Archives For Gadgets

StickNFind May Be the Start of Your Programmable House

Mari Silbey —  January 18, 2013 — 4 Comments

StickNFind bluetooth stickers

All this talk about an Internet of Things and I still can’t find my keys in the morning. This is the problem I hoped to solve when I visited the StickNFind booth at CES last week. (An eon ago, but we’re still catching up on coverage) Funded by an IndieGoGo campaign (like Kickstarter), the StickNFind product is a small Bluetooth sticker combined with a mobile app for homing in on objects wherever they go. It’s due to ship commercially in March, and it comes with a reasonable price tag of $50 for two stickers.

There are a lot of things to like about StickNFind. The sticker format makes these tracking devices very flexible. They stick on almost anything, and you can track up to 20 objects (or pets, or kids…) at once. There’s also a nifty “virtual leash” feature that lets you know when a sticker is moving out of range. Unfortunately, StickNFind is also at the mercy of Bluetooth’s limitations. The tracking function only works up to 100 feet, and it requires line of sight. Continue Reading…

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Vizio Costar To Receive Google TV 3 Update

Dave Zatz —  January 11, 2013 — 2 Comments

vizio-costar-update

I briefly swung by Vizio’s CES suite for an update on their small form factor streamer. And came away quite please to learn existing Vizio Costar units will beging receiving a Google TV 3 update within just a few weeks. While our initial Costar impressions weren’t the most favorable, there’s still quite a bit of value here at the $99 price point and the Google TV refresh, including updated YouTube app and tablet voice control, ups the ante. Further, Vizio informed me a full-on Amazon Instant app is now available (versus the web shortcut). Given Vizio’s Input 1 HDMI pass-thru and true web browsing, in addition to the requisite apps, it’s a competitive and unique offering at this price point… which will surely gain traction as they expand to brick & mortar distribution later this year. We’re looking forward to taking our (two) Costars for a spin, once the gTV3 update hits, and will report back.

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Lenovo Goes Big with 27″ Horizon Table PC

Mari Silbey —  January 9, 2013 — 5 Comments

Lenovo Horizon Table PC 3

It’s been a while since we’ve talked about the Microsoft Surface table. And while the Redmond giant is no longer shipping product, Lenovo is stepping up to the plate with the new IdeaCentre Horizon Table PC. It’s a 27″ Windows 8 tablet, and it is by far the coolest thing I’ve seen at CES this year.

At last night’s CES Showstoppers event, Lenovo execs demoed two of the Horizon products by setting them up as gaming surfaces. With a multi-user interface, these giant tablets work for everything from air hockey to dice games to shoot-em-ups. Use your fingers, or grab a joystick, puck or die to get started. The accessories pair with the Horizon surface and bring back that retro feel of playing Pac Man at the Pizza Hut on one of their 1980s game tables. Continue Reading…

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Belkin Expands WeMo Home Automation Initiative

Dave Zatz —  January 7, 2013 — 5 Comments

belkin-wemo-light-switch

Haven given up on the Gypsy lifestyle and once again returned to home ownership, I’ve been on the lookout for ways to geekify our new pad. And while CES is inundated with health gadgets, I’m more interested in home automation… perhaps sleeker and simpler than existing Insteon or Zigee solutions. Of course, that’s how I ended up with the Nest wireless thermostat (review to come). Yet, it’s something of a luxury item at $250 and remains a walled garden. By comparison, Belkin is attempting to bring home automation to the masses but the WeMo lineup has been pretty limited to wireless outlets, thus far, controlled via smartphone. However, in 2013 they’re promising to expand with a wireless wall light switch (shown above) and by licensing their platform to others – including the maker of Mr. Coffee and Sunbean products. The WeMo lightswitch is expected this summer in the $50 range. If I haven’t already tricked out my home by then, I’ll surely be keeping an eye on Belkin’s progress in this arena… despite some questionable, combustible propositions.

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CES Gadget Go Bag

Mari Silbey —  January 3, 2013 — 9 Comments

CES gadget go bag

 

After skipping the “International CES”* last year, both Dave and I are headed back to Vegas for the consumer electronics show in 2013. And that means it’s time once again to look into the gadget go bag. For next week’s trip I’m packing up the laptop and smartphone, but also a few accessories that should hopefully make my rounds at the show a little easier. First, despite Dave’s insistence that I use my phone to take all photos, I’ve acquired another point-and-shoot camera. The quality of my smartphone photos is seriously lacking, and while I have no aspirations to be an award-winning photographer, it would be nice if a few of my gadget pics were recognizable as such, even in low light and among jostling conference-goers.

Second, I’ve added a critical new piece of hardware to boost my phone’s naturally crappy battery life. The Anker Astro 3 external charger may be overkill given that I only need one of the one thousand enclosed adapter tips, but it promises to power my phone at least six times on a single charge. And that is invaluable while traipsing around Vegas roughly 20 out of every 24 hours each day.

Finally, I’ve included a small Skooba case for organizing my various gadget cables, and a set of cheap but worthwhile Panasonic earphones so I can safely ignore my fellows anytime and anywhere. Remember, just because we bloggers want to learn more about this year’s gadgets doesn’t mean we actually want to talk to other people while doing it.

Interestingly, while pulling this post together, I happened across a photo of my gadget bag from CES 2010. There have been a few changes since then. Continue Reading…

In Accessories, Gadgets, Meta
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