show floor. Additionally, there’s the annual CES Unveiled event, in which a handful of exhibitors compete with the free food and drinks in an attempt to impress the press. You occasionally run into some items — like the baby monitor-type system for elderly people — but this year’s group had few standouts. [More]
CES 2012: The Future Will Be Like The Present, Only With Fewer Buttons
By 1.9.12
In the future, everything will be a computer, and those computers will have fewer buttons. That’s the takeaway from a speech by Shawn DuBravac of the Consumer Electronics Association. [More]
Yes, Consumerist Is Going To CES
By 1.8.12
Yes, it’s that time of year again. Consumerist will be tagging along with Consumer Reports to the Consumer Electronics Show. How shall you follow our adventure? On Twitter, naturally. Follow @Consumerist. This account will be staffed by the inimitable Chris Morran, who will be continuing the fine tradition of making Best Buy uneasy with his presence. Be sure to say hello if you spot us on the floor. [More]
