Switched http://www.switched.com Switched http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/%SiteURL%/media/feedlogo.gif Switched http://www.switched.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[A Glance at 2010's 3-D TVs (No Dumb Glasses Required)]]>http://www.switched.com/2010/01/14/a-glance-at-2010s-3-d-tvs-no-dumb-glasses-required/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/14/a-glance-at-2010s-3-d-tvs-no-dumb-glasses-required/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/14/a-glance-at-2010s-3-d-tvs-no-dumb-glasses-required/#commentsFiled under: , ,

If you paid any attention to the news coming out of this year's CES, you heard about, and possibly already condemned, the multitude of 3-D televisions to be released in the coming year. Instead of playing blackjack or pigging out at the buffet, we spent our days in Vegas running from one end of the Convention Center to the other, only stopping to don funny glasses and dodge flying cartoons.

Reviewing those TVs was no simple task. For one, as Engadget explained in depth, the very nature of "3-D" has not yet been determined, nor met any sort of industry consensus. And since there are no definitively "3-D" Blu-ray discs, for instance, it's hard to peg the definitively "3-D" TV. In a word, our experience watching one of those demonstrations hinged as much on the TV as it did the Blu-ray player as it did the Blu-ray disc as it did the movie, itself.

Regardless of what we thought about it, though, 2010 will see 3-D come to the living room (or somebody's living room, anyway). So, relax. Accept it. Take comfort in the fact that we've compiled this detailed list of the major manufacturer's offerings. While we aren't hopping on the bandwagon quite yet, we are optimistic that, over the next year or so, 3-D television will become well worth wearing those silly spectacles.

Continue reading A Glance at 2010's 3-D TVs (No Dumb Glasses Required)

SwitchedA Glance at 2010's 3-D TVs (No Dumb Glasses Required) originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 14 Jan 2010 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3d-tv3dtvfeaturestelevisionstopThu, 14 Jan 2010 12:40:00 EST<![CDATA[CES Has More Laptops Than Vegas Does Broken Dreams]]>http://www.switched.com/2010/01/12/ces-has-more-laptops-than-vegas-does-broken-dreams/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/12/ces-has-more-laptops-than-vegas-does-broken-dreams/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/12/ces-has-more-laptops-than-vegas-does-broken-dreams/#commentsFiled under: , ,


While 3-D TVs and slate PCs stole most of the attention at CES, there were plenty of interesting developments afoot in the normally mundane world of laptops and netbooks. (Yes, we're lumping them together. What is a netbook but a laptop for people with nothing to do but check Facebook?) There were laptops made out of recycled plastics, new connectivity technologies, surprising Linux demos, and a little bit of next-gen screen technology for good measure. Click through to see what wonders CES 2010 bestowed upon the portable PC world.

Continue reading CES Has More Laptops Than Vegas Does Broken Dreams

SwitchedCES Has More Laptops Than Vegas Does Broken Dreams originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 12 Jan 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asusdellfeaturesintellaptopsLinuxmoblinNetBookoledsamsungsonytoptoshibausb 3.0Usb3.0widiwireless displayWirelessDisplayTue, 12 Jan 2010 18:01:00 EST<![CDATA[The Worst of CES 2010]]>http://www.switched.com/2010/01/12/the-worst-of-ces-2010/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/12/the-worst-of-ces-2010/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/12/the-worst-of-ces-2010/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


We saw plenty of cool gadgets at this year's CES. But for every 3-D screen that needed no glasses, and for every hybrid laptop, there was at least one piece (but, more likely, two or three or ten pieces) of utter crap. There were digital photo frames, iPhone cases, video game controller trees -- so many useless and poorly conceived products, in fact, that it was tough to narrow it down to just the worst 10. But we pored over our photos and notes, found the absolute worst of the worst, and put them all together just for you in the handy gallery below.

Gallery: The Worst of CES 2010

Hello Kitty Laptop CoolerEd Hardy Netbook DecalRandom iPhone CasesTalk Artist CollectionRechargeable Heated Gloves

SwitchedThe Worst of CES 2010 originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 12 Jan 2010 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>topworstTue, 12 Jan 2010 17:20:00 EST<![CDATA[The Wackiest, Weirdest Gear at CES]]>http://www.switched.com/2010/01/12/the-wackiest-weirdest-gear-at-ces/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/12/the-wackiest-weirdest-gear-at-ces/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/12/the-wackiest-weirdest-gear-at-ces/#commentsFiled under:


Get a group of geeks together, and someone is going to come up with something genius. But for every clever creation, there are several bizarre projects that address a need too obscure to ever have been a concern, or too strange for any consumer to even consider. Mostly, these ideas and items are discarded. The ones that pass through the collective weird-filter, however, end up at CES.

Wandering around the showroom floor, the stands are littered with 3-D TVs and satellite radios, but also with an uncountable amount of completely nonsensical offerings, like poorly branded headphones and useless tech accessories. So, here they are: the weirdest, most random devices we discovered at CES, in all their unnatural, disturbing glory.

Continue reading The Wackiest, Weirdest Gear at CES

SwitchedThe Wackiest, Weirdest Gear at CES originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>art framesArtFramescasiocyber cleanCyberCleanfeaturesGadgetsinsipioiphone caseIphoneCaselynyrd skynyrdLynyrdSkynyrdtopweirdwiiwii accessoryWiiAccessoryTue, 12 Jan 2010 15:01:00 EST<![CDATA[Drowning in the CES Pool of Slate PCs]]>http://www.switched.com/2010/01/12/drowning-in-the-ces-pool-of-slate-pcs/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/12/drowning-in-the-ces-pool-of-slate-pcs/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/12/drowning-in-the-ces-pool-of-slate-pcs/#commentsFiled under: ,

Drowning in the CES Pool of Slate PCs

We're sure someone out there has already dubbed this the year of the tablet, and it's hard to blame them. Gadget makers all over CES were showing off slate and tablet devices of every stripe, some running NVIDIA's Tegra platform and Android, and some using Intel hardware to push Windows and Linux. But through the chaos, clear trends were forming, dividing lines being drawn. There were also a couple of truly unique devices and teases from a pair of major players. Click on through for more of what we learned about slates and tablets at CES.

Continue reading Drowning in the CES Pool of Slate PCs

SwitchedDrowning in the CES Pool of Slate PCs originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 12 Jan 2010 13:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>androiddellhanvonhewlett packardhewlett-packardHewlettPackardhpintelLenovoMicrosoftmsinvidiaslateslate pcSlatePcsnapdragontablettablet pcTabletPctegrawindows 7Windows7Tue, 12 Jan 2010 13:12:00 EST<![CDATA[Ron Jeremy 'Stars' in 'The Great Porn Debate']]>http://www.switched.com/2010/01/12/ron-jeremy-stars-in-the-great-porn-debate/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/12/ron-jeremy-stars-in-the-great-porn-debate/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/12/ron-jeremy-stars-in-the-great-porn-debate/#commentsFiled under: , ,

We weren't surprised to see Ron Jeremy in Vegas -- after all, the Adult Entertainment Expo was just down the road -- but we were taken aback to find him and his massive... personality on the CES floor. Matched against emo-haired "porn pastor" Craig Gross, Jeremy entered into The Great Porn Debate to discuss the role of skin flicks in society and the necessity of Internet filters for preventing kids' access to adult content. In conjunction with InternetSafety.com, Jeremy and Gross hashed out their differing opinions of porn, but agreed that little ones should be kept far away from the naughty stuff.

Continue reading Ron Jeremy 'Stars' in 'The Great Porn Debate'

SwitchedRon Jeremy 'Stars' in 'The Great Porn Debate' originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 12 Jan 2010 08:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>craig grossCraigGrossfeaturesinternetsafetyron jeremyRonJeremySwitchedVideothe great porn debateTheGreatPornDebatetopTue, 12 Jan 2010 08:50:00 EST<![CDATA[Tech-Heavy Cars Roll Into CES 2010]]>http://www.switched.com/2010/01/11/tech-fueled-cars-roll-into-ces-2010/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/11/tech-fueled-cars-roll-into-ces-2010/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/11/tech-fueled-cars-roll-into-ces-2010/#commentsFiled under: ,


Automotive manufacturers are currently embarking on a significant modernization movement, increasingly transforming cars into technology-fueled mobile offices. [Ed. note: Sounds like safe, non-distracted driving!] Numerous companies are using this week's CES festivities as an opportunity to showcase the latest developments in auto tech, some of those being new dashboard features and upgrades.

Intel and Google are two specific software giants that are entering the race to provide souped-up e-mobiles. According to the New York Times, they're attempting to make the shift from "the desktop to the dashboard." Some of the futuristic dash devices on display this week include 10-inch HD screens capable of displaying 3-D maps and Web pages.

Continue reading Tech-Heavy Cars Roll Into CES 2010

SwitchedTech-Heavy Cars Roll Into CES 2010 originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>audicarfordford syncFordSynctopMon, 11 Jan 2010 14:20:00 EST<![CDATA[BBC Reporter Smashes 'Unbreakable' Cell Phone During CES 2010]]>http://www.switched.com/2010/01/11/bbc-reporter-smashes-unbreakable-cell-phone-during-ces-2010/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/11/bbc-reporter-smashes-unbreakable-cell-phone-during-ces-2010/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/11/bbc-reporter-smashes-unbreakable-cell-phone-during-ces-2010/#commentsFiled under: ,

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If you're going to market a cell phone as "unbreakable," you better make darn sure that it is, in fact, unbreakable. Otherwise, it's like painting a bull's-eye on your back and walking around town telling folks you're Superman.

During a CES 2010 demonstration, BBC News reporter Dan Simmons called one manufacturer's bluff, and felled its supposed cell of steel. In this hilarious outtake, Sonim CEO Bob Plaschke tells Simmons that he could drop the Sonim XP1 from a 10-story building, leave it under 20 feet of water for 30 minutes, and even hammer a nail with it. "If you find a way to break it, we're going to give you a free phone," Plaschke tells the reporter.

Continue reading BBC Reporter Smashes 'Unbreakable' Cell Phone During CES 2010

SwitchedBBC Reporter Smashes 'Unbreakable' Cell Phone During CES 2010 originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cellphonefunnysonimtopMon, 11 Jan 2010 13:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Spinning Scosche: The Sole Display of Automotive Audio Excess]]>http://www.switched.com/2010/01/11/spinning-scosche-the-sole-display-of-automotive-audio-excess/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/11/spinning-scosche-the-sole-display-of-automotive-audio-excess/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/11/spinning-scosche-the-sole-display-of-automotive-audio-excess/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The Sole Display of Automotive Audio Excess at CES 2010

While much of the consumer electronics industry seems to finally be recovering a bit (evidenced by the fact we didn't see the depressing preponderance of empty booths we did last year), the same can't be said for the in-car audio crowd. Gone were the multiple in-car TVs and stereo systems gobbling up power by the tens-of-thousands of watts. Instead, the floor was loaded with powerful but understated sound systems that seemed far more practical than those of past CESes.

We did stumble across one display of automotive audio opulence however. Check out the video below of the display that Scosche put together to show off its EFX line of speakers. That's right, they're cubes, they're glowing, and they're spinning; we're sold! And it doesn't hurt that they chose to blast "Flash Light."

Continue reading Spinning Scosche: The Sole Display of Automotive Audio Excess

SwitchedSpinning Scosche: The Sole Display of Automotive Audio Excess originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>car audiocar stereoCarAudioCarStereotopMon, 11 Jan 2010 07:30:00 EST<![CDATA[We Ask, CES Tells: 'What's the Worst of the Year?']]>http://www.switched.com/2010/01/10/we-ask-ces-tells-whats-the-worst-of-the-year/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/10/we-ask-ces-tells-whats-the-worst-of-the-year/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/10/we-ask-ces-tells-whats-the-worst-of-the-year/#commentsFiled under: ,

Plowing through booth after booth in search of the best new gadgets, apps, and tech at CES always results in finding a few clunkers. We've got our list (coming soon), of course, but we decided to take the question of the worst to the halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Frequently mentioned was 3-D TV, which seems to be splitting attendees; many listed it as a product they'd be buying in the year ahead, while many more panned it as a big tech failure for 2010.

Continue reading We Ask, CES Tells: 'What's the Worst of the Year?'

SwitchedWe Ask, CES Tells: 'What's the Worst of the Year?' originally appeared on Switched on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>switchedvideotopSun, 10 Jan 2010 18:01:00 EST<![CDATA[Oh! You Pretty Things: Our Favorite Designs at CES]]>http://www.switched.com/2010/01/10/oh-you-pretty-things-our-favorite-designs-at-ces/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/10/oh-you-pretty-things-our-favorite-designs-at-ces/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/10/oh-you-pretty-things-our-favorite-designs-at-ces/#commentsFiled under:

CES is all about the hottest and latest tech, from 3-D TVs (yawn) to every single kind of e-reader imaginable (double yawn). And while the circuitry of these devices typically blows minds, their exteriors are often an afterthought. It's like having Einstein's brain in the body of Brian Peppers [note to eds.: or replace Peppers with Sam the Chinese Crested Dog] -- genius, but a little tough on the eyes. So we want to give props to the companies at CES that realized how often we do judge books by their covers, and to reward those who took pains to make the outsides of their gadgetry match the capabilities within them. Check out our top picks for awesome design at CES 2010, and foam at the mouth with a jealous wish you'd been there with us.

Continue reading Oh! You Pretty Things: Our Favorite Designs at CES

SwitchedOh! You Pretty Things: Our Favorite Designs at CES originally appeared on Switched on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 15:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asusasus eee pcAsusEeePcdesigndesign conceptDesignConceptflashlightkarim rashidKarimRashidmpowerpolaroidporsche design studioPorscheDesignStudioregensolar powerSolarPowerSun, 10 Jan 2010 15:18:00 EST<![CDATA[The Great CES Swindle: Five Years of Flaunting and Failing 6]]>http://www.switched.com/2010/01/10/the-great-ces-swindle-five-years-of-flaunting-and-failing-6/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/10/the-great-ces-swindle-five-years-of-flaunting-and-failing-6/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/10/the-great-ces-swindle-five-years-of-flaunting-and-failing-6/#commentsFiled under: ,

2009: The Year of Getting Small

It is the unwritten destiny of all consumer electronics to be as small and convergent as possible. Despite the economy being soundly in the crapper, engineers decided to pursue that goal with a fervor, costs be damned.
  • Fulfilling the dream that apparently no one ever really cared to dream, a host of companies pumped out unbelievably small Pico and Micro and Mini video projectors. They're totally amazing, yet seem to have fallen prey to one fatal flaw: why use a projector that produces a TV-size image and requires a pitch black room, when a laptop or TV works just fine in any lighting? We love that these exist, but we also continue to strain our brains figuring out what possible circumstance would require their use.
  • Throwing caution and good sense to the wind, Sony unveiled the gorgeously styled $1,200 VAIO P, otherwise known as the netbook that didn't get the memo about being a low-cost alternative to pricey, full-size laptops.
  • While, by all accounts, it was pretty well made, LG's $1,000 watch phone joined the Pico projectors as gadget-porn with no real-world utility. And thus no future.
  • It would be an exaggeration to call the Palm Pre a failure. To the contrary, it's a pretty great product, and a million or so have been sold. Still, the hype that accompanied the phone was. If we may quote Palm's hyperbolic investor/hype man Roger McNamee: "June 29, 2009 is the two-year anniversary of the first shipment of the iPhone. Not one of those people will still be using an iPhone a month later." Ahem. You can pick your own reasons that Pre sales haven't been brisker, but we're pretty sure that god-awful ad campaign with the pasty Renaissance Faire chick hasn't helped any.

SwitchedThe Great CES Swindle: Five Years of Flaunting and Failing 6 originally appeared on Switched on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>switchedvideoSun, 10 Jan 2010 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Great CES Swindle: Five Years of Flaunting and Failing 5]]>http://www.switched.com/2010/01/10/the-great-ces-swindle-five-years-of-flaunting-and-failing-5/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/10/the-great-ces-swindle-five-years-of-flaunting-and-failing-5/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/10/the-great-ces-swindle-five-years-of-flaunting-and-failing-5/#commentsFiled under: ,

2008: The Year the Other Shoe Dropped


As the beginnings of the sub-prime mortgage disaster were becoming apparent, and as the U.S. economy began to hiccup before it nose-dived later that year, CES's usual celebration of pricey high-end gear was decidedly out of step with the national mood.
  • Intel showcased WiMAX by hosting wireless service from a truck, and LG debuted a purported WiMAX phone that could ostensibly be used anywhere there was WiMAX service (at the time, precisely nowhere in the U.S.). By the end of 2008, Baltimore was lit up, and a few other cities have gone online since. Still, WiMAX's long-term prognosis is still hotly debated.
  • The HD wars ended in dramatic fashion when, just two days before the big HD DVD press event, Warner Bros unexpectedly threw in the towel and opted to go Blu-ray-only with all future releases. Other studios soon followed suit, and HD DVD quickly joined the growing ranks of the unemployed.
  • Backed by actor Michael Douglas, XstreamHD announced plans to launch a super high-quality 1080p HD satellite service by the end of 2008. Unfortunately, the company neglected to partner with any content providers first. Due to that fact and other assorted issues, it has yet to launch as of 2010.


SwitchedThe Great CES Swindle: Five Years of Flaunting and Failing 5 originally appeared on Switched on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Sun, 10 Jan 2010 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Great CES Swindle: Five Years of Flaunting and Failing 4]]>http://www.switched.com/2010/01/10/the-great-ces-swindle-five-years-of-flaunting-and-failing-4/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/10/the-great-ces-swindle-five-years-of-flaunting-and-failing-4/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/10/the-great-ces-swindle-five-years-of-flaunting-and-failing-4/#commentsFiled under: ,

2007: The Year of Cloudy Vistas and Unforeseen Gamechangers


It's fitting that 2007, when the stock market was soaring to new highs, when hubris and irrational exuberance were the national mood, was also the year that produced some of the most spectacular fails in tech history.
  • Nokia, Sony-Ericsson, Motorola, Palm, and the rest of the phone makers blissfully showed off their latest wares on a Monday, yet everything came to a screeching halt early Tuesday when Apple revealed the 1st-gen iPhone. One can only imagine the soiling of pants that occurred as those CEOs quickly realized that their R&D was a few years behind, and that they were stuck selling billions of dollars worth of dinosaur bones.
  • In Chapter 2 of the already painful battle between Blu-ray and HD-DVD, LG announced a hybrid player that worked with either format. Warner Bros announced a hybrid disc with versions of movies in both formats. It would come to be the technological equivalent of putting a Band-Aid on a gaping chest wound.
  • The comically delayed Windows Vista was officially demoed to lukewarm praise and a lot of unfavorable comparisons to Apple's OS X. To put it charitably, it was not well received by critics, consumers, or businesses (or PCs for that matter). Sensibly, Microsoft put it out to pasture in 2009. To its credit, however, Vista's sheer awfulness did almost certainly extend XP's lifespan. Give thanks where it's due.

SwitchedThe Great CES Swindle: Five Years of Flaunting and Failing 4 originally appeared on Switched on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>switchedvideoSun, 10 Jan 2010 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Great CES Swindle: Five Years of Flaunting and Failing 2]]>http://www.switched.com/2010/01/10/the-great-ces-swindle-five-years-of-flaunting-and-failing-2/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/10/the-great-ces-swindle-five-years-of-flaunting-and-failing-2/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/10/the-great-ces-swindle-five-years-of-flaunting-and-failing-2/#commentsFiled under:

2005: The Year of the Home Invasion

While HDTVs had already become a perennial focus at CES by '05, and while the year's screen-size arm's race winner was Samsung's positively ridiculous 102-incher, the big CES trend story that year was the digital home. Earnest but misguided product engineers shoved LCDs and Net connections into everything imaginable, hoping that something would stick.
  • TMIO's Internet-connected (and award-winning) oven was an object lesson in imagined markets. Are people really fighting to control their oven via PC?
  • Similarly, LG's fridge with a built-in TV has yet to become a standard home appliance, perhaps because staring at the fridge while trying to cook is counterproductive (and really creepy).
  • Philips insisted there was so much interest in its line of mirrors with built-in TVs that it made a consumer model. We assume people didn't and don't want a reminder, literally staring them in the face, of the fact that they're watching 'Matlock' reruns and eating Cheetohs at 4 a.m.
  • In a case of poetic justice and godlike foreshadowing, Bill Gates's keynote presentation of Windows Media Center was abruptly interrupted by... the BSOD. Home media PCs had been around in many forms before Windows introduced Media Center Edition in 2001. Still, every major company and a slew of minor ones hoped to capitalize on the burgeoning non-craze by developing ever clunkier and noisier boxes. It's been almost 10 years since the debut of WMCE, and, despite countless iterations, we've yet to see a blockbuster model.

SwitchedThe Great CES Swindle: Five Years of Flaunting and Failing 2 originally appeared on Switched on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Sun, 10 Jan 2010 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Great CES Swindle: Five Years of Flaunting and Failing]]>http://www.switched.com/2010/01/10/the-great-ces-swindle-five-years-of-flaunting-and-failing/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/10/the-great-ces-swindle-five-years-of-flaunting-and-failing/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/10/the-great-ces-swindle-five-years-of-flaunting-and-failing/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Since long before Switched was even a twinkle in the Internet's eye, we've been making the annual January pilgrimage to Sin City to pay homage to the tech gods. And every year -- sometimes days, sometimes weeks, or sometimes months after the fact -- we realize that we done got played. We inevitably find that, at some point, amid the hustle and bustle, the lights and music and product pitches, we swallowed a bunch of propaganda about at least one product or trend that was going to "change the world" yet turned out to be a castle made of sand. We'd apologize for these mistakes if we didn't know that they were just part of a venerable, decades-old journalistic tradition. (Hit this link for a mind-blowing CES recap from 1978.) What can we say? We're human, and so sometimes fall prey to wishful thinking.

As recompense for our past sins, we've collected what we think are the past five years' most overly hyped and eventually doomed gadgets and trends. To start, here's our pick for the most over-hyped and probably doomed trend from CES 2010: 3-D TV. Yeah, we said it. Can you picture yourself sitting in your living room with a bunch of friends, wearing pricey goggles, more than once in a blue moon? Like, will you have to buy extra pairs, or will you just tell your guests, "BYOG?" We could go on and on, but we shouldn't have to do so. Proceed for more stories of CES swindles.

SwitchedThe Great CES Swindle: Five Years of Flaunting and Failing originally appeared on Switched on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3d tv3dTvblu-rayceshd dvdHdDvdhelixhypeinnonetbookphilipspico projectorPicoProjectortmioviivvistawimaxwmcexstreamhdSun, 10 Jan 2010 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[CES Answers 'What Product Will You Actually Buy?']]>http://www.switched.com/2010/01/10/ces-answers-what-product-will-you-actually-buy/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/10/ces-answers-what-product-will-you-actually-buy/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/10/ces-answers-what-product-will-you-actually-buy/#commentsFiled under: ,


CES whips journalists, exhibitors, and gadget fans into a frenzy every January, and it's easy to lose sight of the near future with all the new product announcements. Yes, in only a couple weeks we, and our technologically-savvy brethren, will be playing tech support for all the new products coming out. For those that have gotten a first look at the year's newest gadgets here in Vegas, we ask 'What product will you actually buy?'

Continue reading CES Answers 'What Product Will You Actually Buy?'

SwitchedCES Answers 'What Product Will You Actually Buy?' originally appeared on Switched on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 11:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>switchedvideoSun, 10 Jan 2010 11:23:00 EST<![CDATA[Asus Bang & Olufsen NX90Jq Laptop Not as Awesome as We'd Hoped]]>http://www.switched.com/2010/01/10/asus-bang-and-olufsen-nx90jq-laptop-not-as-awesome-as-wed-hoped/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/10/asus-bang-and-olufsen-nx90jq-laptop-not-as-awesome-as-wed-hoped/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/10/asus-bang-and-olufsen-nx90jq-laptop-not-as-awesome-as-wed-hoped/#commentsFiled under: , ,

We saw some press pics of the new Asus NX90Jq laptop not long ago, and just knowing that we would get a first-hand look during CES got us twitching with anticipation. Asus recently teamed with David Lewis, chief designer for Bang & Olufsen, to create what looked like a stunning piece of personal computing coupled with high-end audio.

But now we're ambivalent, as the NX90Jq both lived up to our dreams and crushed our spirits. Upon glimpsing the monster wide-screen display and two curvy ICEpower B&O speakers on either side, we immediately thought that we'd been transported to Pandora and were living lives of motion-capture magic. Then we got up close. The speakers naturally sound great -- possibly the best in-line laptop speakers we've come across -- and that may be the sole selling point for some.

Continue reading Asus Bang & Olufsen NX90Jq Laptop Not as Awesome as We'd Hoped

SwitchedAsus Bang & Olufsen NX90Jq Laptop Not as Awesome as We'd Hoped originally appeared on Switched on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asusbangolufsendesignnx90jqtopSun, 10 Jan 2010 10:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Parrot A.R. Drone Makes Video Games Real and Exciting]]>http://www.switched.com/2010/01/10/a-r-drone-makes-video-games-real-and-exciting/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/10/a-r-drone-makes-video-games-real-and-exciting/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/10/a-r-drone-makes-video-games-real-and-exciting/#commentsFiled under: , ,

A.R. Drone Makes Video Games Real and Exciting
One of the most original and exciting products making its debut at CES is undoubtedly the A.R. Drone from Parrot. The augmented reality gaming platform incorporates a remote controlled helicopter and a controller app for the iPhone. (One of the engineers on the project told us that it will be coming to other platforms, too.) We decided to head to Parrot's tent outside the Las Vegas Convention Center to get some of the nitty-gritty details, and, of course, to play with the toy ourselves.

First, you need to know that the A.R. Drone is not an augmented reality game in itself. Parrot has developed it as a platform around which other companies can build games. The helicopter sports a front-facing camera that feeds video to your iPhone or iPod touch, and a down-facing camera that (in conjunction with a gyroscope and accelerometer) helps to keep the helicopter stabilized. Parrot happily demonstrated this latter fact to us by smacking it.

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SwitchedParrot A.R. Drone Makes Video Games Real and Exciting originally appeared on Switched on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 09:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a.r. droneA.r.Dronearar droneArDroneaugmented realityAugmentedRealityparrottopSun, 10 Jan 2010 09:38:00 EST<![CDATA[Hands On: Panasonic's Twin-lens Camcorder Gets 3-D for a Cool $21K]]>http://www.switched.com/2010/01/08/hands-on-panasonics-twin-lens-camcorder-gets-3-d-for-a-cool-2/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/08/hands-on-panasonics-twin-lens-camcorder-gets-3-d-for-a-cool-2/http://www.switched.com/2010/01/08/hands-on-panasonics-twin-lens-camcorder-gets-3-d-for-a-cool-2/#commentsFiled under: ,

3-D has been unavoidable this year, but most of the discussion centers around what we may (or may not) be watching, not the production end. We dropped by Panasonic's booth to check out its twin-lens Full HD 3D camcorder. Though $21K might seem a bit stiff, Panasonic claims it's significantly cheaper than most pro-level 3-D camcorders, making a home-brewed version of 'Avatar' that much closer to reality when this gets released this fall.

Check out our hands on after the break!

Continue reading Hands On: Panasonic's Twin-lens Camcorder Gets 3-D for a Cool $21K

SwitchedHands On: Panasonic's Twin-lens Camcorder Gets 3-D for a Cool $21K originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3-d3dcamcorderpanasonicprofessionaltoptwin lens full hd 3d camcorderTwinLensFullHd3dCamcorderFri, 08 Jan 2010 19:40:00 EST