Posts tagged "2012"

Google to have ‘smart glasses’ by end of 2012

[via SlashGear]

Viewsonic ViewPad G70 7-inch Android 4.0 tablet to debut at MWC 2012

[via SlashGear]

Avi Greengart’s Toy Fair 2012

I have attended and spoken at a lot of trade shows over the years – consumer electronics, telephony, computing, broadcasting, database programming, home theater, whatever SXSW is – but I have always wanted to go to Toy Fair. Even the name of it sounds like fun – who doesn’t like toys? This year I finally found an excuse to go, and it wasn’t to see Star Wars toys. (Well, at least it wasn’t the only reason.) At CES this year, there were tons of connected toys – board games that interact with an iPad, children’s educational tablets, and lots of flying things with iPhone controllers. I covered a few of these in my holiday gift guide, but thought that it would be worth attending Toy Fair 2012 and seeing how deeply connectivity really went in the toy industry. What new gadgets would I find? Are vendors embedding 3G and 4G radios into toys, or just WiFi? Toy Fair agreed, and gave me a press pass.

After an exhausting day walking the show floor and paying $ 4.50 for a bottle of water (this is why you can’t have nice things, New York City), I realized that instead of writing a column about all the cool connected toys I discovered, I was going to end up with something quite different. First of all, Toy Fair reflects an industry with a few very large players – Toys R Us, Walmart, and Target – and a lot of very small independent toy shops. My guess is that the big box stores don’t need Toy Fair – the big vendors court them year round.

As a result, most of the Toy Fair exhibitors seemed to be aiming at buyers for mom and pop stores, and were not quite sure what to do with someone with a press badge. For example, when I would ask about pricing, I was consistently given wholesale pricing by the case – something that never, ever happens at CES, E3, IFA, or even CEDIA, which is aimed at retailers/installers. The booths reflected this emphasis as well; there were aisles and aisles of educational toys, stuffed animals, and crafts – the sort of merchandise you find in independent toy stores. The odd thing was that there wasn’t much in the way of associated services (finance, inventory management software, buyer’s collectives). The odder thing was that none of the goods on display had any sort of connectivity.

“I was taken aback that connectivity was missing from products like science kits”

I wasn’t shocked to find that green toys promising old fashioned play value from companies like Box Creations had not added WiFi routers to their cardboard forts. I understand – and appreciate – that independent stores are looking for products with play value that utilizes a child’s imagination and encourages deeper play than pushing a button on the back of a doll that says how much it likes fashion and hates math. However, I was a bit taken aback that connectivity was missing from products like science kits, where a smartphone app could be used as a way of instructing, monitoring, and interacting with the circuits/chemicals/biology components.

That’s not to say there weren’t any geeky toys on display:

• littleBits was showing off new components for its system, which can be best described as BugLabs for kids.

• LEGO Systems had new packaging for Life of George, which makes it much clearer that this is an iPhone/LEGO brick combination game rather than a regular box of LEGO. The goal of the game is to quickly build LEGO sculptures that match the picture on your iPhone, which then uses its camera to verify the accuracy of the model. Future variations on this theme are planned. LEGO’s Mindstorms robotics kits were not at the show because the company had nothing new to show off, but an official WiFi module and a 3G module would significantly broaden the uses for the system.

• ThinkGeek had a table with various products from its catalog and online store, along with a prototype of a Bluetooth game controller for iOS devices that looks like an original Nintendo 8 bit game pad. Still, my personal favorite was the lightsaber candle holder, which looks even better in real life as it does in the catalog.

• TeeGee launched an intriguing interactive stuffed animal of the same name. The twist on this modern Teddy Ruxpin (that looks like the offspring of a TeleTubby and a monkey) is that you’re supposed to hide an iPhone or iPod touch inside, which is used for voice recognition, speech, and gameplay.

• DANO Toys was showing off its App Crayon, a child’s stylus for the iPad, along with separate educational apps, such as one that teaches writing to children. There are a lot of styli out there, and some have much stronger brand associations; DANO needs to combine the hardware with the software if it wants to get shelf space.

• There were several vendors showing off Android tablets for children, but, frankly, they all looked terrible. Terrible interfaces, terrible educational software, terrible industrial design.

• Even if there were few genuinely mobile toys, mobile gaming’s influence was strongly felt: Angry Birds was just everywhere. I saw Angry Birds stuffed animals, Angry Birds nightlights, Angry Birds slingshots, foam rockets, flashlights, pens, backpacks, hats, keychains, swirly thingies… and more than one item I couldn’t identify. I even saw a fully analog version of the Angry Birds game: Angry Birds Knock On Wood, from Mattel. I can’t quite pinpoint why this should exist outside of physics teachers and Orthodox Jews suffering from smartphone withdrawal on the Sabbath, but it won a Toy of the Year award.

Finally, while it had nothing at all to do with my original notion of finding connected toys, I was intrigued by Nano Magnetics’ booth full of Nanodots sculptures. Their PR person gave me a vial of their tiny magnets, and I feel urged to warn SlashGear readers to avoid these addictive things at all costs, as there is an inverse relationship between playing with them and productivity. For example, I started writing this paragraph an hour ago.

[via SlashGear]

Avi Greengart’s Toy Fair 2012

I have attended and spoken at a lot of trade shows over the years – consumer electronics, telephony, computing, broadcasting, database programming, home theater, whatever SXSW is – but I have always wanted to go to Toy Fair. Even the name of it sounds like fun – who doesn’t like toys? This year I finally found an excuse to go, and it wasn’t to see Star Wars toys. (Well, at least it wasn’t the only reason.) At CES this year, there were tons of connected toys – board games that interact with an iPad, children’s educational tablets, and lots of flying things with iPhone controllers. I covered a few of these in my holiday gift guide, but thought that it would be worth attending Toy Fair 2012 and seeing how deeply connectivity really went in the toy industry. What new gadgets would I find? Are vendors embedding 3G and 4G radios into toys, or just WiFi? Toy Fair agreed, and gave me a press pass.

After an exhausting day walking the show floor and paying $ 4.50 for a bottle of water (this is why you can’t have nice things, New York City), I realized that instead of writing a column about all the cool connected toys I discovered, I was going to end up with something quite different. First of all, Toy Fair reflects an industry with a few very large players – Toys R Us, Walmart, and Target – and a lot of very small independent toy shops. My guess is that the big box stores don’t need Toy Fair – the big vendors court them year round.

As a result, most of the Toy Fair exhibitors seemed to be aiming at buyers for mom and pop stores, and were not quite sure what to do with someone with a press badge. For example, when I would ask about pricing, I was consistently given wholesale pricing by the case – something that never, ever happens at CES, E3, IFA, or even CEDIA, which is aimed at retailers/installers. The booths reflected this emphasis as well; there were aisles and aisles of educational toys, stuffed animals, and crafts – the sort of merchandise you find in independent toy stores. The odd thing was that there wasn’t much in the way of associated services (finance, inventory management software, buyer’s collectives). The odder thing was that none of the goods on display had any sort of connectivity.

“I was taken aback that connectivity was missing from products like science kits”

I wasn’t shocked to find that green toys promising old fashioned play value from companies like Box Creations had not added WiFi routers to their cardboard forts. I understand – and appreciate – that independent stores are looking for products with play value that utilizes a child’s imagination and encourages deeper play than pushing a button on the back of a doll that says how much it likes fashion and hates math. However, I was a bit taken aback that connectivity was missing from products like science kits, where a smartphone app could be used as a way of instructing, monitoring, and interacting with the circuits/chemicals/biology components.

That’s not to say there weren’t any geeky toys on display:

• littleBits was showing off new components for its system, which can be best described as BugLabs for kids.

• LEGO Systems had new packaging for Life of George, which makes it much clearer that this is an iPhone/LEGO brick combination game rather than a regular box of LEGO. The goal of the game is to quickly build LEGO sculptures that match the picture on your iPhone, which then uses its camera to verify the accuracy of the model. Future variations on this theme are planned. LEGO’s Mindstorms robotics kits were not at the show because the company had nothing new to show off, but an official WiFi module and a 3G module would significantly broaden the uses for the system.

• ThinkGeek had a table with various products from its catalog and online store, along with a prototype of a Bluetooth game controller for iOS devices that looks like an original Nintendo 8 bit game pad. Still, my personal favorite was the lightsaber candle holder, which looks even better in real life as it does in the catalog.

• TeeGee launched an intriguing interactive stuffed animal of the same name. The twist on this modern Teddy Ruxpin (that looks like the offspring of a TeleTubby and a monkey) is that you’re supposed to hide an iPhone or iPod touch inside, which is used for voice recognition, speech, and gameplay.

• DANO Toys was showing off its App Crayon, a child’s stylus for the iPad, along with separate educational apps, such as one that teaches writing to children. There are a lot of styli out there, and some have much stronger brand associations; DANO needs to combine the hardware with the software if it wants to get shelf space.

• There were several vendors showing off Android tablets for children, but, frankly, they all looked terrible. Terrible interfaces, terrible educational software, terrible industrial design.

• Even if there were few genuinely mobile toys, mobile gaming’s influence was strongly felt: Angry Birds was just everywhere. I saw Angry Birds stuffed animals, Angry Birds nightlights, Angry Birds slingshots, foam rockets, flashlights, pens, backpacks, hats, keychains, swirly thingies… and more than one item I couldn’t identify. I even saw a fully analog version of the Angry Birds game: Angry Birds Knock On Wood, from Mattel. I can’t quite pinpoint why this should exist outside of physics teachers and Orthodox Jews suffering from smartphone withdrawal on the Sabbath, but it won a Toy of the Year award.

Finally, while it had nothing at all to do with my original notion of finding connected toys, I was intrigued by Nano Magnetics’ booth full of Nanodots sculptures. Their PR person gave me a vial of their tiny magnets, and I feel urged to warn SlashGear readers to avoid these addictive things at all costs, as there is an inverse relationship between playing with them and productivity. For example, I started writing this paragraph an hour ago.

[via SlashGear]

New HP Coupons for President’s Day Sale 2012

HP has some new laptop coupons for their current President’s Day Sale 2012 that’s taking place.  Here’s a rundown on these new coupons:

HP dmt Beats Edition Laptop

• $ 415 Off HP Pavilion dv6t Quad Edition
• $ 350 Off HP Pavilion dm4 Beats Edition
• • Use coupon code NBDM7565 at checkout to get $ 350 off a customized HP dm4 Beats Edition laptop.  Coupon expires after 450 coupons redeemed or 2/25/2012, whichever occurs first
• $ 450 Off HP dv7t Quad Edition Laptop
• 15% Off HP Envy laptops Coupon
• • Use coupon code NBE4836 to get 15% off a customized Envy 15 or Envy 17 laptop.  Excludes HP Envy 14 Spectre.  Coupon expires after 450 uses or on 2/25/2012, whichever comes first.

Check out a list of all current HP coupons, and below are links to reviews of the laptops available with coupons right now:

HP Laptop Reviews:

[via ]

Grand Theft Auto IV mod gives the game’s 2008 graphics a 2012 feel

Ultra-realistic graphic mod will make you forget that Grand Theft Auto IV is almost four years old.

It’s been four years since Grand Theft Auto IV hit shelves, which is practically an eternity in tech years — especially when it comes to elements like graphics and visual software. However, a new video showcasing the latest release of a GTA IV visual mod proves that even a 2008 game can look like it was just released this week.

It’s the sort of thing you really have to see for yourself, as the footage from a version of GTA IV that’s been modded with iCEnhancer 2.0 looks absolutely stunning — and only moreso when you remember how great the game looked in its original incarnation. In the short video embedded below, everything from the details on the cars and streets to Niko Bellic’s beard gets a way-ahead-of-its-time visual upgrade.

Heck, it’s probably safe to say that this version of Grand Theft Auto IV is one of the best looking games of 2012 (so far).

Of course, before you dust off your copy of GTA IV and download the iCEnhancer, make sure to check out the spec required to run this hefty piece of visual moddery, as it’s the sort of thing that could chew up and spit out off-the-shelf computers. So unless you have a high-level gaming rig, you’re stuck admiring it from afar — and there’s a lot to admire.

Oh, and if you notice some bugs in the video, don’t worry. The creator of the mod, Hayssam Keilany, indicates in the video’s description that “Reflections are bugged because of the ROCKSTAR VIDEO EDITOR. It doesn’t look like that in-game, don’t worry & sorry about that.”

You can download iCEhancer 2.0 (it’s free) at the mod’s official website.

[via Digital Trends]

2012 Apple MacBook Pros to Look Like MacBook Airs

If a report from Apple Insider is correct the 2012 update of the MacBook Pro lineup is going to make the professional lineup of laptops look more like the current MacBook Air offerings.  That being, very thin, light and devoid of an optical drive.

In addition to these changes, the MacBook Pros will likely only offer flash memory (SSD) instead of a hard drive.  Whether this would also be true of the 17” MacBook Pro is unknown, obviously it’s a little tougher to get rid of the large storage capacity feature that workstation buyers prefer, but Apple could provide a larger capacity SSD or more iCloud storage to such buyers as a compromise.

According to Apple Insider, the first release of a MacBook Air-like MacBook Pro will be in the Spring of 2012, probably the May time frame.  The new MacBook Pro will be based on Intel’s upcoming Ivy Bridge processor platform and will of course have the Thunderbolt port.  Later on in 2012 the 17-inch model will get an update, but since the 15-inch model sells a lot better the focus will be on revamping that first.  By the end of 2012 all of the current MacBook Pros will be phased out and replaced by the new design.

Apple continues to have strong growth in laptop sales, last quarter they shipped 3.62 million Mac laptops, the most ever for the company.  PC manufacturers are trying to combat the popularity of the MacBook Air with equivalent Windows based Ultrabooks.  Obviously Apple is viewing the increasing demand of the MacBook Air as a sign that people like the idea of thinner and lighter, yet some people still need the power of a MacBook Pro.  The new MacBook Pros (or whatever they end up being called) should provide the best of both worlds for such buyers.

[via ]

HP Pavilion dm4t 2012 First Look Review

The HP Pavilion dm4t is a 14-inch laptop that is often overlooked but deserves more attention due to some nice upgrade options it has.  The latest HP dm4t 2012 update has the option of a backlit keyboard and high resolution 1600 x 900 screen, two options rarely seen in a 14-inch screen laptop that costs less than $ 600 (the dm4t starts at $ 549.99 on HP.com).  Add to that the fact the HP dm4t has the option to upgrade all the way to an Intel Core i7 processor, dedicated AMD 7470 graphics, up to 16GB of RAM and an mSATA SSD option + hard drive and you not only have a laptop with nice features but also a lot of power.  The Pavilion dm4t is also well built, having the same sturdy aluminum case as that used in the dv6t Quad Edition laptop we reviewed.

Since the HP dm4t gets so little coverage we decided to purchase and review the following configuration:

• Screen: 14.0-inch diagonal HD+ Anti-glare LED-backlit Display (1600 x 900)
• Processor:  2nd generation Intel Core i5-2430M Processor (2.4 GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost to 3.0 GHz
• Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000
• Memory: 6GB DDR3 System Memory
• Color: Dark Umber (brown)
• OS: Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Storage: 640GB 5400 rpm Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
• Battery: 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery – Up to 7.0 hours of battery life
• Optical Drive: Super-Multi 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
• Wireless: Intel 802.11b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth
• Keyboard: Backlit Keyboard and Fingerprint reader

Design

The design of the dm4t is much like that of the HP Pavilion dv6t and dv7t.  You get the same case colors, umber or dark grey, and the design fit and finish is the same.  However, one style and usability advantage is that the dm4t offers a backlit keyboard.  It’s beyond me why HP doesn’t offer a backlit keyboard in either the dv6t or dv7t lineup, but that’s the way it is.  The backlit keyboard on the dm4t is effective, the keys are black with transparent white lettering and as you can see in the picture below it makes it easy to see each key in the dark:

I really like the dark umber coloring used on the lid, it’s a classy look and the silver accents at the back of the laptop compliment it well.  The silver HP logo on the lid also looks nice set off against the brown color lid.  If you have a Crate & Barrel décor room, this HP will fit right in with the color scheme!

Screen

Those that like a higher resolution screen are interested in the dm4t for the fact it offers an upgrade to a 1600 x 900 matte display.  The upgrade cost from the standard 1366 x 768 screen is $ 100, but in my opinion is well worth it.  With the higher resolution screen you can be more productive and fit a couple of windows next to each other side by side.  Another bonus is that the 1600 x 900 display is matte, so it won’t give any reflections in a brightly lit environment.  The dm4t is already a fairly professional looking laptop, and if you equip it with the high resolution screen option you can be really productive (less scrolling, easy to see more spreadsheet columns).

Below are some images of the 1600 x 900 HP dm4t screen.  A camera can’t replicate the in person viewing, but it at least gives a good idea of color gamut, contrast and viewing angles:

You will notice that the colors invert and distort as the viewing angles increase or decrease vertically, this is typical of any laptop using what is called a TN-panel.  So long as you view the screen straight on (perpendicular to the eye) the colors will be correct and the screen will look nice.  You’ll need to find a laptop with an IPS display such as the Envy 15-3000 to get better viewing angles.

Performance

The HP dm4t is no slouch in the performance department, at the time of purchase it came with a free upgrade to a 2.40GHz Intel Core i5 processor.  You can get either dedicated AMD 7470 graphics or an Intel HD 3000 integrated graphics card.  For most the Intel graphics will suffice, the AMD graphics card is not powerful enough to play the latest high end games, but will certainly be a better performer than the Intel.  The cost to upgrade to AMD graphics is +$ 100, which is kind of a steep price.

Using PCMark Vantage as a benchmark, the dm4t under review scored 7,437 – a very respectable number:

The HP dm4t easily outperforms other 14-inch laptops that have an Intel Core i3 processor.

Full Review Coming

We’ll have a full review of the HP dm4t coming in the next couple of weeks that covers this laptop more in depth.  Issues such as build quality, keyboard, heat and noise and port selection will be covered.  Stay tuned, and until then check out the video overview we have of the dm4t:

Availability

The HP dm4t starts at $ 549.99 at HP.com before any coupons, with the HP student discount it starts at $ 529.99.

[via ]

SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up: February 10, 2012

[via SlashGear]

New HP Laptop Coupons for February 2012

HP has just released 3 new laptop coupons for February 2012.  The coupon codes are below:

• Save 33% off the HP Pavilion dv6t Quad Core laptop, use coupon code NBDV6967 at checkout on a custom configured dv6t Quad Core.  Coupon expires after 900 uses or on 2/19, whichever comes first.
• Save $ 200 on any custom HP Pavilion or Envy laptop, use coupon code NBU8677 at checkout.  Coupon excludes dv6t Quad, Envy 14 Spectre, Folio 13 laptops.  Coupon expires after 1,500 uses or 2/19, whichever comes first.
• Save $ 50 on any customized HP laptop over $ 599, use coupon code NBJ5867 at checkout.  Coupon excludes HP g6x, dv4t, g4t and Envy 14 Spectre.  Coupon expires after 675 uses or on 2/19.

All of the above new HP coupon codes are valid today through 2/19/2012.  Only the NBU8677 coupon works on the Envy 15 and Envy 17 laptops.  Since the HP dv6t Quad coupon code is a percentage off offer, the deal is going to work best for a high end configuration that costs more, as you’ll save more.  If you simply configure the base price dv6t Quad Edition then the price after coupon comes to $ 770.49:

That’s more than the $ 699 that the last coupon bumped the price down to, so unfortunately this deal is not as good as that of last week.

The HP Envy 15 and Envy 17 can both be discounted using the $ 200 off coupon NBU8677, this coupon brings the price of the base level Envy 15 down to $ 899.99:

The $ 899 is actually a much better price than last weeks Envy coupon code, the starting price then was $ 940 so it drops nearly $ 50 with this $ 200 off NBU8677 code.

The $ 50 off coupon NBJ5867 is a good candidate to use on the HP dm4t 14-inch laptop, after coupon the base price of the dm4t comes down to $ 529.99, a nice deal on this laptop:

[via ]