Moneual DSPC puts a monitor on your computer case, welcomes your widgets

CES is a big place, way bigger than your first apartment, so hopefully you'll forgive us for missing the Moneual Lab DSPC on the show floor. That stands for Dual Screen PC, a case sporting a decidedly tall display that could make for a useful desktop extension despite subscribing to no aspect ratios heretofore known by man. Unfortunately no specs were provided for resolution or size, but we could see throwing your image editor's toolbox over there, maybe a chat window, or just loading it up with widgets as in this picture. However, with an anticipated cost of $1,500, we're thinking you could instead buy a properly large second monitor -- and a new desk to put it on.

Via:Oh Gizmo!

Source:CES Innovations Honorees

At CES, new 3D TV tech emerges

LG is emphasizing passive polarized 3D technology with its new 3D TV lineup, a change from its pitch at CES a year ago.

(Credit: LG )

LAS VEGAS--3D isn't just plain old 3D anymore.

Later this year when the 3D televisions sets that debuted at CES 2011 start hitting store shelves, shoppers will find more than one type of 3D technology. CES a year ago was 3D-at-home's big coming-out party, led by Sony and Panasonic, which came with HDTVs that with the aid of special glasses could show 3D movies. Both brands used the same technology in the accompanying glasses: active-shutter. The same went for models from manufacturers like Samsung and Vizio that followed.

Flash forward to 2011: While many of the heavy hitters in TV are staying with active 3D technology, other big names like LG and Vizio are either adding or completely switching to passive polarized 3D tech for their sets.

3D at home is still a new idea, and the consumer electronics and film industries haven't yet proved to mainstream consumers that this is a must-have thing around the house. Just 3.2 million out of 24.7 million TV sets sold in the U.S. in 2010 were 3D-capable, according to market research firm DisplaySearch. So why would the TV industry split over the kind of technology powering 3D sets so early in the game?

The difference between the two is subtle but important. With active-shutter technology, two HD images are projected from the screen and the glasses use battery operated shuttering to create the 3D stereoscopic effect. Passive polarized lenses are more familiar since they're the kind of 3D glasses you get at a movie theater. They're polarized so that each eye only sees every other line of resolution so they see the image in 3D.

Some argue active-shutter is a better experience than passive polarized lenses because you get the "full HD" resolution of the video you're watching. But the drawback of active-shutter is the price of the glasses, which are usually over $100 when bought separately. They're not disposable like passive--they're battery powered and need to be recharged, which makes buying a pair for the whole family a rather significant investment on top of that expensive new TV you just bought.

LG, Toshiba, and Vizio all introduced passive polarized 3D TV models at CES last week, with some of the companies, like LG and Vizio, emphasizing the benefits of the new passive 3D sets over previous active-shutter models.

So why the switch? The big guys, Sony and Panasonic, aren't changing their pitch--they're sticking it out with active. However, LG, which still offers active-shutter 3D TVs, is a large producer of display panels for many in the TV manufacturing industry and has recently been able to produce a passive display at a more reasonable cost, noted David Wertheimer, CEO and executive director of the Entertainment Technology Center at USC. The film applied to create passive displays had previously been more cost-intensive to produce, which is one of the reasons many of the first 3D models used active-shutter technology.

Sony CEO Howard Stringer makes his pitch for active-shutter 3D TVs at CES 2011.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Also, Wertheimer said, "many people find passive polarized to be more comfortable. The weight of the glasses is better, it works better over (eye)glasses. It seems to provide a really comfortable long viewing experience."

To add to the confusion, there have been some varying reports about the benefits of passive versus active 3D. LG has warned that active-shutter can cause nausea, and discomfort to viewers' eyes. Health concerns related to 3D viewing aren't just reserved for active-shutter though--Nintendo has also warned that its glasses-free 3D portable video game system, the 3DS, is not meant for children under age six due to eye-development concerns.

Panasonic, for one, believes this split between the 3D technologies won't last and that the active versus passive issue will sort itself out much the way the Blu-ray and HD DVD video formats did.

"3D is something that just came out, whether it's going to be active or a different type, there are various aspects to it," Fumio Otsubo, president of Panasonic said, speaking through a translator. "There has never been (a time) in the history of (the audio/visual industry) that two or three methods coexisted. At some point a standard will emerge."

Executives from both Panasonic and Sony are betting that active will win out. Both are targeting buyers who want a high-end "full HD" type of product.

Panasonic says that for its customers "having a perfect experience with 3D is such an important issue," suggesting that passive 3D's less-than full 1080p video will matter to potential buyers of 3D TV sets.

That, of course, is up to the potential customer. Toshiba is offering both passive and active models of 3D television and says it's "all about choice" for the consumer. The passive glasses are considerably cheaper and potentially a "more family friendly" price option, a company representative said.

Which is why USC's Wertheimer doesn't believe the choice of active versus passive is going to be all that divisive an issue for buyers.

"Honestly, I don't think consumers will really care,..." he said. "They're going to go into a Best Buy and they're going to hear, 'You can buy this TV, it has active-shutter (lenses) with batteries, but it costs x dollars, and this other (3D) TV has these other inexpensive disposable glasses, but it's more money.'

"I don't think it's going to be any more confusing than plasma, LCD, backlit LED. You buy the one that looks the best to you."

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20027925-260.html#ixzz1B9M4OE9e

The Invisible Batter of Baseball on the PlayStation Move

MLB 11 The Show will get PlayStation Move support but I wouldn't put high hopes on it. The only supported feature will be a Home Run Derby mode, shown here, and that weird floating bat just strikes me wrong.

CtrlAltKill brought this back from CES. The game has foregone the representation of a hitter, just rendering the bat - in 1:1 motion, sure, but that makes the cuts to the replay seem really strange.

I love the guy asking the demonstrator if he can show a bunt. It's a home run contest, not Sacrifice Bunt Derby.

Reports have said Sony has no plans to bring Move support to the main game in future editions. It's probably a smart idea, and probably a prohibitively complex task for something people will try a few times and put down. Think about it, you'd be making a throwing motion more than 120 times; hello rotator cuff surgery.

[via Pasta Padre]

Send an email to the author of this post at owen@kotaku.com.

Mysterious 7-inch Viewsonic Android tablet breaks cover, reveals little

Let's see, if there's a ViewPad 10 and a ViewPad 4, logic would dictate that a ViewPad 7 couldn't be far out, right? Unfortunately for those convinced, Viewsonic actually has a 7-inch ViewPad on the market already, and the device you're peering at above most certainly isn't it. This gem was spotted by CarryPad at Zinio's CES booth, complete with Android 2.2, the outfit's own content software and... well, who knows what else. Chippy noted that booth attendees weren't exactly hip with him toying around with the device, though he did remark that performance seemed snappier than usual when compared to the other 7-inchers out there. So, will Viewsonic come clean with its LTE-enabled, 7-inch miracle-of-a-tablet? Highly doubtful, but who said dreaming was a crime?
 Netbook News, CarryPad

BEST OF CES AWARDS: WINNERS

Skype Invades the Living Room on Up-Coming Sony Blu-Ray Players

Skype video conferencing on the PC has been the reality for a while now, and their recent expansion into mobile devices has helped turned the software client into a household name. With few places left to expand it should be no surprise that the VOIP solution is coming to the living room, but this time you’ll find it packed into upcoming Sony Blu-Ray players.

At the Sony CES booth in Las Vegas they were showing demos of the interface which requires not just the player, but a separate proprietary camera accessory. Video quality will be limited to SD resolution at launch, and according to Sony representatives they have no plans at the current time to make the leap to HD.

With Video calling being a built in feature of Kinect, I’m a bit surprised Sony hasn’t tried to make this happen first on the PS3 first. I suppose we’ll have to wait and see if they end up changing their mind, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time.

#handson

Hands-On With the Ion Audio iPad iCade: Buttons Fit For Mashing

I'm not good at videogames. And while I don't even attempt to figure out most of today's crazy-ass console games, I can certainly appreciate some old school arcade-style button mashing. Ion Audio's iCade brings that familiar satisfaction to your iPad. More »

I Just Want a Dumb TV

#tvs

Hey, so remember when building VCRs into TVs seemed like a good idea? And then how it turned out that is wasn't? Yeah, connected TVs are basically just like that. More »

The Best Tablet at CES 2011

Amid a swarm of very similar Android tablets, two true iPad contenders emerged at CES 2011—which is most likely to succeed?

As expected, CES 2011 has ushered in the Year of the Tablet—over 75 tablets have been introduced or showcased in Las Vegas this year. Which tablets actually matter? Are any good enough to take on the iPad? Is Android 3.0—Honeycomb—really a game-changer? Let's take a look.

First off, the PlayBook wasn't running animated demo videos—it was fully functioning. The screen's responsiveness is every bit as good as the iPad, and the user interface seems quite intuitive and fast. Secondly, the PlayBook will be a 4G device (from Sprint) at launch. For full specs on the PlayBook.

So, the CES tablet craze can be summed up this way:

• There may be 75 or more tablets at CES 2011, but most of them are quite similar and not running operating systems intended for tablets—meaning they are almost exclusively running Android 2.2.

• The Motorola Xoom is promising, but with no true demos available to the press, it doesn't feel like a fully fleshed-out device yet.

• RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook is the real deal: a beautiful, working 4G tablet—and the best bet to contend with Apple's iPad in 2011.

Apple has probably been viewing Google's Android OS as the prime enemy for the past year now—but it looks like RIM just changed the game. BlackBerry devotees will likely drool over the PlayBook.

Delicious Overkill: The Gratuitously Overclocked 5 Ghz Core i7 Monster

Sometimes a computer at CES is interesting because it's functional and intuitive. Sometimes a computer is interesting because it's the size of an air conditioner, filled with heinously tacky neon lights, and overclocked to hell. Guess which one this is!

I found Origin PC's 5 Ghz, liquid-cooled "Big O" sitting on a dusty stretch of carpet in Creative's booth. Alone. Neglected. I asked a rep about it and he didn't even know why it was there. Was he feeling insecure because the computer is so fast? Perhaps. It wasn't even hooked up to anything. It was just humming along, its red tubes pulsing, green lights throbbing. Speed for its own sake. If it sounds like a sexual experience, that's because it was. The enormo-box reminds me of a bygone era in computing, when clock speeds trumped all—and just reading "5 Ghz i7" made my heart dance. CES is supposed to be about neat things we'll be using effectively in the future, but sometimes I'm okay with REALLY FREAKING FAST NEON COMPUTER, WATCH OUT, too.

Send an email to the author of this post at sbiddle@gizmodo.com.

Some of Tomorrow's Best Gadgets

You know what? There's some pretty sweet gear at this year's CES: tablets galore, smart cameras, cool phones, audiophile pr0n. Woot! This little trade show might have a future! Check out some of our favorites. Updated

The Best New Tablet

Tablets! Tablets tablets tablets. They're the hot ticket at this year's CES. Just about everyone's got one (not that everyone should). We've parsed, prodded, and played with the main contenders. And this one's best. Well, these ones. [more]

Money Shot: The Lady's Polaroid Glasses Look Gaga

The Polarez GL20: image capture device, display, loud fashion statement. It's weird. It's wonderful. It may or may not be the camera of the future. One thing is for sure: You want to see it! It's OK to stare. [more]

The Best New HDTV

Wow. The TV manufacturers of the world just excreted a gajillion alphanumerically named HDTVs at CES. We cruised the booths, parsed the display technologies, connectivity features, claimed performance and specs, and found the one we think is the best. [more]

This Is What Happens When Polaroid Lets Lady Gaga Design Something

Lady Gaga stood up on stage and proclaimed "This is the camera of the future." This futurecam also happens to be a set of shades with a outward-facing 1.4-inch OLED display under each eye. Funky. [more]

The Polaroid Camera, Rethought and Digitized

This solidly designed Polaroid GL30 beauty is a modern take on the old-school Polaroid camera you may own and love. It's digital, has an adjustable display, and will spit out your photos in seconds. And did I mention it's freakin' gorgeous? [more]

All Power Plugs Should Be Like the Stanley Safety Socket

For years only deep fryers and Apple laptops have had breakaway cords. Stanley's new Safety Socket adds breakaway protection to anything with a power plug. Expect it within the month for something like twenty bucks. [more]

Nyko's Feeling Trigger Happy With The PS3 Move Accessories

If you're trying to play PS3 Move FPS games with style, Nyko's got you. They just announced two new gun accessories for PS3's new motion control system, which may (or may not) have you reeling off headshots in no time. [more]

Using the Moto Atrix Notebook-Slash-Smartphone

The Atrix is a pretty great phone by itself-two 1GHz cores and 1GB of RAM makes things speedy-but it's even more useful when you dock it into their laptop for heavy duty computering. [more]

Money Shot: The Blackberry Playbook Tablet

Say what you want about its beta-fied OS, or the need to tether it to access its more powerful functions, the Playbook is Teh Hotness: beautifully built, quick, and just dead sexy. Check out our killer custom flyby video. [more]

Using Casio's Wireless Watch of the Future

Well, it's definitely a prototype. But after a proper groping, we're more excited than ever about Casio's new Bluetooth watch of the future. [more]

Star Wars is Finally on F-ing Blu-ray

Star Wars! It's arguably the quintessential geek film series and inarguably deserving of the highest audiovisual quality humanly possible. The complete saga is coming to Blu-ray with over 30 hours of special features, and you can pre-order it right now. [more]

Android Honeycomb, Baby: Google Tablets Evolved Updated

We got a video teaser of Google's tablet-friendly Honeycomb OS yesterday, but at Verizon's CES keynote this morning Google was on hand for a live demo. It looks beeeeautiful. Updated with video. [more]

This Soup Is Cooking...In Its Packaging

Quick free association exercise: What do you think of when I say "wireless power?" My answer, as of twenty minutes ago: a cup of soup cooking instantly when set on a wireless charging surface. While still in its packaging.
[more]

What Is Gorilla Glass?

The allure of Gorilla Glass is no mystery to anyone with a Droid, an iPhone 4, a Galaxy tab or a Dell Adamo. But for everyone else wondering about all the new Gorilla Glass gear at CES, here's the rundown.[more]

The Nike+ SportWatch GPS Has TomTom and an Attitude

It's a new year, which means new resolutions to get in shape. Let technology help you! Don't fight it! The Nike+ SportWatch, powered by TomTOM GPS, will bug you when you forget to run and encourage you when you do. [more]

The 1080p 3D Bloggie Leads Sony's 3D Camera Onslaught

Backlash? What backlash!? Sony's going all 3D everything this CES, and that includes all the content you're creating, too. They're pumping out 3D-ready camcorders with glasses-free displays, including a 1080p 3D Bloggie that'll go for about $200. [more]

If I had a TV this beautiful, I might never turn it on

Sitting nonchalantly in front of Sony's booth at the LVCC-so understated and elegant that you might walk right by it thinking it was just a slab of polished black glass-is the most beautiful television I have ever seen. [more]

Samsung's 9 Series Laptop Takes the MacBook Air Head-On

It looks like the 13-inch MacBook Air finally has some serious competition: the 13-inch Samsung 9 Series is a shade lighter, a touch thinner, and looks like the Air's evil twin. [more]

Motorola's Atrix Android Phone Has Two Cores And Can Dock Into a Laptop

It runs Android 2.2, with HTML5 support, and is AT&T's first dual-core processor in an Android phone. And it docks into a laptop. They're calling it the world's most powerful smartphone. ORLY? [more]

This Is the World's Thinnest All-In-One PC

At 18.5 inches deep, the Lenovo IdeaCentre A320 is the thinnest all-in-one PC in the world. Lenovo's held that distinction three years running-but this year's model packs in performance to match. [more]

Samsung's Infuse 4G: A Spectacular Google Android Phone

"Holy shit." It's not what usually comes to mind when I touch a new phone. But Samsung's Infuse 4G is spectacular. Ridiculously good 4.5-inch screen. 1.2GHz processor. 4G on AT&T. Why, exactly, wasn't this the new Nexus phone? [more]

America Will Have a Shot at 21:9 3DTVs This Year, With Vizio's Razor LEDs

It looks like American fans of Philips' 21:9 TVs can stop dreaming of moving to Europe, and actually get their hands on Vizio's Razor LEDs sometime this year, in 3D 50 and 58-inch options.[more]

Every Camera Should Be As Connected as Samsung's SH100 With Android Remote Powers

Samsung's SH100 isn't the first point-and-shoot to have Wi-Fi, but it makes better use of it than most: You can use Samsung's Galaxy S Android phones as a wireless remote and geotagger for the camera.[more]

Need Ergonomic Typey-Times? Smartfish's Engage Keyboard Will Do the Trick

There aren't many computer peripherals which cause several Gizmodo editors to gasp "sexy!" within minutes of spotting them, but Smartfish's Engage keyboard has that dubious honor today. It analyzes typing styles, and physically adjusts itself to be even more comfortable. [more]

Onkyo's New Audiophile-Grade Gear Goes Retro

Pulling design cues from products of old, Onkyo is applying a 1980s aesthetic to their high-end line of home theater gear, which includes a power amp, preamp and CD player. [more]

The Many Faces of Asus's Android Tablets

Is there a different way to design a tablet? If so, Asus is going to find it! Their new Android slabs are all special snowflakes-including the QWERTY keyboard-hiding, Tegra 2- and Android 3.0-equipped Eee Pad Slider. [more]

Spot Connect Turns Your Smartphone Into a Satellite Communicator

So you're lost in the wilderness. Thoughts of a parched, solitary death are entering your mind. Well, with the Spot Connect, you can share these final thoughts on the Internet! And also save yourself (But mainly: Tweet.) [more]

Mophie Pulse Will Make Your iPhone Buzz Harder and Scream Louder

Mophie, makers of the iPhone power packs which are keeping us running this week, have another shiny iPhone-enhancing accessory to show off: The Mophie Pulse. It's a slick case that'll boost your device's volume while enhancing every vibration. [more]

Oxygen Audio Turns Your iPhone Into a Car Stereo

Plenty of cars come with some middling form of iPhone connectivity. Install Oxygen Audio's O'Car deck and your iPhone essentially becomes your stereo. Pimp. [more]

Canon's Best HD Camcorders Kill Unnecessary Pixels to Shoot More Incredible Video

Funny thing about HD camcorders using 10-megapixel (or bigger) sensors. Most of those pixels are wasted when you're shooting 1080p video. So Canon's new HD CMOS Pro sensor is just 2 megapixels. With gianter pixels, more like a studio camera. [more]

Send an email to Joe Brown, the author of this post, at joe@gizmodo.com.