TMCnet News

CES 2013: is 3D TV dead?, screens with touch, the thinnest e-ink watch and more
[January 09, 2013]

CES 2013: is 3D TV dead?, screens with touch, the thinnest e-ink watch and more


(Guardian Web Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) CES has moved into full swing, with the audience allowed in (even though there are some doubts about whether CES is really still relevant in an age of software and services). Here's our quick pick of the fascinating and enthralling from day 2.



Asus Transformer AiO: the Windows 8 all-in-one that transforms into an Android tablet >> PCPro Asus has used the first day of CES 2013 to demo the Transformer AiO, an 18.4in desktop all-in-one with a detachable screen that doubles as an Android tablet.

The difference between the Transformer and the larger, battery-powered Sony VAIO Tap 20 is that when the Transformer is removed from its base station it switches from running Windows 8 from its Core i3 processor and Nvidia GT 730M GPU to a more traditional tablet running Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) from an Nvidia Tegra 3 processor.


For when you can't decide which you want. You can opt to keep it as a Windows 8 device via wireless remote desktop connection to the base station - so not going to stay that way on the train. Expected weight: heavy.

Tactus morphing touchscreen keyboard hands-on (with video) >> Engadget Well, Tactus has been sampling some new coating materials attempting to reduce glare -- and succeeding -- cut down on the controller's size by 70% and in so doing also doubled up the speed that the keyboard activates. As a refresher, the system includes a reservoir stored in the device, a controller to move the fluid into the tixels -- yes, tixels, Tactile Pixels -- and software to control the entire system. Once activated, the tixels inflate and become squishy that offer tactile keyboard-like feedback.

Squishy keys Yuk. We're still holding out for the tactile feedback system demonstrated by Senseg.

It's official: 3D is dead >> The Verge Vlad Savov: It's a weird and ironic dichotomy. On the one hand, 3D has become ubiquitous enough in televisions that people are unwittingly buying it when opting for a high-end new HDTV to fill their living room void yet on the other, every big TV maker at CES has waved a clear white flag on trying to sell 3D TV as an important feature. Sony CEO Kaz Hirai spent more time during his keynote talking about professional-grade Sony cameras attracting M. Night Shyamalan over to digital recording than he did talking up 3D. In fact, I'm not sure he mentioned 3D once.

It's not actually "official", but 3D seems to be gone as something that companies use to try to sell TVs.

Samsung's got a giant OLED TV that curves (updated: hands on) >> Gizmodo Samsung, not content to stop at its imprisoned UltraHD televisions, has announced its latest technologically marvellous curiosity: an 55-inch OLED television with a display that curves.Samsung touts the "panorama effect" and "life-like viewing" that a curve like this provides, but the biggest benefit seems to be that the curve makes all viewing angles equal. And that's true to a point; the curve is very slight, but the viewing feels uniform. The biggest effect of the form, though, is one of envelopment; it's a bit like having a planetarium on your wall. Which is both disorienting and majestic.

Not to mention expensive. Well, we assume expensive, but there's no detail on pricing, availability or other figures. OLED TVs have been shown off at CES for a couple of years now without actually happening in the broader market. (Also: hands on a TV ) CST-01 E Ink watch is world's thinnest, pictures and hands-on >> Pocket-lint It looks essentially like a bangle or bracelet (depending on your location for the correct naming convention) and is currently making waves on Kickstarter, having made $36,690 of its $200,000 goal in just a matter of days.

Maker Central Standard Time - hence the CST-01 name - will be using a Seiko Epson Microcontroller to keep time. And its micro energy cell battery is rechargeable and can be charged 100,000 times, lasting around 15 years.

Expected price: "around $170" when it launches in September. Given how Pebble has been working torturously through its manufacturing process (more, including exclusives, from Pebble on this site later this week) the price sounds reasonable but the timetable perhaps optimistic.

Going ga-ga over LG's GA7900 >> Tech Radar LG also unveiled the GA7900 today during its press conference. This is one of seven new Google TVs the company is showing off at CES this year, but it's the most high-end of the models.The TV works with a Bluetooth remote that has a keyboard on the back. What's more, couch potatoes don't have to life a finger to change the channel. The GA7900 also offers voice control to search for a program.

Oh, yeah, Google TV. Remember that Although Tech Radar goes on to say (ahead of broader coverage): Thought Google TV was going to lie low in 2013 Think again.Mountain View announced that Asus, Hisense and TCL will all reveal Google TV devices during the Vegas show while existing partners like Vizio and Sony are set to demo the recently revamped service on each companies respective devices.What "Google TV devices" mean exactly we don't yet know, but we're thinking anything from integrated screens to set-top boxes to IPTV boxes.

Finally: butter-fingered (litereally or figuratively) smartphone owners, rejoice: Triple-strength Gorilla Glass 3 unveiled at CES As Jennifer Aniston used to say, here comes the science bit: Gorilla Glass is an alkali-aluminosilicate glass that's chemically strengthened via a process called ion exchange: the untreated glass is immersed in hot molten salt at around 400°C, causing smaller sodium ions to be replaced by larger potassium ions; as the glass cools, a layer of compressive stress is formed on the surface that gives it increased resistance to scratches and drops. Gorilla Glass 2, unveiled at CES 2012, delivered the same damage resistance as its predecessor with a 20 percent reduction in thickness; the newly announced Gorilla Glass 3 is designed to resist scratches even better and retain more strength when it is scratched. Overall, Corning claims that Gorilla Glass 3 is three times more damage-resistant than its predecessor a feature it's calling Native Damage Resistance (NDR).

Delivery date: unspecified. Sorry about that.

(c) 2013 Guardian Newspapers Limited.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]