CES: A New Must-Have Device For Bloggers. S Next Big Thing of 2012: the ecosystem. Should we fear it? When is a phone just a phone?
A TV just a TV? A Blu-ray player just a Blu-ray player? How about last year? Because in 2012 and beyond, the next wave of consumer electronics evolution is all about the "ecosystem. " That concept, in fact, is the topic of CNET's Next Big Thing Supersession at CES 2012. We'll talk one on one with Google's Eric Schmidt and Samsung America's consumer electronics and enterprise business president, Tim Baxter, plus Sling Media co-founder and Amazon board member Blake Krikorian, and venture capitalist Bill Gurley. More importantly, though, I want to know what it means for me, and for you, the consumer. Panasonic sees 2012 as year of Web-connected TVs (live blog) LAS VEGAS--Envisioning 2012 as the year of Web-connected TVs, Panasonic has announced its smart TV system has exclusive deals with Flixster and Disney.
In addition, MySpace is partnering with the company for MySpace TV , a social TV service that will allow users to share the latest shows, TV, and music with their friends. None other than Justin Timberlake showed up on stage to tout the service. The company also announced a partnership today with NBC to broadcast the 2012 London Olympics in 3D. Panasonic shared the news at its press conference at CES. Opening and closing ceremonies at the Olympics will also be shown in 3D. We used ScribbleLive to live-blog the press conference, so if you missed it, you can scroll through it in the embedded component below. MySpace Goes Social With TV Experience. Justin Timberlake just took the next step in his campaign to bring MySpace back.
The pop super star and MySpace co-owner joined Panasonic on stage at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show to announce a new service that will make TV a whole lot more social. Available on the next generation of Panasonic VIERA ConnectT-enabled HDTVs, an app called MySpace TV will allow viewers to see what their MySpace friends are watching, and enable them to make comments through the TV set and via smartphone and tablet devices. Why you won't want to buy the laptops of CES 2012. LAS VEGAS--The message of CES 2012 for laptops thus far: wait.
I'd love to tell you that one of the laptops of this year's Consumer Electronics Show is absolutely wonderful, a must-buy. However, I can't. I have a strong feeling that whatever we see at this show is only a half-step forward. Worse, there's a very good chance that it'll all be out of date by midyear. The reasons are utterly simple, and made even clearer by this morning's Intel keynote presentation . Ivy Bridge: Intel's next-gen processors for laptops aren't going to hit till later this year, probably April or May. You may not care about any of this. Windows 8: Microsoft's next operating system has a notably different design and a more touch-friendly appeal.
Ultrabooks, wave 2: ultrabooks have already become the buzzword of the whole laptop industry, but it's early days yet for these sleeker, faster machines. Now, some laptops we've been seeing at CES 2012 are part of that next generation. Lenovo reveals Ice Cream Sandwich TV. Lenovo is trying to make its entry into the television market doubly sweet by adding Google's Ice Cream Sandwich to the mix.
Better known for its ThinkPad series of laptops, the company today took the wraps off what is thought to be the first television running Google's Android 4.0. Dubbed the Lenovo K91Smart TV, the device will initially be available only in China, with release in other countries to follow. The 55-inch 3D LED K91 will be will be powered by Qualcomm's 8060 Snapdragon dual-core CPU and feature 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, and a 2GB SD card.
Voice control will allow users to use voice commands to control the set. A 5-megapixel Webcam makes video interaction possible, integrating facial recognition for security and parental controls. Owners will also have cloud support, allowing owners to share media among their TV, tablet, smartphone, or PC. Belkin combines true 450Mbps dual-band and MultiBeam, promises an ultimate router. LAS VEGAS--There's now another true 450Mbps dual-band router on the block.
Belkin announced today at CES 2012 the Advance N900 DB Wireless Dual-Band N+ Router, model F9K1104. This is the company's top-tier wireless router, similar to the already released from Cisco or the of Netgear. The router offers the new 450Mbps wireless data rate on both the 2.4Ghz and 5Gh bands. Belkin says it also support its exclusive MultiBeam Technology designed to deliver "a high-powered signal that allows for higher and more-consistent network speeds and minimizes the number of wireless dead spots.
" The router comes with six embedded MultiBeam antennas, promising to offer range coverage without much throughput reduction over long range.