Join Panasonic sends more Blu-ray players to the market
If you ask me, I would say that there is only one Blu-ray player that you will ever need, and that comes in the form of the Sony PS3. After all, when the PS3 first came out to the market, it proved to be rather pricey, but when you take into consideration the price of other standalone Blu-ray players, then surely the PS3 makes far more economical sense. If you are a parent who do not want to “plague” your teen with the scourge of video games when he/she could be spending summer outdoors and exploring the real, natural world, then you can always settle for a standalone Blu-ray player – and Panasonic caters to this particular crowd with four more new Full HD 3D models.
The four new models are known as the DMP-BBT01, DMP-BDT500, DMP-BDT320, DMP-BDT220, while a couple of 2D Blu-ray Disc players were also released – DMP-BD87 and the DMP-BD77. We will concentrate on the four 3D capable models, as they will include Panasonic’s proprietary IPTV platform, VIERA Connect, whereas the 2D-only models will feature IP VOD (Video On Demand), a service that delivers a limited albeit targeted selection of sites including Netflix, Vudu, CinemaNow and YouTube.
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Tritton SwitchBlade Wireless headset
When it comes to video games, the Walkman generation (or should I say, iPod generation instead) grew up with earbuds, so there is nothing quite like experiencing in-game audio delivered straight into your ear canals. That sure beats most folks’ home computer or console sound system setup, as playing in a room still paves the way for outside interruptions to occur (which is not necessarily a bad thing, especially when your neighbors are trying to alert you that there is a fire in the kitchen), while wearing a pair of earbuds or headphones that is well insulated ensures you pay full attention to the game on hand – while listening for every move that your enemy makes.
The Tritton SwitchBlade Wireless headset intends to deliver great in-game audio for PS3 owners, where it will offer comfortable hands-free communication to boot. Flip-out the fold-away boom mic and the headset will power itself automatically, and when you are done, just place it on the included elegant docking base to stash it away neatly. Oh yeah, need we say it – this docking base also functions as a quick charger, making sure that the Tritton SwitchBlade is always available for duty whenever its services are required.
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Justin Bieber Singing Toothbrush
Come on now, I am quite sure that some of you might think this $9.92 Justin Bieber Singing Toothbrush deserves a place on our sister site Foolish Gadgets instead, but here’s the deal. As a parent, how many of you out there have trouble getting your little one to brush his or her teeth? Even if you have the cutest looking toothbrush with the fruitiest flavored toothpaste, the little ‘un still refuses to get those molars and canines cleaned out before bed. I am quite sure that Justin Bieber’s appeal spreads to those pre-teens, too, and with the Justin Bieber Singing Toothbrush, your mission is accomplished.
Featuring soft DuPont bristles, an ergonomic design that cleans plaque in hard to reach places, a soft rubber coating that delivers a comfortable brushing experience, and it is good to go. As an added incentive, pressing a button on this toothbrush will play a Justin Bieber song for 2 minutes – which is the same amout of time that dentists recommend to brush your teeth. A trio of LR44 batteries will power this puppy, and the only drawback is, your ears will be treated (or tortured, depending on which side of the fence you are on) to “U Smile” and “Baby” songs from the Canadian crooner.
PrimeSense geared to make everything on your TV motion-controlled
While I was meandering from booth to booth at CES, I saw one display for PrimeSense, and I thought that someone was just playing Fruit Ninja for the Kinect.
Instead, I discovered PrimeSense, a way of taking control of the television with motion control, not just the video game aspect. It would appear that PrimeSense is ready to take the Kinect to the next step, and their 3D sensor, shown here in this picture, is prepared for a new future.
PrimeSense enabled me to take control of my video content. From a motion-controlled menu, I was able to select different videos by making a grabbing motion and pulling it to me. Their channel surfing menu was set up so I could see all my channels simultaneously, and I could select one with the grabbing method.
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Turtle Beach graces CES 2012 with Ear Force XP400 and XP300 premium wireless gaming headsets
CES 2012 sees the debut of two more premium gaming headsets from Turtle Beach – the Ear Force XP400 and XP300, where you can see the former depicted above. Both models have been specially optimized for wireless game audio and chat on the Xbox 360, not to mention playing nice with the Sony PS3 as well. These headsets deliver whole new levels of convenience and versatility, while ensuring the renowned game audio performance that is associated with Turtle Beach as well.
With the new XP400 and XP300 headsets, wireless Bluetooth chat will also be a staple feature, something that only the acclaimed XP500 headset previously offered, helping those who are on a tighter budget to get more bang for their hard-earned buck. Apart from that, rechargeable batteries and new 5GHz dual-band Wi-Fi RF wireless technology will make sure that you will more or less do away with interference even when there are wireless networks at home.
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TOSY Robotics announces mRobo with Justin Bieber making an appearance
Robots, CES 2012, Justin Bieber, it makes no sense, or does it? TOSY Robotics is a leading robotics and high-tech toys manufacturer that hails from Vietnam, but they do know a thing or two about capitalism. After all, what better way to draw attention to a product of yours than to have a worldwide celebrity appear at your booth on the showfloor? This is what TOSY Robotics did to promote their mRobo Ultra Bass, a state-of-the-art portable speaker which also functions as a dancing robot (hello there, Transformers! I see what you did there).
Multi-platinum selling Pop & R&B singing sensation Justin Bieber also made an appearance with the mRobo Ultra Bass yesterday, and if you happen to be at CES this year, you might want to make a beeline for the TOSY Robotics booth at the LVCC South Hall Ground Level.
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BluCan Bluetooth Vibration Speaker and Speakerphone from GiiNii
GiiNii, makers of the AudioBulb, had a new product on display at CES with the BluCan.
The BluCan is a Bluetooth speaker that is a little smaller than a can of soda. What you can’t see in this picture is that one twist will cause it to elongate so it is taller. The BluCan can seamlessly pair with Bluetooth enabled devices, in order to play your music off the headphones and on the go. When it is resting on a flat, solid surface, it becomes a 360 speaker capable of good range.
Of course, there are a lot of speakers that can do that. The BluCan has an integrated speaker, so you can actually use it as a phone when it is wirelessly connected. By the way, the Blucan has controls for play, pause, track forward, track backward, as well as answer, volume, and hang-up. So if your phone is charging across the room, you can still have the power of your speaker.
I’m not certain when the BluCan is due out, but it will be sometime this year. I also don’t have a price either. By the way, GiiNii also announced that the AudioBulb will be in a smaller size, in case you wanted to know.
Fisher-Price gets into the Portable DVR act
I’m sure that we all associate Fisher-Price with hard plastic toys, but at CES, they have now shifted into a different market with their Kid-Tough Portable DVR.
The Kid-Tough Portable DVR comes with a base unit that connects with the television, and serves as a charging cradle. It can then record your children’s favorite shows, provided you leave the television on that channel. Just to let you know, you can program it 24 hours before the broadcast.
It can accommodate about 2 hours of content, with additional memory via micro SD card slot. It can accommodate about 4-6 hours worth of playing time. Unfortunately, you cannot watch a program saved on the SD card from any other device except the Fisher-Price Kid-Tough Portable DVR (it’s a copyright issue).
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