How much do we love bringing you the latest new gadgets? We braved a freak and generally unseasonable New York thunderstorm, risking waterlogging our cell phones, not to mention the imminent possibility of death at the hands of that old iPod hater, Zeus. There were a half-dozen big vendor events in Manhattan yesterday, which of course means that it's beginning to be time to start thinking about possibly beginning to get ready for the three-month publication lead time before the start of the holiday season.Check out the spread from yesterday's Samsung and Belkin NYC events, after the jump.
We headed over to Samsung's Holiday in July event first. A little clever marketing goes a long way--in Samsung's case, this meant eschewing the standard press event space, in favor of a gigantic (in New York terms, at least) West Village apartment, to show off its new line of consumer and home electronics. In all, there was a ton of cool stuff being showcased, from washers and driers to Blu-ray players. Here are a few highlights, category by category:
Camcorders:
SC-HMX10 HD Camcorder: This lightweight and tiny cylinder of a camcorder looks like a terrific option for people looking for a portable and easy way to shoot in HD. The HMX10 has 8GB of built-in memory, and an expandable SD/MMC slot. There's also a retractable 2.7-inch LCD screen, featuring controls along its edge for easy access.SC-MX10 Camcorder: The MX10 looks an awful lot like the above model. The big difference is the lack of HD video--the representative I spoke with repeatedly called this model as the "YouTube camcorder," referring to the ease with which users can capture video as an MPEG-4 and upload it to the popular video site. All told, at least according to the Samsung representative, the process between shooting and streaming to Web occurs in a matter of minutes. No built-in memory on this one, but it ships with a 512MB memory card. The slot supports up to a 32GB card.
DVD Players:
DVD-HD1080P7: This DVD upconverter lets users view their standard old DVDs in near-HD quality, with a resolution of up to 1080 p. The player is compatible with your HDTV and will play all standard CD and DVD formats.
DVD-HD1080P7: This DVD upconverter lets users view their standard old DVDs in near-HD quality, with a resolution of up to 1080 p. The player is compatible with your HDTV and will play all standard CD and DVD formats.
MP3 Players:
K3: A good-looking little player, the K3 keeps with Samsung's focus on small, lightweight, low-capacity players. This one is .27 inches thick and offers up to 25 hours of battery life, a full-color screen, and an FM tuner.U3: The U3 looks a bit like a pack of bubble gum with a small OLED screen on top. It's portable and affordable at $89.99. There's a pop-out USB connector, an FM radio, a voice recorder, and 2GB of memory inside.
Plasma Screens:
94 Series Full HD 1080p plasma: HD signal are transmitted wirelessly to your set, up to 200 feet, using 802.11n, making for one less cord in the oft cluttered word of home entertainment systems. The display offers 1080p, and 18-bit color processing, as well as a 15,000:1 contrast ratio.
We got to Belkin's event at the same time as the rainstorm, as good a method as any for keeping people walking around in circles at your press event--hors d oeuvres don't hurt either. Belkin's spread was a bit less impressive than Samsung's due primarily to that fact that Samsung has their multinational hands in just about every consumer electronic pie imaginable. Still, there was some cool stuff on display, particularly the N1 wireless router [pictured at the top of the post].
94 Series Full HD 1080p plasma: HD signal are transmitted wirelessly to your set, up to 200 feet, using 802.11n, making for one less cord in the oft cluttered word of home entertainment systems. The display offers 1080p, and 18-bit color processing, as well as a 15,000:1 contrast ratio.
We got to Belkin's event at the same time as the rainstorm, as good a method as any for keeping people walking around in circles at your press event--hors d oeuvres don't hurt either. Belkin's spread was a bit less impressive than Samsung's due primarily to that fact that Samsung has their multinational hands in just about every consumer electronic pie imaginable. Still, there was some cool stuff on display, particularly the N1 wireless router [pictured at the top of the post].
iPhone AccessoriesBelkin "worked closely with Apple" in order to roll out a slew of accessories to coincide with the iPhone's release. The Acrylic Case gives you protection and a foldable stand for your phone. The Sport Armband allows you to strap the thing to your arm, while you go jogging. The Headphone Adapter makes it possible to connect 3.5-mm headphones to the iPhone.
N1 Vision: Belkin's big new device of the night was the first wireless router to feature an interactive display. The screen shows users upload and download speeds, bandwidth usage, the number of devices connected, and network key access. It seems fairly easy to use and takes a lot of the frustration out of the perpetual blinking lights. It's also one of the best-looking routers we've seen.
N1 Vision: Belkin's big new device of the night was the first wireless router to feature an interactive display. The screen shows users upload and download speeds, bandwidth usage, the number of devices connected, and network key access. It seems fairly easy to use and takes a lot of the frustration out of the perpetual blinking lights. It's also one of the best-looking routers we've seen.
Washable MouseMaybe it's my propensity for computing in the tub, but there's a soft spot in my heart for this waterproof optical mouse. It may also just be Belkin's tendency to display the thing with blinking rubber duckies. Where's Molly when you need her?
Wireless USB Hub: Freakin' finally. This thing is set to roll out in August for $199.99. The four-port hub transmits up to 30 feet at speeds up to 480 Mbps. The Belkin representative demonstrated by streaming a movie clip from USB thumb drive. When I asked why anyone would need that specific functionality, he started talking about hooking up printers to the thing. The hub transmits to a dongle that fits into your notebook's USB port.
Wireless USB Hub: Freakin' finally. This thing is set to roll out in August for $199.99. The four-port hub transmits up to 30 feet at speeds up to 480 Mbps. The Belkin representative demonstrated by streaming a movie clip from USB thumb drive. When I asked why anyone would need that specific functionality, he started talking about hooking up printers to the thing. The hub transmits to a dongle that fits into your notebook's USB port.
