2014 CES: Best of Show awards showcases emerging technology

The 2014 International Consumer Electronics Show is history now and probably all that's left behind are discarded name tags and freebies that nobody wanted.

But Engadet, a popular technology website, has released its "Best of CES 2014 Awards" winners with some real goodies on the list. These are the gadgets that we'll likely be hearing more about this year.

The finalist come from different categories, such as Best Startup, Best Digital Health & Fitness Product and Best Automotive Electronics Product. Some were prototypes, some were in the funding stage and some are expected on the shelves soon.

Some of the previous stars of technology didn't make the list, such as desktops, laptops and not even a tablet. The emerging smart watches were also absent and smartphones were not all the rage this year, except for the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact. According to Engadget, the Xperia Z1, a smaller version of the larger Xperia, features some of the same powerful components as its larger sibling.

We can expect to see a wave of Fitness Bands on our wrists in the wearable technology arena. They will monitor everything from heart rates to burning calories to swimming strokes. The JayBird Reign fitness device stood out to the Engadget judges. The Epson Pulsense and Atlas fitness bands were also at the electronics show.

There is even something for the kids in a wearable baby monitor, which will let parents monitor a baby's vital stats.

Then there is the mysterious 3D printer, for which this technology still has a ways to go before ending up in my office, but it's getting there, with the MakerBot Replicator 3D printer eating the way. For virtual reality and gaming fans, the Oculus Rift VR headset looks very promising. It is now in development as a Kickstarter project

So be sure and check out the full list of technology products that had the "wow factor" at the CES in Las Vegas. These are the gadgets that will be after our wallets this year.

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Samsung unveils the Galaxy S IV in a show-like performance

Update: The Samsung Galaxy S IV is coming to AT&T, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile and possibly Verizon Wireless soon. T-Mobile is offering an early-bird "sign up now" option to be notified for updates about the Galaxy S IV.

The long-awaited Samsung Galaxy S IV finally took the stage tonight at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

While the BlackBerry 10 platform had the spotlight for a while, The S IV will now bask in the limelight with a long list of innovative features. It did not disappoint us.

Right off the bat at the Radio City Music Hall event, Samsung President of Mobile Communications J.K. Shin took the stage and pitched the innovative feature of automatic scrolling and Smart Scroll/Pause using eye tracking, a unique feature among smartphones currently on the market. For example, a video you're watching will pause when you look away.

According to Shin, the Galaxy S IV is slim at 0.31 inches, or 7.9mm, and he refers to it as a "life companion." But it's still not quite as slim as the iPhone 5's 0.30-inch depth. It missed being among the thinnest smartphones by a hair.

But with a five-inch display and weighing in at around 4.6 ounces, 2.7 inches wide and 5.4 inches long, the Galaxy S IV joins other big-screen smartphones, such as the Motorola Droid DNA and the Sony Xperia Z. Only the Samsung Galaxy Note devices have larger displays at well over five inches. It has a 13 megapixel main camera and a 2 megapixel camera on the front. Both cameras can shoot video simultaneously, which might be an industry first and unique to the Galaxy S IV. Under the hood, you'll find a 2600 mAh removable battery that powers Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, running alongside two gigabytes of RAM and 16 GB of storage that can be expanded by adding a micro-SD card for up to 64 GB.

A unique photo-mortising feature will allow anyone taking a picture with the rear 13 MP camera to also insert themselves in the picture, which would be taken with the 2 MP front camera. Along the same lines, if someone walks through the background of your photo, they can be erased.

An S Translator feature on the Galaxy S IV will convert languages for travelers or anyone unfamiliar with a foreign language. The Galaxy S IV understands nine languages and supports text-to-speech to speech-to-text. It has translations for French, German, Italian, Chinese and other languages. Over 3,000 common and "useful" sentences also are included in the translation database that are not depended on a wireless connection if you're out in the boondocks.

Just like the BlackBerry 10 platform, the Galaxy S IV has a work space and personal space known as Samsung Knox that will separate business information from personal files.

This new device has a big bag of goodies and tricks. A Group Play music feature allows music sharing among eight devices. Air Gesture lets you navigate the phone without touching the screen. Air Call Accept allows a call to be answered by waving your hand. Adapt Display will adjust screen brightness based on what you're viewing. The build-in Near Field Communication, or NFC, works with HomeSync for cloud storage of all your stuff. Just a tap will keep the Galaxy S IV in sync with all the content.

The Galaxy S IV will come in Black Mist and White Mist colors and is expected to be available this spring on most of the major carriers.

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TechRadar editors select Best of the Best at the 2013 CES

The winners of the first annual TechRadar Best of CES Awards 2013 were announced today. TechRadar editors touched, played, used and reviewed the hottest and newest items the Consumer Electronics Show has to offer and named their top choices direct from the show floor at the convention center in Las Vegas.

Winners of the TechRadar Best of CES Awards 2013 include:

Best in Show: Sony Bravia 4K 65-inch Television

Peoples' Choice Award: Steam Console Concept – Valve

Best Cell Phone: Sony Xperia Z

Best Tablet: Razer Edge

Best Laptop: Lenovo ThinkPad Helix

Best GPS Device: Bad Elf GPS Pro

Best Digital Camera: Fuji X20

Best Audio Accessory: MUNITIO PRO40 High Performance Headphones

Best All-in-One Computer: Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon Table PC

Most Unique Product: Panasonic 20-inch 4K Windows 8 Tablet

Best Car Tech: Lexus Self-Driving Car

Best Home Theater Product: Sony Bravia 4K Television 65-inch

TechRadar, owned by Future U.S. media group, is the United Kingdom's biggest technology website and launched a U.S. focused site in April 2012.

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Smart watches connecting to smartphones could be next big thing

I have been feeling a little like Dick Tracy lately, as I walked around with a Sony SmartWatch on my arm. There is a certain cool factor about this device, which was on loan from Verizon Wireless.

The SmartWatch functions as an extension of your Andriod smartphone or tablet and will allow you to read text messages and view social network updates, as well as check the time and date. The latter should be a "duh" moment; of course it'll give you the time and date.

I was up and running in no time, which allowed me to leave the Android smartphone in my pocket for most tasks.

The SmartWatch makes a Bluetooth connection to Android devices. After downloading a SmartWatch Liveware manager app from the Google play store, you're off and running with Facebook and Twitter updates, the weather, text messages and other features that have smart watch apps available. After digging around in the Android app store, I discovered SmartWatch apps for eBay, Web Cams, games, and get this – a Bubble Level.

I got most of these apps and features to work with the SmartWatch, but keeping a connection to the Android phone is kind of flaky. You can't let them get too far apart, as in the next room, or the Bluetooth connection will be lost.

I also found that swiping the face of the SmartWatch to control the menus and features was a little hit and miss. I would prefer hard button for some of these functions, as the face of the watch is too small for big fingers to be swipe and pinch. The SmartWatch has a single button to bring up the time and date.

Some users found the charging cable tricky to navigate, as it plugs into the underside of the watch, but depend on clamping friction from the watch back against the band to hold it securely. But once you do it a couple of time, it becomes a fairly easy maneuver.

The SmartWatch is compatible with most Android smartphones and tablets. A long list on Verizon's website includes the Droids, HTC, LG, Motorola and Samsung devices. As expected, the Sony Xperia Play is also compatible.

The Sony SmartWatch is listed at $149 from Verizon Wireless and is only available for Android devices at this time. But other manufacturers are also working on iOS compatibility, along with their Android software.

The Citizen Watch Company is taking a different approach with their $495 Eco-Drive Proximity wristwatch. According to this well-known giant in wristwatches, their smart-watch timepiece will connect to the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 through Bluetooth and features automatic adjustments for time zones, a lost iPhone search feature and email alerts with discrete vibration.

To use the smart watch features on the Citizen Proximity watch, you'll need the Proximity app in the Apple App Store. But early adopters are reporting Bluetooth connectivity problems in their reviews.

This technology is still in the early stages and I'll say the best is yet to come. As we look ahead to 2013, we can expect smart watches from MetaWatch, Martian Watches and Pebble. All of these firms have watches that are about to hit the market or are on the drawing board. These devices will be able to answers phone calls and the social networks integration will get better.

I'll predict that smart watches will be the next big thing and we won't have to reach for the smartphones as often to check emails or answer a call.

More: Apple smartwatch may be in the works

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Windows 8 is coming; upgrading or a new device will need a plan

Windows 8 will be available for sale on Oct. 26 and can be pre-ordered now. So it’s time to start thinking about your game plan for upgrading your existing computers or pondering what kind of device you’ll want in a new purchase.

But there is some confusion about which version of Windows 8 will work for you and the price you’ll pay, along with a long list of choices for new Windows 8 hardware coming down the pikes.

Windows 8 will be available in several versions — one for tablet devices running ARM processors, which will be called Windows RT, and another for desktop PCs that’ll be known as Windows 8 Pro. A consumer version is also in the works and will just be called Windows 8.

As for the price, it’ll depend on whether you per-order the Windows 8 Pro DVD package now and pay $69.99, or wait until the release date on Oct. 26 and pay $39.99 using the Windows 8 upgrade Assistant online.

If you have purchased a new PC after June 2, the upgrade price from say Windows 7 will be around $15, which is not a bad deal.

The other issue with upgrading your existing Windows operating system to Windows 8 will be the licensing or product key dilemma.

According to Microsoft, If your PC is running Windows 7 Home Basic or Home Premium, your files, programs and settings will easily transfer to Windows 8. But if your PC is running Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate, Windows XP or Windows Vista, you will probably need to re-install some programs.

So in a nutshell, you should be able to install Windows 8 on the same PC hardware that powers Windows Vista and Windows 7. Just make sure you have at least a 1 gigahertz or faster processor, 2 gigabytes of RAM, 20 gigabytes of hard drive space and a video card with DirectX 9 graphics and a WDDM driver.

If you have installed Windows 8 Consumer Preview, you should be fine with an upgrade as long as the Consumer Preview was installed over a previous Windows OS.

But if it was installed on a new hard drive with no previous OS, such as if you built a PC, then you can expect a challenge and will need to purchase a new version of Windows 8 for a license and product key.

As you think about whether to upgrade you existing PC or buy something new, keep in the mind that Windows 8 is optimized for touch screens and you might not get the full experience on a desktop PC.

Anyone using a tablet with Windows 8 RT installed will be able to swipe and swoosh away in the new interface. For a desktop or laptop, you’ll have to get use to taking your hand form the keyboard to reach over and touch the screen for a little magic.

As for other choices running Windows 8, there will be somewhat traditional laptops that convert into tablets and tablets with detachable keyboard. They will have screens that’ll slide and flip or completely detach in order to transform from one device to the next.

In addition to the usual notebook PC manufacturers, such as Acer, Asus, Dell, Lenovo, HP, Samsung, Sony and others, Microsoft also will have a dog in the fight with their Surface tablet. This will put Microsoft in direct competition with the Apple iPad's iOS and many of the other manufacturers that also will have Windows 8 on their devices.

So whether your upgrading or buying for the Windows 8 experience, it’s time to start thinking about your plans.

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Review: HTC One V from C Spire Wireless is one good bargain

I usually carry my regular smartphone in my right pocket and whatever phone I'm reviewing for this column in my left pocket. Then it's a matter of how often I reach in my left pocket for the review phone to read email, run an app, check social networks, surf the Web, take a photo or shoot video.

I've been carrying the HTC One V from C Spire Wireless for a couple of weeks and I've been reaching in my left pocket quite often. I like this phone for a lot of reasons.

The HTC One V is one of the latest Android devices running OS 4.0, also know as Ice Cream Sandwich, with the HTC Sense interface running in the background. This combination gives a smooth experience with easy to navigate features.

One of first things I think anyone would like about the One V is the Beats Audio feature that HTC has deployed in several of their smartphones after announcing a "strategic partnership" with Beats Electronics in August 2011. You might be familiar with Beats Audio from the Dr. Dre audio promotions.

But the relationship didn't last long, as it was reported in July by HTC's investment arm and several media organizations that Beats Electronics did a repurchase of 25% of the company back from HTC.

Despite the business concerns of the two companies, I couldn't wait to connect a pair of generic earbuds to the One V and the sound didn't disappoint me. It was pretty good, but probably would have been better with a set of Beats Audio earbuds, which are no longer included with HTC Beats Audio-branded phones. If you still want the Beats Audio experience, you can start shopping for your own beats-branded earbuds for around $150.

The FM Radio feature on the One V is really handy for outside activities while listening to your favorite stations, which can be preset for easy selection and includes the station ID. The Beats equalizer software seems to do its job, even with a pair or Sony headphones connected instead of the Beats Audio brand.

The other reason for a closer look at the One V are the images from the 5 megapixel rear camera. While the camera rating is low, compared with other recent smartphones that have 8 megapixel cameras, the One V can hold its own with vibrant colors, a continuous shooting mode and a unique ability to also shoot video while also taking still images.

I found my digital images from the One V to be of good quality, but I would have concerns if there are plans for any kind of print production, such as a newsletter or brochure. There appears to be no front-facing camera available on this device.

The battery life from the 1,500 mAh battery in the One V was decent for all my testing, but it is non-replaceable, just in case that arises. It has a respectable talk-time rating of 7 hours. After a period of extended use, you'll notice some heat on the backside, but not enough to worry about.

As with all the Android devices, setting up email was a breeze. The options include Microsoft Exchange Active Sync, Hotmail, which is now Outlook Mail, Yahoo! Mail and Gmail of course. There also are other POP3 and IMAP email options.

The 3.7-inch display on the One V seems small among all the four-inch and above displays now available. But it's still larger than the iPhone's 3.5 display, which also is rumored to be larger in the next version due out soon.

As for processing power, the One V's 1.5 gigahertz Qualcomm processor was adequate for my purposes, but keep in mind that dual-core is all the rage nowadays on smartphones.

I'm glad this device has a good predictive text feature, as the keypad is a little cramped and I found myself using the landscape mode for most typing chores.

Despite a few shortcomings, the One V is quite a bargain at around $50 with a two-year C Spire contract. You'll get the latest Android OS and the best of social networking, email, document handling and other Android features.

A unique design with the curved-chin fits comfortable in your hand and against your face while talking.

It's a comfortable Android smartphone at an affordable price.

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CTIA Wireless show technology a glimpse into the future

As the International CTIA Wireless show was winding down, I left New Orleans with a feeling that I experienced the future of technology. It was happening all over the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and let me tell you, that is one big place.

I didn't take long to run into bumper-to-bumper traffic as I tried to make my way home and I had plenty of time to think about all the cool gadgets and software applications as I snaked along the interstate past the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

This was an international show and the guys from Japan, China, Germany, South America and other locations certainly had good technology to show off. I think their 20-hour-plus flights were worth the time and effort to share their innovative ideas with us.

I didn't know much about them before, but I am now a fan of international tech companies like NTT Docomo and Huawei.

I have an avatar coming via email, which was created by a couple of sharp guys with Docomo, whose 3D modeling application took a photo of my face and added the ability to make my image smile or wink. It was awesome and a glimpse of what's to come in the 3D modeling space.

The representatives from China also caught my attention with a built-in retractable headset for smartphones. The headset is incorporated into a phone case that also has a 1500 mAh battery. This technology is their solution to limit radiation from mobile phones when talking with the device held up to your ear. You also can't loose it or leave it at home or in the car. If you have your phone, you'll have your headset. I need one of these.

Several CEOs from Visa Inc., Mozilla Corporation, Electronic Arts and Spotify left the audience pumped with their visions for the future of their industries. Their keynotes certainly had the "wow factor" and I now want to play more games, after listening to Electronic Arts' John Riccitiello and watching his demonstration video.

A few other things stood out from their presentations to a quiet and attentive audience of tech gurus and buffs from all over the world.

HTML 5 is the future of the mobile web, so embrace it.

In the "you probably didn't know this" department, people spend more time playing games on their mobile devices than talking and this industry will grow even larger in the years ahead.

Mobile payments are going strong in developing countries as a money transfer solution, such as in Uganda and Nigeria and it's just around corner for us in the states. Visa and Mastercard, along with partnering banks, have big plans for our smartphones to be used as wallets.

I learned that Spotify, a mobile music technology with European roots, is gaining traction in the U.S. after being on the scene for about a year. CEO Daniel Ek says they are here to stay and offer a vast library of songs and playlists.

The Sony engineers have been hard at work developing their contactless IC cards technology, which can be used for e-tickets, mobile wallet transactions and tracking your healthcare through an online healthcare management system. By using NFC technology, devices such as Pedometers, blood glucose monitors and thermometers can transfer information to your NFC enabled mobile phone or a PC with just a tap.

But my favorite at the Sony booth was the One2Touch wireless keyboard that works with your smartphone. During a demonstration, a Sony representative just simply placed the phone on​ the slim keyboard and started typing, with no charging or pairing. Sony says the keyboard can be folded to pocket size. This technology falls in the "I've got to have that" category.

There will no shortage of smartphone choices, as more handset manufacturers enter the market. Two heavyweights that you'll hear more about are Unnecto and Plum, who both have offices in the U.S. They offer low-cost dual SIM devices in variety of styles, including touchscreens and QWERTY keypads, that'll work on GSM networks.

At the LG booth, I was attracted to the LG Optimus Vu smartphone, which is only available in Korea at the moment. It'll have a 5-inch display, a unique 4:3 ratio and note-taking features with a stylus. This device will attempt to combine tablet and mobile phone features in a size that'll slip into your inside jacket pocket. This one will likely compete with 5.3-inch Samsung Galaxy Note and will be worth checking out when it hits these shores.

The automobile industry was in the house with a slick, black Porsche, sporting the QNX Software Systems integration, which is a subsidiary of Research In Motion, or RIM. We'll also find QNX technology and features in the upcoming release of BlackBerry 10 devices this fall. Around the corner, Ford Motor Company showed off an electric Ford Focus with their Sync technology.

There was much more technology and almost too much to see throughout the gigantic convention center that made your feet hurt after all the walking back and forth.

I think that Gary Kovacs, the CEO of Mozilla Corp. and the maker of the popular Firefox browser summed it all up by saying "the future is always sooner."

That was certainly the case at the International CTIA Wireless 2012 show in New Orleans.

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