Asus launched Wireless PC to TV Gaming Solution at CES 2011

Asus has announced the wireless solution WAVI 3D PC games on television, using WHDI technology to be supported by a number of other consumer electronics manufacturers at CES this week.

Amimon, a prominent member of the Wireless Home Digital Interface (WHDI) consortium, along with Asus today announced the 3D WAVI wireless PC-TV package. This kit is the first of its kind to allow consumers to wirelessly connect a desktop computer to a TV with support for 3D content. This means they can now enjoy 3D games for PC video, and 3D movies on any HDTV with 3D capability, using the PC as a player.

Dell Venue Smartphone Android 2.2 launched at CES 2011

Dell made an official announcement on Dell Venue, a new Smartphone running on Android 2.2 Froyo at CES 2011; Venue has 4.1-inch AMOLED touch-screen with curved Corning Gorilla Glass to reduce breakage.

Dell venue also features first generation 1GHz Snapdragon processor, but the Dell Venue comes with the pre-loaded Stage UI, Swype keyboard, Flash 10.1-ready to optimize web browsing and an 8-megapixel camera facing the back of the phone.

As with the Dell Streak 7, which also launched on Thursday, the Venue comes with access to Android’s applications and widgets from the Android Market online, which the Stage interface makes relatively easy to navigate.

Though wireless carriers have yet to be officially associated with the Venue, it will be a GSM device, likely making it a fit for T-Mobile or AT&T.

Pricing and release date is yet to be revealed but expected to be released soon.

samsung rolls out its galaxy player with Android 2.2 Froyo OS

Samsung is about to debut the new Galaxy Player, an Android-based music and applications device that will be similar to the Galaxy S smartphone, but without the cellular connection. Samsung has confirmed it will unveil the media player at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next month, according to Samsung follower, Samsung Hub.

The Samsung Galaxy Player

The device will have a front-facing VGA camera forSkype and other webcam applications, as well as a 3.2-megapixel camera on the back. It will be 9.9 mm thick with a 4-inch Super Clear LCD screen with WVGA resolution.

The Galaxy Player will run on the Android 2.2 Froyo operating system, and it will have built-in WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0. It will come with 8-GB, 16-GB and 32-GB storage capabilities and will feature a 1 GHz processor.

Samsung did not respond to the E-Commerce Times' request for comments by press time.

Going Up Against Apple

The Galaxy Player fits niftily as a competitor to Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPod touch -- basically a smartphone without phone capabilities. This will complete Samsung's match-up with major Apple mobile devices. Samsung already competes head-to-head with the iPhone and the iPad.

While the iPod may have slipped as a major consumer device, the iPod touch -- and now Samsung's Galaxy Player -- addresses the gigantic tween market. Parents of teenagers are not quick to sign up for pricey smartphone plans for their children. However, a dumbphone on a family plan combined with an iPod touch or Samsung Galaxy Player completes the digital picture.

Freedom From the Data Plan

The absence of the smartphone's data plan may be the biggest competitive feature for the Galaxy Player.

"This is a good device for people who want a strong mobile computer that can provide gaming, mobile Web and email without the monthly data plan," Chris Hazelton, research director for mobile and wireless at the 451 Group, told TechNewsWorld. "The trade-off is you need to find WiFi when you need the network. Then what you get is access to 100,000 applications from the Android market."

Over the course of a year, there are plenty of savings to take by avoiding the smartphone's monthly bill.

"You can roll the dumbphone into a family plan and use the media player like a smartphone. The iPhone was a game changer, and you're seeing smartphones that are challenging the iPhone," said Hazelton. "The iPod touch has a similar grip on the market -- even more so -- and this is what is coming from the competition to challenge Apple."

Parents will like the device because they can apply parental controls. Kids will like it because they can get around the controls.

"It's a good device for kids because you can have control over the content they download -- even if they can get around it," said Hazelton. "Plus, they can do voice calls through Skype or other voice applications."

The Need to Match Apple

Ultimately, the difference in cost between dumbphones and smartphones will be in the monthly contract.

"As the price of subsidized smartphones continually decreases and the difference in cost between a dumbphone and a smartphone becomes negligible, the only real barrier to entry left is the data plan," said Michael Morgan, senior analyst, mobile devices, for ABI Research.

"However, it may be Samsung that needs these devices more than the market does," he told TechNewsWorld." With these media players, Samsung's device portfolio mimics that of Apple's with a phone, media player and tablet."

As Samsung completes its mobile device picture, Apple will have little to tempt the Android user from switching systems.

"With children using these media players, perhaps one day they will aspire to have a Samsung smartphone instead of an iPhone," said Morgan. "While at the moment, Samsung's content library is not the equivalent of Apple's iTunes or App Store, this could be built up over time, particularly if they port Android over to these devices and offer access to the Android application store.

Microsoft demonstrate new Windows7 based Slate devices at CES

Microsoft will demonstrate new Windows based Slate devices at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January.

The software giant is expected to show-off a number of new devices from key hardware partners. The New York Times reports that the company will show devices built by Samsung and Dell. The Samsung device will be a similar size and shape to Apple’s iPad and include a “unique and slick keyboard that slides out from below for easy typing.”

Both the Dell and Samsung devices will run Windows 7 with a custom UI on top for accessing multimedia functions. Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, is expected to introduce both devices during his CES 2011 keynote.

Microsoft has promised a “major revamp” of Windows for slate applications, that will come in the next version, Windows 8. The New York Times suggests that Ballmer may show off a Windows 8 based Slate but WinRumors understands this is not the case. The software maker may show off a future Tablet/Slate concept device but will not refer to Windows 8 specifically. Microsoft is currently in the planning and preperation stage for Windows 8 and is compiling early milestone builds for product functionality.

Microsoft has been criticized for its slow response to Apple’s iPad device, introduced in April this year. Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, previously said Windows 7 based Slates would be available “as soon as they’re ready” when questioned earlier this year. The iPad sold three million units in its first 80 days of release and is currently selling approximately 4.5 million units per quarter, Bernstein Research estimates.

Microsoft Chairman, Bill Gates, said earlier this year that the company has a lot of different tablet projects it is pursuing. Microsoft canceled their internal Courier project shortly after the release of the iPad. The project was an innovative new tablet concept that had promised to combine a dual screen book design with finger and stylus input. The leaked promotional materials demonstrated various concepts that would have brought an unparalleled productivity tool to the market. Most media outlets and analysts felt the move to cancel the device was a mistake

Motorola's Android Honeycomb to be Disclosed at CES

Motorola's Android Honeycomb to be Disclosed at CES

Hey, guess what? We're going to get another tablet at CES in January. No huge surprise there--we're anticipating an utter deluge of the devices at the show. Motorola is seemingly attempting to undercut some of those last minute iPad/Samsung Galaxy Christmas purchase with a little teaser of its own announcement.
The company used its @MotoMobile Twitter page to kick off speculation, tweeting, "Might want to hold off on that tablet purchase until 2011." The page linked to a tongue-in-cheek CGI tour of the "evolution of tablets," including such detours as the Rosetta Stone ("Good graphics, but weight makes for difficult portability") and the Ten Commandments ("Excellent durability, but zero flexibility").

The company also used the occasion to take potshots at the competition, the iPad ("It's like a giant iPhone, but...it's like a giant iPhone") and the Samsung Galaxy Tab ("Android OS, but Android OS...for a phone"). The video finishes on a shot of what we're led to assume is the shrouded unannounced Motorola tablet.

Not a lot of info here, but between the Samsung comment and the fact that Motorola has had some recent success with Android, as of late, we can probably assume that the thing will run Google's mobile--the tablet version. The goofy little animated bee also hints at the use of the Android "Honeycomb" build. As for a name? The Motorola Evolution, perhaps?