Videophiles rejoice: Sony goes back to local dimming with the KDL-HX909 series.
(Credit: Sony)Updated June 9, 2010 with new model number--HX900 became HX909--as well as pricing, availability and other information.
Among the numerous permutations of LED backlighting, we've consistently experienced the best results with the variety known as local dimming, which typically uses a full array of LEDs arranged behind the screen, not just along the edge. Those LEDs can dim or illuminate as necessary depending on program content, and as a result can achieve excellent contrast, black levels, and overall picture quality.
The superb Sony KDL-XBR8 series from 2008 was the company's last attempt at the technology. Sony skipped LED entirely in 2009 (with one unimpressive exception), but for CES 2010 it announced no fewer than five series of LCD TVs with LED backlights.
Among those five, only the XBR-HX909 series has local dimming with a full array of LEDs behind the screen, not arranged along the edge, so we expect this set to receive the most interest from videophiles. We'... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog
On Sale Now: $2,799.00 - $3,599.99
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On Sale Now: $3,149.10 - $3,149.99
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The Sony XBR-LX900 series is one of the only 3D-compatible TVs to include the necessary glasses.
(Credit: Sony)Updated June 9, 2010 with pricing, availability and other information. Despite announcing smaller sizes of this series at CES, Sony has only confirmed the 52- and 60-inch models for now.
Sony has announced a trio of 3D-capable HDTV series this year, but only the flagship XBR-LX900 actually includes the glasses--2 pair !--you'll need to enjoy 3D content. Of course, other family members beyond the first two will have to get their own pairs, sold separately ($150 each), but at least with this model Sony builds the emitter into the TV (the others make you purchase the $50 emitter separately). Along with the Panasonic TC-PVT25 series, it's the only 3D-capable TV announced so far to include glasses, although the Panasonic only includes one pair.
Like other makers', Sony's glasses use an active LC shutter system. The right and left lenses in the glasses alternately darken and lighten, too quickly to perceive, while the TV synchronously ... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog
On Sale Now: $4,100.00 - $4,499.99
View the latest prices for Sony Bravia XBR-60LX900
On Sale Now: $3,599.98 - $3,799.00
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The new Jeff Rowland preamplifier.
(Credit: Dave Clark, Positive Feedback)My pal Dave Clark, editor at Positive Feedback Online, took a lot of great pictures at CES 2010. After the jump, see but a brief sampling from his Web site.
... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blogCES 2010 was full of the usual electronics wonderment, but some trends were more frequent or more prominent than others. We took a gander about the show floor and tallied up the five top trends from the show.
Take a look at the video then come back here for a chance to win the swag bag.
Tom and Rafe discuss the gear they used to cover the consumer electronics show and how well it fared.
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... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog
Jets on Jetblue
(Credit: Scott Stein/CNET)On my way back from Vegas and the remains of CES 2010, I put my faith in JetBlue. As one of the few airlines with a nearly complete collection of TV networks viewable in midair, I knew back when I booked my flights months ago that, in the unlikely event of a Jets playoff game, a seat-back TV would be my only recourse in case the game fell on a Saturday. Of course, the impossible happened and I ended up watching the Jets-Bengals showdown on my miniature seat-mounted screen.
It was a great experience, especially with a flight full of cheering Jets fans (and a few disgruntled Giants/Bengals fans), but I wouldn't have been so lucky on Virgin America. Their spotty in-flight TV service had channels like MSNBC, but no NBC, and in-flight Wi-Fi would have been useless, since the NFL doesn't properly support Internet game-viewing.
At CES, when I saw Flo TV demonstrate its upcoming and very exciting collaboration with Mophie to bring live TV programming to the iPhone via a slip-on case, the representatives tried to entice me with promises of live sports. I knew better: the NBA, NHL, MLB, PGA, and NCAA football were all represented in some fashion, but not the NFL. No, not America's most popular sport: it's been locked up for years, and it doesn't make any sense. ... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog
The FlipSync keychain cable from Scosche.
(Credit: Scosche)Call it an occupational hazard, but as CNET's senior editor for MP3 player reviews, I'm constantly being called on to loan out iPod/iPhone cables to co-workers. I'm not complaining--in fact, it's sorta nice to feel like I can save someone's day with an iPod cable. If anything, I wish I could carry an extra iPod cable with me at all times, poised and ready to bail out a friend's dying iPhone or transfer music to my iPod.
That's why I freaked when I saw the $20 FlipSync cable on display at the Scosche booth at CES. They boiled Apple's cable down to a little keychain, placing an iPod connector on one end, and on the other end, a USB plug whittled down to just the pins. No, it's not as glamorous as a 3D plasma screen TV, but as someone who's constantly keeping track of iPod cables, this thing looks like a godsend.
The FlipSync is ... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog
Far cooler than the Michael Bay movies.
More than meets the drive.
(Credit: Scott Stein/CNET)Of course, CES is full of oddball, goofball, and just plain cheesy products; but amid the sea of plastic this year a little tidbit caught my eye from a Toshiba booth, of all places. After eyeballing a variety of Satellite laptops, a Toshiba representative insisted I take a look at a corner of the table that I had ignored, because I thought the little plastic tchotchkes were party favors.
Official Transformers-brand USB memory sticks and mice, which on closer inspection completely mirrored the type of toys I used to obsessively collect in my childhood, are coming soon. If they're as good as the little toys I saw here, they'll be fun collectibles for a future time when neither mice nor USB drives will exist anymore.
Best of all, these don't turn into standard robots. The USB drive becomes a robotic predatory cat (tiger or jaguar, we couldn't tell which), while the mouse turns into a ... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog
(Credit:
OhGizmo)
Skeet shooting has always been something of an English gentleman's recreational sport, although there's also Olympic skeet if you're gunning for more competitive shooting. The target is to break clay discs flung into the air at high speed from a variety of angles. It's definitely not something you'd want to try right smack in your living room. That, however, hasn't stopped Interative Toy Concepts from developing a skeet shooter game designed to be an indoor toy. It showed the game off at CES 2010.
To play, the device launches three plastic discs which the player has to hit with an infrared gun (as opposed to a shotgun). If "hit," the discs break apart, though not as spectacularly as the real clay versions. The toy discs can be reassembled for endless rounds.
It's too bad some homes have so little headroom, let alone real estate for flying discs. Not all is lost, though. If you still have a hankering to be the best indoor skeet champ in ... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog
Charge on the go with the WildCharge Pad
(Credit: Kent German/CNET)WildCharger's products have always left us a bit divided. Though the wireless charging pads certainly work as promised, we haven't rushed out to buy them. Sure the ability to charge several gadgets at once is convenient, and the technology certainly is novel, but we can be content with powering our handset the normal way.
WildCharge, however, is busily expanding its product line, and at CES 2010 the company (now called Pure Energy Solutions) showed the a new Portable WildCharge Pad. At 5.24 inches long by 2.7 inches wide by 0.47 inch deep, the pad can fit one cell phone comfortably. It weighs just 4.23 ounces so it slips easily into a bag or even a large pocket.
It accommodates all current handset skins, which are required to charge your phone using the company's wireless technology. The pad has an internal battery so it doesn't need to be plugged in to operate; just power it ahead ... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog
