TechSevens

If you have been paying attention to CES so far this year you will notice a theme.  Everyone is pushing their iteration of the Tablet.  With Apples presser on the horizon in late January everyone else wants to get a jump on building hype for their device.  This little guy was a surprise.  Sony’s entrance into the ring is the “Dash”.  Seems pretty affordable if you don’t like dragging around your laptop.  The downfall I see is the fact that there is no battery and you have to plug it in everywhere you go.

SONY’S NEW “DASHTM” PERSONAL INTERNET VIEWER OFFERS PERSONALIZED WEB EXPERIENCE AT A GLANCE

New product provides instant access to news, weather, Internet radio and other applications. It has a widget-based UI

LAS VEGAS (CES Booth #14200), Jan. 6, 2010 –Sony confirmed its commitment to providing consumers with innovative networked products with the introduction of the new dash™ Personal Internet Viewer.

Featuring a vivid 7-inch color touch screen (measured diagonally) and access to over 1,000 free Internet apps, including news, calendars, weather, sports, social networking and more, dash utilizes an existing home wireless connection to continuously deliver Internet content to its viewers.

“In today’s connected world, Sony continues to look for ways to help enhance consumers’ entertainment experiences throughout the home” said Brennan Mullin, Sony Electronics’ senior vice president of the personal imaging and audio business. “dash empowers consumers with a fun, interactive way to stay connected with their news, entertainment, interests and ultimately, their lives.”

By bundling favorite pieces of the Internet together, dash provides always fresh, personalized content at a glance. The new product offers free access to all apps from chumby industries, inc. as well as the robust audio and video content from Sony’s Bravia™ Internet video platform, including YouTube™, Pandora® Internet radio, Epicurious, Crackle, Livestrong™, Blip.tv and much more.

Other content includes a NAVTEQ® app for easily accessible traffic updates on a customized route, and a Cozi™ app for simple management and synching of family calendars. Further, Sony Music Entertainment and Sony Pictures Entertainment will be contributing exclusive dash apps for movie trailers, music videos, custom user themes and more, including an app from Dr. Oz offering daily health and exercise tips.

In addition, Sony dash can run multiple sources of content simultaneously, so for example, Internet radio can be enjoyed while browsing through online photo albums. Or, the alarm clock can be set to play selected online videos from music, sports and other news feeds. The device also allows users to choose apps either directly from the device or online through a PC, and new content for dash will continue to be added moving forward.

Within the device, an internal accelerometer supports vertical flip, allowing for two optional viewing angles: upright, ideal for a table or nightstand; and tilted, perfect for a countertop. It also supports multiple user profiles and channels, allowing several members of the household to create and maintain their own customized view of the Internet.

dash also features built-in stereo speakers as well as a USB port for simple connection to a variety of external electronic devices. An headphone output jack gives users the option to listen privately through headphones or through external speakers.

Sony’s dash will be available this April for about $199 at www.sonystyle.com, Sony Style® retail stores and a variety of authorized dealers nationwide.

It was announced last night at the Microsoft Presser that IPTV will finally be coming to the XBOX 360.  This was previously announced 3 years ago and now appears to be becoming a reality.  The details are slim at this point and hopefully more will come out at CES. Another thing cool that was mentioned was that a Windows 7 PC can also work as a Mediaroom set-top and Mediaroom was even demoed on a Windows Mobile phone.

When you think of a router usually style does not come to mind.  D-Link is trying to change that with their new addition to the marketplace.  The 802.11n Wi-Fi router integrates a 3.2”LCD monitor which allows you to view your photos.  I will be curious to see if all this “style” subtracts any from the performance of the router.   The unit boasts a network attached storage (NAS) that features support both UPnP® server functions and BitTorrent™ downloads.  It also includes a built-in FTP server that allows users to access documents, photos, music and other media locally through the home network or remotely over the Internet. Read the full details below and let me know what you think.

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., January 7, 2009 — D-Link, the end-to-end network solutions provider for consumers and business, today unveiled an all-in-one home network router with all the features of a fast, far-reaching 802.11n Wi-Fi router combined with network attached storage (NAS), SharePort technology for sharing printers and scanners, along with a bright 3.2-inch LCD monitor on the face for displaying photos, desktop applications and network performance.

Designed with convenience and functionality in mind, the new D-Link® Xtreme N® DIR-685 offers a stylish, even chic addition to the digital home. Its upright design allows users to easily view the vibrant LCD screen that displays device status via graphical gauges, digital photos, streamed video, weather forecasts and other live streaming Internet content in up to 1.6 million colors.

As a router, the DIR-685 features a sleek design made possible, in part, by the router’s internal antennas. In addition, the network attached storage (NAS) feature supports both UPnP® server functions and BitTorrent™ downloads.     A built-in FTP server allows users to access documents, photos, music and other media locally through the home network or remotely over the Internet.

The DIR-685 employs D-Link Green™ technology that helps conserve energy in several ways – by automatically recognizing port activity and cable length and adjusting power usage accordingly, by consolidating all functions to a single device instead of many separate products, and by using the idle mode which automatically turns off power to the LCD screen. A wide local area network (WLAN) scheduler can turn off the router’s Wi-Fi module at a preset time, and the power adapter complies with Energy Star specifications for average power savings of up to 30 percent. The same power-saving features located in the gigabit ports are also included in the NAS drive.

Both USB ports located on the back of the DIR-685 utilize the new D-Link SharePort technology, enabling multiple users to seamlessly share USB devices – including printers, multi-function printers (MFP), and external hard drives – from any location in the home or office, in a Wi-Fi environment. SharePort turns the local USB ports located on the back of the 802.11n router into a fast and responsive virtual port by utilizing a new technology of USB over TCP/IP.

To manage the photo frame feature of the DIR-685, D-Link has partnered with FrameChannel, a free web service (internetphotoframe.com) that allows for the customization of content displayed on the screen, so photos can be easily accessed and viewed.

“This router is the ideal solution for the consumer who wants to be the first on his or her block with the ultimate ‘all-in-one’ networking device,” says Daniel Kelley, senior director of marketing for D-Link Systems in Fountain Valley, Calif. “Not only does it offer full functionality as a router/NAS storage/print server/FTP device, it is attractive on any desktop, environmentally friendly and Internet secure.”

About D-Link

D-Link is the global leader in connectivity for small, medium and large enterprise business networking. The company is an award-winning designer, developer and manufacturer of networking, broadband, digital electronics, voice, data and video communications solutions for the digital home, Small Office/Home Office (SOHO), Small to Medium Business (SMB), and Workgroup to Enterprise environments. With millions of networking and connectivity products manufactured and shipped, D-Link is a dominant market participant and price/performance leader in the networking and communications market. D-Link Systems, Inc. headquarters are located at 17595 Mt. Herrmann Street, Fountain Valley, Calif., 92708. Phone (800) 326-1688 or (714) 885-6000; FAX (866) 743-4905; Internet www.dlink.com.

Buffalo Technology announced the new, fully redesigned LinkStation Pro. This device allows iPhone owners to access their photos, videos, files, etc., via Buffalo’s unique Web Access 2.0 feature. Web Access also allows users to access data via a web browser from any computer. For addition feature check out www.buffalotech.com Pricing and Availability
The new LinkStation Pro is backed by a limited one-year warranty that includes toll-free 24/7 technical support and will be available in January at estimated street prices of $209.99 for the 500GB (LS-XH500L) and $299.99 for the 1TB (LS-XH1.0TL).

Vizio is now making a move to create other components to fill your living room. They announced at CES that they are stepping into the Blu-ray market with a player packed with all the necessary features.  It appears they are looking take advantage of the foot hold and brand recognition they have created with their affordable flat screen TV’s. They plan to do the same with this as they have with their  TV’s.  Make the high definition experience affordable for just about anyone.   Here is additional information from the official press release.  For more on what Vizio has to offer visit www.vizio.com.

Providing the most superb images and stunning audio performance, Blu-ray discs deliver 1080p perfection. Retailing for $199.99, the release of VIZIO’s VBR100 Blu-ray Player means everyone can afford to bring these exquisite sights and sounds into their home theater.

Outfitted with a 108MHz/11-bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC), the VBR100 delivers phenomenal 1080p video from native Blu-rays discs and offers selectable 720p/1080i/1080p video upconversion for standard definition DVD discs (HDMI output only).

A 24-bit/192kHz audio Digital to Analog Converter ensures pristine audio playback from all of the latest surround sound formats. The VBR100 provides built-in audio decoding for uncompressed audio formats such as Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, and multi-channel PCM in additional to all other surround codecs (Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and DTS).

The super-slim player will fit in any entertainment cabinet, and is not only compatible with Blu-ray discs and BD-Live content, but it plays standard definition DVD-Video, DVD-R, DVD-RW, CD, audio CD-R and CD-RW, plus MP3 CDs.

Additional VBR100 Features

Video outputs: HDMI (1.3), component, and composite

Audio outputs: 7.1 channel analog audio, coax and optical digital audio, and analog stereo (RCA)

Dimensions: 17 X 11 X 2″

Includes Remote Control

Availability: April 2009

Price: $199.99