CES 2012 – Day 3 Recap
By: Ricky Cadden January 13th, 2012 – No Comments »It’s been such a fun week hanging out in Las Vegas and seeing into the future of tech for 2012. With sore feet and aching touchscreen fingers, we say goodbye to CES 2012 and look forward to CES 2013. Thanks for tuning in to all of the fun we’ve been having here on the blog and @RadioShackLIVE on Twitter. Here are some of the highlights from our last day in Las Vegas:
Microsoft
First, we hung out at the Microsoft booth and learned all about their plans for Xbox Kinect, , Windows phone and the granddaddy of them all, Windows 8.
A bit more than a year into its lifespan, the Xbox Kinect is proving that it’s still an incredibly fun gaming platform that anyone can get into. After all, YOU are the controller. Paige got in a little cardio with a dancing game and later tried on some virtual wedding dresses with Swivel, an augmented reality app that uses the Kinect to layer images onto your onscreen self.
Next up was some hands-on time with a few Windows phones and a presentation of Windows 8. The beta release of the new OS should be available to the public at some point in February and a full commercial release closer to the end of the year. The “Metro” interface, first seen in Windows Phone 7 software, is becoming the cornerstone of Microsoft’s products. Smartphones, tablets, the Xbox and PCs are all starting to feature the distinctive “tiles” of images and text. Microsoft believes Metro and Windows 8 can compete with Android and iOS in the smartphone and tablet markets and boost the company’s presence there. We’re all for the competition. More competition means innovation and a constant raising of the bar, which we can all agree is a good thing.
Nokia Lumia
During our stop at the Nokia booth, we got a full presentation of the newly announced AT&T exclusive smartphone, the Noxia Lumia 900. With the 8 megapixel front-facing Carl Zeiss camera, the 900 continues the tradition of killer Nokia cameraphones. The distinctive cyan polycarbonate body really made this phone stand out from the sea of black and white smartphones. But, if you want to stick to traditional looks, there’s a black one too. The phone also comes with a host of pre-installed apps, including Tango for video chatting. Definitely looking forward to this one coming to AT&T this year.
Sony Xperia Series Phones
At the Sony booth, we got to play with the Xperia Ion and Xperia S smartphones. For shutterbugs, few, if any, phones can take photos as quickly as these two cameraphones. With less than 1.5 seconds between shots, you can fire off pic after pic and never miss that perfect moment. You can also quick-draw the camera Billy-the-Kid-style by holding the dedicated camera button and take a snapshot straight from the standby screen. Just pull it straight out of your purse or pocket and immortalize the moment.
Beanpad
At CES, you don’t turn down a chance to sit down, so we took a little break with the Beanpad at the Vantage Point booth. This handy beanbag chair for your iPad lets you perfectly position your tablet in your lap so you can kick up your feet while working or watching Hulu. We think the plane ride home is a perfect opportunity for an extended demo. For work purposes, there’s even a Beanpad case where you can remove the beanbag so as to not draw strange looks from coworkers around the conference room. Then, back at your desk it’s back to lounging.
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