CES - Gadgets

LAS VEGAS--Exactly a year ago, Netgear debuted its first Intel Wireless Display-based display device, the Push2TV, which enables consumers to stream whatever is being viewed on a laptop to the TV without the need for cables or wires, via a click of a mouse.

Today the company announced the second generation of the product, the Push2TV HD TV adapter (model PTV2000), which now offers full-HD 1080p video resolution and other improvements, including:

30fps video: Image quality is now improved with full motion video.

Dual-band wireless connectivity: Supports multiple wireless bands to minimize wireless interference.

Extend mode: Users now can browse … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Tablet news just keeps a rolling in this week at CES and the tablet crew here at CNET remains focused on delivering as much as current U.S. labor laws allow.

On Wednesday Acer and Verizon Wireless announced the Iconis Tab A500. The tablet will use the latest version of Android and the Nvidia Tegra 2 dual core 1GHz processor to power its 10-inch capacitive touch screen.

The Iconis will also make use of Verizon Wireless's 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network and use Acer's UI 4.5 in tandem with Android as its interface of choice.

Other … Read more

LAS VEGAS--It's no LG Watch Phone, but Casio does stroll down that path with a networked watch it's revealing--in prototype form--at CES.

Embedded Bluetooth capabilities act as a second screen to let you view smartphone notifications like incoming calls and e-mails while your phone is elsewhere--deep in a bag or lost in your house, for instance. If you do misplace your device, there's a phone-finding feature that can ring your handset.

One handy-looking feature for travelers is a time sync that will reset your watch to local time once your smartphone picks that up from the local … Read more

LAS VEGAS--In what is becoming a CES tradition, yet another rapper has announced his own name-branded headphones. In this case, we're talking about Ludacris and his new Soul headphone line.

Whether or not you give weight to audio products endorsed by musicians, I will say this about Luda: he is undoubtedly invested in high-quality headphones. When I interviewed him at the 2009 show, he was so engrossed by the new Turbine earphones he had recently acquired, he would barely look up from his iPod. Up until that point, he hadn't even thought to upgrade from the stock earbuds.… Read more

LAS VEGAS--Shocker. BlueAnt is branching out from its wireless Bluetooth roots and going, well, wired.

The company's officially unveiled a new premium stereo "headset" that's really a set of stylishly designed over-ear headphones that include an integrated mic and controls for the iPhone that allow you to make hands-free calls and play, pause, and track-forward audio selections.

The new BlueAnt stereo headset, which seems to have drawn some inspiration from B&W's P5 headphones, folds flat and comes with an extended-length (69 inch) stereo audio cable, a 3.5mm-to-6.3mm adapter, and a protective … Read more

LAS VEGAS -- Advanced users need not apply but Clickfree's backup solutions, such as the Clickfree C2N could be lifesavers for many home/novice users, when it comes to backing up important data. By far, Clickfree has been offering the most easy-to-use backup solutions on the market.

And yet, it gets even easier as the company announced at CES 2011 a new solution called Clickfree Wireless. This new backup drive shares the same principle as the Clickfree C2N: once setup it works autonomously without requiring users' interaction. The difference is, it now works wirelessly, without even being connected to … Read more

LG Electronics unveiled a range of home video products and smart appliances at its CES press conference in Las Vegas today--but mostly just a taste of some of its highest-profile gadgets to debut at the show.

Those wanting extensive details on the company's upcoming smartphone for Verizon, a model equipped with the up-and-coming LTE (Long-term Evolution) wireless technology, will have to wait for full details tomorrow at the Consumer Electronics Show. Likewise, LG's tablet news also remains under wraps.

But the company did share some details about its new Optimus Black Android-powered smartphone. It comes with a … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Among many things, Seagate's GoFlex family of portable hard drives were well-received during 2010 because they come with software drivers that allow Macs to read and write to them, even when they're reformatted using NTFS, the file system of the Windows operating system.

Now the role is reversed. The company announced today a new collection of GoFlex for Mac external drives that are reformatted using the HFS+ file system for Mac OS X and come with software drivers that allow them to work fully with Windows.

While this is not confirmed, the software is likely a rebranded version of Paragon's HF+ for Windows or something of that sort, which normally costs extra to use.

Other than that, each GoFlex for Mac product comes bundled with FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 adapters and cables--the most popular interfaces for Apple computers. Like all other GoFlex drives, however, they support the flexibility to change the drive's interface to USB 3.0 or powered eSATA for use with Windows computers, or in case your Mac supports these types of connectivity.

Design-wise, the new GoFlex drives for Macs share a similar look as those for Windows but come in white and feature a durable, metallic-finish chassis, which, according to Seagate, is designed to withstand scratches, fingerprints, or other marks incurred from regular usage.

The new lineup of GoFlex for Mac external drives includes: … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Trendnet shipped the first 500Mbps powerline kit, the TPL-401E2K, a month ago, and now Netgear has upped this type of device another notch.

The company announced today its first 500Mbps powerline kit, the Internet Adapter for Home Theater XAVB5004; it offers four ports at the far end of the connection.

The XAVB5004 includes two adapters. The first one has a single Gigabit port to connect to an existing network via a router (or a hub); the second adapter has four Gigabit ports, meaning you can use up to four Ethernet-ready devices before having to resort to an additional hub. … Read more