Samsung has developed a new universal remote control for its televisions and home theater accessories that ditches dozens of buttons in favor of Siri-like voice command support and a touch pad. As Apple reportedly readies an assault on the TV industry, established vendors such as Sony, LG and Samsung looked to cut the Cupertino-based firm off at the pass during this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. All the big names at this year’s show added voice controls and gesture support to their flagship HDTVs, and now Samsung has taken the wraps off its new voice-controlled universal remote, Nikkei’s Tech-On blog reports. The device allows users to speak commands in many cases rather than typing on a keyboard or pressing buttons, and it uses a combination of Bluetooth and infrared connectivity to improve reliability. While Samsung hasn’t yet stated exactly which devices will be compatible with its new remote, it did say TVs, set-top boxes, Blu-ray players and other accessories will be supported. More →
The debut season of Netflix’s first original series “Lilyhammer” is now available on demand to all Netflix “Watch Instantly” subscribers. All eight episodes of the series’ first season can be streamed beginning Tuesday, and the show is available in high definition. Lilyhammer is the first in a string of original content Netflix is working on in an effort to create an all-inclusive online-only network that will truly pose a real threat to traditional pay TV networks. The show features Steven Van Zandt of “The Sopranos” fame, who stars as a relocated New York City gangster trying to make a new life for himself in a small town in Norway. Netflix is working on more original content that will launch this year, including a new season of “Arrested Development” and “House of Cards,” starring Kevin Spacey. More →
Apple, the company that simplified computers, smartphones and tablets, is now looking to build a simplified TV remote according to a new patent discovered by Apple Insider. The patent, which is titled “Apparatus and Method to Facilitate Universal Remote Control,” describes a touchscreen-based controller that would eliminate the clutter found on today’s universal remotes. According to the application, Apple is looking to use fewer buttons for a simplified experience. “The controls that are not normally used clutter the remote control and can cause confusion to the user when trying to locate a seldom-used feature,” the filing notes. Apple’s proposed solution is a remote that would include a “discovery mechanism” to discover available appliances for the device to control, eliminating complex codes and programing of individual devices. The remote would be able to detect which appliances are in range of the controller, graying out the devices that are out of range. The patent was made public this week by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and was first filed in September 2011. More →
Sony came to this year’s Consumer Electronics Show with a pair of new Xperia smartphones and while they definitely look and feel like older devices in the company’s Xperia lineup in terms of design identity, they were much smoother than older Xperia models. The dual-core 1.5GHz processor in the Xperia S clearly plays a big role in speeding up Sony’s UI, and the 4.3-inch 720p Reality Display produces deep blacks and vivid colors. The UI itself is still one of our least favorite Android interfaces though, and the handset itself feels a bit light. The Xperia S also packs dual HD video cameras — a 12-megapixel camera on the back records 1080p HD video and the front facing camera supports 720p video chats — and the handset is PlayStation certified, giving it solid gaming capabilities without the added bulk of a dedicated controller as was the case with the Xperia Play. Pricing could make or break the Xperia S, but Sony hasn’t yet announced availability details. Check out our hands-on images of the Xperia S in the gallery below.
Day 1 of the Consumer Electronics Show is drawing to a close, and a keynote featuring Intel is the perfect way to end the day. Intel is the driving force behind a seemingly endless line of devices that have helped shape the industry as we know it today, and this evening we should get a look at how Intel intends to continue driving innovation moving forward. Smartphones and tablets powered by the company’s next-generation Medfield processors will definitely be on display, and the company invested $300 million in ultrabooks so we’ll undoubtedly see a parade of slim new laptops on stage during the event as well. Will Intel have a few surprises up its sleeve? The keynote is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. Eastern / 4:30 p.m. Pacific, so hit the jump and tune in for our live coverage. More →
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer gave his last CES keynote on Monday night and while it did mark the end of an era, things are just starting to heat up here in Las Vegas. We’ve got a big day in store that will be packed full of hands-on looks at all of the great devices unveiled during this year’s show, but Qualcomm is kicking things off on Tuesday with the opening keynote for day 1. Qualcomm subsidiary Qualcomm Atheros made several announcements Tuesday morning which included the unveiling of the Skifta Media Shifting Platform, a new wireless content streaming solution, and we’ll likely hear more about them during the keynote. What else might Qualcomm have in store for us? The keynote kicks off at 11:30 a.m. Eastern / 8:30 a.m. Pacific, so hit the break for our live coverage. More →
It’s the end of an era. Microsoft announced last month that this year’s Consumer Electronics Show keynote will be the company’s last for the foreseeable future. The show definitely won’t be the same without Microsoft’s chief executive officer Steve Ballmer kicking things off with his unique brand of charisma, but all good things must come to an end. According to reports, Microsoft won’t have anything big to announce at this year’s keynote. Instead, Ballmer will recap the strong year Microsoft had in 2011 and discuss the company’s core consumer-facing products moving into 2012 including Windows, Windows Phone, Xbox and more. Mr. Ballmer always puts on a show, however, and we’re sure he’ll toss in a few surprises to keep things interesting. The keynote kicks off at 9:30 p.m. Eastern / 6:30 p.m. Pacific, so hit the break to follow all the action — and Ballmeresque yelling — as it unfolds. More →
Nokia recently announced its first Windows Phone for the U.S. market late last year — T-Mobile’s Lumia 710 — but the Finnish vendor has a lot more in store. Today, we finally get our first glimpse at Nokia’s flagship smartphone that is set to launch on AT&T in the near future. The Lumia 900 or Ace, as it is rumored to be named on AT&T, reportedly shares the same look and feel as the Lumia 800 but it packs two big new features: 4G LTE, and a bigger form factor along with a larger display. Are the rumors right? Does Nokia have any other surprises in store? Hit the break for our live coverage of Nokia’s press conference. More →
We saw a few new Samsung phones revealed during AT&T’s press conference Monday morning. Coming soon to AT&T’s smartphone lineup are the Galaxy Note and the Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD, but the South Korea-based vendor has much more in store for us at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. Smartphones, tablets, computers, HDTVs and more will debut from Samsung this week at CES, and Monday’s press conference is where we’ll get our first live taste of what’s in store. The event is scheduled to kick off at 5:00 p.m. Eastern / 2:00 p.m. Pacific, so hit the break for all the action as it unfolds. More →
This year’s Consumer Electronics Show doesn’t officially begin until Tuesday, but the action started over the weekend and things will really start to pick up today. LG’s press conference (11:00 a.m. Eastern/8:00 a.m. Pacific) kicked things off earlier this morning, and Samsung (5:00 p.m. Eastern/2:00 p.m. Pacific) and Nokia (6:00 p.m. Eastern/3:00 p.m. Pacific) both have big events scheduled for later today. There’s also Steve Ballmer’s keynote (9:30 p.m. Eastern/6:30 p.m. Pacific) this evening and it will be his last for the foreseeable future. There’s plenty going on indeed — we’ll be covering all the big events — and right now we’re excited to be bringing you live coverage of the AT&T Developer Summit, where CEO Ralph de la Vega will be joined by CMO David Christopher, CTO John Donovan and others. AT&T’s 4G LTE service is alive and kicking here in Las Vegas and we expect LTE to be a hot topic. We also expect the company to take the wraps off of a new device or two, so hit the jump and tune in for all of AT&T’s announcements as they break. More →
The Consumer Electronics show is always a massive event for the home entertainment industry, and 2012 is shaping up to be the biggest year yet. Hundreds of companies will showcase thousands of products, but among the companies that managed to generate some real buzz ahead of the show, LG really looks like it has some gems on its hands this year. The company previewed its new nearly borderless 55-inch OLED HDTV last week and it has a few Cinema Screen 3D models with just a 1-millimeter bezel surrounding its gorgeous display panels. LG surely has plenty more gear in store for us — including at least one smartphone and next-generation Google TV devices — so hit the break to watch all the action unfold in our live coverage. More →
Netflix on Tuesday announced that its first original series, “Lilyhammer,” will begin streaming to subscribers on February 6th in the United States. Starring Steven Van Zandt of “The Sopranos,” the series follows the life of a New York City mobster who is relocated to Lillehammer, Norway upon entering the federal witness protection program. ”I am very careful with my choices and this project was so exciting to me because of the wonderful writing, the rich characters and the fascinating culture of Norway,” said Steven Van Zandt, the show’s star and Executive Producer. “Netflix is the perfect home for such a unique show.” Lilyhammer is the first in a number of original series Netflix plans to offer its Watch Instantly subscribers. The company is also prepping an exclusive new season of “Arrested Development” and a new original series starring Kevin Spacey titled “House of Cards.” Netflix’s full press release follows below along with the Lilyhammer trailer. More →
