(Credit:
Acousticom)
Acousticom manufactures audio communication equipment utilized by the Department of Defense and leading aerospace companies. The company is well-known for its flight helmets, but it is coming to CES 2010 with something almost everyone can enjoy--the Sound Egg.
The egg chair is back, but with a 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound system and an intimate media experience not intended for sharing. The chair can be connected to a television or computer and its unique foam insulation means no more complaining from your significant other. Go ahead, play Call of Duty all you want--he or she won't hear a thing.
The Sound Egg was initially manufactured as a demonstration tool for trade shows. Although this is still a marketed use, Acousticom is making it available as a consumer electronics item. The $1,450 seat is not for everyone, but audiophiles might call it an "investment."
The touchscreen console also features music, VoIP, streaming television and other downloadable apps.
(Credit: Electronic Housekeeper)Surprises can be fun, but not when it comes to bills. Electronic Housekeeper, a CES newbie, has made it possible for homeowners to monitor their water, gas, and electricity. Knowing which devices are draining the most energy and who's taking the long showers might be the first step toward lower energy bills.
After selling its products in Europe and the Middle East, Denmark-based Electronic Housekeeper will bring its innovations to North America. The company has created a wall-mountable console that communicates wirelessly with electronics, appliances, heating, air conditioning, as well as water and electricity meters.
Monitoring household appliances and devices is familiar, like the Tenrehte PICOwatt, but this technology is one of the first to give consumers regulation of all utilities.
The touch-screen console gives users the ability to review their utility usage, but also energy consumption of devices plugged into "Switchkeepers." The Switchkeepers communicate wirelessly with the main console, allowing consumers to set on/off times for their electronics. There is also the option of controlling and monitoring utilities through a computer, as the system works on the home's wireless network.
Electronic Housekeeper can also be used for entertainment--VoIP, text messaging, access to email and the web, satellite radio, and other add-on services are available for download from what seems like an application store.
The company began development in 2005 and has already sold thousands of units worldwide. Following its success, Electronic Housekeeper will move its headquarters to the United States while maintaining wholly owned subsidiaries worldwide.
Other initiatives include integrating its technology in offices, real estate companies, construction firms, federal agencies, and universities.
Leave it to the Scandinavians to create headphones that stand alone as works of art. Urbanears is a start-up from Stockholm, Sweden, that designs aesthetically pleasing headphones--but dig a little deeper and you discover a company with a greater mission.
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Urbanears)
Zound Industries, Urbanears' parent company, realizes the integration of fashion and technology and sees that headphones can strengthen a brand. It's not the first, as the rise of mobile devices has encouraged the creation of unique, personalized headphones. SkullCandy did this by creating hundreds of one-of-a-kind headphones recognizable from a distance.
But Zound is doing something different. Besides developing the Urbanears brand, it has partnered with Marvel, Hello Kitty, Fame, and Star Wars to design headphones that fans might wear as a reflection of their personality. Moreover, these brands are stronger by selling a product that seemingly everyone needs--headphones more exciting than the ol' earbuds.
At launch, Urbanears will sell only three headphones. The Plattan is a sleek, classic headphone that folds down to the size of a fist. Its best feature, though, is the Zound Plug on the ear cap; your friend can plug in and listen to your music. The Tanto is an over-the-ears headphone reminiscent of the 80s style, with no special features but good sound and practicality. The third is Medis, an in-ear headphone with a fabric cord and structure that anchors the earpiece securely. Go ahead, jump as much as you want--they're staying put.
The Scandinavian team worked for the last 18 months around the clock and finally brought Urbanears public two weeks ago. Plans for Zound Industries include concept stores and mobile booths.They have agents in 16 countries, but the brainpower comes from eight young men who say "yes, we could use more women around here."
Look out for the release of Urbanears in early December 2009. Until then, you may drool over the headphones in the catalog.
Many companies are investing in the green market by creating energy efficient appliances, but those new devices tend to be pricey. Besides, why replace something that still works? Tenrehte Technologies, a start-up located in Rochester, NY and Austin, TX, would like to help people reduce the power consumption of products they already own.
The PICOwatt looks like a small extension cord. Nothing complicated about it.
(Credit: Tenrehte Technologies Inc. )PICOwatt, Tenrehte's first product, allows consumers to turn off any appliance with just a few clicks. Appliances plugged into the device are controlled by the consumer via Wi-Fi. Energy usage, timers, and power are all controlled with a smartphone or computer. For example, instead of using appliances during peak hours, a timer can be set-up for your dryer to run in the middle of the night.
Tenrehte has been selected as a finalist for many competitions, in recognition of the fact that its innovative technology allows consumers to cut costs, reduce power consumption, and control their carbon footprints. CEO Jennifer Indovina says that despite the "interesting" economy, the company has found creative ways to keep moving, and focus on the end result. Her team is mostly composed of engineers with backgrounds in start-ups.
The PICOwatt will be available on Earth Day (April 22, 2010) for $79.99. It's expensive, but Tenrehte suggests that it will pay for itself in about two months, and save consumers 10 percent off their annual energy bills thereafter.
Can you say "ahhhhh"?
(Credit: Bluelounge)Until all gadgets go wireless, you'll have cables to deal with. Bluelounge--an LA-based design studio--realizes every device comes with a cable (or two), so it's created products that organize cables that help to defeat their everyday annoyances.
Bluelounge studio's Melissa Sunjaya and Dominic Symons do more than design furniture and accessories. The internationally recognized artists have designed Web sites, interiors, footwear, fashion accessories, and other products that benefit from a contemporary look. Their designs are distinct and inspire clean and happy feelings.
Minimalists will enjoy the StudioDesk, a work space with a cubby to conceal unattractive wiring. Most desks come with a hole to shove wires out and into an outlet, but the StudioDesk runs just one wire from the desk to the wall. Bluelounge's other items that carry the same utilitarian feel include sleek charging stations and portable cable organizers.
The anticlutter movement may just be the beginning for Bluelounge. Check them out at CES 2010 to find out what's on the drawing table for this first time CES exhibitor.
Iron Will Innovations, a small, Canada-based company, has spent the last five years dedicated to the development of something it believes will not only transform the way consumers interact with their computers, but may contribute to military technology as well. This year at CES, Iron Will is exhibiting a technology it calls The Peregrine.
Though WASD keyboard commands come second nature to most gamers, Peregrine is this year's contender in the race to replace the keyboard. Peregrine is an elastic, military-grade glove that can recognize up to 30 customizable hand gestures. Wires are threaded throughout the glove and communicate by user-defined hot spots. For example, touching your index finger and thumb draws your weapon and you're ready to fight.
The pod breaks away quickly, thanks to its magnetic connection.
Ideally, the glove would be wireless, but the Peregrine is wired via a USB-connected pod that attaches to the glove. Because the pod connects to the glove magnetically, users can quickly rip off the pod and switch to keyboard use without removing the glove. It may not be suitable for everyone, but intense gamers worried about sweat will be happy to know the glove's fabric is breathable.
Iron Will Innovations is marketing the glove as a gaming accessory, but the company is also developing the device for military use.
The Peregrine is set to cost $129 and includes a customizable faceplate for those who might want to personalize their pod. At that price, the glove may be best for dedicated gamers, or those looking for a new experience. Such an innovation deserves a hands-on test, so we can't wait to see it in action at CES 2010.
Lenovo smartbook: Smaller than a Netbook, or a smartphone in a different body?
(Credit: techtickerblog.com)Remember how we said new Netbooks were coming for CES? We might as well expand that statement to include smartbooks. The new terminology, coined to describe laptop-style devices running sub-Atom processors (Snapdragon from Qualcomm being one of them), is rapidly gaining in fashion lately, especially in relation to cell phone carriers. Packaging these types of extremely small and cheap smart devices in with cellular data plans seems like a match made in gadget heaven.
We've seen prototype smartbooks from Nvidia featuring the Tegra processor (the same that's in the Zune HD), but the Lenovo smartbook unveiled ever-so-briefly at a Qualcomm event Thursday is new and intriguing, and is the first smartbook to feature Qualcomm's Snapdragon. Reports say that it runs a variation of a Linux OS (Windows 7 stops at Netbooks) and has an HD-supporting screen, although it's not clear whether HD video can actually be played.
On Tegra smartbooks, we know that the answer to that question is yes, since the Zune HD can easily handle HD video. Our other question--one we've asked before--is: if this essentially has a smartphone processor in a laptop's body, would you simply prefer a smartphone instead? The picture's fuzzy, but which would you want most, a smartbook, Netbook, or smartphone?
More details should be forthcoming at CES, which is only two months away.
(Via Liliputing)
Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz
(Credit: Yahoo)Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz has abruptly canceled her scheduled keynote speech at CES, arguably the biggest event on the technology calendar.
Tech Trader Daily noticed Tuesday that Bartz's name had disappeared from the list of keynote speakers for the 2010 CES, almost a month to the day that the Consumer Electronics Association announced her plans to attend the show. A representative of the CEA later confirmed that Bartz was no longer in the mix, and announced plans to have Qualcomm's Paul Jacobs keynote the event.
A Yahoo representative cited "changes in her calendar" that would prevent Bartz from showing up at CES but declined to provide any further details. Bartz was recently forced to cancel appearances on Yahoo's third-quarter earnings call and an interview at the Web 2.0 conference due to the flu.
Everyone expects to see Tech giants exhibiting at CES, many in 1,000-square-foot exhibitor booths with large stages and fancy schwag. But if you peek behind the glitzy giveaways and bright lights, you'll find a wide variety of tech start-ups that make their marks--sometimes their very first product releases--at CES.
Every year, hundreds of companies exhibit at CES. We'll help ferret out the coolest of the new ones.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET)As CNET counts down to the 2010 International CES, we will be combing through the CES attendee list to showcase 30 of the young, innovative companies exhibiting for the first time in January 2010. Check in on Monday, November 16 for our first company profile and come back each business day until CES begins for more.
Interested in nominating your company for a profile? There are two ways to let us know. You can e-mail us or--if you think your product is one of the best in show--you can submit it for consideration at our Best of CES page and answer yes to "Is this your company's first year at CES?"
At CES this year, I will definitely be on the lookout for the KOR-FX. It looks a little like a cross between a vest and headphones for your pecs. It is two plastic pieces that sit on your chest and amplify audio signals into what the company calls accusto-haptic technology. You plug it into a standard audio-out jack and it sends audio signals into your body. It will work with any gadget like an iPod or laptop but it is made for PC gamers, although the imagination runs wild at what will happen when the adult industry gets their hands on it. Also, soccer moms will hate it, particularly the ones that think their kids need to be more immersed in their games like they need a hole in the head.
No pricing was given but Shahriar Afshar, president and CEO of IMMERZ Inc., says that it will be approximately the price of high-end headphones, which is around $300.
Another few devices with promise have to do with monitoring home power usage. First off, the PICOwatt. It is a device that plugs into any home appliances and sends data about that device to the Web using your home Wi-Fi network. You can monitor the power consumption of that appliance, as well as turn it on or off from the Web site. You can also send information about those metrics to your social networks, although I'm not sure why my Twitter followers care about how much power my blow dryer is using.
The PICOwatt will cost $79.99 and launch on April 22, 2010, which not coincidentally is Earth Day.
Alternatively, the Modlet from a company called ThinkEco Inc. looks like an outlet but it plugs into your home outlets and monitors the devices that are plugged into it on the Web. The Web site is elegant and easily competes with Google PowerMeter and Microsoft Hohm. It allows you to label, monitor, and set schedules for any given device. There is also a social element that allows you to compare and compete with your friends to conserve energy, as well as provide tips and tricks for living more greenly. (Is that even a word?)
The final presentation was the CubicVue 3D filter, which is a liquid pixel display that makes any monitor a 3D monitor without the need of the kitschy glasses. The company, CubicVue LLC, hopes to license this to manufacturers to build into their displays. It works with content that is optimized for 3D and supposedly does not disrupt 2D content.
I won't disclose how I voted for these companies but I will disclose the winners:
First place: ReNu from Regen, a line of solar-powered chargers and gadgets. They win $40,000 and a turn-key exhibit at CES 2010 in Las Vegas.
Second place: The eDGe from Entourage Systems, an e-reader/tablet. They win $7,500 and an option to display their product at CES Unveiled in New York or Las Vegas.
Fan favorite: ReNu from Regen, a line of solar-powered chargers and gadgets. They win $2,500 and an option to display their product at CES Unveiled in New York or Las Vegas.
