We’ been secretly looking forwards to plausibly portable laser projectors ever since green lasers were perfected a few years ago and now it looks like our dreams are finally becoming reality. WOWee and MicroVision have teamed up to join PicoP laser projector technology with Gel-Audio based portable speakers, essentially creating a pocket-sized media service that offers a huge, 200 inch cinematic experience.
Qualcomm is offering a $10 million prize for anyone who can create a device akin to the medical-tricorder from Star Trek. If you’re unfamiliar with the show or the fictional gadget, it’s basically a hand-held scanner than can identify just what’s wrong with a patient in seconds. How does it work? Well that’s what Qualcomm wants to find out.
Google’s Matias Duarte has revealed the new operating system (OS) standards for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. For any previous iteration of Android we’d say something along the lines of “who cares” but in this instance it’s actually positive news. Android 4.0, named Ice Cream Sandwich, is supposed to be the version of Android that will herald the new Golden Age for Android devices. Traditionally, one of Android’s biggest problems has been device fragmentation. With so many different and unique devices being pumped out by a multitude of manufacturers across a range of carriers it’s been an extremely difficult for Google to ensure that its Android OS updates actually reach the devices currently on the market. So difficult, in fact, that it hasn’t really been happening.
The Motorola MOTOLUXE has been making an appearance at CES in Vegas. Running Android Gingerbread 2.3.7, the MOTOLUXE seems to be a low high-end or high mid-range device coming soon from Motorola. There’s an 8MP camera, a front-facing VGA camera, a 4.0 inch 854x480 display and the Motoswitch 2.0 user interface (UI). The whole package has a profile of under 10mm, so it should fit nicely in the pocket.
The Motorola DEFY line of smartphones has been one of Moto’s more popular enterprises in recent years. DEFY handsets are functional, relatively cheap and extremely resilient. Many consumers have been attracted to the idea of a phone that is water, impact, dust and temperature resistant, as it seems that all too many smartphones end up in the repair shop these days from just minor bumps and bruises.
Viewsonic just seems like it’s bragging now, showing off the ViewPad e70, ViewPad 10pi, ViewPad 10e and ViewPhone 3 at CES in Vegas. The ViewPad e70 is a 7 inch Android tablet set to come running on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS). The e70 comes powered by a single-core 1GHz CPU and with just 4GB of internal memory, essentially labelling it a more budget-oriented option for tablet users.
Intel has been “coming” to smartphones for such a long time now that it’s difficult to remember when it all started. The NVIDIA and Qualcomm dominated field of mobile computer processor chips has been ripe for competition by the world’s most well-known CPU manufacturer and it looks like Intel is finally entering the fray… with Lenovo.
Over the past 12 months Gorilla Glass has taken the mobile industry by storm. It’s a lightweight and extremely durable alternative to traditional glass panels on visual displays. It’s scratch resistant, impact resistant and pressure resistant, essentially making it a great choice for use on mobile phones, considering the hectic day-to-day nature of contemporary life. Not to mention the need to deal with the wear and tear of being kept in a pocket next to a set of keys, or being dropped on pavement repeatedly.
Lenovo isn’t exactly a company that springs to mind when you think of TV, or Smart TV. However, at this year’s CES in Vegas Lenovo entered the TV market with a bang, introducing the world’s first TV running on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The TV goes by the moniker of the Lenovo K91 Smart TV and will, oddly enough, be initially available only in China. There will be a wider release later this year, however.
One of the first smartphones to be released after Sony’s buyout of Ericsson, the Sony Xperia S is definitely heading in a slightly new direction when it comes to style. This simplistically beautiful device comes in both black and white and boasts a 1280x720 4.3 inch display. Yes, that’s a 4.3 inch 720p HD screen for anyone who was wondering.
Hundreds of cell phone plans unpacked. All the facts. No surprises.