CES 2012 – Recapping the Rest of the Week

And we’re back!  We broke down some of the hottest news coming out of Day 1 of CES.  Now it’s time to recap what we learned from the last few days of CES..

With the announcement that the OnLive gaming service would be making it’s way to iPads/tablets, along with a desktop application, we now have news that Google TV will start supporting OnLive also.  This could be a good partnership for both parties.  Both are good products that need extra exposure.

Comcast will start offering a new service called “AnyPlay”.  AnyPlay will allow Comcast subscribers to watch live TV on an iPad device for free.  As long as the subscriber is already paying for the Comcast channels, then they can watch them on their iPads.  Right now it’s only available in Denver, CO and Nashville, TN and only works with iPads.  The plan is to expand this service to more areas and devices.  This sounds like HBO Go, but taking it a step forward by offering live content instead of saved shows/movies in the cloud.

Simple.TV is  a television-viewing device that warrants checking out.  Simple.TV allows for recording of over-the-air HDTV, all without needing an hard-wired connection.  No HDMI cables or video inputs necessary.  It also had the DVR functionality of pausing live TV recordings.

Simple.TV streams video from a device that is already on your home network.  The supported devices at launch will be Google TV, Roku, iPad and Boxee.  No internal storage is included, so an external hard drive must be connected to Simple.TV via USB.  The price is $150, and a $5 monthly premium subscription offers the ability to “season pass” recordings, and Slingbox-like capability to stream to your devices while off your network.  This may be a great alternative for people who want to forego the massive payments for cable TV.

Windows made some news that had me raising an eyebrow.  Windows will be offering a program called BlueStacks pre-installed on select Windows 8 machines.  BlueStacks will bring the Android Market to the Windows 8 operating system.  As someone who just switched from an iPhone 3GS to the Galaxy S II Skyrocket Android phone, I will be keeping an ear out for more information on BlueStacks.  Even though Windows still dominates the desktop/laptop landscape, Apple is slowly gaining ground.  Anything to help Windows differentiate itself from Apple is a win for Windows.  And offering Android apps on the Windows 8 OS can do just that.

That wraps up my final thoughts on CES this year.  I did not delve into the TV’s, laptops and tablets announced during the event.  Though I will be on the hunt for either a tablet or iPad this year, I will not be upgrading my TV or laptop anytime soon.  If you are, there were many OLED TV’s announced, all with enormous screen-real estate.  For laptops, the Ultrabooks were previewed.

What were some of the announcements that excited you at CES?  Did any company/products disappoint?  Be sure to let us know in the comments section below.

#ComicBookChronicles @CBChron founder. Editor-in-Chief of @thekliqnation. Comic book reviewer, podcaster #RABBLERABBLE

  • erik superman

    Lol, I’m not getting a new Tablet, laptop or TV either.  I like reading the reviews though, looking at trends and possible equipment for the future.  One thing I am definitely excited for is the release of the new Hopper and Joeys from DISH network.  Finally, DISH is going to give me a whole home DVR system, and it will have MUCH more capability than anything from DirecTV or Comcast.  I’ll be able to connect to four TVs, with each TV having access to the DVR playlist.  I’ll also be able to record TONS more content on the 2TB Hard Drive, with super fast speeds from the 750 MHZ Processor.  Apps like Pandora, Bluetooth and SiriusXM Satellite Radio just make it more interesting.  I got to try this gem out with my DISH coworkers last week, and can NOT wait for this to come out.  What did you guys think when it was released?

    • Wow now that’s a hookup!  Since I’m on Charter cable I haven’t paid much attention to the offerings of DISH and DirecTV.  But for them to give you a whole home DVR system and a 2TB hard drive….you really can’t ask for more than that.

      I have SiriusXM too and love it.  I have it in my car and use to have it on my surround sound in my apartment, but canceled it and now login online through the Chrome browser on my Google TV.  Then I can play it through my surround sound.

      Was the Hopper and Joeys announced from DISH during CES?

      • erik superman

        Right??  I never thought Sirius would be that cool, but when my car was in the shop I drove my dad’s Yukon and got hooked on Sirius.  Yea, the Hopper and Joeys were announced at CES, but they might have overshadowed the actual product by bringing a real Kangaroo on stage, lol.  Some people are not too impressed with the hopper, as it is a pumped-up Whole Home DVR system, but it has SO much more to it.  If you’ve ever gotten frustrated with other family members or roommates hogging the DVR, or ever forgot to set a recording before you left the house, this is a great product for you.  What do you have with Charter?  I’m not too familiar with them…

        • Charter has come through for me these last few months.  I signed a 2 year contract with them and got a whole lot of extra channels, while decreasing my bill but like $10. 

          I need to call them up actually and talk to them about this, cause I thought my bill was going to be around $140 and it was $180 last month.  I need to set a reminder or else I won’t think to do it lol.

          But at least they’ve added more HD channels FINALLY. 

          • Anonymous

            That’s cool man…..I live in Colorado and don’t know if we have Charter
            here.  So you GoogleTV??  Is that included in your setup, or do you
            use Logitech or your computer?  GoogleTV is such a cool idea, but
            companies have often made it very user-unfriendly.  Yea definitely check
            on your bill….I’m pumped that I’m going to get the Triple Play from
            DISH.  Is that kind of the same setup you have w/charter??  I know
            Comcast does the Triple Play, but I never got it when I had them because I
            don’t really have use for a home phone anymore, lol.  DISH is going to try
            to get setup with wireless, and I think in the next year or so they might be
            setting up the triple play, but with Wireless phone instead of home
            phone.  Just makes a lot more sense to me.  Where are you located??

          • I interned out in Denver for 2 summers in 01 and 02.  GoogleTV is a device that connects to your top box (mine is TiVo), so you just add it to your devices.

            You can also set it up to control all your devices too (TV, surround sound).  So it’s like having an Android device connected to your TV.  There’s a market with apps and it has Google Chrome.  So I can browse on the big screen TV.

            Oh and I’m in Georgia