[HenryGale]

So, CES starts on Thursday. What are you interested in/releases you are hoping to see?
I am hoping that Directv finally announces a release date for their new HD DirecTv/Tivo unit. This has been rumored for well over a year, and it looks like it is getting closer.

[El Scorcho]

You know, I can't really think of anything I'm particularly hyped for this year. I hope something interesting does come along. Engadget has been a little dull lately, through no fault of their own.

[ALUmnus]

Proof of your boredom: http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/01/te ... gies-2010/

Come on, if something from Salesforce.com is in your top 10 list, you're really scrambling for stuff.

[El Scorcho]

Proof of your boredom: http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/01/te ... gies-2010/

Come on, if something from Salesforce.com is in your top 10 list, you're really scrambling for stuff.

Wow. That list was pretty lame. TechCrunch keeps getting worse.

[El Scorcho]

Here are my winners and losers from CES so far. There's not been anything I'm super excited over yet, but I'll try to rank them from most to least...

Winners

1. The Boxee Box - Boxee is fantastic free media software that anyone can download and install. It hooks up with Hulu, Netflix, YouTube and all sorts of other content sources. It's like a media front-end and service all in one. This is a dedicated box for Boxee that makes it dead simple to get to your TV. Info: http://tr.im/JEkz Pics: http://tr.im/JEll

2. LG's 6.9mm thin LCD LED TVs - Thin. Really thin. Amazingly thin. And hitting shelves this year. Finally the thin TV's hit production. Info & Pics: http://tr.im/JElM

3. OCZ's USB 3.0 solid state drives - I love the solid state drives and I love USB 3.0. Both are far too expensive and new for anyone to be using yet, but this is going to be awesome. 5Gb/sec transfer rates! Amazing. Info - http://tr.im/JElY

4. (Tie) Vizio's 3D Mega LCD/Vizio's Cinema Wide TV - Vizio (like everyone else) announced a line of 3D TV's at CES. But their big shocker was a 72-inch LCD (LED backlit) for $3500. That's freakin' huge. No one makes LCD's that big currently. Info: http://tr.im/JEni

They also announced their first Cinema Wide display. These will become more common as well. Great if you're a movie buff since lots of flicks are filmed in the 21:9 aspect ratio. 58 inches with a 2560x1080p resolution: http://tr.im/JEor

Losers

1. AT&T: Really AT&T? I'm supposed to get excited about two new Palm WebOS phones and five new Android phones (including Dell's first phone) when you're already complaining about your network being strained by iPhone users? Cause adding additional popular smart phones won't hurt that situation AT ALL. Big fail.

2. iPod/iPhone alarm clocks: I can't believe people are still introducing a billion variations on this concept. They must sell like crazy. So so so boring.

3. The Polar Bear TV: http://tr.im/JEpS - Enough said.

So have I missed anything excited or super crappy? Please share if you're keeping up with CES.

[LUconn]

I've been looking for coverage on G4. It must really be a bore this year if they decided not to show up.

[ALUmnus]

I saw an LED tv the other day as I was walking through Sears and they are amazingly thin, and the picture looks great.

[ALUmnus]

It won't interest a whole lot of people here, but Palm did their pitch today. Pre Plus & Pixi Plus will be coming to Verizon at the end of this month.

The latest WebOS update will add video recording/editing/sharing, Flash 10.1, and a few other upgrades to performance/battery life, etc.

Also the WebOS app distribution model will now be open, allowing developer apps to be offered through Palm's official app catalog without going through the Palm review & approval process.

[HenryGale]

I found this to be quite interesting.

LAS VEGAS – Monsoon Multimedia has introduced at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Volcano, a device that combines the DVR capabilities of TiVo, the streaming abilities of Slingbox (and Monsoon’s comparable device, HAVA), the Internet video serving of Roku, and various remote control functionality. Volcano works with Mac, PC, and several smartphones, including iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, Symbian, and Windows Mobile.

Available in regular or Pro versions with 4GB of flash memory or a 250GB hard drive, respectively, Volcano lets users schedule TV recordings remotely and transfer content to their smartphones, either via a 3G cellular network or an 802.11n Wi-Fi connection. Live programming can also be viewed remotely.

Volcano connects to the analog output of a set-top box and uses a 150kbps uplink speed, as well as H.264 video compression technology developed by Monsoon. Volcano also allows users to surf the web and watch YouTube videos or other online content on their TVs.

Monsoon said that Volcano will be available in March for US$199 for the regular version and $299 for the Pro edition. A lifetime or term-based subscription will also be needed; details were not provided. Monsoon does not have a Volcano page on its web site yet.

http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/ ... tionality/

[LUconn]

hmm, now that might be something worth while if it works as advertized. Slinging from my TV to my blackberry? sweeeet.

[ALUmnus]

If your phone has a good browser, couldn't it play stuff from a Slingbox today? I've never seen a Slingbox work, but it stores stuff for viewing online, right, or is there PC-based software involved?

[ALUmnus]

Okay, here's what Sling Media says, basically anything that can run Flash can work with their stuff, including smartphones.

http://www.fiercewireless.com/press-rel ... e-products

Sling Media, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS), today announced a collaboration with Adobe to support the Adobe Flash Platform. As part of the alliance, Sling Media will natively support Adobe® Flash® Player and Flash streaming protocols in the Slingbox® Pro-HD and Slingbox SOLO to deliver smooth H.264 video and audio to its award-winning SlingPlayers.

As a result, any Internet-connected device that includes Adobe Flash Player 10 or is Adobe Flash-enabled will be able to run the SlingPlayer application, such as media players, PCs, gaming consoles and mobile devices. The industry-wide adoption of Adobe Flash Player ensures that, as these devices and operating systems evolve, SlingPlayer will run on the widest possible set of platforms.

"SlingPlayer support for the Adobe Flash Platform will broaden the reach of our technology to a world of new devices," said John M. Paul, executive vice president of Products at Sling Media. "Adobe's continued delivery of new performance and feature capabilities make SlingPlayer updates and enhancements much faster to develop and distribute."

Committed to providing the best user experience, Sling Media also plans to support the upcoming release of Flash Player 10.1 as soon as it becomes available.

[LUconn]

Dish network just teamed up with sling and we can FINALLY set our DVRs remotely. Only webbased and an iphone app thus far but it's better than nothing.

[RubberMallet]

If your phone has a good browser, couldn't it play stuff from a Slingbox today? I've never seen a Slingbox work, but it stores stuff for viewing online, right, or is there PC-based software involved?

a guy here at work has a friggin motorola Q and his slingbox works on it...and his phone islike 3 years old...

[El Scorcho]

a guy here at work has a friggin motorola Q

Please send him my condolences.

[Hold My Own]

Worst phone Ive ever owned

[RubberMallet]

the buttons are taped on...he loves it....they got him a samsung omnia like 2 months ago and he went back to the Q...he's hilarious.