pictures

VoIP turns Motorola digiframe into phone

Have we just glimpsed digital picture frame 2.0? In the spirit of expanding the uses of a ubiquitous gadget, Motorola has come up with a prototype frame that also functions as a voice over IP phone, complete with speaker, built-in video camera, and Bluetooth headset.

The wireless frame, which can be programmed via touch screen, disguises a CDMA femtocell, a small cellular base station typically designed for use in home or small-business environments. Consumers could use the photo frame as a Wi-Fi base station, as well as a network--whose radius could be programmed via cell phone--through which other devices … Read more

LG's 60-inch THX plasma brings accurate color

Judging from our two previous reviews of THX Display Certified HDTVs, the Panasonic TH-50PX800U and the LG 50PG60, the certification gets at least one thing right: primary and secondary color accuracy. Our recent review of LG's best 60-inch plasma, the 60PG60, finds that those color points are still dang accurate, regardless of size.

The 60-inch LG performed almost the same as its 50-inch brother, and we expect similarities between the 50-inch Panasonic and its 58-inch bro, due to grace our labs soon, according to the company's representatives. We still think LG has some work to do though, especially in the black-level department, but that doesn't stop the 60-inch monster from producing one of the best huge-screen images we've tested this year.

Read the full review of the LG 60PG60… Read more

Smartparts partners with Microsoft for Wi-Fi frame

One of the things I like most about Smartparts is that the company designs its own frames start to finish. No off-the-shelf "we'll-take-that-one" kind of stuff. And its new 8-inch Wi-Fi frame, announced Tuesday, is no different.

While adding Wi-Fi to frames isn't new, the SPX8WF's 802.11 b/g wireless abilities are unique in that it uses a pre-assigned e-mail address that comes with the frame, allowing you or anyone else to send pictures directly to the frame. It's also one of the first Smartparts frames to integrate with Windows Live Photo Gallery. … Read more

Kodak announces world's first $999 digital frame

Sorry, it's the "world's first consumer-available wireless picture frame featuring innovative Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) technology" actually. That's right, it's a 7.6-inch, backlight-free, OLED-panel digital picture frame with built-in wireless for just less than $1,000.

On the upside (yes, I consider a $999 price tag a downside), Kodak's Wi-Fi technology allows you to access pictures, video, and music stored on PCs throughout your home, as well as connect to online photo- and video-sharing sites (like Kodak Gallery, and Kodak partners Flickr and FrameChannel), and Internet content portals for news, weather, … Read more

LG 50PG30: 1080p plasma for less

When we first checked out LG's entry-level 50-inch plasma with 1080p resolution, model 50PG30, we thought it looked pretty good, especially for less than $2,000. The classy gloss-black styling and long list of features, including plenty of picture controls, boded well for this model's chances on paper. We'd also had positive experiences with two other 50-inch LG plasmas we reviewed earlier, the THX-certified 50PG60 and the entry-level 50PG20, a 720p display that's enough of a bargain to occupy second place on our Best budget HDTVs list.

In person, however, the 50PG30 was a bit less impressive. Our main gripe has to do with color accuracy; despite a plethora of adjustments, including a full color management system that allows tweaking of primary and secondary colors, we couldn't get color to look quite right. Just-average black levels didn't help, and while video processing was solid, it couldn't make up the gap between the LG and other entry-level 1080p plasmas.

For the complete scoop check out our full review of the LG 50PG30.… Read more

Samsung LN46A950: LED-powered LCD delivers deepest blacks

As anybody who pays attention to the ubiquitous Samsung ads that run in CNET's home theater section can tell you, last year I called the picture quality of the company's LN-T4681F a "breakthrough" for flat-panel LCDs. I didn't resort to such highly descriptive language in my review of its successor, the LN46A950, but that doesn't mean I wasn't impressed. It can produce the deepest shade of black of any flat-panel LCD I've reviewed so far.

The extremely expensive A950 series, which also includes a 55-inch version, earns the right to charge so much because it employs LEDs (light-emitting diodes) to create the light behind the screen, whereas most flat-panel LCDs use florescent lights. The difference is that LEDs can be dimmed or turned off in dark areas of the screen.

Last year I noted that the LED-backlit Samsung, while capable of producing some very deep black levels of its own, suffered from some blooming effects--where especially bright objects on dark backgrounds are surrounded by a dim glow--and worse-than average off-angle performance. So did the company correct these issues in its second generation?

Read the full review of the Samsung LN46A950.… Read more

Epson announces three new sub-$100 printers

Color lasers, black and white multifunctions, color inkjets, compact photo printers--with a handful of options available to shoppers, the all-in-one (AIO) color inkjet printer is arguably the most functional. The ability to perform multiple functions within the same machine is a useful and convenient feature for the home-office entrepreneur, poor college student, or the everyday home user. Prices for these high-performance machines are affordable across the board. Today, Epson introduced three new AIO printers under $100. Let's take a closer look at the new offerings:

Epson Stylus NX100 Printer, scanner, and fax machine Two ink-cartridge bays with four total … Read more

Report: Universal and Disney may help U.S. theaters go digital

Universal Pictures and Walt Disney are close to finalizing a deal that would all but guarantee the digitizing of the nation's movie theaters, sources told CNET News.

Universal and Disney have agreed in principle to join a consortium of theater chains and motion picture studios that will finance the cost of modernizing movie houses, the sources said.

The sources were commenting on news of the deal, first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

For years, the high costs of outfitting theaters with digital projectors, servers, and other technology stymied modernization efforts. It was always believed that it would take … Read more

Insert 'Ghostbusters' song reference here: PNY offers movie on USB

Who's PNY gonna call? SONY!! LOL!!...Oh god, kill me. I tried to not make a "gonna call" reference, but the more I tried, the more inescapable it seemed.

Anyway, on Wednesday PNY Technologies announced with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment that it would be releasing a 2GB USB flash drive with the original Ghostbusters movie on it. This is apparently the first time a full-length movie has been released via a USB flash drive. For me, though, this begs the question, "Why Ghostbusters?"

The drive is releasing now, but the 25th anniversary of the theatrical … Read more