Samsung

The 404 734: Where we're voted the worst of CES (podcast)

It's our final live show from CES 2011, and it's safe to assume our position as Worst Podcast of CES. Case in point: did any of the other CNET Live podcasts receive an anti-teen-sexting pamphlet from PicsChecker after their show? The 404 must give off some kind of unique vibe, because this service seems to appeal to our demographic. Check it out and let us know what you think. No guest on today's show, but there's plenty of stories from CES to run down, so let's go right to it!

At last year's CES, Polaroid appointed Lady Gaga to the role of creative director, and this time we get to see exactly what she's been working on for the past 12 months. At her big press conference this year, Gaga announced that phones are truly the cameras of the future and debuted the GL20 Camera Glasses, an innovative pair of shades that feature two embedded OLED screens that can capture and display images of anything around you.

Also announced were the GL30 Instant Digital Camera, a printer enabled device that seems to be a throwback of the old "shake it to develop" days of Polaroid film that works in conjunction with the GL10 Instant Printer, a Bluetooth wireless device that can produce Polaroid-style prints in under a minute. TOLD you me and Gaga have a lot in common!

CES is no stranger to extravagance and ridiculousness, and this year saw a bunch of both, starting with the insane Samsung press conference. With their own child from the future emceeing the night, Samsung and DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeff Katzenberg stole the show with 3D images, Samsung dance routines replete with rectangular TV props, and a sneak peek at the Xfinity TV app for the Samsung Galaxy Tab that turns the tablet into a remote control and video player.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, indulge us as we take a minute to do what we do best: poke fun at some of the stranger, and perhaps more useless, products featured here in Vegas starting with this Wii/Kinect/Move-enabled bowling ball courtesy of our friends at CTA Digital.

This CTA booth girl looked all right playing with it, but this single-function accessory had us shaking our heads and wondering who would buy this toy.

Let's move on to the booth for Christian gaming site GameChurch.com that actually features a cardboard cutout of Jesus himself fragging enemies like there's no tomorrow. We had no idea Jesus was a gamer, but apparently he's achieved "Ub3r Pwnage since 33 A.D."

GameChurch.com is based on the idea that video game ratings aren't stringent enough for the God-fearing consumer, so the site is here to award its own "morality ratings" to popular video games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Strangely enough, the site also has a sister site at an adjacent convention called XXXChurch.com that seeks to save blasphemers from their own hands.

Stick around after the break, because we have plenty more craziness from the showroom floor to get to, including an exhibiting insurance company that lets you smash an Asus laptop with a hammer, a Steampunk keyboard fetish, and more rumors about the impending Apple iPhone coming to Verizon on February 3. Plus, don't miss our picks for Best of CES 2011. Thanks for listening!

Episode 734 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Samsung outlook disappoints

Samsung expects to post a profit from the fourth quarter, but its cash gains are on the downswing.

The company said Friday in Korea that it expects to show a 3 trillion won (about $2.67 billion) operating profit in its fourth-quarter financial report when it announces results in the coming weeks. That compares with a 3.4 trillion won operating profit in the same period the previous year and a 4.9 trillion won operating profit in the third quarter of 2010.

Samsung's estimated profit decline in the fourth quarter was due mainly to plunging TV prices, the … Read more

CES: Zagg case also props up Samsung Tab

LAS VEGAS--Samsung Galaxy Tab owners looking to both protect and erect their tablets have a number of products to choose from.

On display this week at CES 2011 is another case-and-stand combo: the upcoming $49 Zaggmate for the Tab, which joins a similar Zagg product for the Apple iPad.

The Zaggmate creates a hard shell around a tablet and unfolds into a stand to prop it up.

Zaggmate for the iPad includes a Bluetooth keyboard as an alternative to the tablet's onscreen keys. The keyboard also supports the iPhone and iPod Touch. Taking it for spin with my iPod … Read more

CES: Share tot pics with Samsung BabyView monitor

LAS VEGAS--If your baby isn't getting enough attention at home, he or she can get more love on social-networking sites like Facebook with a new high-tech baby monitor from Samsung Techwin America that records images.

The company announced its BabyView at the Consumer Electronics Show here, touting the SD card recording of audio and video data for easy uploads to social networks.

With USB compatibility, the monitor can plug into a computer running Skype and act as Webcam, so friends anywhere on the Internet can check in on your child.

Various versions of the system have two-way talk, sound … Read more

CES: Samsung Smart TV to get live, on-demand programming

Following up on a host of smartphone, tablet, and TV announcements yesterday, Samsung said in a keynote at the Consumer Electronics Show today it is revitalizing the TV by adding live and on-demand content to its Smart TV and turning mobile phones and tablets into remote controls and guides.

People are looking for bigger and smarter devices, according to Boo-Keun Yoon, president of Samsung's Visual Display Business.

"That's why TV will once again become the dominant and central piece of technology" in people's lives, he said. "I am confident that Samsung's Smart TV will become the leader" in content.

In this new "Smart TV era" people will be able to search for any kind of Web content, as well as broadcast TV and movies, from any Samsung device connected to the cloud and view it on a high-definition or even 3D screen, he said.

He brought several content partners on stage whose companies are helping to make that vision reality, including Glenn Britt, chairman and chief executive of Time Warner Cable, who announced that a "live subscription TV feature" is coming this year.

"We're radically changing how consumers interact with their televisions," said Brian Roberts, chairman and chief executive of Comcast.

The announcements were:… Read more

CES: Samsung's bendable cell phone screen

LAS VEGAS--"Flexible" isn't something you'd think you needed in a cell phone screen, but CES is all about concepts and future applications in addition to big-name product releases.

That's why we were excited to see prototypes of two Samsung displays. One is a malleable screen you can actually bend in a wave or arc. The 4.5-inch screen has an impressive WVGA (800x480 pixel) resolution that you can curve. It's also paper-thin, less than 0.3mm thick.

We may have been a bit drastic with our photo shoot (see image above,) but there … Read more

The 404 733: Where we do it without glasses (podcast)

It's the first official day of CES 2011 and we're joined by our buddy Clayton Morris of Fox and Friends who takes a moment out of his busy day to show us a couple cool gadgets he saw today. We always enjoy a game of show and tell, and Clayton doesn't disappoint with the Steadicam Smoothee, a handheld steadicam that you can use with an Apple iPhone, a Motorola DROID, or a Flip Mino video camera.

Next up in the rundown is a show favorite that seems to be making ripples throughout CES- it's the official Angry Birds board game by Mattel!

If you're a non-gamer like myself, Angry Birds is the insanely popular virtual game currently available for digital download on mobile devices like the iPhone and Android phones, but the creators, Rovio Mobile, and Mattel have just announced a physical board game version here at CES 2011.

The analog game plays just like the virtual phenomenon: set up the obstacle course according to the card you choose, place a a bird in the catapult, and take aim at the familiar green pigs trying to steal your precious eggs. As Natali says, the game is rated for ages five and up since it contains small pieces that could be harmful if swallowed, so take caution if you have children or child-like gamers in your life. Angry Birds the board game will be available for purchase in May for $14.95.

And speaking of games, Jeff was treated to a preview of the Nintendo 3DS handheld gaming console today, and it sounds like the little guy will definitely live up to the hype. The 3D effects pop the moment you pick it up, and Jeff's demo of the game "Pilotwings" effectively showed off the 3D slider that lets you adjust the degree of 3D intensity. Alternatively, you can also turn off the effect altogether if you have children under 6 that Nintendo advises should not use the device.

While Jeff and Wilson are giddy about gaming, I find myself shifting focus to other that appeal to my own lifestyle. Enter the Campbell Soup wireless cooking cup. It's being shown off at the Wireless Power Consortium and it stands to change the way we think about cooking soup.

All jokes aside, the technology behind the idea is pretty sweet- the soup container uses eCoupled wireless charging technology to heat up the soup from inside the package according to one of three power settings: low, medium, or high. We're not sure how this will ultimately aide in the heating of foods that aren't pre-cooked, but any device that saves me from washing a pot is a showstopper in my book.

There's plenty more news from CES 2011 to talk about today including the Blackberry Playbook, the Star Wars Blu-Ray set, Android 3.0 Honeycomb, Microsoft Kinect news, OnLive built into Vizio television sets and more, so thanks for listening and catch us again tomorrow LIVE from the showroom floor!

Episode 733 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Samsung pictures the future of TV at CES (live blog)

Editor's note: This live event has concluded. For a brief rundown of what was announced, check out our summary post here. You can also replay our live blog in the Cover It Live module below.

LAS VEGAS--Samsung had the tech world's attention earlier yesterday afternoon as it unveiled new phones, a Wi-Fi-only Galaxy Tab, and TVs, cameras, and Blu-ray players. But, just wait, the company tells us, there's more.

Today at 4:30 p.m. PT, the president of Samsung's visual display business, BK Yoon, will be giving a keynote speech in which he will apparently … Read more

CES: Samsung quietly shows off Google TV devices

LAS VEGAS--Samsung is showing off two devices running Google TV in its booth here at CES, but employees characterized the unannounced devices as an experiment.

Samsung has not officially thrown its support behind Google TV--Google's ambitious but challenged plan for sophisticated TVs--but it was nonetheless showing off both a standalone set-top box and a Blu-Ray player running the software in a corner of its massive booth here at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Executives speaking on background said the devices were being shown as an "experiment," designed to gauge feedback from Samsung partners as to … Read more