Tobii Sets Sights on Gamers and Consumers with EyeX Tech

Their last appearance at CES sported a “gaze-controlled” version of the arcade game “Asteroids.” This time around Tobii is dreaming bigger and announced a new partnership with SteelSeries to prove it. The eye-tracking experts are working with the gaming peripheral manufacturer to deliver a unique controller capable of navigating the virtual world in a more natural way. As these devices won’t be available until the middle of this year, however, Tobii is whetting appetites with its new Windows-ready EyeX controllers. Continue reading Tobii Sets Sights on Gamers and Consumers with EyeX Tech

Roku Teaming Up with Manufacturers to Produce Roku TVs

Roku is transitioning from a standalone device to one built into the hardware of a television. The company announced at this week’s CES that it is partnering with six manufacturers to produce Roku TVs, which will have the same streaming options currently on the devices built right in. Chinese manufacturers Hisense and TCL are the first partners to be revealed, and Roku TVs with screens between 32- and 55-inches are expected to hit the market sometime in the fall. Continue reading Roku Teaming Up with Manufacturers to Produce Roku TVs

Trends to Watch: CEA Chief Economist Points to Ultra HDTV

Shawn DuBravac, chief economist for the Consumer Electronics Association, delivered his pre-CES press briefing, “2014 CES Trends to Watch.” DuBravac said he “wouldn’t be surprised to see 75 UHDTV announcements” this week, which could climb to about 150, when including hardware rollouts, distribution deals and related news. According to DuBravac, the big picture emerging trends this year will center on mass customization, multidimensional screen expansion, the age of autonomy, and curation and context. Continue reading Trends to Watch: CEA Chief Economist Points to Ultra HDTV

Panel Recommends Obama Impose Restrictions on NSA Spying

A report by a panel of outside advisers has urged President Obama to place a number of restrictions on the NSA. Commissioned by President Obama back in August, the report is a response to the outrage inspired by Edward Snowden’s whistleblowing of the agency’s spying methods. The advisers are calling for greater congressional oversight and presidential approval for spying on national leaders. They also want to see the agency give up its cyber-spying on American hardware and software. Continue reading Panel Recommends Obama Impose Restrictions on NSA Spying

CES 2014: Gaming Trends to Expect in Las Vegas Next Month

Once an afterthought at the International CES, gaming stole the show at last year’s confab, due in part to strong offerings from NVIDIA and Valve’s hotly-anticipated foray into hardware. With the release of Microsoft’s Xbox One and Sony’s PlayStation 4 still fresh, Kickstarter supercharging virtual reality and more independent developers than ever before, we are expecting even bigger gaming news to be announced during January’s show. Continue reading CES 2014: Gaming Trends to Expect in Las Vegas Next Month

VR News: Oculus Rift Secures $75 Million in Venture Funding

Virtual reality headset Oculus Rift, which began as a Kickstarter project seeking $250,000 (and eventually generated $2.4 million), is expected to transition from prototype to available product, thanks to $75 million in Series B venture funding led by VC firm Andreessen Horowitz. Oculus VR also announced that Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz and one of the individuals behind Mosaic and Netscape, will join the company’s board of directors. Continue reading VR News: Oculus Rift Secures $75 Million in Venture Funding

3D Systems Portable Handheld Sense Scanner Now Available

The Sense 3D scanner is now available, with a $400 price tag and scanning abilities for objects up to 10 x 10 feet. The handheld device can even digitize a person, and within the next few years, it is expected to become a mainstream consumer product. Sense reviewers are enthusiastic about the scanner, praising its attention to detail and ease of use, although there is a minor learning curve and some have questioned the need for a USB cord. Continue reading 3D Systems Portable Handheld Sense Scanner Now Available

Facebook’s New Open Compute Project to Compete with Cisco

Facebook, along with Intel, Broadcom and others, revealed the first steps toward developing an open switch that will rival Cisco’s network hardware. The social networking site’s Open Compute Project (OCP) was announced six months ago, and now it’s making progress toward its goal by receiving switch specifications from its consortium members. The OCP plans to release a specification and reference box for an “open, OS-agnostic top-of-rack switch.” Continue reading Facebook’s New Open Compute Project to Compete with Cisco

Simple.TV’s DVR Delivers Live Streaming to Mobile Devices

Simple.TV’s streaming DVR will be coming to the U.S. on December 12th, with recording and live streaming available for local devices, as well as TV delivered to Android and iOS apps. The $250 DVR supports several browsers and Roku players, and may even offer a Windows Phone app down the road. With options for premium services, TV-loving consumers who like to catch up with shows on-the-go will appreciate the added features. Continue reading Simple.TV’s DVR Delivers Live Streaming to Mobile Devices

Sony and Microsoft Gear Up for High-Powered Game Consoles

Sony and Microsoft are launching redesigned game consoles with greater computing power this month with systems that will bring more detailed, vivid, and realistic-looking graphics. These are the first big changes for both companies’ designs since the mid-2000s, and many developers already have plans to create games that work on both company’s consoles. Sony and Microsoft say they’ll have 23 games available when the consoles launch, some of which will be exclusive to just their systems. Continue reading Sony and Microsoft Gear Up for High-Powered Game Consoles

Survey Suggests Consumers Prefer Smartwatches Over Glass

A common discussion about wearable technology is whether consumers will actually want to wear products like Google Glass. A survey among consumers commissioned by technology writer Jessica Lessin indicates that more people believe they might be more likely to own Apple’s smartwatch than they would Google Glass. A large number of respondents, however, also indicated they didn’t think they were likely to own either. Continue reading Survey Suggests Consumers Prefer Smartwatches Over Glass

Activision Ships $1 Billion Worth of New ‘Call of Duty’ Game

Gamers have opted to hold off on purchasing some high-profile games until Sony and Microsoft release their next-gen consoles. The PlayStation 4 is scheduled to launch November 15 and the Xbox One will be available November 22. Although consumers are showing hesitation ahead of the new hardware launches, Activision Blizzard has shipped $1 billion worth of “Call of Duty: Ghosts” to retailers worldwide. “Call of Duty: Black Ops II” earned $1 billion in 15 days when it was released last year. Continue reading Activision Ships $1 Billion Worth of New ‘Call of Duty’ Game

Nintendo: Handheld Gaming Strong, Losing Money with Wii U

Gaming company Nintendo released its financial results for the last three months, and the numbers are not promising. Although hardware sales have increased and handheld gaming is experiencing growth, the company has still recorded a loss. As a result of price cuts in the middle of the year, 300,000 more Wii U users have been added, but the company is still far from its goal of 9 million consoles by March 2014. At present, 3.91 million units have been sold total. Continue reading Nintendo: Handheld Gaming Strong, Losing Money with Wii U

Simple.tv Offers DVR for Cord Cutters, TiVo Streams to iPads

Consumers who have opted out of cable will soon have a new option for watching their favorite shows. In December, Simple.tv will release a new DVR device that will allow users to stream up to five channels at the same time. The pre-order price will be just $200, but the device won’t come with its own hard drive, meaning consumers will need external drives for storing content. Meanwhile, TiVo has announced out-of-home streaming for cable subscribers via its Roamio set-top-box, that allows users to access content on mobile devices. Continue reading Simple.tv Offers DVR for Cord Cutters, TiVo Streams to iPads

Apple Takes New Direction by Offering Free Operating System

In addition to the new iPads unveiled yesterday, Apple made several announcements regarding its hardware and software products. The new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air laptops will go on sale immediately, while the $2,999 Mac Pro desktop will ship before the end of the year. Apple’s iWork and iLife suites of office and creative software are now free with every hardware purchase. Another surprise is the company’s decision to offer its Mac operating system, OS X Mavericks, as a free download. Continue reading Apple Takes New Direction by Offering Free Operating System