CES

Can mini iPhone boost Apple past Samsung?

Ed Sutherland ∙ January 4, 2013

It's a new year, but talk of Apple's need to produce an inexpensive smartphone is back. This time there is a name for the device: the iPhone mini. Friday, an analyst forecast the company could unveil a cheap iPhone in 2014 to combat Samsung's handset lead in the face of the high-end smartphone market "nearing saturation". To break out of its #2 position, Apple must follow Samsung's success of marketing to many different groups of consumers.

That's at least the main line of reasoning by analyst Neil Mawston of Strategy Analytics. To date, Apple has only subsidized iPhones that sell with a contract, in addition to the expensive contract-free offering and the somewhat discounted previous versions of the smartphone. Sooner than later, the company will need to recognize the untapped segment of inexpensive prepaid handsets, an area that could boost it beyond its chief rival...

Corning announces Gorilla Glass 3 ahead of CES

Cody Lee ∙ Updated June 13, 2016

With just a few days left until the Consumer Electronics Show kicks off in Las Vegas, Corning, a Kentucky-based glass-maker, has announced the third iteration of its popular Gorilla Glass line.

As most of you know, Gorilla Glass is a high-strength, thin sheet of glass used as a protective cover in many touch screen devices, including Apple products. And version 3 is a lot more durable...

Amid iWatch talk, Pebble teases ‘big news’ at CES

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 3, 2013

Pebble, the company behind the upcoming smart watch of the same name, is telling its Kickstarter backers that "it's time" for some "big news" as the company promises to livestream its CES news event January 9 at at 12pm ET. For those unaware, their Pebble E-Paper Watch has been long in the making and last April became the most highly funded Kickstarter project to date, which tells you there's certainly some demand for such a product.

Should the company finally releases its iOS and Android smart watch, it could breathe new life into the product category that cries for a sprinkle of Apple magic. Or perhaps Pebble Technology figured it better release its gizmo ahead of a rumored iWatch Apple's reportedly been collaborating on with Intel? Either way, looks like 2013 will be the year of smart watches...

Surprise, Intel faces roadblocks in securing content for its Apple TV contender

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 2, 2013

Yesterday, news broke that chip giant Intel, frustrated with “everyone doing a half-assed Google TV", is prepping its own set-top box and cable service for an introduction at the CES show, which runs January 8-11 (iDB will be there!). The report noted Intel “has a plan to overcome licensing hurdles” by rolling out the TV service gradually, on a city-by-city basis.

Today, The Wall Street Journal throws its proverbial credibility behind the rumor, but also explains that Intel, just like Apple, has found that Hollywood is proving to be a much tougher nut to crack...

Samsung’s upcoming TV has ‘an unprecedented new shape’. Is it translucent? Frameless? Retina?

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 1, 2013

Say what you will about Samsung of South Korea, but the company is leading the Smart TV revolution at a time when the once mighty Japanese consumer electronics giants like Sony, Panasonic and Sharp are struggling to stay afloat. Last week the firm teased an upcoming TV launch with a charming video suggesting that "all the TVs are rushing to see Samsung’s new TV" at CES.

If you haven't seen it yet, the clip closes rather dramatically with a shot of a large TV set hidden behind a white sheet. Following up, Samsung has now shared an intriguing image via its official blog that raises more questions than it answers...

Intel might launch own Apple TV competitor and cable service at CES

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 1, 2013

The world's leading chip maker Intel, which supplies processors for Apple's Mac notebooks and desktops, is reportedly prepping to launch its rumored virtual cable TV service and set-top box because the company was frustrated with “everyone doing a half-assed Google TV so it’s going to do it themselves and do it right”, according to sources that spoke with TechCrunch.

Intel allegedly "has a plan to overcome licensing hurdles" that Apple reportedly has been facing for some time in its attempts to woo big-budget Hollywoood studios. The semiconductor giant will apparently roll out the service on a city-by-city basis rather than nationwide, opting to cut content deals on a per-market basis.

Apple, of course, has long been rumored to be testing prototypes of a full-fledged 46 to 55-inch television sets as the living room remains "an area of intense interest" for the Cupertino giant...

iDownloadBlog heads to CES 2013

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated December 29, 2016

Boasting more than 40 years of experience, the International Consumer Electronic Show (CES) is the largest event of its type across the world and this year is no exception. As we head to January 8, the whole tech world is preparing for the largest trade show in global history, with a show floor of 1.86 million square feet. Thousands of companies, techies, press, and gadgets will be huddled together at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Nevada.

I will be heading to Vegas to cover all of the action focused around iOS devices, which includes everything from third party hardware to software. Representing iDownloadBlog as an an official member of the press, I will have access to preshow events and additional after hours meetings with some of the big names surrounding iOS compatible products. To keep everyone in the loop, this article is an opportunity to give our readers a preshow look at what to expect from an attendee's perspective...

Netatmo’s Urban Weather Station is for the weather guru

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated December 28, 2016

I love the weather. No real reason in particular, but fascination started as a young child when I would rush home from school to track Hurricanes on the Weather Channel, despite living nowhere near the coast. When I first read about the first iOS specific Netatmo Urban Weather Station a month back, I was fascinated with the ability to monitor the temperature, both in and outside my house. A weather nerd at heart, I think this is an awesome piece of hardware. To the weather novice, it is still a great addition for your connected home. Below, we take a look at the personal weather station that just received CES Innovations 2013 Design and Engineering Award honoree in three categories...

Samsung to re-brand itself at CES 2013

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 29, 2016

It is no secret that the Samsung logo along with its brand appearance isn't the best fit to convey the South Korean conglomerate's many business. Samsung makes refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, smartphones, tablets, networked TV sets, computers and many more items. It's also a big player in construction, weapons tech, life insurance, advertising and theme park industries, to name a few.

The word on the street is that the company will launch a new brand image at CES 2013 and has enlisted the talent of Scott Bedbury, a freelance brand consultant who has also worked with Starbucks and is now reportedly tasked with creating a “more vibrant International brand image alongside the likes of arch rival Apple”...

Samsung Executive Says Apple’s Rumored TV Set is “Old News”

Cody Lee ∙ January 12, 2012

Just by looking around the showroom floor at this year's CES, you can see that Apple's rumored TV set has already made an impact on the industry. The electronics show is littered with voice-activated "smart" televisions, and the like.

But you wouldn't know it by listening to Samsung's Australian audio visual director Phillip Newton talk. The executive made some interesting comments recently in an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald regarding Apple's TV set.

$30,000 iPhone Speaker Dock Spotted at CES

Cody Lee ∙ January 11, 2012

Last month we told you about one of the world's largest and most expensive iPhone speaker docks: the iNuke Boom. Made by Behringer, the speaker weighs over 700 pounds and can pump out a staggering 10,000 watts of power.

Want to try it out? You can, if you happen to be in Las Vegas right now. Behringer has a working iNuke on hand at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show, which has completely taken over Sin City this week...

Acer’s New PictStream and Cloud Services Look Awfully Familiar

Cody Lee ∙ January 9, 2012

Last night, during its CES keynote, Taiwan-based manufacturer Acer announced that it was getting into the cloud business. Dubbed AcerCloud, the service will allow users to keep content synced between their phones, tablets and computers.

Now, we're not trying to jump to any conclusions here. But there's something about the service that looks awfully familiar. We can't quite put our finger on it, but it seems like we've seen this service and, come to think of it, these slides before...