Category Archives: CES 2015

Altec Lansing Creates a Range of Almost Indestructible Bluetooth Speakers



AltecLansingAltec Lansing has long been known for their mid- to high-end audio products, but recently the company has been expanding their product lineup, bringing their brand and quality to consumer products. This year, the company is expanding their lineup of Bluetooth speakers.

The products, mostly known for their “Jacket” branding, are waterproof, shockproof, and in some cases bulletproof, fireproof and bombproof. The product line ranges from $39 to $149 and many are available today.

In addition to physical quality, these speakers also offer Altec Lansing’s well-known sound quality. Even the small speaker, at only $39, sounds great and can still withstand quite a beating.

Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology for the Tech Podcast Network.

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Ericcson Is Making the Cloud more Secure at CES



Ericsson logoIt wasn’t that long ago that businesses, and individuals started to use the cloud. There are those who love its convenience, and others who don’t really have a good understanding of how it works. The biggest concern is often security.

Nick spoke with Vance from Ericsson about the company’s plans to make a safer, more secure, cloud. Ericsson is looking towards the future and noting that in 2020 there will be approximately 50 billion connected devices. The company believes that a lot of that will exist over an industrialized cloud platform.

That platform needs to be highly programmable, highly accessible, highly governable, and controllable. Most of all, it absolutely must be secure. Ericsson is putting a fundamental paradigm shift into how we think about security in the cloud. Today, the concept people use can be summarized as “build a bigger wall” around your data. If you create an app, for example, you have to spend time working on its security.

That is still important, but in addition, Ericsson wants the structure of the cloud itself to provide security. Ericsson is currently at the start of their journey towards that goal. They want to be able to validate for you the authenticity of the data you put into the cloud and to mathematically validate that it has not been breached. Or, if a breach occurs, they will go through a series of events to determine where the data was comprised, how it was compromised, and when the event occurred. All of this should bring peace of mind to people who use the cloud.

Interview by Nick of F5 Live for the TechPodcast Network.

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Denon Has New Gear for Professionals at CES



Denon logoThere’s definitely a real emphasis on consumer-focused products at CES. But there’s still much to be found at the show that’s specifically geared towards professionals. Denon is a great example of one company that’s not here to sell wearables or kids’ toys.

Nick caught up with Eric from Denon. Eric showed off several of Denon’s new products that are specifically designed to be used by audio-video integrators. The first is the Solutions series bluetooth-enabled receiver. It’s a box that transmits audio via bluetooth and can easily be integrated into a pro-grade sound system.

Next up is the Denon Envoy, a 360-watt chargeable PA speaker that comes loaded with different input options. Envoy can stream audio from a bluetooth-connected smartphone, it can play media from a built-in SD card slot or it can be connected to a standard external mixer. Envoy’s battery will run for up to 12 hours on one charge.

The last piece of gear is the DN300Z rack-mountable media player. This device is designed to play any type of media a user might have on hand. It’ll play CD’s, bluetooth streams, files from SD cards or USB sticks, even AM/FM radio. This unit would work great in situations where it’s necessary to play back multiple media formats in a hurry.

Interview by Nick of F5 Live for the TechPodcast Network.

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iSet Smartwatch Improves your Tennis Game at CES



iSet LogoPeople who are playing a competitive sport need to know the score as the game goes on. Sometimes, in the middle of a match, it can be difficult to keep track of. The iSet smartwatch solves that problem. It keeps track of tennis match scores in real time. Use it to track your own or to check the win/loss ratio of your favorite tennis players.

Scott spoke with Lea Partouche about the iSet smartwatch. The watch connects via Bluetooth to a player’s smartphone. It requires an app that is free to download for either iOS or Android. You can connect one iSet smartwatch to one smartphone.

Two tennis players, who each are using an iSet smartwatch, can keep track of the score of the match in real time just by glancing at their smartwatch. One really nice thing about the iSet is that it can be used even if your tennis partner doesn’t have one. The smartwatch can still record the score into the app.

In addition to recording the score, the app will show your win/loss stats. It keeps track of who you played against and when the match took place. Or, you can put the name of a tennis player that you want to follow into the app, and it will show you that player’s statistics.

In addition to being a tennis tracker, the iSet smartwatch can do other things. It can show you the time. It can be used as a stopwatch or a timer. The iSet smartwatch is expected to be released in March of 2015 for a retail price of $129.00.

Interview by Scott of F5 Live for the TechPodcast Network.

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Immersis Brings Gaming out of the Screen and Into the Room at CES



Immersis logoVideo games have come a long way since the days of blocky bits bouncing ’round on a cathode ray tube.

The unrealized potential of gaming has always been to transport players to worlds otherwise unreachable in everyday life. And while game sound and graphics have improved a lot, those improvements are still stuck on a flat, two-dimensional screen. French developers Immersis are working on a new projector system that brings game environments out of that two-dimensional state and into an entire room.

Scott had a rendezvous with Daniel from Immersis. Daniel showed off a miniature mockup of the full-sized Immersis projector and he explained how the Immersis system will consist of the full-sized version of their special HD protector that’ll work with either a console game system or computer to project the gaming environment onto all of the walls surrounding a player, putting that player right in the center of the action.

Immersis is launching the product thru Kickstarter and the company has already reached its goal of raising $100,000 thru the crowdfunding site. Daniel believes that Immersis will be able to bring the projector to market by November of this year and that the retail price will be $2500.00.

Interview by Scott of F5 Live for the TechPodcast Network.

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No cords needed for this unique charger from 911Boost



911BoostSo your smart phone shows 2% charge and you are hours way from finishing the day.  You start to search frantically for the cord you need to connect your device to your portable charger, computer, wall outlet or whatever other means you have to charge your device on the go.  Of course, the cord is missing and your phone is useless the rest of the day.

Jacques Emano, President of 911Boost, realized this issue and set out to develop a portable charger that didn’t need a cord.  The 911Boost is what they developed.

911Boost is about the size of a car remote with an attached keyring.  You smart phone connects directly to the device via the tabs that set around the outside of the charger.  Easy to carry and ready to boost 98% of the smart phones currently on the market including most Androids and iPhones.

Their motto is “Never be left with a dead phone again, always be in charge!”  More information can be found at http://911boost.com/

Interview by the “Guru of Geek” Marlo Anderson of The Tech Ranch for the TechPodcast Network.

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Meccano Brings Future Robot Overlords to CES



Meccano logo

We’ve all dreamed of owning our very own robot. Imagine, having a mechanical friend who’s always there and won’t mind when you tell it to fetch another cold drink from the kitchen. Well, those robot dreams are quickly becoming real thanks to the efforts of companies like Meccano.

Nick spoke with Fraser from Meccano. Fraser explained that many people had probably already heard of the Meccano brand, as it was known as Erector for many years in the U.S. He also gave details on an amazing new product, the Meccanoid, which Meccano will bring to stores in August of 2015.

Meccanoid is a four-foot tall humanoid robot that’s built from an easy-to-assemble kit. Upon construction, users can program Meccanoid by using a simple “record-and-playback” system built right into the bot, or via bluetooth-connected smartphone, or USB-connected computer. The potential of Meccanoid is endless as the kit can be broken down into a number of configurations, limited only by the imagination of the builder.

Interview by Nick of F5 Live for the TechPodcast Network.

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Monster and Adidas Team Up at CES



Adidas logo

Many big-name brands bring exciting new products to market during CES. And sometimes, a couple of those brands will team up and double the excitement. That’s exactly what happened when Adidas and Monster got together to create a new line of headphones and earbuds.

Nick got the opportunity to speak to both Johan and Kevin from Adidas. They both gave a rundown of this new line of listening devices. There’s everything from full over-the-ear headphones to bluetooth-enabled wireless earbuds that link up with the Micoach smart watch from Adidas.

Interview by Nick of F5 Live for the TechPodcast Network.

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Monster Spreads its DNA at CES



Monster logoWould you like to wear headphones that look as great as they sound? Monster has you covered. Monster’s DNA Pro over the ear headphones have a realistic sound profile, sleek design, and are comfortable to wear. The variety of colors and artwork provide you with a wide selection.

Nick had the opportunity to speak with Chris Nunez, who is a judge on the Ink Master show on Spike TV. Chris Nunez is a well known tattoo artist and the owner of Handcrafted Tattoo and Art Gallery in Miami, FL. His design for the Monster DNA headphones was so popular, the reveal crashed the Monster website.

The Monster DNA headphones come with a stylish carrying case and cleaning cloth. The headphones deliver live, studio quality sound with passive noise isolation. The headphones have pillow-soft Advanced Noise Isolating cushions which let you comfortably wear them for extended listening sessions.

Interview by Nick of F5 Live for the TechPodcast Network.

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Amp Brings the Theater Experience to Tablets at CES



OIO logoOIO has created a high tech speaker case for iPads and other tablets. It is called Amp. It folds up and becomes a case when not in use. The case is made from precision aluminum and comes with an adjustable built in stand. The speakers can be set to different angles.

Scott spoke with Gregg Davis from OIO who shared details about this innovative product. The tablet and speakers connect via Bluetooth 4.0. The speakers keep the separation of the 2 channels, left and right, like you would expect if you were watching a movie in a theater. They provide double the volume of devices like the Mini Jambox or Beats Pill.

A single charge enables the speakers to work for up to 7 hours. A tablet can snap in and out of the case with ease. The sound from the speakers can fill a room. Or, you can use your earbuds or headset instead.

OIO is currently taking preorders for Amp. It is expected to become available in April of 2015 for a street price of $199.00.

Interview by Scott of F5 Live for the TechPodcast Network.

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