Gadgetory

this week on the cnet tech review apple announces new ipods again netflix movies come to the iphone volvo helps prevent pedestrian collisions and how to save a cell phone that's been dropped in the drink it's all coming up right now hi everyone I'm Hollywood and welcome to the Cena tech review where we collect our hottest videos of the week and tell you what's good and what's bad in the world of tech and offer some unique tech wisdom in the form of the bottom line let's start with the goods this week Apple held its annual music event here in San Francisco and this time around it was less about big surprises and more about fine-tuning existing product lines Steve Jobs was there to walk us through all the upgrades and now here's Jeff Bakalar to break it all down it's Wednesday September second 2010 I'm Jeff Bakalar and it's time to get loaded Apple updated its line of ipod music players in a pretty significant way the ipod shuffle thankfully got its buttons back the ipod nano by far received the biggest change dropping the iconic click wheel for a tiny three centimeter by three centimeter multi-touch display the ipod touch now comes with the high-resolution retina display from the iphone for a front facing camera for facetime calls and HD recording on the rear the ipod classic remains unchanged from last year's model at 160 gigabytes the new ipods are available for pre-order now and ship next week Steve Jobs also announced new updates to iOS starting next week iOS 4.1 will fix the proximity sensor issues but also allows for HDR photography that means the iphone 4 will now take three images in rapid succession at various exposures to pull in detail from highlights and shadows iOS 4.1 also brings along game center which is Apple's gaming social network along with iTunes ping which is Apple's new social network for music sharing and discovery that functionality is also built into itunes 10 the company also previewed iOS 4.2 which will be released in November for the iPad bringing multitasking folders and finally wireless printing to the ipad apple's one last thing moment was a drastically different Apple TV previously apple TV allowed users to store movies and music in the devices hard drive but the new hardware does away with all of that instead now it's a streaming centric device which can play movies TV shows and music streamed over your home network can also stream netflix titles in addition you can now rent movies for 499 or TV shows for just 99 cents the new Apple TV will retail for only ninety-nine dollars those your headlines for today I'm Jeff Bakalar for cnet.com and you've just been loaded for more of our coverage of Steve Jobs announcement and first looks of all the new ipods head over to Cena TV com of course the first thing most people do or should do when they get a new ipod is throw out those white earbuds that come with it so if you've still got some money to burn these new diddy beats in ear headphones might make a stylish although pricey replacement this game is stylish your phone's monster may not have a corner on the market but there's no denying that it's beats by dr. dre brand is among the more fashionable lines currently available unsurprisingly the diddy beats a collaboration with Sean Diddy Combs are no exception true to form the rapper producer was closely involved in the design process of these earphones the evidence is clear in the details the earpieces in particular standout wrapped in leather at and accented in shiny silver did he also had a hand in choosing the color options which are black white and a rather nauseating pale pink the cable which descends from each ear button and terminates here in a reinforced gold-plated L plug as the flat ribbon style that the beats brand is becoming known for features are not sparse either the diddybeats feature monsters controltalk inline remote and mic for the ipod and iphones and the package include the carrying case an impressive array of ear tips i'm also pleased to report that these earphones offer nicely balanced audio playback with good clarity and a bass response that is sufficient but not overpowering at $150 they're not exactly a seal but they are a solid by for those whose very blue suitcase I'm just you're seeing it for the first look at the headphone I don't know Jasmine I kind of think I could pull off those pink ones if you have an extra pair of them lying around you know where to find me but maybe you don't want an ipod at all you are still allowed to use other players you know no really and actually if you're interested it's hard to go wrong with the sansa fuze plus just ask Donald Bell hey I'm Donald Bell and today we're taking a first look at the sansa fuze plus this is a new portable media player from sandisk available in five colors and three capacities for 8 and 16 gigabytes price to fly out the doors at $79 89 $119 like the original sansa fuze from 2008 the fuse plus handles music videos photos radio podcasts voice recording and micro SD memory card media the screen is bigger now 2.5 inches up from to the navigation is handled using a capacitive touch control now instead of the click wheel and the connection to your computer is now handled by a generic micro USB cable instead of the proprietary connection on the old version there's also a headphone jack on the bottom volume control on the side and the power button at the top aside from the cosmetic differences there's also a lot of welcome changes happening under the hood the fuse plus is now one of the first sands of players to support unprotected AAC audio which is a huge deal if you've been getting your music through the iTunes Store you also get support for mp3 FLAC OGG wav WMA audible and subscription music files so all the bases are covered another bit of good news for those looking for an inexpensive mp3 player that will work with an iTunes library is to support for h.264 or MPEG 4 videos you also get WMV compatibility and sandesh provides free software that will optimize videos and photos for the fuse including any videos captured using a flip camera I feel the audio quality is decent here for the price but you're not going to get an extensive suite of eq or sound enhancement settings like a sony or a samsung player a pair of earbuds come included as well as a pouch and a USB cable the bottom line if you're on a budget or if you're looking for no frills media player that will work with most of the unprotected content from an iTunes library the sansa fuze plus is a solid value the design won't turn any heads but for as little as eighty dollars you really can't go wrong that's the sandisk sansa fuze plus we're cnet com I'm so if you vowed to never give in to the pressure of the Big Apple machine there's still hope for you I just hope you don't mind if I keep using my iPad cuz Angry Birds as Jeff mentioned earlier the new Apple TV will be enhanced to allow netflix streaming iphone users won't be left out in the cold though there's finally and Netflix app for them to totally want to see this movie hey there and welcome to tap that app I'm Jessica doll cord and this is the show where we covered the hottest apps in the mobile space this week we wanted to show off the brand new Netflix app for iphone and ipod touch if you think you've spotted it before you're not wrong it used to only be available on ipad but now you can find it for the smaller bushel of apples iDevices best yet it's absolutely free now the netflix app is a pretty awesome way for you to stream content from anywhere you are there's the home screen that throws out quirky category suggestions for movies you might like to watch like feel good comedies or dark dramas based on real life if that's not exactly your cup of tea you can also browse for flicks and shows by more typical genres like action and foreign the app shows you all the details like the rating the synopsis and the list of episodes if it's a TV show in addition you can add content to your instant queue or just play the video on the fly the direct line to your instant queue is actually pretty awesome because it means that you can stream those movies and videos on demand directly to your iPhone or iPod touch video quality was excellent on the iphone 4 we've got right here without any bumps or breakups but that's only when you're within a strong network range you can slightly adjust the screen dimensions while the video plays and there is a handy button to take you back 30 seconds if you miss apart so what happens if you have to stop the show Midway that's no problem at all Netflix actually keeps track of your place and lets you pick up where you left off from the top of the home screen in addition it will prompt you to resume the video after you've closed the app and then reopen it all of this makes netflix for iphone ipod touch and ipad and exciting competitor to Hulu Plus especially if you're already a netflix subscriber subscriptions start at about nine dollars a month or you can sign up from the web or from the app for free 30-day trial so there's your look at Netflix's very tap worthy streaming app if you've got any suggestions for other apps we should look at email us it's half that app at cnet com that's it for this show I'm jessica's all court and keep on tap trust me there really is no better way to enjoy dude where's my car then on a three inch screen alright it's time to take a break but we'll be back with more cnet tech review right after this welcome back to the cnet tech review our weekly video digest of all things good and bad we've seen here at cnet continuing on with the good when he's not filling in for Natalie unloaded Jeff Bakalar is also host of our pregame podcast all about video games so who better to try out Sony's entry into the motion controlled gaming race here's his first look at the PlayStation Move hey what's up everyone I'm Jeff Bakalar for cnet.com today we're taking a first look at the playstation move bundle starter kit for playstation 3 after first debuting the technology at e3 2009 sony is finally ready to release the bundle it's a hundred dollar bundle and it comes with PlayStation I which is the camera you're going to need to use PlayStation Move the PlayStation standard controller for move and it also comes with a game Sports Champions which is a collection of six minigames and include disc golf gladiator archery beach volleyball bocce ball and table tennis now the standard move controller comes with a rubber ball on top and this LED light inside can change color so that the camera can follow your movement so if you have a blue ball it'll won't clash with whatever your background is and this will change if it needs to now we really like the way the move controller feels it feels really nice in your hand and it has all or most of the same buttons as a standard dualshock 3 controller you've got the square triangle circle and X button on the back you have a trigger button and on the sides are select and start now obviously the bundle comes with sports champions which is basically Sony's responds to Wii Sports now there's only six sports here but the games feel like they're more in depth there's more production value you can unlock things there's a lot more to explore in these games a little more than what's provided on the wii sports games now this is what you're going to get in a hundred dollar bundle there are other games coming out just for PlayStation Move we got to play a few like kung fu rider which is a sort of wacky japanese-inspired game where you down a hill in an office chair it's a little strange but it's a lot of fun to play there's also a game called tumble which is basically boom blox if you've played it on the wii it's sort of like a jenga game where you use the remote to control boxes on screen now obviously we're going to have to compare playstation move to wii motionplus because they basically give you the same sort of control environment obviously PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Move are going to provide the better graphics there's really no comparison in that point but in terms of actual motion control we do think PlayStation Move provides a slight bit of an edge when it comes to actual precise motion control accuracy just because the PlayStation Move uses a camera whereas wii and wii motionplus does not now obviously we're really big fans of being able to use motion control in HD gaming we've never been able to do that before but we're just not sure this first initial launch of PlayStation Move games is compelling enough to make that first purchase as the games come out and they're more developed we think there will be a better incentive to buy playstation move in the future we also really enjoy the fact that you can use your motion controller to navigate through the cross media bar in the playstation 3 menu system for thirty dollars you can get this navigation controller that has a d-pad and an analog stick plus l1 and l2 buttons on the back which is going to be used for games where you're using a gun or some sort of environment where you have to have your character moving around on screen as well as being able to aim properly and that will be available when PlayStation Move launches which is September 19th so that's going to do it for our first look at playstation move I'm Jeff Bakalar for cnet com thanks for watching okay I admit it we kinect for xbox playstation move they all look fun but what happened to the good old days when it was okay to play video games lumped on the sofa covered in cheeto dust I mean what's the longest standing up and moving around and with that actually get ready for the bad folks sometimes bad things happen to good gadgets like when your phone ends up at the bottom of a kiddie pool or it's mistaken for a teething ring well fear not Sharon Vaknin is here with some suggestions for drying out a wet cell phone whether it's Anna rain storm lounging at the pool or even in the restroom there are times when your phone is in danger of getting soaked I'm Sharon Vaknin from cnet com here with some tips on how to save a cell phone once you realize your phone got wet it may be your instinct to hit the power button do not try to turn it on yet remember what happens if you drop a blow dryer in water water and electricity don't mix your device will quickly short-circuit and you've earned yourself a paperweight another thing to avoid is well blow drying your device so it's true your device will dry out you'll likely burn it in the process instead the first thing you'll want to do is take out all removable parts like a battery SIM card or memory card and Pat everything dry then you want to try to extract all of the remaining water extracting the water can be done in three ways the most common method is the rice bag method when cooking rice the water is absorbed into the rice greens so let's apply that science to water in your phone simply take your phone including all the parts you've removed and put them in a bag of uncooked rice let it sit for 24 to 72 hours depending on your anxiety levels a lesser known way to dry your device is by using silica packets there are those pouches of beads that come in most devices purses and of course man purses or nurses with this method just take a ziploc bag fill it with silica packets and drop in your gadget like rice silica absorbs moisture and your device should be liquid free in one to three days realistically most of us don't have a stash of silica packets but have no fear they're readily available online order them quickly and keep a supply around for future water accidents now these methods can work wonders but if you want a more dedicated solution try the beastie bag at first we thought it looked like a gimmick so we tested it with an mp3 player we dropped in water lo and behold it works the airtight pouch is filled with moisture absorbing beads so it acts a lot like rice or silica just pop your phone and its parts into the bag wait 24 to 72 hours and all the water will be extracted at twenty dollars it's not the cheapest solution but it definitely beats buying a replacement phone regardless of the method you choose once you've waited the requisite 24 to 72 hours just remove all the parts from the bag put your gadget back together and hit the power button with any luck you'll see the device power on as usual if so you've successfully rescued your device and these methods should work for many of your devices from phones to mp3 players and even digital cameras just remember if you are forced to try one of these methods manufacturers still have sneaky ways of telling if a device has been drenched chances are you voided your warranty but at least your phone works again and just a side note if you find yourself soaking your phone or mp3 player over and over again you might consider buying waterproof gadgets for sina com I'm Sharon Vaknin and I'll see you on the next how 2 one extra tip for you there don't try cooking that rice after you're done it's not safe CBS cares and now it's time for this week's bottom line for years Volvo's have been known for their safety which is probably why you used to see so many high school kids driving their parents hand-me-down Volvo wagons these days volvo continues to be at the forefront of vehicle safety as Brian Cooley found out at this recent demo lots of cars emphasize safety these days it sells but no one does it like Bobo they're a little nutty about it let's check out the latest example of their obsession a car that keeps an eye on pedestrians and check the tech we've shown you bulldoze city safe before it stops you before you run into something now they'll keep you from running into someone with a new tech called pedestrian detection with full auto breaking okay the parts are there but I've encountered plenty of self parking systems that don't and lane drift detectors that camp let's see if Volvo got this fully baked now how is this different from the object detection them because I would think if it sees an object of any kind it's going to stop that would be City safety right this is going further the object detection is a very simple technology we use lasers it's just looking for something metallic about the shape and size of a car this is more complex because it uses a radar system once it detects that it's closing in on something a camera takes a picture processes it again windshield yeah we see if my kids there so the camera takes the picture process is it against 10,000 stored images of humans and it tries to see is this a human it's only if it's human that it will stop for the production so how does it tell if it's human I mean just the shape it's the signature so head neck shoulders legs torso even the movement so it's all of that humans are more than eighty percent water so it's actually harder for us to get it to stop for a dummy than it is to get it to stop for you or I or a real person because the water and our bodies are the radar is able to check up on some of the composition of even being yes okay so just going on also and we're still obviously always advancing the technology for right now because of the angle of the radar and the camera it can only detect something down to 32 inches okay so it's looking specifically again hopefully someone that small would be with a parent that it would tell that it would pick up right okay notice that pedestrian detection is built on software using a couple of existing car tech trends radar and visual cameras in addition to this car's windshield cams there's also a walleye cam on the front for a wide angle creeping one under each side view mirror looking back for things in your blind spot and the fairly common one on the rear that is almost pedestrian these days but the s60 s offers a close-up view for real fine work when backing up we haven't seen that before alright so I'm supposed to roll on here and the idea is we're in city traffic doing a few miles an hour I'm sitting you're chatting to you i'm texting god knows i never do that i'm looking out the window there here's this guy stepped off the curb and look at that I never touched the brakes and bob is still standing I got the brakes I felt that on really hard the pedal was really moving hundreds round grinding zone what happened on here on the dash yes that is a strip of LED lights and an audible warning that come on about a second and a half before it's gonna break for you so it's giving you again always a chance to engage wake up wake up you're driving stop texting I like how it got really close to him when it stopped as if I'm not just going to stop but I'm gonna also teach you good lesson is this something at the switch on is it always on pedestrian detection is always on and if you think that we're saving human lives and intervening and preventing fatalities you can see why you know yeah why don't I return it all right and what insurance company would really want you to be able to oh to be honest do you guys anything about the insurance discounts that companies innovations no I haven't heard anything about that quite yet and I think part of the reason is because the vehicles actually land and we'll start being available to pick up your local dealership in September so we'll probably hear more about that then this works up to what speed 22 miles per hour right so goes works every time well and we have found that 75% of accidents happen at low speeds under 20 miles per hour so you know we are really looking to avoid the majority of accidents and then going forward hopefully prevent all accidents i'll give it to volvo the technology does seem to just plain work over and over and over of the roughly thirty seven thousand traffic deaths in the u.s. each year about 12% are 4400 are pedestrians technology like this could make a big dent in that number but not until it's available more widely than on a single forty thousand dollars semi elite swedish sedam okay this guy is very happy about pedestrian detection but will consumers be I mean bulldoze kind of mixing a funny message here naughty and super safe those are kind of odd bedfellows this car has to succeed is a great road car which they tell us it is with a pretty hot motor under the hood and some great suspension tech and all that we shall see when one comes into the cnet garage but in the meantime pricing on this will be around 37,000 base September 2010 in showrooms but this pedestrian technology were showing you is part of a tech package on top of that but this is a case with Volvo trying to hang on to their roots they do safety tech very well but also move into something a little more salacious the bottom line this week safety first everyone the upside of this technology is that lives will be saved the downside everyone will have to drive Volvos for it to make a difference and they are expensive the s6 you is pretty hot though all right folks that's our show join us next week when we'll have our first look reviews of the new ipod touch and a whole lot more until then there are tons of great videos available every day at cnet TV calm and hey enjoy your labor day weekend see you next time and thank you for watching