Gadgets with split personalities shine at CES 2014
Culture
Reporting from the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas, I'm Bridget Carey, and this is your CNET update.
As CES 2014 rolls on at the Las Vegas Convention Center, there are fewer formal news announcements, and that means we have more time to spend with some unique products on the show floor.
Gaming company Razor showed off it's concept for the future of gaming PCs.
It's called Project Christine,
and it's a high-end gaming rig where a central rack hold plug-in parts, so you can build your own gaming tower in any combination even if you don't know how to build your own PC.
You just buy the pieces you want and stick em into slots.
And it's all cooled by mineral oil.
This year, some gadgets are getting attention for being two things in one; take for instance the Avegant Glyph.
You can wear it as a pair of headphones.
But then, you swing the visor down and watch a movie or play a game with a screen
that has 1280 x 800 resolution.
It also can project 3D images.
I got a chance to try it out myself, and it was a really crisp image.
I didn't feel dizzy or cross-eyed watching this.
The goggles will be available to order on Kickstarter later this month for $500, but it won't ship until later in the year.
Another two in one is the ZTE Projector Hotspot, but it's more like a 4 in 1 because it's a small projector that's also a battery recharger and a 4-inch android screen.
Once you put
a simcard inside, you can download any android app and also use it as a hotspot to connect up to eight devices.
The projector part mirrors what you see on the android screen.
And on a wall, the image can be blown up to 120 inches.
It has an HDMI port so you can plug in something like an Xbox to do gaming, or you can use the wireless connection to tap into Netflix to watch a movie.
The USB port also lets you recharge your gadgets with its massive battery.
And that will be coming out sometime this year.
Toshiba
has a new take on a laptop tablet hybrid.
The screen can fold 360 degrees back on the hinge, but you can also separate the keyboard from the screen, and when you do, the screen still has the stand to prop it up.
How about combining a Blackberry with an iPhone?
The iPhone Case Typo adds a keyboard to the bottom, like a Blackberry.
In fact, it's so similar that Blackberry is suing Typo for infringement.
And outside of the fun gadgets, T-Mobile shook things up again by announcing it
will pay the early termination fee penalty for customers who switched from rival carriers, and the total value of the trade-in offer to be switched could be as high as $650 per line.
You can catch up on all the must see products and moments from the show at CES.
CNET.com.
From the Las Vegas Convention Center, I'm Bridget Carey.
