consumer electronics show (ces)

When Microsoft's mega-hit Kinect motion controller for the Xbox was released in 2010, its closed nature inspired a hefty bounty to hack it and come up with open-source drivers.

But now that Microsoft has released an official version of Kinect for Windows, the team that offered that payout is wondering whether they might have to do it again.

Microsoft eventually realized that there was an insatiable thirst for developing open-source Kinect projects and released a software development kit of its own. But now the folks at open-source hardware purveyors Adafruit are wondering if the new Kinect for Windows platform … Read more

Who needs mirrors?

Not Fujifilm. As expected, at CES today, the digital camera maker unveiled its X-Pro1 mirrorless camera. The X-Pro1, which Fujifilm is aiming at pros like wedding and portrait photographers, features the X-Mount, a Fujinon-XF Lens, an X-Trans CMOS, and a new hybrid viewfinder, explained Kayce Baker, Fujifilm North America's director of marketing. The camera will be shipped in late February.

Fujifilm wouldn't say precisely at CES what the price will be, but Manny Almeida, vice president and general manager for Fujifilm North America, estimated that the body will run around $1,700 and lenses about $650 each.

The camera uses all glass, aspherical, and extra-low dispersion components, as well as a new aperture blade shape. It also has three new lenses: an 18mm f2, a 35mm f1.4, and a 60mm f2.4 macro.… Read more

LAS VEGAS--Sharp unveiled an 80-inch touch screen for digital meetings at its CES 2012 press conference here Monday.

The smart Aquos Board lets professionals draw on the screen, take notes, and save information to PCs. It will come in 60-, 70-, and 80-inch high-resolution screens. It uses Microsoft software.

Sharp also plans to introduce in the next 90 days, 17 new 60-inch-plus TVs and will introduce 4K technology to deliver "natural 3D-like images." A new 80-inch TV model will be available in April. The rest of line starts shipping this month. TVs will also include new 3D technology … Read more

LAS VEGAS--The 2012 Consumer Electronics Show doesn't officially open until Tuesday--after a marathon of press conferences on Monday--but that hasn't stopped a flood of product announcements and leaks in the days leading up to the show.

While many of these products don't have full details--such as the ever-elusive pricing and availability--the 2012 preshow news slate is longer and more impressive than any year I can remember. The two main reasons for that are the late start of the show (sometimes it begins right after New Year's Day; this year it's a week later), and the … Read more

At its CES press conference today, Acer unveiled its new line of ultrabooks, Aspire Timeline Ultra, news of which leaked out earlier today. It also talked up its AcerCloud service, which the company hopes will give it an edge in pushing its line of ultrabooks.

Acer expects to start shipping the Aspire Timelne Ultra--which has instant-on capabilities, an Intel Core i processor, a slim DVD drive, and eight hours of battery life--sometime in the first quarter.

Company Chairman J.T. Wang touted AcerCloud, which enables users to sync files between a Windows-based device and an Android device.

The electronics maker … Read more

The world's biggest technology event is just days away in Las Vegas. This year more than 2,700 exhibitors will debut some 20,000 products in less than a week at the International Consumer Electronics Show.

Of those 20,000 gadgets, at least a few are likely to become cultural touchstones that change our daily routines, like TiVo did beginning with its CES debut in 1999. Others, like Microsoft Bob from the 1995 show, quickly fade from being the next big thing to punchlines for geeky hipsters.

For a quick tour of CES history, scroll through this nice graphical timeline from Sortable.com, where its also got a full infographic with more facts about the Consumer Electronics Show.… Read more

At the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas (January 5-9), CNET editors will be choosing the Best of Show finalists and winners that will set the trends for the new year. But that begs the question: How well did we do last year?

It's a perfect excuse to look back at the picks from the most recent show, January 2009. We've gone to the archives and highlighted the winners in 10 categories--including our overall Best of Show. See which picks were right on the money, which were soon eclipsed by newer and better products later in the … Read more

Everybody and their mother-in-law knows that the world of computers and consumer electronics is converging--often in ways that we still cannot imagine. But figuring out exactly how the pieces will fall into place is the hard part. At the recently-concluded Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, there were several announcements which have triggered speculation about the timetable for this hungered-for golden age of convergence. Webware's editor-in-chief, Rafe Needleman, who was at the show, stops by for a chat about this latest tech trend.

Today's stories:

CES and the recession: What was the impact?… Read more

A correction was made to this story. Read below for details.

One of the biggest surprises of CES was Palm's Pre smartphone that some are calling an iPhone killer. While I don't expect this or anything else to kill the iPhone, it does appear that Palm could again become a major player in the smart phone market.

As a product reviewer I will reserve final judgment until I can carry one around and put it through its paces, but based on the few minutes I got to use the phone at the Consumer Electronics Show, I am very … Read more