Electricpig.co.uk - tech news fast!

TDK boombox manbag goes up to 11
New Microsoft Surface table: smaller, cheaper and more versatile
BlackBerry PlayBook first impressions: RIM has come good
Kodak Easyshare Mini photos: budget camera the size of a credit card
Nike+ Sportwatch GPS sports watch review: First Look
HTC Freestyle hands on: the dumbphone with Desire looks
Microsoft CES 2011 keynote in funny faces: photos
Olympus E-PL2 Micro Four Thirds camera hands on photos!
Avatar Kinect gets official announcement
Microsoft Kinect outsells the iPad: 8m shifted in first 60 days

Posted: 05 Jan 2011 10:47 PM PST

One of the more curious sights we’ve just spotted at CES is this – a TDK boombox called Life On Record, complete with manbag style carry straps. It even goes up to 11. Read on for a selection of tasty hands-on photos.

According to TDK, Life on Record delivers “dynamic sound performance” with bold designs. The latter instantly grabbing us. Life on Record features a delicious looking piano black surface complete with touch-sensitive buttons. Look a little closer and you’ll see that the volume nob goes all the way up to 11, Spinal Tap fans. A gorgeous looking equaliser adds a slightly more modern touch to things.

Sound-wise the TDK Life on Record comes in three speaker and two speaker variants featuring a 6-inch subwoofer and six-inch coaxial drivers to cope with more delicate sounds.

Inputs for both versions include USB, 3.5mm and connections to an iPod, iPhone, smartphones and/or a USB flash drive. The musically minded can plug a guitar or microphone in to mix it up with other music sources.

Life on Record is due out towards the end of February 2011 for around $399 (£260).

Out February 2011 | $399 (UK TBA) | TDK

New Microsoft Surface table: smaller, cheaper and more versatile

Posted: 05 Jan 2011 10:41 PM PST

Microsoft’s Mike Angiulo showed off the revamped version of the Microsoft Surface Table at the CES Microsoft keynote this evening. This new version of the Microsoft Surface table means we’re a step closer to having Surface screens out in the wild.

This is the first step towards what principle researcher Bill Buxton was talking about last month when he said that the Surface table would be making its way into our living rooms.

The new Microsoft Surface table is smaller, with a slimmer form factor, meaning that instead of being a table out of necessity (because the previous incarnation was so deep) Microsoft Surface can now be wall mounted and used like any other screen. Saying that, if you’ve ever seen Microsoft Surface tables before, you’ll know that it isn’t just like any other screen.

Microsoft Surface works though infra red cameras, which register movement and view what’s going on on top of the screen on a pixel by pixel basis. This means that not only does it register touch and gestures, but it can read the image or letters on a piece of paper that’s placed on the screen.

Angiulo emphasised that the new Surface table would be more affordable too, and although we’re not at a point where it will become available to the consumer, the Bank of Canada will be implementing Surface screens in public. Fingers crossed some tech-forward corporate bod does the same over here. Could we be seeing them at Tesco?

What do you think of the Surface table improvements? Can’t wait to get one for your dining table? Drop us a line in the comments!

BlackBerry PlayBook first impressions: RIM has come good

Posted: 05 Jan 2011 10:41 PM PST

The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet has been a known entity for several months now, but we’ve only just had a chance to see it up close in operation for the very first time, and we have to say, we’re a little bit shocked. Forget what you know about RIM and its reputation for innovation – or lack thereof – as the QNX powered slate looks nothing short of sensational.

At the Digital Experience press event in Las Vegas this evening, we were walked through some of the features of the BlackBerry PlayBook by a RIM product manager, and we like what we see so far. The hardware is strikingly different from all the other tablets we’ve seen this week: it’s edge to edge gloss and all angles, without a curve in sight. The screen itself is pleasant too, and though we weren’t able to prod it ourselves, evidently very responsive.

But the real treat with the BlackBerry PlayBook is the software. The brand new QNX OS is a revelation: while there are hints of the old RIM design ethos in the fonts and pop up context menus, BlackBerry Storm style, it’s almost all brand new, and even in beta, blindingly fast. Seriously: we’ve not seen any touchscreen software as buttery smooth as this, period. Coming from RIM and its whirring clocks of death on the ageing BlackBerry OS, it’s something of a surprise.

Our favourite twist however is with navigation: there are no physical navigation buttons on the BlackBerry Playbook. To get around, you swipe in from the bezel, which is actually touch sensitive, as you would on the plastic below the screen of a Palm webOS phone to bring up icons. We saw this in action, and it was incredibly fluid and intuitive.

If there’s one concern we have, it’s that the BlackBerry PlayBook’s screen almost seems too small. Although supposedly 7-inches, it seems barely bigger than that of a large smartphone, and makes us wonder if RIM could have added an extra inch or two in. But hey, right now we can’t fault the software. The only thing that can stop this fella is the iPad 2.

We’re promised a more extensive hands on session with the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet tomorrow when the CES expo doors open, so stay tuned, and if you’re eager to know anything in particular, drop us a line in the comments and we’ll ask.

Kodak Easyshare Mini photos: budget camera the size of a credit card

Posted: 05 Jan 2011 10:23 PM PST

We’ve been getting an eyeful of some gadgets at the CES Digital Experience in Las Vegas tonight, and we almost missed this wee Kodak Easyshare Mini camera, purely because it’s so small.

The Kodak Easyshare Mini is about the size of a standard business card, Its weeny body is packed with a more than adequate 10MP sensor, and it’s also packin a 3x optical zoom and 2.5 inch LCD screen.

The Kodak Easyshare Mini is pretty basic otherwise, with face recognition, smart capture and image stablisation. It’s super cheap with it though, and clocks in at a touch under $100, meaning it will have a price tag of somewhere in the region of £64 over on our side of the pond.

Out late March 2011 | $99.95 (£64) | Kodak

Does a super small compact appeal? Shout out in the comments!

Nike+ Sportwatch GPS sports watch review: First Look

Posted: 05 Jan 2011 10:13 PM PST

The Nike+ Sportwatch we’ve just got hands-on with at CES 2011 heralds a revolution for GPS joggers’ watches. Unlike Garmin’s wristpieces for runners, it actually looks good while charting your route, courtesy of TomTom GPS skills. The result is what we’re sure will be considered the ultimate in fitness accessories and an absolute must-have for serious runners and trainers. Read on to find out why we want one now.

Catching our eyes immediately at CES 2011, the Nike+ Sportwatch uses GPS technology and the Nike+ shoe sensor to capture every step of your run before sending it to the Nikeplus.com website.

As intimidating as that may sound to tech and fitness novices it’s actually pretty easy to use thanks to a simple three-button layout. A tap interface even lets users tap its screen to mark laps when running.

The Nike+ Sportwatch will track your laps for you, which interval trainers will find handy. Even neater is that the Nike+ Sportwatch can track velocity and fitness deets indoors too, even when out of GPS range, making it a great gym tool.

The best feature of the Nike+ Sportwatch? It has a USB connector built in, hidden under the strap, in what Nike is calling Direct Connect, letting wearers plug the Nike+ Sportwatch directly into to upload run data and juice up its battery, which we were told will run for 3-4 months on a full charge.

Other trainer-specific features include Attaboys: after specific milestones such as 5, 10 or 15 miles of mileage the Nike+ Sportwatch will congratulate you on your performance, or for achieving personal records for fast miles and lengthy runs. It’ll even warn you after lengthy periods of inactivity.

Nike+ Sportwatch is currently set for simultaneous UK and U.S April 1st release before the rest of the world can nab one come July 2011. Pricing has yet to be confirmed, but expect to pay between $199-$299 (£130-£190) for what will become a much-desired piece of sporty wristwear.

Out April 1st (UK and US), July (rest of the world) | $199-$299 | Nike

HTC Freestyle hands on: the dumbphone with Desire looks

Posted: 05 Jan 2011 10:03 PM PST

We can’t honestly say we relish the thought of using the HTC Freestyle phone ourselves. The newly announced handset runs Brew OS, like last year’s rather limited HTC Smart. But holding a prototype today at CES, we have to figure it’ll make the undemanding very happy indeed. It really does look like a mini HTC Desire HD, right down to the grey shading and aluminium unibody build. The back button in the middle is somewhat jarring, but other than that, this is a looker. Now, HTC, can we have a release date please?

Microsoft CES 2011 keynote in funny faces: photos

Posted: 05 Jan 2011 09:53 PM PST

At today’s Microsoft CES keynote we heard from Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, but also from heads of mobile gaming and computing, including Liz Sloan from Windows Phone 7, Mike Angiulo from Windows 7. But what unites them except for the fact they work for Microsoft? They all pull funny faces. Very funny faces. Saying that though, Gary Shapiro, CEO of CES, seems to have caught the bug too, although it could just be something catching in our camera. You decide: click through for Microsoft funny face photo gallery.

Olympus E-PL2 Micro Four Thirds camera hands on photos!

Posted: 05 Jan 2011 09:52 PM PST

The Olympus E-PL2 has just been announced at CES in Las Vegas, and wouldn’t you know it, we were on hand to check out the model, which uses the Micro Four Thirds interchangeable lens system.

The follow up to the beginner focused E-PL1, the Olympus E-PL2 is a gobsmackingly beautiful little shooter, with a solid metal build. The sensor hasn’t changed: it still reels off 12.3 megapixel pics, and 720p HD video.

But there’s now a larger 3-inch LCD screen, and a few intriguing features for novices – we were shown how the Olympus E-PL2 can instantly share its snaps over Bluetooth with your phone. It certainly worked quickly, so could be handy for slinging pics off to friends and family in a jiffy.

The buttons and dials have also been rejigged with the Olympus E-PL2, while a a new 14-43mm albs is bundled in with it, promising quieter auto focusing during video, one of the few irks we have with Olympus’ awesome, compact PEN line.

The Olympus E-PL2 is out in February – we’re chasing UK pricing for you as you read this.

Out February | £TBC | Olympus

Avatar Kinect gets official announcement

Posted: 05 Jan 2011 09:31 PM PST

As well as reeling off some impressive sales figures, talking about processors and walking us through Windows Phone 7 yet again, Steve Ballmer also officially announced Avatar Kinect at his CES keynote today.

Ballmer demoed some of the features of Avatar Kinect using his own Ballmer avatar. Avatar Kinect means that Kinect can now track your facial expressions, from the way you laugh to the the way your mouth moves, and even something as slight as an eyebrow raise. You do it, your Kinect Avatar mirrors it.

Microsoft were vague about how we’ll be using Avatar Kinect, but seem to foresee online conversations on Microsoft Kinect “stages”, where you can gather your avatars in a room and have a discussion. Imagine something that means you never have to leave the sofa and come into contact with a real human being, or even press a button again – that’s what Avatar Kinect can do.

That’s being harsh on Avatar Kinect though: it will open up the possibility to have a more interactive group discussion with people you couldn’t sit in a room with otherwise. On the one hand there’s room for digital larks to be played vicariously through your Avatar and on the other more serious side of things, the added actions increase demand (rather than reducing demand) on your social skills. At the moment if we chat online we do it largely without expressions or gestures. Avatar Kinect means that all the subtleties of a real life exchange will matter in our interaction with others.

In terms of when we can expect to see Avatar Kinect, Ballmer promise dthat it would be rolling out in the spring, and would be free for Xbox Live Gold members.

What do you want to know about Avatar Kinect? Shout out in the comments!

Microsoft Kinect outsells the iPad: 8m shifted in first 60 days

Posted: 05 Jan 2011 09:01 PM PST

At today’s CES keynote, Steve Ballmer announced that Kinect has sold 8m units in the first 60 days of being on sale. That’s a massive increase on the 2.5m that the Kinect had sold back at the end of November, a month after launch. To put it in perspective, these Kinect sales figures mean that Kinect has outsold the iPad.

iPad sold 3m in the first 80 days of going on sale, and Kinect has shifted almost triple that amount. Ballmer had more to say on Microsoft numbers too: he also announced that Xbox Live had hit the 30 million mark, which is the equivalent of a new user joining every two seconds.

Ballmer also said that Xbox 360 has been the number one bestselling console every month for the last six months in the US, putting the grand total of Xbox consoles sold worldwide up to 50 million. Those are some impressive figures, and while Kinect costs a lot less than the iPad, it’s worth stacking Kinect next to the iPad to get some perspective on the figures.

What do you reckon to Steve Ballmer’s Kinect sales tally? Impressed?