Sony develops super-thin OLED TVs

Sony has a number of OLED TVs on its stand at CES, showing the future of ultra thin flat screen tellys.

Those on display are only 11in in size, but it also had a 27in and all were only a few millimetres thick.

OLEDs (Organic light-emitting diode) are brighter than LCDs, use less energy and once available as a mass market product, should also be cheaper.

Indepth look at Windows Home Server (video)

If you own two or more computers and a home network, you've probably wondered if there could be a better way to share and backup your data between those computers. Microsoft estimates that there actually are about 40m to 45m of these homes - enough to warrant the Windows Home Server.

Bill Gates officially unveiled the Windows Home Server last Sunday but his presentation left us with plenty of questions. So we convinced Microsoft to demonstrate the the device, and in the process got a brief peek at some of the reference designs from AMD, Intel, Inventec and Quanta.

You can see it all in the video past the jump.

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Blu-ray camcorder likely this year

Hitachi will add to its dual storage HDD (hard disk drive) and DVD camcorder next month with a 30GB version, capable of holding around 22 hours of footage.

The Ultravision DZHS500A can also record straight to DVD-R, -RW, -Ram, +RW and SD card. The company already has an 8GB version of the camcorder, and said it hopes people will use the hard discs to store a recording before transferring it to a PC or DVD and then recording over the hard disk. It is not designed to be permanent storage, a spokesman said.

Initially, I think people will record to DVD until they become comfortable with filming straight to the hard disk. Hitachi’s spokesman believed many consumers are already comfortable with filming to HDD and will prefer that medium to DVD.

It will cost $799 in the US and around £400 in the UK once out a little later, in April.

Also on Hitachi’s stand were three concept designs for high definition camcorders. It included a Blu-ray camcorder (front right  in the picture), which is likely to come out this year, most probably before Hitachi ships its Blu-ray player.

Sharp pictures the world in a 108 inch LCD

Having highlighted the LG 10in LCD HDTV earlier, where you could clearly see the join between the two panels it had used to make the TV, Sharp is showing how it should be done at its stand.

It has a 108in full 1080p high definition TV on show, and said the monster would be available for sale from August. The company wouldn't say how much the Aquos will cost, but my guess is at least $60,000.

You'll not need just deep pockets though - you'll also need some serious wall space to house this TV.

LG's 100in LCD HDTV - a telly of two halves

LG has this eye-catching 100in LCD HDTV on its stand. Last year at CES there were two plasma TVs just over 100inches in size, but an LCD at this size is a much more impressive feat.

The TV is not a production model yet, but it, or a version of it, is clearly only around the corner. This one is 1920x1080p and has a contrast ratio of 3000:1.

It is put together using two panels, and there’s obviously some issues still to overcome though, because if you look at the photo, you can clearly see the join in the panels. It meant that when displaying images there was a marked difference in colour saturation and contrast between the two halves of the telly.

Dell solves Dr Evil's data migration headache (video)

Dr. Evil might be a mastermind of deception, he's facing the same data migration challenge that we all meet when we purchase a new computer. The difference is however that Dr. Evil (or some lookalike) was allowed to interrupt Dell chairman Michael Dell's keynote at the Consumer Electronics Show this morning to solve his problem.

Below you can watch a video where Dell shows a preview of the Data Safe service that is slated for release later this year.

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Cisco's Chambers paints a picture of networked heaven (video)

To those among you who dream of a seamless world in which data travels between devices without any effort, Cisco chairman John Chambers had good news today: it is possible... but at the same time is facing some harsh challenges.

Chambers (pictured left) even has a name for this network Nirvana: the human network. It's one where webcams are effortlessly hooked up to a new network and shared with authorized users. One where users transfer a song that they were listening to in the car to their home stereo, or turn it into a video clip on their internet connected television.

Microsoft chairman Bill Gates has it all wrong when he is talking about the "digital decade", Chambers blasted.

"People say, well this is the decade of digital technology. Respectfully, I think that was the last decade," quipped Chambers. Instead it's all about new experiences on the network.

In the video after the jump you can watch a demonstration in which Chambers explains what his human network is all about

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Cisco demands resolution for Apple's iPhone (video)

Cisco today at CES sent a subtle warning to Apple about the iPhone that Apple unveiled at MacWorld.

Cisco's chief development officer and president for Linksys Charlie Giancarlo (pictured right) said that he expects a signed statement by the end of today. The two companies have been in talks for several years, Giancarlo disclosed, and Cisco has sent its latest draft agreement as recently as last night.

The ball clearly is in Apple's court now. By launching the phone without having licensing agreement in place, it has opened the door for Cisco to assert its trademark claims.

After the jump, you can watch a video with Giancarlo's statement.

Continue reading "Cisco demands resolution for Apple's iPhone (video)"

The Force is Strong in R2-D2....

For the big kid in us all (well the male population for sure), or just fathers who know their kids must have a robot projector, there’s Nikko Home Electronics’ R2-D2 DVD Projector.

It comes complete with a Millennium Falcon remote control (of course) and will project an image up to 80in big. It has just about everything you’ll need – an iPod dock, LCos projector, DVD player, memory card slots and 20watt speakers. If you want to hook it up to other entertainment devices, it also has a terminal panel.

It’ll set you back $2,500, so if money’s tight and you must have an R2-D2 robot, there’s always the R2-D2 Wireless Webcam instead. That’s a more sedate $350 and hey, it comes with a Lightsabre Skype phone/controller.

The Webcam can wander around your home – it has sensors to stop it from bumping into tables or falling down any stairs – beaming back images of your rooms (or whomever you are spying on!) to your PC.

Both will be out later this year.

We hope to get a video of it working later today.

Toshiba R400 with Wireless Port Replicator

Toshiba’s latest tablet PC will be able to use a wireless port replicator, once the ultra wideband has been ratified in Europe.

The sub 2kg Tablet was launched to much fanfare, with Toshiba pushing its stylish looks combined with technologies to help business people do their jobs.

The Portege R400 includes inbuilt technologies such as 3G and HSDPA to aide communications, and has a low battery drain Oled display on the edge of the base of the unit that will display information such as latest emails or calendar appointments. It also includes push pull technology so that the laptop does not have to be booted up to get emails.

The other attraction for the device though is its Wireless Port Replicator, which gets rid of wires between the Tablet and other devices, such as a monitor. Apart from taking a DVI cable, a mouse, keyboard, USB hubs and Ethernet cables can all plugged into the port replicator, which then talks wirelessly to the R400.

The replicator has a one metre range. If the R400 moves out of range then communications to the device are lost, but will be instantly re-established once the device is back in range.

The R400 comes out in late March and will cost about €3,000, although Toshiba would not give a firm price. But its wireless replicator capabilities will not be available in Europe until the UWB standard is ratified.