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CES 2010: Blio eReader is Free Software-Only Reader – Why It May Be Important

1 Comment / Books, Music and Movies, CES / By /

While we were inundated with hardware eReaders at CES, Blio took an intermediate step and made a (free) software eReader than can run on laptops, netbooks, desktops, tablets and even iPhones and iPods.

blio bookstoreDesigned in part by inventor Ray Kurzweil, the Blio is a free piece of software that you can download for your Windows machine, and that opens up and displays eBooks in full-color with options such as 3D page turning, text only mode for smaller displays, read aloud (text-to-speech), and note annotation. The Blio reader also supports audio, video and interactive media when embedded eBooks.

Blio will also be accompanied by the Blio Bookstore allowing you to add titles to your own virtual personal library that is accessible regardless of where you are or what device you’re on. The Blio Bookstore boasts over 1.2 million titles which they claim is more than any other eBookstore.

Blio reminds me a great deal of Zinio‘s excellent software reader for their electronic magazines.

Our Take
I think they’re onto something here, as well as multi-screen eReader manufacturers like Spring Design (Alex) and enTourage (eDGe), because want fewer devices, not more. Of course, peoples’ needs differ, so in my case when I travel I’m never without my laptop, so I would much rather my laptop be able to read eBooks. Blio fits the bill here.

On the other hand, my laptop is still a tad bit heavy and warm to hold open in bed, but I’m always wanting to surf the Web, but doing so in grayscale isn’t as satisfying which is why I feel those dual-screen readers are appealing and have potential. In the end, it does boil down to your own personal preferences, and you may still elect to walk around with both a laptop/netbook and a thin eReader.

CES 2010: Monsoon’s Volcano Box is Audio-Video Swiss Army Knife – DVR, Placeshifter, Internet TV and More

Audio/Video, Home Theater, CES / By /

HAVA maker, Monsoon Multimedia, is still in the gadget game and in particular, the multimedia multi-function types located right at the heart of your AV rig. At CES, they announced and demoed their latest device, the Volcano, which does a slew of things. Sling should be prying this open soon with a microscope close behind.

monsoon multimedia volcano box

The sleek-looking Volcano is an HD device that placeshifts (a la the Slingbox) your live TV or other prerecorded video over the Internet, a DVR, Internet TV (YouTube and CinemaNow for now, but think Boxee and Netflix in future), Apps like Facebook and Twitter, can act as a home media streamer, and can pull videos for export to external media.
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USB 3.0 (SuperSpeed) is Fast! What to Expect and When

1 Comment / CES, Computers, Miscellaneous / By /

usb 3.0 superspeed logoAlthough the specs for USB 3.0 were nailed down in late 2008, production of devices that support or run USB 3.0 have really only now started showing up. Here’s a bit of insight as to what you can expect in the next 2 years.

At CES, a few manufacturers showed off their USB 3.0 wares. In particular, a few like Gigabyte and Asus have motherboards with USB 3.0 ports, while laptop makers HP, Asus and others joined the party, and of course external hard-drive makers like Western Digital and Seagate had their new gadgets with USB 3.0.
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CES 2010: magicJack Positioning to Become Next Biggest Internet Phone Company

2 Comments / CES, Phones / By /
magicjack for cell phones
Image courtesy of AP

magicJack maker YMax plans to start selling a a magicJack for cell phones in about 4 months for about $40. The gadget will plug into your PC and which then acts like a cell phone tower, so that if your cell phone is within range (about 8ft) of your PC, the call will be routed through the magicJack and over the Internet via VoIP.

While YMax CEO Dan Borislow claims this gadget is legal within an individual’s home, we expect the lawsuits to roll in quickly from the carriers.

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Most mobile phones like the blackberry torch available at www.dialaphone.co.uk will work with the device, for more information check out the dialaphone blog.

CES 2010: Plastic Logic and Skiff Join the eReader Club

Books, Music and Movies, CES / By /

Two more vendors join what promises to become a crowded field this year – Plastic Logic and Skiff.

Plastic Logic who had previously announced their QUE proReader, premiered it at CES and says it’s aimed at business professionals. The QUE has a shatterproof 8.5″x11″ plastic touchscreen display, is 0.33″ thick and weighs 1lb.

It displays PDF, Word, Excel and Powerpoint docs and can check e-mail from Outlook. It connects to the Net via WiFi and 3G. With 2 models starting at $649, Plastic Logic faces a tough battle with the likes of the Kindle, Nook and others.

plastic logic que e-reader

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CES 2010: Verizon Getting Palm webOS Phones – Pre Plus and Pixi Plus

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verizon palm pre plus pixiPalm is getting their new webOS handsets onto other networks. First up is Verizon which is getting updated versions of both the Pre and the Pixi.

The Pre Plus is pretty much like the original Pre, but will have twice the memory for a faster experience, and 16GB of storage. It also drops the physical center button.

The Pixi Plus will add Wi-Fi to its feature list. Pricing will probably be similar to what’s on Sprint and will be available Jan 25.

One of the more unique and compelling reasons to get one of these Palm devices on Verizon is the ability to create a mobile hotspot out of your Pre or Pixi that can connect up to 5 other WiFi devices. Unfortunately, it’s only via EV-DO. Perhaps Sprint should lobby for these phones and get Internet connections over WiMax.

[press release]

CES 2010: Samsung Shows Off Laptop with Transparent/Invisible OLED Screen

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COk, this just looks cool. This is a prototype 14″ laptop from Samsung showing off a 40% transparent OLED screen. Yes, you can actually see a hand through behind the screen.

Sure, it’s amazing to look at, but I don’t know if I’d want one – I think I’d get easily distracted by what’s behind the screen instead of focusing on what’s on the screen. Now, what would be great is if you could quickly change the opacity with a button and/or OS control.

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