The Geek Church

While I was at CES, I got a chance to talk to IOGEAR, who makes a lot of interesting devices. The company is really prepared to shake the world with a 4-Port Super Switcher with Advanced 2D/3D Video Processor (GHDSSW4).

The GHDSSW4 allows for the connection of four HDMI source devices to the HDMI input of a 3D HDTV or 3D-ready HD video projector. It features sophisticated upscaling and video processing to clean up video block noise and MPEG compression artifacts, which means that you will have terrific footage from anything, and more.

The more would be the perfect 3D conversion of flat DVDs, HD videos, and even photos, with “user controls that allow you to adjust the pop-out and depth effects for the optimal three-dimensional experience”.

You should be able to get the IOGEAR 4-Port Super Switcher with Advanced 2D/3D Video Processor in April 2012 for about $229.95. You might be able to find more information here.

During CES 2011, I was approached by two men that wanted to introduce me to their invention. I believe that they had a demonstration for it on an iPad, but the Swivl was a mount for an iPhone camera that would follow the user.

I thought it was a pretty ingenious idea, and at CES 2012, the Swivl had a lot of space devoted to it. For 2012, the Swivl had become a sensor enabled and motorized base for your mobile video device with a paired marker. It will follow you as you go, which is good for vlogging, or any other type of recording for education or sports.

You can reserve the Swivl for a small price of $159.00 now right here, and it will start shipping in Q1 of this year.

Have you ever wanted to just check out a geolocated video, and watch as someone films as you follow along on a map? Well, now there is a whole community where you can do that called Kinomap.com.

I found Kinomap at CES, and it took me a while to figure out what they were doing. If you go to the Kinomap site, you can get a software suite that has the Kinomap maker, a free application on smartphones that records geolocated videos.

You can also sync Kinomap videos with exercise bikes, so it is like you are riding the mapped path as the video is playing.

If you want to get in on the Kinomap vision, head to the Kinomap website here and see if you can get in on this free API, or use a camera with GPS.

The Bluetooth Wireless speaker from Zimri Speakers is a design that I have seen before. It is basically comes in the form of a can, and you sync your mobile device to it via Bluetooth.

The speaker is rechargeable via USB, and it is good for 6-8 hours. It takes about 2 to 3 hours to charge it.

I got a chance to try it out, and I found that it really produces some terrific sound for something so small in size. By the way, you can hook it to something with a wire as it has a 3.5 mm input plug.

If you are interested in this, feel free to head on over to the Zimri Speakers site and pay $39.99. That is a three dollar markdown, but I don’t know how long that will last.

I got a chance to try out these M0520 speakers from Lenovo, and I was pretty impressed.

The specs are an output power of 1W + 1W, with a frequency response of 90Hz-20kHz. These are two-inch speakers and they are louder than they look.

I would have to say that it is definitely good to have them, as they plug into the USB for power and then in the headphone jack of your laptop or MP3 player. In no time at all, you have superior sound!

You should be able to pick up the Lenovo Speaker M0520 for about $29.99 on the official site for $29.99.

I always like visiting iHome at CES, as they have a booth that is apart from the floor, and more room to showcase their products. I saw many up there, and I admired this iDM8 rechargeable Portable Bluetooth Speaker a lot.

The iDM8 allows wireless streaming of music within 30 feet from a Bluetooth enabled phone or other compatible device. It recharges via micro USB cable, and it can play audio from any device with a 3.5mm headphone jack.

You might notice the ball shape, and there is a very good reason for that. This allows for 360 degrees of clear sound on all sides.

It should be out very soon, but I don’t quite have a date or price. Look for it in a few months.

One of the reasons why I go to CES is to see the latest in technology. Usually the most innovative gadgets are the ones that seem very obvious.

When I saw iGo Audio at CES last night, I saw an “all-in-one” system that seemed obvious, now that I saw it invented. Their home theater systems with surround sound are designed to be a TV stand, but they also have an amplifier, speakers, subwoofers, and a plug and play system built-in.

Considering that most people have entertainment centers made from concrete blocks and planks, I think that iGo is very smart for integrating the shelves into the speaker system. I have an entertainment center that is from Wal-Mart, and it is just cheap wood pulp. I tell you, I want one in my living room.

You can go to the official site to see all their models. Their products are designed for TV sizes 42 inch to 70 inch. They are easy to assemble and made of eco-friendly materials.

Hey, I think we all know how it is: we want to be in the shower, singing, and we need something playing in the background for accompaniment.

Okay, maybe you don’t need this, but maybe you would be interested in the iShower, from the makers of the iGrill. The iShower is a water resistant Bluetooth speaker that wirelessly syncs with up to 5 devices. The device can play these tunes safely in the other room, and you can shower it up.

The music can be controlled using the onboard controls. It uses 3 AA batteries that is good for about 15 hours of music. You should be able to get it for about $99.99 now.

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I’m not certain if you have ever tried the video streaming service Roku before, but it is cool to have. The Roku is a box that allows the user to stream video into their TV from accounts like Netflix, Amazon Instant, Pandora, HBO Go, Rdio, MLB.TV, and MOG and more.

Roku is making a change to the Roku by removing the box and turning it into a stick about the size and shape of a flash drive. This stick requires an MHL port, a relatively new connection type for a few HDTVs. You can get an MHL-to-HDMI adapter, though.

I’m not certain whether this stick will be on display at CES next week, but it should be out in the fall. There is no word on a price, but it should be about $50 to $100.

Heads up, dear readers! We’ve got breaking news as Steve Jobs of Apple unveiled the iPhone 4 earlier today. Obviously, you’ve got plenty of questions about what to expect from this new smartphone so we’ll give the full rundown of Apple’s latest product. Let’s start by discussing the iPhone’s design. Of course, the outer body of the phone consists of black glass and stainless steel rim, just like the infamous prototype misplaced, discovered and leaked in the news several months ago. The iPhone 4 is also three grams heavier and 34 percent thinner than its 3GS predecessor and has split volume buttons made of stainless steel. Apple says that this smartphone is currently the thinnest one in existence today. The stainless steel rim is also used for the phone’s antenna to provide better reception for 3GS and WiFi. The physical size of the phone is 4.5 x 2.31 inches in width, 0.37 inches thick with a weight of 4.8 ounces (137 grams).

Now we’ll take a look at the smartphone’s hardware. Like the iPad, this iPhone has an internal Apple A4 chip. Furthermore, the phone also uses several other interconnected chips, which include a Cortex-A8 main processor unit, a PowerVR SGX 535 and two low-power 128MB DDR SDRAM chips. The Cortex-A8 processor acts as the phone’s main controlling mechanism, the PowerVR SGX provides hi-def graphics and the SDRAM chips give greater processing speed. The iPhone 4’s battery was also improved, made 16 percent larger than the previous iPhone battery with a longer lifespan. According to Apple, the new battery makes the iPhone 4 capable of 7 talk hours over 3G, 6 browsing hours over 3G, 10 browsing hours over Wi-Fi, 10 hours with video, 40 hours with music and 300 hours on standby.

The new iPhone’s multi-touch screen is 3.5 inches with 960 × 640 pixels and Apple calls it the Retina Display. Thus, it has four times as many pixels compared to the previous iPhone display with 326 pixels per inch resolution in the screen. Apple said that this IPS display is the same tech found in the iPad, so applications can run with better resolution, sharper view for text, 3D graphics and vectorial art. The new display also has the same oleophobic layer as the iPad and iPhone 3GS for easy cleaning. The iPhone 4 has two cameras as well. The main camera is backlit, has a larger sensor, larger lenses and a higher ISO but retains the same 5 megapixels. However, the main camera also has an LED based flash for making photos and video. Meanwhile, a video conferencing camera is located on the front of the phone. It has standard VGA resolution, third-party application compatibility and also features Apple’s own video conference solution. In addition to these features, the iPhone has a internal gyroscope for tracking movement with great accuracy. It has a 3-axis, enabling it to detect roll, pitch and yaw. It’s also combined with an accelerometer to make 6-axis sensing possible. It features an extra microphone to cancel out noise and the same micro-SIM standard as the iPad as well.

Finally, let’s consider the iPhone’s 4’s software. It has ISO 4 for selective multi-tasking. Thus, you can multi-task with applications while consuming less battery power and resources. ISO 4 also gives the Retina Display resolution independence, so applications are instantly adjusted to look sharper. This applies to typography, 2D vector graphics and 3D graphics as well. Meanwhile, the iPhone also offers the capability for video calling, made possible with its video conferencing camera. Apple calls this service FaceTime and communication is available from one iPhone 4 to another over Wi-Fi. Apple is featuring a new editing sofware called iMovie for iPhone as well. This software runs on hi-def with 720p, allowing you to edit video clips, add extra effects for still images and gives you access to a music soundtrack from your phone’s iTunes. Then you can export finished videos to 360p, 520p and 720p. However, iMovie is a separate application not included with the iPhone 4 itself. Lastly, ibooks are also compatible with ISO 4 and they’re accessible through the same controls used on the iPad’s iBook application. The new smartphone is scheduled for release on June 24 in black or white color options while prices are $199 for 16GB and $299 for 32GB.

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