Apple may not be at CES 2012, but 250 of its employees are

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  • January 11, 2012 at 5:01 pm

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Apple logo

Apple officially abandoned exhibiting its wares at CES, but that doesn’t mean the company doesn’t have a presence at the event. Of course, there are hundreds of vendors that cater to Apple products, from iPhone cases to Thunderbolt drives, but we don’t mean that.

Apple has more than 250 of its employees registered to attend CES 2012 in Las Vegas. So what could they all be doing on the show’s floor? It seems that covert operation is the name of the game. It’s normal for a company to want to be on top of what the competition is offering. Apple’s employees are also taking notes on how other companies present their goods and how booths are organized.
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Canon PowerShot G1 X announced: 14.3-megapixel sensor, larger than Micro Four Thirds, and 4x optical zoom lens for $800

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  • January 9, 2012 at 12:05 pm

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Canon Powershot G1 X digital camera articulating LCD

Canon will not enter the mirrorless interchangeable lens camera space, instead the camera maker has announced a new large sensor bridge camera in its PowerShot G series. The PowerShot G1 X will become the flagship model in the series ahead of the G12. What’s special about the G1 X is the new 1.5-inch 14.3 megapixel CMOS sensor which is slightly larger than a Micro Four Thirds sensor. The new sensor measures 18.7 x 14 mm compared to a Micro Four Thirds sensor which is 17.3 x 13mm. In fact the G1 X’s sensor is 6.3 times larger than the sensor inside the PowerShot G12.

We would imagine that such a large sensor will allow the G1 X some pretty respectable low-light performance, while the camera can shoot up to ISO 12,800. The lens offers an 4x optical zoom from 28-112m with aperture ranging from f/2.8 to f/16. Combined with the large sensor it should offer some pretty nice shallow depth of field. The G1 X has EOS-like features, like 14bit RAW shooting and is compatible with various accessories including Speedlite hot-shoe flash units. The camera comes with a 3-inch 922,000 dot articulating LCD screen and it’s capable of 1080p HD video shooting.
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Lenovo IdeaTab S2 10-inch tablet with Android 4.0 and keyboard dock

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  • January 9, 2012 at 4:38 am

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Lenovo IdeaTab S2 10.1-inch Android tablet with keyboard dock

Did we mention we are expecting an onslaught of Android tablets at CES 2012? Hot on the heels of Acer’s Ice Cream Sandwich bearing Iconia Tab A700, Lenovo has announced its own Android 4.0 tablet. The Lenovo IdeaTab S2 with a 10.1-inch IPS LCD 1280×800 resolution and Qualcomm’s latest 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 SoC. Similar to the Asus Trasformer Prime, the IdeaTab S2 can be used with a detachable keyboard dock.

Thin is the game now, and the S2 tablet measures just 0.34 inches thick and weighs a mere 1.1 lbs. Lenovo claims a 20 hours runtime when the tablet is paired with its keyboard dock. We’ve mentioned that it will ship with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, though Lenovo will slap its own Mondrian UI on top. You get the typical set of Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth 2.1, micro-USB and micro HDMI. The S2 is said to come in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB flavors, though no pricing or availability has been made public yet.
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Acer Iconia Tab A700 10-inch tablet with 1080p display, quad-core Tegra 3 and Android 4.0

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  • January 8, 2012 at 6:47 pm

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Acer Iconia Tab A700

CES 2012 is expected to open the floodgates for new tablets, yet Acer has managed to put its competitor early in. The Acer Iconia Tab A700 is a 10.1-inch tablet with some spectacular specs. The screen has a full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution, it runs on the quad-core Tegra 3 SoC, which is clocked at 1.3GHz, and will ship with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich pre-installed.

Of course you get a typical set of ports, like micro-USB and HMDI, and connectivity, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0 and 3G, together with a 5-megapixel rear camera and a front-facing camera for video chatting. The A700 also boasts Dolby Mobile sound. Measuring 9.8mm thick, it might not be the thinnest tablet around but with a 9,800 mAh battery you’ll be pleased to carry it all day with you.
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Samsung Galaxy Note coming to the US, now a sure thing

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  • January 8, 2012 at 5:54 am

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Samsung Galaxy Note: HD 5.3-inch Super AMOLED smartphone with stylus

There have been a lot of rumors surrounding a potential release of the 5.3-inch Samsung Galaxy Note tablet/phone in the US. Rumors culminated with a reportedly AT&T branded Galaxy Note press shot. Well, we can now say that Samsung’s behemoth is definitely coming to the US, judging from the large Galaxy Note advertisement taking up the entire entrance of the South Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center where CES 2012 is taking place.

Despite being the largest smartphone to date, the Galaxy Note has been a win for Samsung, which has managed to ship over 1 million units since its release. A success that can be accounted to its 5.3-inch Super AMOLED HD screen (though Pentile Matrix), super-speedy dual-core 1.4GHz Samsung Exynos processor and Wacom-designed pressure sensitive S Pen stylus. The Note has a respectable 2,500mAh battery, weighs 178g (6.3 oz) and measures 9.65mm (0.38 inches) thick. You’ll also find an 8-megapixel rear camera, capable of 1080p video, a 2-megapixel front shooter and even GLONASS support.
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Fujifilm X-Pro1 camera lenses get Amazon product pages, priced $500-600

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  • January 8, 2012 at 2:52 am

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Fujifilm X-Pro 1 MILC

Amazon has jumped the gun on the yet unannounced Fujifilm X-Pro1 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (MILC). We saw details of the X-Pro1 camera leaked two days ago together with its three lenses.

Now each of the lenses has acquired an Amazon product page and a price. Although all lenses were rumored to be priced $600 each at launch, both the 18mm (27mm equivalent) f/2.0 and 35mm (53mm equivalent) f/1.4 lens have been priced at $500, while the macro 60mm (90mm equivalent) f/2 lens is priced at $600.
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OLPC XO 3.0 tablet to debut at CES: 8-inch configurable with Pixel Qi display and Android starting under $100

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  • January 7, 2012 at 4:51 am

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OLPC XO 3.0 tablet early concept

One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) has just announced that the organization’s promised under $100 XO 3.0 tablet will be shown off at CES 2012. OLPC will also be delivering its first XO 1.75 laptop orders in March to school children in Uruguay and Nicaragua.

Nicholas Negroponte, the founder of OLPC, announced the XO tablet over four years ago, however the development process overrun the 2010 initial delivery date. The XO 3.0 tablet was designed by Yves Behar, who’s also designed the XO laptop and the B&N Nook Color. Above is the initial concept render of the XO 3.0, though the design may have now changed.

Based on preliminary specs the XO 3.0 tablet will have an 8-inch 4:3 1024 x 768-resolution display configurable as either a standard LCD or a dual-mode Pixel Qi sunlight-readable screen. It will run on a Marvell Armada PXA618 SoC, with either 512MB or 1GB DDR3 RAM and 5GB to 16GB of NAND storage. Approximate weight will be 0.5kg (around 1lbs).
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Sony Ericsson teases second Xperia phone that could join the Xperia Arc HD ‘Nozomi’ at CES

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  • January 6, 2012 at 1:50 pm

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Sony Ericsson Xperia teaser

Sony Ericsson Germany has just uploaded a teaser photo of a new Xperia handset on the company’s Facebook page. The Sony Ericsson Xperia phone is lovingly handled at a train station, though it’s uncertain whether it is a yet unseen device or the company’s long-rumored Xperia Arc HD Nozomi smartphone (ironically Nozomi is the name for Japan’s high-speed trains).

A close look at the teaser reveals an off-center camera and a loop hole on the right side:
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Corning Gorilla Glass 2 coming soon. Thinner, stronger? We’ll find out at CES 2012

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  • January 6, 2012 at 12:13 pm

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Corning Gorilla Glass - gorilla with a laptop

What could make the world’s most popular fortified glass brand better? We’ll soon find out as Corning comes to CES 2012 in Las Vegas. Gorilla Glass can be found in more than 575 products, including many of our favorite smartphones and tablets. Unofficially you’ll also find Gorilla Glass in the iPhone and iPad.

Corning has just announced that it will be showing off the next generation Gorilla Glass 2 at CES 2012 next week. Details are scarce at the moment besides that the company will be accommodating thinner designs by manufacturers. This could mean that the new Gorilla Glass 2 can be made thinner or easier to integrate in curved designs while maintaining hardness. Thinner cover glass would also mean better touchscreen performance and screen sharpness.

Apple has been using optical lamination to fuse the iPhone’s display to the glass in order to keep designs thinner while improving touch experience as the screen seems to be floating on the surface of the device. There are rumors that the Tegra 3 quad-core 4.7-inch HTC Edge will also have an optically laminated screen.
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AKG K495 and K490 active noise cancelling headphones to bring the sound of silence at CES 2012

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  • January 5, 2012 at 6:22 pm

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AKG K495 NC active noise cancelling premium headphones

We’ve disputed before that it’s hard to put a price on piece of mind, though AKG intends to do just that. The Harman owned quality audio brand has announced a pair of active noise canceling headphones the K490 NC and K495 NC. Active noise cancellation (ANC) works using small microphones and special circuitry to cancel out unwanted outside noise; we’ve covered the technology in some detail, and invite you to read out primer on noise cancellation here.

Though we are better inclined towards the more portable in-ear variety, like the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC23, full-sized over-the-ear cans can provide better noise cancellation performance and audio quality. The K490 and K495 are both USB chargeable using integrated batteries, providing 40 hours of enjoyment. Thankfully, both will continue to pump out your tunes, even with the ANC circuit off, when the battery runs out.
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Fujifilm X-Pro 1 (LX10) interchangeable lens camera system specs leaked with three fast prime lenses, March release date

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  • January 5, 2012 at 4:55 am

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Fujifilm X-Pro 1 MILC

Someone has been quite trigger happy today. The same source that has given us the Nikon D4 leak, has also leaked a wire on Fujifilm’s X-series mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (MILC) system. Though several names for Fujifilm’s new interchangeable lens camera have been rumored, such as LX10 or X1, it seems that it may eventually be called the X-Pro 1.

Thanks to this latest leak we finally have some more detailed specs on the Fujifilm X-Pro 1 MILC. If the leak is to be believed, the X-Pro 1 will receive a new custom-developed 16-megapixel APS-C EXR sensor (up from the 12.3-megapixel sensor in the Fujifilm X100) with a new filter array. The camera will include a second-generation hybrid viewfinder, building on the success of the X100.

Fujifilm will release the X-Pro 1 system with three fast prime lenses. Though a zoom lens was also initially rumored, there isn’t any indication of one for now. The three prime lenses will be 18mm (27mm equivalent) f/2.0, 35mm (53mm equivalent) f/1.4 and 60mm (90mm equivalent) f/2.4 macro.

For more images of the X-Pro1 check out the previous leak this week. More information is bound to come soon as Fujifilm takes the stage at PMA @CES 2012.
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Fujifilm X-series mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, LX10 (X-Pro1), images leaked before CES

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  • January 3, 2012 at 6:14 pm

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Fujifilm X-series interchangeable lens mirrorless camera system LX10 / X-Pro1 mount

We’re expecting Fujifilm to announce their new X-series mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (MILC) soon with the first hands-on glimpse coming at CES 2012 next week. The camera, which is rumored to be named LX10 or X1 or X-Pro1, has been leaked in pictures before but this latest leak shows it in its full assembled glory together with the new Fujifilm proprietary mount.

This latest leak seems to be the real thing, just compare the different features of the camera from this older picture leaked from the assembly line in November:
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Olympus weather-sealed mirrorless camera with integrated viewfinder pegged for February release

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  • January 3, 2012 at 9:56 am

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Mockup of Olympus mirrorless camera with integrated viewfinder

Olympus is rumored to skip any new major product announcements at CES this January and instead announce its new mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (MILC) camera in early February. 43rumors is claiming that a trusted source has indicated that Olympus will announce a new MILC in the week of 6-11th of February. The new camera will be weather-sealed and have an integrated viewfinder, both of which will be a first for Olympus digital mirrorless cameras.

The new camera could also sport a new sensor, which would make the complete package even more appealing. Things have been heating up to a melting point in the MILC space, with Panasonic finally releasing a worthy GF1 successor, the GX1, Sony has come out with the 24-megapixel NEX-7 with OLED viewfinder and Fujifilm has promised us an X-series interchangeable lens camera for CES following in the bloodline of the very successful X100. We’ve also speculated that we might see the Panasonic GH3 at CES next week as well.
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Portable fuel cells coming to CES 2012 and Apple files for fuel cell-powered MacBook patent

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  • January 3, 2012 at 8:35 am

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Powertrekk hybrid portable fuel cell

We’ve been hearing about fuel cells powering our gadgets for some time now, but the technology hasn’t really caught on yet. Fuel cells convert chemical energy from a fuel to electricity though a chemical reaction. Hydrogen is the most common fuel used in fuel cells, though alcohols or natural gas are not unusual.

In portable devices, micro fuel cells would work together with integrated rechargeable batteries and promise continuous charge for your gadgets away from a mains socket, as long as you have fuel on hand. Apple has recently filed for two patents with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, titled ‘Fuel Cell System to Power a Portable Computing Device‘ and ‘Fuel Cell System Coupled to a Portable Computing Device‘. These could potentially open the way for fuel cell powered MacBooks.
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