CES 2014

CES 2014: NueVue’s new cases claim to remove 99% of bacteria on iDevice screens

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 12, 2014

Case maker NueVue at CES 2014 unveiled a new line of cases which it claims have been designed to remove up to 99 percent of bacteria residing on the surface of your iPhone and iPad's screen. The cases clean the screen and offer antimicrobial protection every time you remove the device.

Available for the iPhone, iPad and iPad mini, with tablet sporting a handy leather strip to keep the device secure, the new cases make possible antimicrobial protection by using microfibers licensed from medical company BioCote...

FCC chairman talks AT&T’s controversial ‘Sponsored Data’ program at CES

Cody Lee ∙ January 8, 2014

AT&T raised more than a few eyebrows on Monday when it announced a new 'Sponsored Data' program. The goal of the program is essentially to offer a way for companies to pick up the tab for 4G data usage whenever specific products or services are being used.

Initial feedback to the announcement has been a mix of "what an interesting idea" and complaints from net neutrality advocates. And today, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler chimed in, using his time at CES to discuss his off-the-cuff thoughts on AT&T's proposition...

CES 2014: introducing Voyce, health and activity tracking collar for dogs

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 4, 2017

We've seen all sorts of crazy stuff coming out of CES 2014 (the hype machine is strong) and I'm guessing half of the announced, shown off and written about whiz-bang gadgets will get forgotten as soon as the last drunken journalist checks out of an overpriced Las Vegas hotel.

The Voyce isn't one of such easily forgettable products. If you love dogs and own one, I'm guessing your four-legged pet friend would love to wear this app-enabled collar that can track his activity, measure heart and respiratory rates and record other data pertaining to his wellbeing..

CES 2014: how about MFi air conditioner?

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 8, 2014

This year's Consumer Electronics Show is currently underway in Las Vegas and even though Apple isn't an exhibitor, its influence can be felt in so many ways. If anything, the show appears to have ushered in an era of iPhone-controlled everything, from Parrot's latest drones (and other iOS-enabled toys) and the world’s first app-connected toothbrush to a smart sleep tracking system by Withings, to name a few.

A Chinese manufacturer called Haier has now announced it's become the world's first appliance vendor to have been labeled with Apple's Made for iPhone (MFi) certification logo, which ensures its accessories meet Apple's exacting standards in terms of quality and performance.

Haier's first product to bear the MFi logo is a smart air conditioner dubbed Tianzun controllable from an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad device...

Samsung confirms new wearables coming in 2014

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 8, 2014

You have to admire Samsung's persistence. Unfazed by lukewarm reception from fans and critics alike who aren't rushing out to buy its Galaxy Gear smartwatch in droves, the undeterred South Korean conglomerate is planning to release new wearable gadgets for the upcoming launch of the next Galaxy S smartphone in May and a Galaxy Note successor in Fall.

Dennis Miloseski, head of studio for Samsung Design America, told Re/code that 2014 is going to be “a really big year” for Samsung wearables, hinting at “some products around the launch of our flagship devices”...

CES 2014: Flir One case brings true thermal imaging to your iPhone 5/5s

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 27, 2018

Avid iPhone photography fans are always on the lookout for new ways of improving their snaps and photography skills to give their work an added edge.

Pitched as the world's first private thermal imager, the Flir One case slides right onto your iPhone 5 and lets you "see the heat wherever you go".

It slides onto your iPhone like an ordinary protective case and displays the infrared world on its screen.

We're talking true thermal imaging here, not the kinds of fake infrared effects you see in many photography apps on the App Store...

OtterBox shows off new Symmetry Series case for iPhone 5, 5s and 5c

Cody Lee ∙ January 8, 2014

Yesterday afternoon, OtterBox showed off a brand new series of iPhone cases it's calling 'Symmetry.' The new cases are surprisingly minimal, compared to the accessory-maker's other offerings, and consists of just one solid piece.

OtterBox says that the new case is the culmination of over a year of design, testing and innovation. It's one of the slimmest, most protective cases in its class, and will be available in a number of different colors and graphic designs...

Yahoo launches News Digest iOS app, new Food and Tech website hubs for normals

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

Today at its CES 2014 keynote in Las Vegas, the Internet giant Yahoo announced new Tech and Food hubs and introduced a new iOS application, News Digest. The free iPhone and iPad download utilizes a technology from Yahoo's March 2013 acquisition of mobile news startup Summly that distills information down to small gists.

The company has since rolled out Summly to some of its existing iOS apps, but this is the first time Yahoo's iPhone app tapped the summarization tech to the full extent to "get you in the know in no time".

It's quite ingenious - all of the hallmarks of great iOS 7 design are present: it's clean, elegant, self explanatory and updates you cleverly on the biggest news stories twice a day, once in the morning at 8am and once in the evening at 6pm EST.

Does the world need another news app? Existing App Store offerings more often than not overwhelm with information you may not necessarily care about. If all you need are key headlines of the day and quick gists presented in a finite and visual manner, then by all means give News Digest a whirl, you won't regret it...

Mophie introduces new ‘Space Pack’ iPhone case with built-in battery and storage

Cody Lee ∙ January 8, 2014

Mophie added a new edition to its family of popular Juice Pack iPhone cases today. It's called the Space Pack, and just like Mophie's other cases, it features a built-in battery that can essentially double your iPhone's battery life.

But what really stands out about this new accessory is that it also features built-in storage. That's right, the Space Pack supports a number of different file types and can increase the capacity of your iPhone 5/5s by 16 or 32 GB...

CES 2014: Samsung preempts rumored iPad Pro with new 12-inch Galaxy tablets

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 1, 2018

It's day two of Consumer Electronics Show and we're expecting a flurry of new Apple-related product announcements throughout the day. Our continually updated CES 2014 coverage does not include yesterday's Samsung press event, but it's not too late to rectify the omission and tell you about some new tablets Apple's fierce competitor announced at the show: one new Galaxy NotePro and three new Galaxy TabPro devices (it pays to keep tabs on competition).

Available in up to 12.2-inch variants (here's why), all four tablets sport a new Windows 8-style home screen called Magazine UI and some nice multitasking improvements such as the ability to run up to four apps concurrently and resize their "windows".

And as an amusing ide-note, I'm also going to tell you about film director Michael Bay's disaster at Samsung's press event (bonus: video).

All that goodness is right after the jump...

T-Mobile buys airwaves from Verizon, John Legere crashes AT&T’s CES 2014 party

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

As first hinted back in November, Deutsche Telekom-owned Un-carrier, T-Mobile USA, just bought $3.3 billion worth of spectrum from Verizon Wireless, the nation's top wireless carrier announced yesterday. The newly gained 700MHz spectrum licenses from Verizon should allow T-Mobile to take advantage of the low-band airwaves in nine of the top ten U.S. markets and 21 of the top 30.

What's in it for you? Think better 4G coverage in rural areas and inside buildings. T-Mobile paid $2.36 billion in cash and $950 million worth of spectrum, by the way.

Oh, and T-Mobile's CEO John Legere trolled AT&T’s CES 2014 party like a boss and got thrown out in the process. More on that right below...

CES 2014: Pebble announces next-generation ‘Pebble Steel’ smartwatch

Cody Lee ∙ January 6, 2014

For weeks, Pebble has been hinting that it had a big announcement coming up at CES, and today it finally let the cat out of the bag. The smartwatch-maker unveiled its next generation wearable, the Pebble Steel, with an all-new band and face design.

The Steel features a stainless steel body with a leather or steel band—a huge upgrade from the plastic used in the previous model— and a face covered with Gorilla Glass. The new Pebble is lighter, and has a thinner profile thanks to slimmer bezels...