CES 2013: `Ford looks to go the Android route with its Sync AppLink system, offers it to other automakers

Ford used CES to announce its new AppLink developer program to foster more in-car app development, but it looks like it has even grander plans than that. The company tells Wired that it's willing to give the system that Sync AppLink is based on to any other automaker that wants it -- and at no cost and with no restrictions, no less. Or as Wired puts it, it's looking to be the "Android of automotive app architectures." To that end, Ford says that it's not even looking for other automakers to incorporate Ford branding if they use the system, and that it sees AppLink as being platform agnostic. It's not offering a ton of specifics beyond that just yet, but one clear advantage of the move (if it winds up being widely accepted) is that it would likely increase app development, which would certainly benefit Ford even if it doesn't directly benefit from others using the system.

[Source: Engadget]

CES 2013: Samsung to Reinvent Refrigerators with T9000 Smart Fridge

Samsung announced Monday that it plans to reinvent the age-old kitchen appliance, that boring refrigerator, with smart capabilities in 2013. It’s not only smart in the way that you’re connecting it to other gadgets around the house, but in a bit of a different way. First, the smartphone connectivity:: Evernote, for example, allows you to sync notes with family members. It also shows recipes, calendars and more. A smartphone can be used as a baby monitor, too.

A new T9000 LCD refrigerator, with 32 cubic feet of storage, also features the ability to change different compartments depending on what you need them for. If you need more space in the fridge for freezing stuff, simply change the temperature. Likewise, if you need to use the freezer compartment as additional storage for items that need to be kept cold, but not frozen, you can control that too. Sounds pretty amazing!

[Source: TechnoBuffaol]

Polaroid iM1836 Mirrorless Camera is Real and it Packs Android 4.1; Starts at $399

Polaroid is still a company that makes stuff and things, and that rumored mirrorless camera with Android is the real deal. The company officially unveiled the iM1836 on Monday, and when you stop and think about everything this device is trying to do, it’s not the worst deal imaginable. The Galaxy Camera just got some major competition.

Here’s what it’s packing: 18.1-megapixel, 1080p HD video recorder inside of a mirrorless body. And it doesn’t have some janky early version of Android, either—version 4.1 is packed under the hood, according to Engadget, meaning we should (potentially) get a nice sweet, smooth experience. Instant Instagram posts all day, assuming you’re near a Wi-Fi connection. Is no 3G a big deal? Probably not.

Polaroids new gem is smaller than the Galaxy Camera, with just a 3.5-inch display, but that’s all in the name of keeping things tight and compact. What’s really great is that optics can be swapped at will (there’s an optional adapter for Micro Four Thirds lenses), along with a pop-up flash. A 10-30mm lens is included, so you’re sure to get a nice wide perspective of all those vacations and birthday memories.

But you’re asking yourself, “How much is this thing going to cost.” Well that smaller screen and lack of data certainly keeps things low(ish); the cam is going to be available in the first quarter of this year for $399, which is smack in the face to the Galaxy Camera for sure. But is it better? We’ll have to wait and see.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

CES 2013: Samsung UN85S9 Ultra HD looks stunning

LAS VEGAS--It's been a few CESes since we've seen a "world's biggest" something, and while the UN85S9 misses out on world's biggest 4K (UHD) screen this year, it does practice a bit ofone-upmanship on the LG competition by being a whole inch bigger.

The most striking thing about the S9 is the design: this is a floor-standing television mounted on what looks like an artist's easel and the TV is designed to tilt up and down.

The S9 TV features upgraded smarts with improved voice interaction and a quad-core processor to speed things along. If you wanted gesture control on this 4K TV -- or, even more usefully, Skype integration -- then unfortunately the F8500 misses out.

Meanwhile, the Smart Hub application has been enhanced with more content -- movies, videos, and music -- and a new TV program guide. This augments Samsung’s new S-Recommendation engine, which lists suggested content in thumbnails at the bottom of the screen.

The flagship TV incorporates a quad-core processor that should assist with the speed of the Smart TV interface as well as provide grunt for picture-processing tasks such as the Frame Rate Conversion engine and the Motion Judder Canceller.

[Source: CNET - Click here to read the full story]

CES 2013: Kensington offers a tracking solution with the Proximo Tag Kit

Kensington is in attendance at the International CES here in Las Vegas this week, and the company kindly sat down with TUAW this afternoon to show off some of its latest products. The most interesting of their recent offerings is something called the "Proximo Fob and Tag Kit," which is a relatively cheap tracking solution designed to work over Bluetooth 4 with your iPhone 4S or iPhone 5.

We've seen tagging kits like this before, but Kensington's, now available, offered a nice set of features at a very reasonable price. The idea is that you can use an included key fob or a tag (just the tag is available for $24.99, while a full fob and tag kit is $59.99) by attaching it to whatever object you'd like to keep safe, whether that's your keys, a purse, or even a kid or a dog. Then, you can use Kensington's free app to get alerts whenever that item moves out of range of your phone, so if you ever walk away and leave your keys at your desk, or if the dog wanders out of the yard, you'll know right away.

[Source: TUAW - Click here to read the full story]

CES 2013: Panasonic HC-X920 Hands on

Panasonic's new flagship consumer camcorder for 2013 looks very much like Panasonic flagship consumer camcorder for 2012. Don't be fooled by its appearance though as the Panasonic HC-X920 has three major upgrades over last year's Panasonic HC-X900.

First and foremost are the upgrades to the 3MOS sensor array. This now uses BSI (backside illuminated) sensors with superior low-light performance. The raw resolution of the sensors has also increased from 6.57 megapixels in total to 8.49 megapixels. We were shown some examples of footage shot with the camcorder, and it looked more composed with less glare at 100 lux (bright conditions) and had far less noise at 10 lux (low light) - that's compared to last years model. Of course we'll have to see what Sony has up its sleeve for 2013 before making any final conclusions though.

The lens looks to be identical to last year's at first glance, but it has a new nano surface coasting apparently, but we're not clear on what benefits this provides.

Another major upgrade to this year's model is Wi-Fi support. This allows for real-time broadcast of events via the popular Ustream service. It can even send email out to preregistered addresses to inform them the live broadcast is beginning. Great for sharing event footage with family and friends in distant locations. A smartphone app is also available for Android and iOS, which lets you see the footage from the camcorder and control the zoom and other functions.

[Source: Expert Reviews - Click here to read the full story]

Sharp’s New TVs Let You Surf the Web and Watch TV at the Same Time

Sharp announced during its CES 2013 keynote that it’s introducing dual-core processors into all of its connected TVs released this year. It will also launch iOS and Android remote control applications, include built-in Wi-Fi and offer the “best apps” on the televisions. A new “split screen TV and web” feature allows you to watch TV and surf the web at the same time. In other words, you can watch the Lakers game and surf TechnoBuffalo at the same time.

The remote control feature for iOS and Android allows you to flick photos, videos, music and other features right to your TV for showing off the media to friends and family. A Netflix “second screen” feature allows you to find a phone to watch on your smartphone and then play it on your Sharp AQUOS TV immediately.

A wallpaper mode turns the television into “your home’s largest digital photo frame.” Sharp is also integrating a built-in subwoofer with Yamaha signal processing for bass and new thin designs with brushed aluminum materials for the frame around the screen.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Apple: 40 Billion Apps Downloaded to Date, Nearly Half of Those in 2012

Apple announced Monday that there have been more than 40 billion app downloads from its iTunes App Store to date.

Surprisingly, nearly half of those downloads were during 2012 alone, which just goes to show the incredible growth that Apple’s store has gone through the past year — especially as new devices, such as the fourth generation iPad, the iPhone 5 and the iPad mini begin to take the market by storm. The popular game Temple Run, for example, has already been downloaded 75 million times since its release.

The iTunes App Store now offers more than 775,000 iPhone apps and 300,000 applications for the iPad.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Panasonic to Introduce 32 New TV Models in 2013

Panasonic just announced that it will introduce a total of 32 new HDTVs this year, including 16 plasma TVs and 16 LED TVs. The plasma TVs will range from 42-inches to 65-inches in size, and the LED TVs will be available in 32-inches to 65-inches in size. The flagship of the LED line is the Smart Viera WT Series television, which features LG’s brand new personalization options. The Plasma flagship is a new Viera VT series device, with similar features.

All of the TVs reduce power consumption by 15% from earlier models and will meet new Energy Star 6.0 certification.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

ASUS gets into the Google TV game with the Qube

ASUS today at CES in Las Vegas officially announced the ASUS Qube -- a Google TV device that's been strongly suggested for the past few weeks, both from the FCC as well as Google. ASUS is promising more info today, but so far all we've got is this single picture, the fact that it's a Google TV device and it has access to Android apps and movies and TV and whatnot, can be controlled via a smartphone or tablet app -- and has some sort of "rotating on-screen cube shape," which immediately makes us think of failed Windows Mobile UIs. (Chances are ASUS has done better here, but seeing is believing.)

And that's it for now. More on the Qube as we get it. We've got the whole of the announcement after the break.

Qube with Google TV - Bring the world of entertainment to your TV

Instantly add Google TV to your HDTV with the ASUS Qube.  Qube with Google TV offers both motion control and voice search that integrates Google Play, Chrome™, YouTube™in one compact device. With access to over 100,000 movies and TV shows* from Netflix and Amazon Instant Video, plus numerous apps, videos and games from Google Play, ASUS Qube with Google TV is the perfect media content device.

[Source: Android Central - Click here to read the full story]

LG announces new 'Panorama Note' feature coming to Optimus Vu: II

LG is set to show off a new "Panorama Note" feature for its stylus-totingOptimus Vu: II at CES 2013. The feature takes features of LG's current note apps that take advantage of the large 4:3 screen on the Vu, and combine it with some of the fundamentals of a panoramic photo. Basically you'll get a 3:1 scrolling note that you can move and edit, meaning you'll have more effective real estate for note taking. Like using a big pad of paper, and working on just one area at a time.

When using the app you'll be able to zoom all the way in -- up to 5.8x -- to view specific content, then back out again to see the entire scope of the note. LG will surely be showing off this feature at its CES booth here in Las Vegas, and we'll be hoping to get a hands-on look at it in the coming days.

[Source: Android Central - Click here to read the full story]

Griffin PowerDock 5 is One Charger to Rule Them All

Griffin has introduced a new charging dock which may take some of the pain out of juicing up all of your gadgets at once.

Introduced at CES, Griffin has unveiled the PowerDock 5. This new charging solution will keep all of your gadgets organized, and your desk clutter free, while charging them. The new charging solution is capable of handling an iPad even in a thick case, so no need to unsheathe your tablet while charging it. While all of the images include images of iDevices, since it based off of USB you can obviously plug in any device you would choose to do so.

The PowerDock 5 will be released this spring with a suggested retail price of $99.99.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]