Peripherals

Geneva Labs CES lineup: you might have to hide your wallet

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862 days
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We’re probably not alone here when we say that we have a penchant for European minimalism, and the latest out of the audiophiles at Geneva Labs certainly doesn’t disappoint. With five different models (the Models S, M, L, XL, and XXL), the firm has put together arguably one of the most aesthetically pleasing audio lineups on the market today. From the incredibly sleek rounded edges, to the hidden LED display behind the speaker grates, the attention to detail is second to none. We’re also crazy about the touch sensitive control panel on the Model S, which can control your iPod’s menus from the panel or from the bundled remote control. Alright, now that we’ve successfully whet your appetite, check out some hardcore audiophile erotica in the gallery below.

Smartfish ErgoMotion Keyboard fingers-on

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862 days
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The crew at Smartfish have been working overtime on their world hunger-ending, carpal tunnel-killing, and totally innovative peripherals, and they’re finally ready to introduce the complement to its ErgoMotion mouse: the ErgoMotion keyboard. We got to lay our overworked, underfed fingers on a prototype on display at Digital Experience, and although it’s certainly nifty, we can’t say we’re rushing to buy one. Our key presses felt somewhat shallow, but we’ll cut the crew a little slack because it’s still a prototype. The selling point here is the fact that the keyboard itself is segmented in two, and is programmed to reconfigure itself periodically — a phenomenon that definitely takes some getting used to. The movements, although subtle, are definitely noticeable, but see for yourself in the videos after the break.

TomTom Ease splashing down later this year for not much coinage (hands-on)

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862 days
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Like getting from point A to point B without getting lost along the way? Enjoy saving money? Chances are you’ll dig TomTom‘s new Ease, an entry-level PND to lead all entry-level PNDs, with an integrated Fold & Go port mount, a slightly tweaked UI, Map Share / IQ Routes, a 3.5-inch display (320 x 240), 2GB of internal memory, pre-loaded Tele Atlas maps of America, text-to-speech and an integrated battery. We were told tonight by the outfit’s booth representatives that it would ship in Q2, and they emphasized that whole “priced very competitively” aspect.

Mirasol shows prototype reader-like device playing back color video, might be headed for the Kindle

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862 days
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You know that Kindle you’re so in love with? Man, that’s so 2009. Mirasol showed up at CES with a display technology that’s been in the works for around a decade, and it has finally reached the point where ODMs and OEMs are talking shop about integrating said panel into all manners of future devices. In the past, the company has stuck to making screens for relatively minuscule devices, but its latest display is a 5.7-inch XGA color screen that would fit just perfectly within your next e-reader. We spoke at length with executives, and they’re currently predicting an ebook reader running Mirasol in Fall of this year.

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Tunebug Shake and Vibe ears-on at CES 2010

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862 days
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One of the more interesting pieces of tech on display at Digital Experience was the Tunebug Shake. It’s a small device that can be attached to a helmet (of mostly any kind) that turns it into a speaker. Coming with both a 3.5-mm jack and stereo Bluetooth support, the connection options should allow it to work with almost any audio-outputting device. Unfortunately, you can only control the volume from the Shake itself — changing songs are a no go, or as the kind PR rep put it “it’s always on shuffle.” Tunebug also had the Vibe on display, which is similar, but instead turns regular surfaces into impromptu speakers. We’ll be honest, the sound quality from both was a bit lackluster, but we were also testing it out in a huge ballroom full of people. We’ll have to see how it really fares once these units start shipping to real live customers. Feel free to take a peek at the puck-like devices in our hands-on gallery.

Cobra XRS 9970G radar detector has a touchscreen, will not make radar detectors useful

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862 days
by in Peripherals

If you’re thinking switching between city and highway mode on a regular radar detector was pretty easy, well, you’re wrong. What you need is a 1.5-inch touchscreen, as found on the new Cobra XRS 9970G and 9965, which replaces that baffling array of knobs and switches with a baffling array of icons. Of course, none of this will actually make radar detectors effective or relevant, but that’s not really the point here, is it?

Epson MovieMate multimedia projector hands-on

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862 days
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Aiming to be a one-stop shop for slumber parties and business meetings alike, the MovieMate projector from Epson combines a projector and a DVD player into one easy-to-tote package. It packs HDMI, PC, and Component / RGB inputs, in addition to built-in speakers. There’s a handle for easy carrying, and we’re glad to report that it’s not too heavy. Thankfully, Epson included a mic input for all those crazy karaoke sessions that might happen in the spur of the moment. Unfortunately there were no karaoke tunes on hand for us to test it out to, so we’ll just have to take their word that it works like a charm.

XstreamHD actually available for pre-order

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862 days
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XstreamHD demo

No we can’t believe it either, but it actually looks like we can take XstreamHD off the vaporware list in a few months. Now there are no guarantees in life, but starting today you can pay $25 for the right to one of the first XstreamHD systems off the assembly line. The reminder of the $399 bill will have to paid on April 30th when it ships and includes a 1TB Media Server that can store the high quality pre-fetched HD that gets beamed down via satellite or HD recorded via the three ATSC tuners that’re built-in. You also get one HD Media Receiver that’ll extend the signal into another room and all the accessories like a ZigBee RF remote and cables — you can go Pro for an extra $100 if you have the need for hi-fidelity analog outputs on the receiver. We’ll be keeping a very close eye on this one as it does sound very interesting, but you’ll have to forgive us for being skeptical because we’ve been hearing about how great it is for about two years. Full release after the jump.

iriver Story e-reader shipping to US soil this month, WiFi version coming in Q2

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863 days
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iriver‘s first legitimate shot at making an e-reader has been floating around in various corners of the globe for months now, but finally we’ve confirmation from the company that the device is coming Stateside. Announced here in Las Vegas, the iriver Story will ship to US retailers later this month, with an “updated WiFi version” slated to ship in early Q2. For those who’ve forgotten, the 0.36-inch thick reader packs a 6-inch e-ink display, an integrated MP3 player, 2GB of internal memory, an SD expansion slot, USB 2.0 connectivity and a battery good for 9,000 page turns. As for the MSRP? iriver tells us it’ll be “competitively priced,” with more details to be released as “content and retail partners are finalized.

Philips CushionSpeaker coming to America this April for $80

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863 days
by in Peripherals

Hear that? That’s the sound of millions of Yanks celebrating in unison. Why the joviality? Because Philips’ CushionSpeaker is coming to America, of course! The device — which simultaneously serves as a lap-based laptop cushion / stand and an external speaker system — first made waves last September when it debuted in Europe, but now that USers have evidently proven that they need one too, they’re getting exactly what they want. We had a chance to tinker with the device, and largely, we agree with what has already been said. It’s a perfectly fine cushion for using your laptop while kicking back on the sofa, but the bass-less speaker leaves a lot to be desired. It’s set to ship to sofa sitters this April for $79.99, and if you’re interested in the $39.99 to $49.99 Notebook Sleeve, $49.99 Notebook SoundBar and a variety of other peripherals that now have a stateside release in their future, the full details are posted after the break.

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