Posts Tagged ‘family media’

WSJ at Consumer Electronics Show Offers 10 Great Gadgets for 2010

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

Gotta love the opening of this article from the Consumer Electronics Show: “For an industry rocked by recession, consumer electronics firms have really been working hard to improve their offerings,” say the articles authors.

That translates to very good news for consumers who are looking to take advantage of all kinds of digital technologies — from smart phones like the iPhone and NexusOne to digital photography, radio, and navigation. There is awesome stuff for home and office usage.

Here is a review of a digital workout assistant that is within the article by Don Clark and Ben Charny at the Wall Street Journal,

PHILIPS ACTIVA

What it is: A workout companion that pumps you up

Price: $129

Availability: April

Most music players make poor workout companions because all they do is play music, Royal Philips Electronics says. That’s why it developed the Activa, which doesn’t just play pre-selected music as you churn on the treadmill.

Among other things, the gadget can sense a workout’s pace and select songs from a Philips library that tries to match it, using a technology called TempMusic. The Activa also shouts words of encouragement into your ears when it senses you need a boost, plus provides details about your current workout, such as calories burned, time, distance and how the readings measure up to goals you created for yourself.

That sounds pretty cool to me. There are lots of affordable technologies out there that families can use to spend time out there? What are your favorites? The Wii? Using Nav systems on road trips?

Share

Will 2010 Be the Year of 3D?

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

With Avatar in the theaters, talk of a 3D cable channel, and ESPN announcing a 3D network, watching in a 3rd dimension is about to become normal. Maybe the new HD? The USA Today is visiting the Consumer Electronic Show and they say 2010 will be the year of 3D. It appears that in the early phases it will cost a couple of thousand dollars to get a big 3D tv (there isn’t likely to be a market for small 3D sets initially).

Edward C. Baig of the USA Today writes,

The flat, familiar, two-dimensional television image at the center of your home theater is about to take on the lifelike illusion of depth. At least that’s the way the future looks through the spectacles of Hollywood studios, TV networks and consumer electronics manufacturers as they prepare to launch a massive effort to bring 3D from the silver screen into your living room.

“2010 will be the year in which 3D is brought to the home,” DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg says. He’s so bullish on the technology that he’s committed his studio to make 3D versions of all of its future movies.

This week, ESPN announced plans to launch an all-sports 3D network on June 11, starting with World Cup soccer and eventually including the Summer X Games (extreme sports) and college basketball and college football. ESPN 3D will have at least 85 live 3D sporting events, the Disney-owned network promises.

Share