Here’s ViewSonic’s 47-inch 1080p LCD TV with built-in ATSC/NTSC/QAM TV tuner. Contrast ratio is pretty good at 6000:1 with 11 input connections that include three HDMI 1.3 ports. Yay! I like it. I want one. I must have one. → Read More
Click through to see the full liveblog replay. → Read More
Many of us have waited a year as the Jimmy Wales hype machine promised a human powered search engine that could take on Google. Tonight that search engine launched at alpha.search.wikia.com, and it may be one of the biggest disappointments I’ve had the displeasure of reviewing. First of all, it’s barely a search engine at all. It’s based on the open source Nutch software and contains an index of web pages created by Grub (a company Wikia acquired last year). The search results are poor and thin, as would be expected if not for the huge expectations that have been set. Absolutely no one is going to use this to search the web, until (and if) it is greatly improved. But beyond the poor search results, there is really no “human” element to the engine at all. That functionality will come later, says Wikia CEO Gil Penchina. For now, users can add keywords to their profile – things that they are interested in, etc. When a search is conducted by others on those terms, the user’s picture is shown in the right hand column. Eventually, users will be able to edit and improve results for searches they are interested in. But currently, all users can do is add keywords to their profile that they might someday be interested in, and/or contribute to a “mini-article” that appears at the top of search results for queries (example). And about those profiles. As anticipated, Wikia Search is yet another social network. User profiles include basic elements like a photo, adding friends, and information about interests and skills. And in a direct rip off of Facebook, Wikia Search profiles contain an activity stream of stuff you and your friends have been up to over the recent past. Wikia search would be a disappointment even without the massive hype we’ve had to endure. And taking that hype into account, this product is an inexcusable waste of time. To be fair, CEO Gil Penchina warned me it wouldn’t be a great product at launch. It’s simply a proof of concept of what can be created using open source software and little money, he says. Fair enough. But it’s time for Wales to be quiet, let this thing evolve or not, and eventually let the software do the talking. Eventually Wikia will make the index available to third parties. But the index needs to be reasonably decent → Read More
Liberty Media has acquired a controlling stake in online retailer and fitness website Bodybuilding.com for $100 Million. Bodybuilding.com sells a broad range of fitness supplements, clothing and supplies as well as offering general fitness articles and a social networking service where over 100,000 users swap exercise goals or post pictures. According to comScore, Bodybuilding.com had around 2 million unique visitors in November, and according to Liberty sales are expected to top $100 million in 2008. It’s an interesting move by Liberty Media given they are better known for their investments in other holding companies, most notably IAC/ Interactive Corp. Wall Street Journal reports that Liberty Media acquired the stake from the site’s founding family and Milestone Partners and that the deal is expected to be formally announced today. → Read More
There are two ways for services to get themselves onto mobile devices. They either talk users into accessing limited functionality by browsing to their website, or they get their software (usually Java based) onto the phone somehow. And since the carriers still control every aspect of the mobile experience, getting that software onto a phone without their consent is difficult. Google has experimented with it, as has Yahoo through their Go application. Get it on your phone somehow, and you can browse through various widgets – travel, weather, news, etc. Some consumers have gone to the trouble of downloading Google, Yahoo and others’ software on their phone. But now, third parties won’t have to jump over this hurdle. They can simply piggyback on Yahoo’s already installed software. They’re relaunching the platform tomorrow. In addition to generic “improved performance,” for the first time third parties will be able to add their own software to the platform. It’s an open environment, meaning anyone can create a widget for Yahoo Go. Users will find them on Yahoo’s mobile site and can add them to their phone. A software development kit for developers will be made available in the coming weeks, Yahoo says. Until then, users can add pre-made widgets from eBay, MySpace and MTV. The Yahoo Mobile team has been chatting about this off record for almost a year now. We first expected to see it launch last Spring, but it never came. But they’ve finally got it out the door. The Yahoo Mobile home page is also being relaunched tomorrow. → Read More
The long wait for Wikia Search is over with the alpha version of the service now live. As we wrote December 23, Wikia’s Jimmy Wales is pitching the search engine as a Google competitor; its a strong statement to make but does Wikia Search Alpha take the good fight up to Google? Not yet. I ran a couple of different search terms into Wikia with mixed results. A search for TechCrunch for example shows TechCrunch.com as the first result, but type in Michael Arrington and the only TechCrunch result is at 7, and it’s TechCrunch France aside from something called a “mini-article”. I tried a couple of other people in Wikia Search as well, the service has no issues with finding sites/ companies by name, but really struggles when you’re searching for people. The user interface is clean and uncluttered, but the choice of font colors has a lot to be desired. Ultimately you can judge for yourself at alpha.search.wikia.com Update: as pointed out in the comments, Wikia Search also doesn’t suggest results based on incorrect spellings, for example Wikiq doesn’t recommend Wikia, either in the results itself or with a “did you mean Wikia” line as Google would do. Update 2: see Michael’s thoughts here. CrunchBase Information Wikia Information provided by CrunchBase → Read More
Product Name: Sony Ericsson W760 Description: Tri-band HSDPA and GPS make this a good traveling phone while the gaming features make it good for play. It even picks out music depending on your mood. → Read More
Product Name: Sony Ericsson Z555 Description: Sony is focusing on the music with their new Walkman phone. The W350 has a flip design with TrackID (hold it up to a radio and ID the song that’s playing) and a number of classy colors. It also has stereo Bluetooth streaming. → Read More
Apparently, Microsoft has no shame when it comes to borrowing Apple’s best ideas. This time, though, it’s in mobile phones. It looks like Microsoft is going to push a touch-screen interface in a big way. Screen shots and specs of the next version of Microsoft’s mobile operating system, Windows Mobile 7, are being leaked. WinMo 7 appears to support a gesture interface that will let mobile consumers flick their fingers to slide through images and applications, zoom in and zoom out, and even shake the cell phone to do things like shuffle music. (Note that these features are from a purported internal Microsoft document from last summer and may not actually find their way into Windows Mobile 7, but we are hoping that they do). Not everything in WinMo 7 is copied from the iPhone. The shaking bit is new, and when the screen is locked, you will be able to doodle on your cell phone screen. But there is no denying that Microsoft is taking its cues from Apple on the user interface of its mobile operating system. Will history repeat itself with Microsoft running away with the prize here, or will Apple strike back by licensing its mobile operating system to other cell phone manufacturers? → Read More
KDL-37XBR6 Sony dropped 17 Bravias today and I’m far too tired to point out all the specifics. I’m sorry but it’s been a long day so far and we’re not even half done. Check out the full list after the break. A quick glance tells me there isn’t anything extraordinarily special. Just 1080p and 720p sets wrapped in an attractive package. Sizes range from 17- to 52-inches. → Read More
Product Name: Sony Ericsson Z555 Description: A fashion flip phone that you shake in a way that could remind one of a Polaroid picture. The big draw here is Gesture Control, which lets to flip back and forth between call and mute and you can even sweep your hand over the phone to turn off the alarm. As Sony says, it’s magic! → Read More
So Windows Mobile 7 leaked all over CES like a nice, fresh Brie and boy are we hap-hap-happy. Finally, Windows Mobile looks barely like something that someone somewhere would actually potentially purchase or use. David at Mobility Today has a nice write up complete with photos. Check out this little picture of a shaky shaky phone playing music. Please let this be the release that makes me go back to WinMo, at least in theory. Windows Mobile 7 Walkthrough… [MobilityToday] → Read More
NBC announced today that they are working with Microsoft and MSN to build NBCOlympics.com. That announcement alone is a snoozer. What’s interesting is that they’ll be using the Microsoft Silverlight platform to “deliver deeply immersive user experiences.” The partnership was announced by Bill Gates at the CES keynote this evening in Las Vegas. The new site will host 2,200 hours of live event video coverage, with more than 20 simultaneous live video streams at peak times. An additional 3,000 hours of on-demand video will be available, including full event replays and highlights. Silverlight will be used for an “enhanced playback mode” and will allow full screen viewing “that is as good or better than anything on the Internet today.” There will also be metadata overlays that enable viewers to additional content like results, statistics, bios, rules and expert analysis. This is good news for Microsoft and their nascent Silverlight platform. What I want to know is how much Microsoft paid NBC to use this. It’s highly unlikely they chose it without an additional nudge. Testing a new platform at the Olympics carries significant risk. And since no one really uses Silverlight yet, this will require millions of people to download the Silverlight framework before they can use the advanced features of the site. → Read More
The latest in Sony’s revamped DSLR line is the 10.2-megapixel A200, which will be available next month and ships with an f3.5-5.6 3.9x 18-70mm zoom lens (kit only). Incorporated into the body is Super SteadyShot image stabilization. Pictures can be previewed on the 2.7-inch Clear Photo LCD. Noise control is said to be taken care of with a Bionz image processor at ISO 1600 and 3200. Auto focus is improved over previous models by 1.7x. The shutter is also much quieter than before. There’s even a built-in anti-dust cleaner. Continuous shooting is set at 3fps. Because of their assimilation of Minolta the A200 is compatible with all Sony, Carl Zeiss and Minolta A-mount lenses. The A200 model supports JPEG and RAW files. It has a slot for CompactFlash Type I/II media cards. An adaptor for Memory Stick Duo media cards is sold separately. This kit retails for $700 while the A200W kit includes the camera body, the DT 18-70mm lens and a 75–300mm f4.5-5.6 lens for about $900. → Read More
Sony loosed two VAIO home theater PCs, TP25/20. They both playback Blu-ray in 1080p via HDMI. They each have two external CableCARD compatible TV tuners to view and record HD content (TP25). Built-in DVRs record up to 50 hours of HD programming. They’re juiced by Intel T8100 C2D processors. It also has Bravia Sync tech for one button connectivity. Both models available this month, the TP20 for about $1,600 and the TP25 for about $3,000 → Read More
That 11-inch organic LED wonder from Sony will be hitting our shores this month for $2,500. As a refresher, it’s 3mm deep and has a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio with rapid response time for crisp and blur-free picture. Did I mention that it’s $2,500?! → Read More
[photopress:IMGP3353.JPG,full,pp_image] Many of you may have read about the Mylo 2 a few weeks ago when someone else broke embargo, but we chose to take the high road and follow the rules. The purported images of the Mylo 2 were legitimate, but you could have figured it out for yourselves. It’s much larger than the first gen Mylo and while it’s features are above and beyond that of the its predecessor, one has to wonder what Sony was on to think it was a good idea to release another one. It builds on the Mylo’s greatest feature, which I thought was Wi-Fi and expanded upon that for the Mylo 2. You still have the standard suite of IM clients including Skype so you can make VoIP calls. Well, the Mylo 2 now includes a slide out backlit QWERTY, camera, 2.5-inch touchscreen and widgets. Cool, I guess, but it’s a beast of a device. Much, much larger than the original. About three times the size. → Read More
Too tired to do anything but copy and paste here, folks. Bug Labs has a lot to announce today (yesterday), starting with the topic that gets the most questions: pricing. But, it is important to take a moment to introduce a new concept in pricing for consumer electronics devices: the Early Adopter Discount. Just as it sounds, the BUG Early Adopter Discount is going take a shift away from tradition, and actually reward the first wave of customers with a 13% (or greater) discount on products for the first 60 days of sales. Retail pricing for the first run of products is as follows: → Read More
Product Name: Philips BDP7200 Description: Philips’ latest Blu-ray disc player is the company’s first to incorporate BonusView and BD-Java, which gives you access to some fancy schmancy movie features and interactivity. The rest of the specs include 1080p upscaling and picture in picture. Price: $349 In-store date: April 2008 Site: www.philips.com Why it’s cool: ‘Cause it won’t put me in hock for life. And I’m dying to watch my Blu-ray copy of X-Men 2. Plus it looks pretty sweet, so that must mean it’s awesome! → Read More
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