CES 2014

BonsaiLight Wants Electronic Devices to Power Themselves (Almost)

Darryl Wilkinson | Jan 10, 2014 |

EcoHarvester is a startup company that uses “green technology” to engineer consumer electronics devices that do not require batteries. Instead, the devices are “human-powered” and rely on power generated by the users’ own movements or micro-kinetic energy. The company’s first product, the BonsaiLight, is a desk/tabletop dimmable LED lamp that comes with a battery-less wireless on/off switch that uses “a razor thin mechanism to capture motion, yielding a significantly larger amount of power-for-size than other battery-free switches…” Because the wireless switch “harvests” the power it needs from the kinetic energy expended when the user turns the switch, it can be mounted anywhere without the need for running new wires. The BonsaiLights will likely incorporate Bluetooth connectivity and other wireless protocols. The company anticipates beginning a Kickstarter campaign within the next several months, with production to begin as soon as possible. Exact pricing of the hardware was not available, although the wireless switches will hopefully sell for under $40 each.

CES 2014

Braven Announces New Outdoor Power Bank Speakers, One Specifically Tuned for the Outdoors

Leslie Shapiro | Jan 08, 2014 |

Most companies can ruggedize a speaker, give it some mild water-resistance and slap on a “water-resistant” sticker, and call it an outdoor product. BRAVEN has taken a much more serious approach in the new BRV-X and BRAVEN 855s.

CES 2014

Bryston Makes a "Normal" Speaker: the Middle T Tower

Brent Butterworth | Jan 10, 2014 |

Bryston's early speakers were boxy, pro-monitor-style creations, but its latest products are a lot sleeker and more home-friendly. They're also designed -- as one might expect from a Canadian audio company -- according to sound, decades-proven scientific principles. That's why the Middle T tower speaker delivered some of the best sound I heard at CES.

CES 2014

Cerwin-Vega expands the XD Desktop Series with Classic Looks and Sound

Leslie Shapiro | Jan 09, 2014 |

Stopping into the Gibson tent at CES was like stepping back in time - back to when speakers looked like speakers and had full, balanced sound. The main CES show floor was full of tiny earbuds and tons of tinny portable wireless speakers, but here in the tent, Cerwin-Vega was showing off their new line of active desktop speakers, and I was glad I stopped by.

CES 2014

CES Celebrity Siting: 50 Cent

SV Staff | Jan 09, 2014 |

Rapper 50 Cent signs autographs at the SMS Audio booth to promote his Street by 50 headphones. Available in black or silver, the $280 'phones have built-in noise canceling, powered by a lithium-ion battery said to last 70 hours when fully charged.

CES 2014

CES Keynote: Sony Announces Short Throw 4k Projector

Barb Gonzalez | Jan 07, 2014 |

During an impassioned keynote, Sony Chairman Kazuo Hirai promised to deliver content without the box. The first product in what Sony calls Lifespace UX will be the Ultra Short Throw Projector. A long, short rectangular box is placed close to any wall in your house and projects a 147 inch 4k image on the wall. Hirai described content that includes real time, life size images in this makeshift window that might include an outdoor view with transitions. The Ultra Short Throw Projector will be available Summer 2014.

CES 2014

China Makes its Move

Thomas J. Norton | Jan 09, 2014 |

It's been suggested that the next manufacturers to break into the HDTV market will be Chinese. That's not surprising as many current sets branded by manufacturers from Japan and Korea are often subcontracted, in whole or in part, to Chinese factories.

CES 2014

CoolVox Cranks Up the Fridge

Ken C. Pohlmann | Jan 10, 2014 |

I have long regarded refrigerators as being the most selfish of the kitchen appliances. Toasters, for example, must exert tremendous heat to partially carbonize my toast, and blenders, the poor things, whip themselves into a frenzy as they mush things up. In contrast, fridges mainly just stand there, self-absorbed, trying to look cool, intentionally not sharing their air conditioning with the rest of the kitchen. Recognizing this, Whirlpool has dramatically reinvented the refrigerator - transforming it from aloof SOB, to DJ party animal.

CES 2014

Cutting-Edge Automotive Tech Wows CES Showgoers

Bob Ankosko | Jan 08, 2014 |

Over the years International CES has become a melting pot of every imaginable consumer technology. The show has been a showcase for aftermarket car stereo and entertainment since the ’70s and has in recent years evolved into a showcase for new-car tech—from superbly integrated and great sounding entertainment systems to sophisticated sensors and head-up displays to Internet and Bluetooth connectivity, and more. From BMW to Chrysler, a record nine automakers are occupying 140,000 square feet of exhibit space at 2014 CES, many with booths reminiscent of the New York Auto Show. Let’s take a look…

CES 2014

DarbeeVision Demos DVP-Processed 4K Video

John Sciacca | Jan 10, 2014 | First Published: Jan 11, 2014 |

If you thought that 4K images were the height of pristine image quality without any room for improvement, then you needed to stop by DarbeeVision’s suite in the LVH and experience what 4K images look like when processed with Darbee Visual Presence DVP processing!

CES 2014

DarbeeVision Unveils DVP-5100CIE Video Processor

John Sciacca | Jan 10, 2014 | First Published: Jan 11, 2014 |

DarbeeVision, manufacturer of the Darblet and the company behind Darbee Visual Presence DVP video enhancement processing, demonstrated the DVP-5100CIE (Custom Installer Edition) which was manufactured with direct input from custom installers. The product features the same terrific depth and clarity processing found in the Oppo BDP-103D and Lumagen Radiance video processor.

CES 2014

Dead Rapper 'Phones

SV Staff | Jan 08, 2014 |

Vivtar is about more than cameras, lenses, and photography accessories. In addition to Kiss, Aerosmith, and other artist/band-branded headphones, sold under the Section 8 label, you can opt for dead rapper 'phones. Your choice: Tupac Shakur, who was gunned down in 1996 a few blocks from the Las Vegas Convention Center, or Notorious Big, who met a similar fate six months later in Los Angeles. Just what the world needs…

CES 2014

Digital Innovations Says Cleanliness Is Next To Your Faceliness

Darryl Wilkinson | Jan 08, 2014 | First Published: Jan 09, 2014 |

Two new items from Digital Innovations caught my eye at CES2014. The first was the company’s new antimicrobial formulation for its line of ScreenDr. portable screen and device cleaner. The new cleaner includes antimicrobial ingredients that “stab” bacteria to kill them rather than employ a resistance-building antibiotic ingredient. The fluid in the Screen Dr. cleans the surface of your portable device or flat-screen TV and helps prevent the re-growth of bacteria and microorganisms on the treated surface. The patented all-in-one bottle/cap/cloth holder design is extremely convenient, too. Two ounce bottles are available for $9.99. Five ounce bottles are available for $14.99. Nine ounce bottles – ideally suited for use on large-screen displays – sell for $19.99. The Digital Innovations folks say that the best value is the combo pack containing a two-ounce and a five-ounce bottle for $19.99. Also available from Digital Innovations is the cleverly designed Nest Earbud Case that quickly stores earbud cables and allows them to be removed tangle-free with a single pull. The soft, flexible silicone case is available in blue, pink, and green for $9.99.

CES 2014

DISH Launches SuperJoey for 8-channel Hopper Recording

John Sciacca | Jan 06, 2014 |

Dish President and CEO, Joe Clayton, kicked off the company’s press event by welcoming the crowds to “part three of DISH’s transformation.”

Building on the success of its Hopper and Joey multi-room DVR system, DISH announced several significant upgrades to the system today. Where the previous Hopper system was capable of recording three programs at once – or up to six when using the PrimeTime Anytime feature – the new SuperJoey will record a breakthrough eight shows at once! (Any four shows plus the four major broadcast networks when using PrimeTime Anytime, or the five network tuners recording/watching any five shows from any network.)

CES 2014

DJI: Own Your Own Drone

Al Griffin | Jan 07, 2014 |

Drones are big news these days (a recent 60 Minutes piece on Amazon’s drone package-delivery plans drove the hype machine to full throttle), so it comes as no surprise that drones—or Unmanned Aerial Systems, as manufacturers of consumer-grade drones like to call them—are a category here at CES. One maker, DJI, even held a press conference to introduce its new Phantom 2 Vision, a quadcopter with a built-in 14 megapixel camera capable of recording 1080p video (4 GB micro SD card included).

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