Category Archives: CES 2013

Levo Adjustable Tablet Stands



Levo Tablet Stand
Levo Tablet Stand

So you are tired of holding that tablet. You have no table that adjusts to your need and if you are lying in bed on your back you know your arms are going to get tired holding onto that iPad or Kindle. What do you do?

That is where Levo comes in. The Levo adjustable Tablet Stands are great for not only holding a tablet but also a book, kids game, picture or more.You can get a clamp-on model or a floor model with wheels.

Levo is only sold in catalogs like Hammacher Schlemmer right now but is being introduced into box-stores. Prices range around $150 depending on the features of the holder.

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FourSevens Maelstrom XM18 Flashlight



FourSevens Maelstrom XM18
FourSevens Maelstrom XM18

This is what happens when you let engineers ask “What if”. The question was if they could build an LED light that could project 15,000 lumens. The answer – yes!

The Maelstrom Xm18 by FourSevens is a LED light with three settings – 600, 3,000 and 15,000 lumens. There is even a strobe feature for emergency or dancing.

The XM18 is battery driven. 26 – 18650 cells with fan cooling and aluminum heat sink. The light can get so hot that if it turned on during transport the case would melt. That is why FourSevens set up a two-point on switch.

The FourSevens XM18 Maelstrom costs $2,399. Other flashlights start at $23.99 (www.foursevens.com)

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Audi RS5 Sports Car



Audi RS5
Audi RS5

Looking for a new car? How about an Audi RS5? We take a look at the 420 HP V8 engine.

With the Audi MMI navigation plussystem, the RS5 will give you a QNX system with an embedded Google Earth client on top of their navigation system. This is all the Audi cars – Q7 – A6 – A8 – A5 and A3 (at the end of the year).

Audi is working on bringing 4G into the car. There is already 3G embedded through T-Mobile. 4G will be with AT&T and T-Mobile.

RS5 Cabriolet covertable is available now. Audi RS5 will start at $69,700

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Two weeks of Power from a Portable Fuel Cell



Nectar Mobile Power System

Nectar Logo

If you are constantly on the move, you probably  struggle to keep your devices charged throughout the day. You try techniques like disabling services in an attempt to keep within your battery capacity when you are out of the office or car, unable to charge your device – and end up without information from a critical app.  Or, you might be on a long trek away from power mains but still within wireless range. You need more power.

CES-2013-AM-LilliputianSystems-Nectar-FuelCell

The Nectar Mobile Power System is a flameless fuel cell that combines a hydrocarbon (butane) with oxygen from the air – producing electricity as a by-product.  This technology came from MIT, and uses a solid oxide fuel cell, converting any hydrocarbon into electricity. Fully approved for airplane travel, the system can provide two weeks of cellphone power on a single charge that costs less than $10.

It will be available exclusively at Brookstone in mid 2013. More technical details at their site, NectarPower.com

 

TPN Interview by Andy McCaskey of SDRNews.com

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CES-2013-AM-DigX-NectarPower-Fuel-Cell


Griffin Mic Connect: Use Any Microphone with iPad



Griffin Mic Connect
Griffin Mic Connect

Stopped by the Griffin booth and found out about their newest device – the Mic Connect. This is a box that will take any XLR micorophone and connect it to an iPad. The Mic Connect runs on AA batteries and has a +48 switch. That means it will supply the phantom power to a microphone so you can use whatever you choose.

Griffin Mic Connect (Griffin Mic Connect) also uses the 3.5 mm jack instead of the connector. That way you are assured you can use whatever iOS or Android device to record podcasts, music or other audio.

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The Griffin Mic Connect is $39.95 and the mount is also $39.95.

Also check out the Griffin Studio Connect

Video by Jeffrey Powers of Geekazine.com


Behringer iStudio for iPad



Behringer iStudio
Behringer iStudio

Behringer is planning to release the Behringer iStudio – a dock for your iPad that allows you to connect microphones, instruments, MIDI and more. Load up Garageband and you can mix music from the iStation. Call up a program like Jambox Pro and turn the iStudio into your own guitar pedalboard.

The iStudio was expected to be released in Q4 for 2012 but with some complications and the introduction with a 9-pin connector, Behringer will be releasing later this year for $199 (no iPad included).

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Video by Jeffrey Powers of Geekazine.com

 


The Joystick all-in-one remote control and hotspot



One of the cool devices that GNC found at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas was the Joystick from Noitavonne. This device is kind of a one-stop-shop for many cool features.

It acts as a remote control for your devices, like an Android phone or tablet or a Windows 8 device. When paired with your TV, it turns your big screen into an Android device and if your phone rings you can answer it through Joystick’s built-in speaker. It even has a full QWERTY keyboard to add to the functionality. The keyboard is hidden beneath a small flip-up 1080p screen.

The product is expected to be released in the spring of this year with a price point of “between $249 and $349”.

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Interview by Don Baine, the Gadget Professor.


Pure Jongo at CES Unveiled



Pure LogoAt this year’s CES, Pure launched Jongo, the world’s most affordable (and colourful) multi-room music system. Vicky tells Todd all about it.

The Jongo range will shortly include a couple of wireless speakers and a hi-fi adaptor, all with both Bluetooth and wi-fi built-in. Music can be streamed using the Pure Connect app via wi-fi to any speaker in range or else smartphones and tablets can stream music directly to the speakers using Bluetooth. Both Apple iOs and Android devices are supported and it uses the existing wi-fi infrastructure: there’s no need for special transmitters.

The S340B speaker will be available soon and can be pre-ordered on Amazon. Price is listed as $229.
The stereo speaker (T640B) and the hi-fi adaptor (A140B) will be on-sale in the summer with MSRPs of $329 and $119, respectively.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network.

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MyIDKey brings secure passwords to USB storage



One of the companies that GNC had the pleasure of meeting at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this month was MyIDKey, who introduced a new biometric USB stick (thumb drive), meaning you will be using your fingerprint to unlock the device. The new drive is a bit small, but it does pack some powerful data protection, more so than we have seen in the past from such products.

While only storing 2 GB, it is mainly used for user name and password storage, meaning that the file size should be good enough for even the most demanding power user. The drive also has a tiny microphone and LCD screen, making it easy to search for a service for easier access.

This USB drive is a great alternative to web apps like LastPass. It is expected to ship in the second quarter of 2013 and retail for $99. There is also a 16 GB version for $199. Head over to MyIDKey to pre-order one.

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Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network.


Livestream Introduces Live Streaming over Verizon 4G LTE



LivestreamDuring the live stream coverage of CES 2013, Geek News Central as part of the Tech Podcast Network used Livestream. Livestream introduced a new product during CES. The product is a part of their broadcast unit family. It will allow someone to broadcast live without any wired or wireless connection. It uses Verizon’s 4G LTE connection to do the streaming instead.

All you need is a camera, a HDMI cable and the broadcast unit. The broadcast unit will have a built-in lithium battery which will provide up to three hours of live streaming per charge. Prior to CES getting into full swing the Livestream team was getting a great connection. As with any network connection, speeds may vary depending on how congested the network is and the strength of the signal.

At this point there is no pricing available but they hope to have the units available early Q2. There will also probably be a fee from Verizon but at this point the fee is unknown. If you do a lot of live streaming in the field and have a Verizon contract then this is definitely something you will want to look into.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network.

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