January 9th, 2013

TechCrunch Gadgets Live Is Happening Today At 1PM PST/4PM EST

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CES is in full force and TechCrunch is in the middle of it all. Literally. Our massive broadcast booth — it looks like a greenhouse — is in front of the Las Vegas Convention Center. And coming up at 1:00PM PST is the second episode of TechCrunch’s Gadget Live webcast.

After a quick recap of the morning’s live streaming video coverage, Lytro is going to take the stage to discuss the latest… → Read More

January 16th, 2012

Wimm Labs VP Tim Twerdahl Shows Off The Android-Powered Wimm One Smart Watch

There are plenty of smart watches out there in the world. The iPod Nano doubles as one, and the new MotoACTV watch is a pretty solid offering, as well. But over at Wimm Labs, they’re taking the concept to a whole new level.

We got the opportunity to sit down with Wimm Labs VP Tim Twerdahl who let us get up close and personal with the new Wimm One Smart watch. It’s “a wearable platform” as… → Read More

January 16th, 2012

Our Favorite CES 2012 Interviews, Videos And Events

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CES was a blast this year. It was the best show in recent memory. Everyone from the press to vendors were upbeat and seemingly truly happy to be there. Attendance was up. The show was the largest ever (too big for some). Best of all, we shared a wonderful booth with the Engadget crew, which allowed us to conduct more interviews and chill on some comfy couches when not livestreaming from the show… → Read More

January 16th, 2012

Ooma CEO Eric Stang Shows Off The New HD2 VoIP Handset

At CES 2012, there are quite a few products that would totally change the way you do things (or at least save you some money) that just don’t get enough coverage. We reported on Ooma’s new HD2 VoIP handset, but nothing beats getting the facts straight from the CEO of the company.

Luckily, Eric Stang had a chance to meet with us and chat it up. → Read More

January 16th, 2012

Dropcam CEO Greg Duffy On Getting Into Hardware: “Don’t Ship Before It’s Ready”

If you were paying attention last week, you can probably surmise that we have about a billion hours worth of footage to process from last week’s CES International show. There’s live streaming coverage that has now been archived, as well as quite a few recorded interviews including this one with Greg Duffy, Dropcam CEO.

Speaking with John Biggs, Duffy shows off the new Dropcam HD and speaks on… → Read More

January 13th, 2012

All The Little (But Awesome) Things You Definitely Missed At CES

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It’s true. CES is out of control. I have no reference point since this was my first visit, but from the first second you disembark the monorail and look down over the sprawling campus of the LVCC, you know you won’t see everything. The inkling gets stronger as you enter the building, and find that the Samsung booth is about as big as a mall.

Luckily for you, John Biggs and I ventured into the… → Read More

January 13th, 2012

Hands-On With Blue Microphones’ 2012 Lineup

Blue Mics showed up to CES 2012 with three swanky mics. No, really. They look great but that’s because Blue Mics knows how to make a good looking mic. Brian Biggott, Blue Mics’ CTO, sat down with me on the TechCrunch CES couch for a quick chat about the company’s upcoming mics. → Read More

January 13th, 2012

Hands-On With The LG Spectrum: So Last Year

Here at CES 2012, phones are a bit in short supply. At least, new phones are. LG is one of the few companies to officially announce a new smartphone at the show, and I have to say it’s one of the best phones we’ve seen out of LG. Unfortunately, that still leaves the Spectrum quite a ways behind some of the other new phones we’ve seen recently like the Xperia S, Titan 2, or the Galaxy Nexus (of… → Read More

January 13th, 2012

ESPN Feels Lonely: A Chat Regarding ESPN’s Role In The Barren 3D Landscape

ESPN, the Worldwide Leader In Tim Tebow news, attended CES this year in the name of 3D TV. The network is fully committed to providing content in 3D and in fact hosted a live boxing match here at CES, which was broadcasted in 3D. I sat down with Bryan Burns, ESPN’s VP of Strategic Business Planning to talk about ESPN, lack of 3D content and the boring 2012 BCS Championship game. → Read More

January 12th, 2012

Hands-On With The Sony Ericsson Xperia S From CES

I’ve never been a huge fan of Sony Ericsson. The phones are fine, I guess, and I certainly commend the company’s drive to differentiate. The Xperia Play is a great concept but it failed to really take off.

Today, however, I was very impressed after taking a good hard look at the new Xperia S. It’s not the thinnest phone at .4 inches, nor does it have the biggest screen, but it is something… → Read More

January 12th, 2012

How Social Media Is Reshaping CES

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If you’ve been Tweeting or Facebooking or G+ing at all this week, you’ll notice that there is something called “CES” happening in Las Vegas. CES is clearly overwhelming the tech news cycle – it can’t be helped – but this seems to be the first time it’s started overflowing in social media causing one TC writer to quip: “Wish what happened in Vegas actually would stay in Vegas. #CES”.

Topsy is… → Read More

January 11th, 2012

Watch Us Live From The CES 2012 Floor!

Yesterday was awesome. We hit up LG, Samsung, and Sony to name a few and had a helluva good time doing it. But today is a different day, a different hall and a bevy of new companies and booths. So grab some popcorn — seriously, go now because you only have a few minutes before we’re on — and get ready to come on a crazy journey with us.

Oh, and if you want to ask us some questions… → Read More

January 9th, 2012

The $60 Ooma HD2 Uses Facebook, Google And Yahoo For Picture Caller-ID

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Home phones are dumb phones defined. At best they feature a backlit four-line display. At worst they suck.

Well, Ooma just introduced the HD2, which not only pairs pefectly with the company’s VoIP service but offers a bunch of functions standard to feature phones. A 2-inch color LCD features picture caller-ID with the images garnered from the owner’s Facebook, Google and Yahoo friends. This can… → Read More

January 9th, 2012

Sony Keeps Concepts Alive At CES 2012

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Today at Sony’s CES 2012 press conference, the company unveiled several PC concepts that are, well, just concepts. Kazuo Hirai took to the massive Sony stage deep within the Las Vegas Convention center and talked about the convergence of TV and computers. But no one cares about that marketing nonsense. It was the concepts they flashed on the screen that got everyone excited.

But don’t expect… → Read More

January 9th, 2012

Sony Intros Bloggie Live, Bloggie Sport Pocket Cams To Combat Camera Phones

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Now that most of our smartphones can take crisp images and stunning video, the digital imaging sector is having a tough time holding on to its market share. Still, a few players are up for the challenge, including Sony which has today announced the latest in its line of Bloggie pocket cams: Bloggie Live and Bloggie Sport. → Read More

January 9th, 2012

Watch Sony’s CES 2012 Press Conference

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You wish you were here.

You pretend that you don’t want to be here because, granted, we’ve been on our feet since the crack of dawn, have been fighting MiFi and WiFi connections like we’re getting paid for it, and haven’t eaten the best food thus far. But none of those tedious little annoyances matter in a moment like this: Sony’s press conference is just seconds away. It kicks off at 5:00pm… → Read More

January 9th, 2012

Watch Nvidia’s CES Press Conference Live (Update)

Sometimes it’s easy to forget companies that aren’t Apple and Samsung and Sony. But chipmakers deserve your love too, which is why you should sit back and relax while you check out this webcast of Nvidia’s live press conference at the CES 2012 International show in Las Vegas.

We have no idea what we’ll see here but chances are it’ll make a big difference in the way we use our gadgetry over the… → Read More

January 9th, 2012

Samsung Debuts Series 9 Ultrabook: A 15-Inch Display On A 14-Inch Body

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Here at the CES 2012 International conference, we promised you’d be seeing ultrabooks galore. Well, Samsung isn’t going to let you down, today announcing the Samsung Series 9 ultrabook. The Series 9 sports a 15-inch display on a compact 14-inch body.

This is the second generation of Samsung’s Series 9 notebooks, and the company calls it as thin as some of the original tablets we saw hit the… → Read More

January 9th, 2012

Samsung Announces The U.S.-Bound Galaxy Note With LTE

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It’s official, folks.

Here at the CES 2012 show in Las Vegas, Samsung has officially announced the LTE-equipped Galaxy Note. AT&T will be hooking up the phablet with its brand new 4G LTE service. → Read More

January 9th, 2012

Samsung, Rovio Partner To Put Angry Birds On Your Smart TV

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Here at the CES International 2012 event, Samsung is bringing your favorite mobile game to the TV. That’s right folks. Angry Birds will now be available on your Samsung Smart TV.

Through a partnership with Rovio, Samsung is bringing the most popular mobile gaming app in the world to the living room. And unlike offerings from Roku, the gaming integration will be built right into your TV. → Read More

January 9th, 2012

Samsung’s Smart TV Can “Listen, See, And Do” No Evil

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We’re live here at Samsung’s live press conference at CES International 2012, and Samsung is introducing a new Smart TV with the ability to “listen, see, and do” what it wants, without ever touching the remote control. The idea is that the TV will get smarter the longer you own it, presumably through updates, eliminating the need for you to buy a new TV to keep up pace.

Back in 2008, Samsung… → Read More

January 9th, 2012

Samsung’s Live Press Conference At CES International 2012

It would be a huge understatement to say that Samsung had a good 2011. But that’s not what today’s about. Today, we’re looking into the future of Samsung and no place is better than the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas.

If you feel like following along, check out the webcast below. → Read More

January 9th, 2012

Verizon’s Droid RAZR MAXX Seems To Be The Droid RAZR With Better Battery Life

Razr MAxx

Remember the exceptionally long-named Droid RAZR MAXX that got spotted in Verizon’s inventory system a few weeks ago?

It’s real now — and so far it seems to be… pretty much the same as the Droid RAZR, save for extra storage space and claims of a super long battery life. → Read More

January 9th, 2012

LG Officially Unveils The Spectrum With 720p Display And Verizon LTE

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LG and Verizon have just announced their latest LTE Android 2.3 Gingerbread-powered smartphone: the LG Spectrum. Most impressive of all its reported specs would be the 720p display, measuring in at 4.5-inches.

The only phone thus far that is able to tout such an impressive display would be the HTC Rezound, which has a slightly smaller screen and measures .53 inches thick. The new LG Spectrum… → Read More

January 9th, 2012

Verizon Makes The Motorola Droid 4 Official

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It’s been but 5 months since the Droid 3 hit the shelves — but hey, who doesn’t like a bit of rapid obsolescence in the morning? Meet the just announced Droid 4 for Verizon; it’s got all of the staples people know and love from the Droid line (the slide-out keyboard, the 4 inch display) with one big perk over its predecessors: 4G LTE support. → Read More

January 9th, 2012

Pioneer Announces Android Support For AppRadio 2

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AppRadio has always been a pretty sweet offering from Pioneer, but something important was missing: support for Android. In 2012, however, Pioneer’s new AppRadio 2 platform will support both iPhone 4/4S as well as select Android phones.

It has built-in Bluetooth, which only makes sense in the car, along with two configurable RCA Pre-outs for connecting to aftermarket or OEM amplifiers. The… → Read More

January 9th, 2012

Netgear Intros Media Storage Router At CES: The WNDR4500

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Here at the CES International 2012 in Las Vegas, Netgear has whipped out the latest iteration in its line of flagship routers: the WNDR4500. Just like the previous model, you’ll find integrated storage but this new model offers up to 2TB of built-in storage.

Consumers can upgrade at any time to get more capacity. But it gets better than that. → Read More

January 9th, 2012

Ustream: Watch Sharp’s CES 2012 Press Conference Live!

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Sharp. Everyone likes Sharp. They can do wrong, really, and they are taking the stage next at CES 2012. Their press conference, which is embedded after the jump, is set to kick off at 11:00 am PST. Expect thin LCDS and perhaps a thin LCD with Google TV built in. The event is expect to take 45 minutes. We’ll be there live as well, ready to post on whatever exciting products coming from The House of… → Read More

January 9th, 2012

BlackBerry PlayBook’s Next OS Plays To RIM’s Strengths: Email, Calendar, Productivity

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CES generally isn’t RIM’s stomping ground, but the Canadian company is here in force. Chief among RIM’s news is details about the upcoming PlayBook refresh. Available for download next month, PlayBook 2.0, as RIM is calling it, seems to right many of the PlayBook’s wrongs. This is the feature set the tablet so badly needed at launch. → Read More

January 9th, 2012

Belkin Outs The Thunderbolt Express Dock, A Multi-Port Adapter For All Your Docking Needs

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You have a cable problem. Belkin has the docking solution.

The Thunderbolt Express Dock aims to be a notebook (or iMac) owner’s best friend. As the name suggests, the dock utilizes the speedy, multiplatform Thunderbolt interconnect to expand a computer’s available ports. Simply plug in a single Thunderbolt cable to access three USB 2.0 ports, one Firewire 800 port, one 3.5mm Audio port, one… → Read More