This memorably titled ultrabook caused quite a stir at this year’s CES apparently, and given it’s innovate bendy qualities, it’s no surprise. It may open as a normal notebook but in featuring a 360 degrees dual-hinged design the IdeaPad Yoga can be flipped 360 degrees backwards and be transformed into a tablet!

Once in tablet mode users have full control of a 13.1-inch 1600 x 900 touch screen, which apparently allows 10-point capacity touch. Asides ‘bending’ in the same way a yoga instructor bends her – or his – body bewilderingly effortlessly, to transform from being a bog-standard ultrabook into a flat tablet, Lenovo’s Yoga can also be positioned in ‘tent’ mode, thus creating a handy viewing stand.

This multiple-guised ultrabook is powered by Intel Core processor, supports up to 8GB of RAM, and up to a 256GB SSD and has been designed to take full advantage of Windows 8. But what I personally like the sound of is that the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga has an eight hour battery life.

Despite being incredibly thin, measuring at a mere 16.9 mm depth, those lucky tech journalists who have been lucky enough to have had a hands on peep at the IdeaPad Yoga assure us that its fully rotating hinge feels strong and robust.

While the online tech-world is unable to share its enthusiasm towards Lenovo’s new convertible ultra-innovative ultrabook – given that almost every tech site from Algeria to America has dedicated a feature about it – two criticisms about this yoga-sculpted device have surfaced. Firstly that as the screen doesn’t fold over the keyboard, keys may get scuffed when the machine in lay down and secondly that the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga isn’t expected to be launched until later this year!

[Source: Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga: A novel twist]

NAMM is the largest music product trade show in the world. It’s essentially CES for music, and this year was a record year for the organisation with 95,709 registered attendees and over 1,400 exhibitors.

We’re only going to cover a small percentage of what was on offer, from DAW (digital audio stations) to apps and synths to midi controllers.

One of the main talking points of the show was a new DAW (digital audio station) Bitwig. It comes from some of the clever bods behind Ableton – and  the Berlin start-up is clearly very brave considering they’re setting up shop in the same town as goliaths like Native Instruments and their main rivals Ableton.

There’s no information on pricing, which would give us an idea on who they are looking to target. But, Bitwig’s main appeal is flexible editing tools and a super-fast workflow.

Included are features such as multi-track recording, clip automation, instruments and effects, time-stretching and VST support. They haven’t revealed too much yet – but you can sign up for a chance to beta test the new software later this year at Bigwig.com. Check out the video below for an introduction.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7V_t8GfH-v4

One piece of hardware that caught our attention, and probably the attention of all the world’s music producers, was the new MPC Renaissance from hardware stalwarts Akai. This substantial, vintage-esque, piece studio equipment is designed for music producers and digital DJs and offers Akai’s class-leading drum pads and more rotary controls than a steam train.

The audio circuitry is the same that you would find in a Modern MPC, but the Renaissane comes with a special party piece: vintage mode. According to Akai the software is built in-house and will work with your preferred recording suite by running in VST, AU, or RTAS mode.

It also includes a 6GB sample library for reproducing some of the classic sounds of the MPC3000 and MPC60. On the hardware side, the Renaissance is the mother of all controllers with no expense spared — there’s plenty of room for 16 backlit MPC pads, 16 Q-Link controls, and a ton of I/O, including USB, MIDI, 1/4-inch stereo, and a dedicated turntable inputs.

The Renaissance will cost you though, with a street price is expected to be around £1,000.

But, if you can’t afford that sort of money – then have a look at MCP Fly. Built for the iPad 2, it comprises a 16-pad controller that comes in laptop-style case, which also houses your Apple tablet, and an app that enables you to sequence up to four tracks simultaneously.

The concept seems pretty sound to us, though we’re keen to find out just how capable the MPC Fly is in practice.

Digital music store Beatport was at Namm and from what we saw they are getting into the hardware business. One product that caught our eye was their incredibly practical range of gigging cables.

While they don’t offer anything particularly new they did have couple of clever ideas. First off, their range of cables come colour-coded – something someone should have thought of ages ago. There’s no doubt these will be a god-sent for digital musicians and DJ’s, who are often struggling with low lighting levels in clubs when they’re trying to setup their equipment. Another clever touch was the use of hinged USB ports – meaning you can connect equipment securely into the smallest of spaces.

[Source: The Best of NAMM: Beats, beats and more beats]

What you need is an all action camcorder. One that you can clip onto yourself and wear, to take with you wherever you like, not to mention one that can take a knock or two. Enter stage right Swann’s new Freestyle HD video camera. Built to the toughest specification and capable of recording 1080p video with up to 3x digital zoom and still 8MP JPEG images, this is a camcorder you can use practically anywhere, and in any environment.

As well as capable of handling a knock or two, the protective case surrounding the camera is also waterproof up to 20 meters, which means you can use it outdoors without any fear of damaging it. The camera can also be worn either on an item of clothing, or clip to a wide variety of objects, including a bike, car or even a skateboard thanks to its interchangeable brackets.

Other features of the camera include a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery that allows up to 2.5hrs of recording time, a detachable 4cm screen which is used to view your recently taken movies and pictures, and a wireless remote control function.

If you are planning on going on an adventure, the Swann Freestyle HD should be high on your ‘to bring’ list. Recommended retail price of £279.99

For more information please visit Swann’s website: www.swann.com.

[Source: Swann Freestyle HD: The all-action video camera]

Three new XF Fujinon lenses were also unveiled at CES, to go with the new X Mount on the X-Pro1. This new mount is really thin, which should reduce shutter lag, and the lenses have some outstanding apertures: The lenses include an f/2.0 pancake, a 90mm f/2.4 macro lens and a 53mm f/1.4mm lens.

The X-Pro1 is expected to appear in March and the price has yet to be announced.

The Nikon N4, meanwhile, has an intriguing wireless network feature. Connect the D4 to a network using either Wi-Fi or Ethernet and you can use your browser to operate the camera – take photos, change your settings, focus shoot video. You can also see a live feed, although of course how well this works depends on the quality of your connection. One of the most useful features is that you can take photos on your camera and view them on your computer immediately, without having to connect it via USB or place the card in a card reader.

The Nikon D4 is a professional DSLR featuring a 16.2 megapixel CMOS sensor, allowing the shooting of Full HD 1080p and 720p video. Pictures can be saved onto Compact Flash or the new XQD memory card format.

The D4 will be available in February and comes at the professional price of £4799.99

Other cameras that focus heavily on connectivity are Samsung’s range, including the 21X-opticazoom WB850F, the 10X optical zoom ST200F and the 18X optical zoom WB150F, which all offer direct uploads and the ability to sync with Android smartphones for sharing and offloading pictures.

Kodak’s EasyShare M750 also allows for direct uploading to sharing sites and can be paired with BlackBerry, Android and iOS handsets.

Camcorders that also offer Wi-Fi include Canon’s Vixia range and Samsung’s QF20 HD camcorder.

Getting rave reviews at CES was the Canon Powershot G1 X, which is a compact camera but still has a 1.5in, 14.3 megapixel sensor  – that’s up there with many DSLRs. So it should give great picture quality (even in low light conditions) without you having to carry around a large camera. It also offers full manual control, 1080p video, and a 14-bit RAW mode

Available in February for around £700.

Lens giant Sigma also announced its new 180mm f/2.8 macro lens for digital SLRS, which features Sigma’s own Optical Stabilizer technology and a wide aperture to offer narrow depth of field and faster shutter speeds.

Sigma also debuted a new range of Micro Four thirds (for Panasonic and Olympus cameras) and E-Mount lenses (for Sony NEX-series cameras) for mirrorless interchangeable lens compact snappers at CES. There are two new lenses – the 30mm f/2.8 EX DN and the 19mm f/2.8 EX DN. Prices and availability to be announced.

[Source: The best cameras at CES]

Available from mid-February, the recorders come with either 2GB or 4GB (VN-713PC) internal storage. That’s enough space for 34 or 67 days of audio – or enough to never need to delete a file. If you do run out of space, the VN-712PC and VN-713PC come with a microSD card slot to add even more capacity.

The battery life is also excessive, offering 72 hours of LP recording. We find that pretty incredible – hit “record” and it’ll still be going in three days. No wonder stalkers are getting excited.

The sound-quality has also been tweaked, starting with the inclusion of an integrated low noise microphone that delivers a higher S/N (signal-to-noise) ratio than the old editions. While all models can save files in WMA (ugh), the two top-ends (VN-712PC and VN-713PC) can also save in the much more useful MP3 format.

A “Scene Select” function comes as standard, allowing you to match your recorder’s settings to your environment for the best possible recording. Other software benefits include a low-cut filter to further enhance recording quality.

The VN-713PC also features voice-activated recording, as well as noise cancellation to help cut out unwanted background sounds.

On the play-back side, there’s a voice filter for the VN-712PC and VN-713PC that improves the sound quality of human voice. You can also control playback speed to suit your listening preferences.

These two models also feature the new Calendar Search function, which lets users locate files from the recording date using a dedicated file search button. On all devices, up to 99 index marks can be set to flag important places in individual recordings.

Oh, and did we mention they all have built-in stands?

[Source: New Olympus VN-713PC, VN-712PC and VN-711PC recorders]

The Bayan 7 design is a contemporary look with a 12mm wood casing. It feels solid and well made. It is on the large side so be prepared to clear some shelf space. It has 120W sound power output through twin amplifiers. Having tried it out, it really does belt out the songs. Coupled with an 8” subwoofer, the sound quality is very good. I got the chance to compare it to its competitors like the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin and it provides a natural soundstage so you hear just like the artist intended. I could really pick out instrumental changes in the Bayan 7. One of features which sets it apart is has a near-flat frequency range. ‘Frequency response’ measures the ability of the product being tested to reproduce all frequencies, from low bass to high pitched sounds, at a consistent volume level. On a graph, the frequency response is near flat whereas its competitors are up and down.

So the sound is there but you will not get any extra features like Internet Radio, AirPlay or iPhone App. Bayan Audio decided to focus on the sound to make it the best it can be than give little features which most of time do not get used. However I was told they are looking to make plugins will be plugged in the back which will give you some extra features (although no word on what the features may be). An iPad, smartphone or laptop can all be plugged in to USBA/3.5mm socket in the back so wherever your music is stored, you can play it on the Bayan 7.

At £299 it cheaper than its competitors but it does not offer the same features they do. You can order one from www.bayanaudio.com.

[Source: Bayan 7 iPod dock: A natural soundstage for your music]

This Bluetooth Class II laser device projects a cybernetic keyboard onto any flat and opaque surface, thus giving iPhone, iPad or Android users instant access to a keyboard. And far from being tiny, fiddly and awkward – does the Blackberry’s keyboard ring any bells, the virtual keyboard projected is 9 ¾ inches wide and 4 inches deep, with ¾ inch keys.

But how could a keyboard, without ‘actual’ keys, recognise keystrokes you may be asking? According to The Virtual Keyboard press release, an optical sensor recognises keystrokes in three dimensions and is so sensitive to finger placement that it distinguishes between a finger hovering over or pressing a “key”. An invisible infrared horizontal plane is also projected just millimetres above the surface, which detects ‘actual’ contact with the ‘key’. When a finger then breaks the plane, the projector then allocates a character on the keyboard and transfers it to the device it is hooked up to – spookily clever hey?

If you are a speedo typist and worried that The Virtual Keyboard will not be able to keep up with your ultra-fast typing skills or produce the 100% accuracy you expect it to, then fear not, as this simulated keyboard can apparently keep up with typing speeds of up to 400 characters-per-minute, and, Hammacher Schlemmer’s general manager informs, that it transmits “100% accurate keystrokes to a smartphone or iPad.”

This three inch tall projector sits inconspicuously on a desk and, given its unobtrusive size, is easily transportable, whilst its rechargeable battery provides up to 2 ½ hours of typing after a 1 ½ hour charge.

Since 1848 this long-running American company has prided itself on offering only ‘the Best, the Only and the Unexpected.’ And in providing iPhone and iPad users with an alternative method to type on other than a tiny touchscreen, which is bracingly bigger than the minute keyboard of the Blackberry, Hammacher Schlemmer really is living up to its self-implemented reputation of offering ‘the Best, the Only and the Unexpected’. Bring on 2012 if gadgets this year are going to be as thrilling as The Virtual Keyboard!

The Virtual Keyboard retails at $199.95.

[Source: Hammacher Schlemer’s Virtual Keyboard for iPhone and iPad: A spookily clever device!]

Well Otone have a three-pronged strategy to winning both your affections and a place in your living room: great sound, innovative design and low low pricing. We had a look at their 2.1 speaker set – the Stilo 2.1 Pro speaker + amp setup to see how it stacked up.

The Stilo Pros sound pretty good. I should mention it contains Otone’s patented “Vortex Drive™ System” but I’m not entirely sure what that means and am pretty sure it’s only designed to simultaneously confuse and impress me. But I do know they sound pretty good and hold up despite a variety of genres thrown at them.

The Stilo pro pack 75W total RMS which helps when you are going for a massive sound. The high-efficiency class D digital amp filters out unwanted high-frequency pulses, leaving a smooth low-frequency signal. The Stilo Pro comes with a standalone amp, which in addition to the standard power and volume controls that you’d expect, also allows fine adjustment for bass and treble, and can switch between 3.5mm and RCA inputs. The 3.5 mm inputs seem a little old-fashioned but they are pretty widespread and means you can hook your cassette walkman from the 80s up and it should still work. Handy if you’re having a retro c90 party.

For an RRP of £89.99 there’s a lot to recommend the Stilo 2.1 Pro. Take a look here.

[Source: Stilo 2.1 speakers review: OTone! OTony! OToni!]

Part of Vuzix’s handy (and award-winning) technology, the Tac-Eye LT unit enables users to view the real world alongside relevant computer generated information, graphics and alerts (full-on ‘Terminator’-type stuff, innit).

Designed with the mobile user in mind, its high-contrast SVGA (800×600) display is close to perfect for displaying images from a wearable computer, laptop, vehicle mounted computer system, security cameras, or any other video source. Combined with some of the new Ultra Mobile PCs, European users now have access to one of the lightest, rugged wearable computer systems ever built. Yep. It’s just that good.

David Lock, Director of Operations EMEA Region, Vuzix commented,

“The Tac-Eye has been a popular choice among the defence, security and industrial sectors across the US for some time now and we have regularly received requests for information on the Tac-Eye products from interested parties in Europe. We’re delighted to now be offering these products and to have the ability to fulfil all of the potential sales requests that come into the European office.”

Mounted on Oakley SI Ballistic M-Frame 2.0 eyewear (but it also clips onto standard safety glasses, FYI), the monocular display will improve the user’s situational awareness (with a super 30 degree diagonal field of view) over other monocular models. It is expected to be a popular choice with industrial organisations across Europe due to being able to withstand varying degrees of shock, vibration, water, dust and temperature fluctuations. Told you. ‘Terminator’-type stuff!

The VGA unit includes a standard VGA connector as well as a rugged mouse, the video unit provides a BNC and RCA connection that will accept NTSC, PAL, and RS-170 video signals and the VGA/video unit includes all of the connectors and input devices from both of the VGA and video configurations. Power, display brightness, and display orientation are controlled by the inline control pad. You have the power. You have the technology, and so on.

Ready in three formats: Video, VGA and VGA/Video the Tac-Eye LT is available now from www.vuzix.eu.

[Source: Vuzix Tac-Eye LT: Full on Terminator eyewear]

The ‘Dot’ from Kogeto

The ‘Dot’, from New York based Kogeto, is billed as ‘the World’s smallest panoramic video thingy for the iPhone 4 and 4S’. As you can see from the picture above, the Dot is certainly an eye catching ‘thingy’ and instantly made us curious when we stumbled across it at this year’s ShowStoppers event.

In a nutshell, it clips on to the back of your iPhone and the Dot’s 360 lens sits over your camera. The company’s free ‘Looker’ app then enables you to use the Dot to take a 360 degree video (yes, video!) of your current surroundings.

While the immediate question might be ‘what for?’, it was undeniably something we wanted play with! The initial result was far from convincing with a blurry picture and incomplete 360 video. When we raised this with Kogeto, they said the most likely cause was a protective film on the lens. They also conceded that the current instructions aren’t very clear (no pun intended!) and that we weren’t the only ones who had the issue.

On our 2nd attempt, without the lens protection film and with better lighting, we were able to secure a perfect (albeit still slightly blurry) 360 video capture of the room. In conclusion the ‘Dot’ looks like it will be a fun and quirky gadget to take with you to a party or on holiday. We’ll update you when we get details on UK pricing and availability. For more info visit http://kogeto.com/

Update on Jan 25: Kogeto’s PR people tell us the Dot will be in Apple stores in March retailing at around $79 or 60 euros.

iBallz iPad protective ‘case’

Having been out for a while, the iBallz isn’t exactly a ‘latest’ gadget, but we’re suckers for quirky looking gadgets and we’d not seen this one before. The iBallz is incredibly simple in concept – it’s an elastic cord with four shock-absorbing balls attached to it. You simply slip it around the frame of your iPad and position a ball (which has a small slit) over each corner. The selling points of the iBallz system is that it doesn’t obstruct your view of the screen and it can be dropped from any angle without your iPad touching the floor (check out our video of iBallz).

Initially we were a bit sceptical of the demand for such a strange looking case, but when they mentioned that schools loved the product – it suddenly became clear that co-founders Lee and Derek might be on to a winner. The iBallz is already available for US$20 via www.iballz.info or £19.99 on iwantoneofthose.com

spnKiX motorised skates

CES 2012 was the official launch event for spnKiX – a pair of battery powered, motorised (up to 10mph), skates that you strap over your shoes. Invented and developed by LA-based designers Peter Treadway and partner Janelle, the spnKiX is something they’ve been working on in their spare time over the last 5-8 years (depending on who you asked!). After two or three hours of charging, the spnKiX will give you a range of 2-3 miles and their speed can be controlled via a hand-held remote. According to Peter, the spnKiX can be viewed both as something to play and do tricks with, as well as acting as a short distance vehicle. They are due to start shipping in March 2012 with a retail price of $649. More info is at www.spnKiX.com

‘Flash Dock’ an SLR iPhone/Smartphone dock

The ‘Flash Dock’ enables you to mount a smartphone on top of your SLR camera, using your camera’s HotShoe socket. For those thinking “the what shoe?” – the HotShoe is the socket on the very top of your camera more traditionally used to attach an things like a flash-gun.

However, by marrying your smartphone and SLR, the Flash Dock enables you to use your HotShoe for all sorts of purposes. For example, you could download a spirit-level app from your phone’s app store and use this to ensure your SLR is completely level. Or maybe use the light app to help illuminate a low-light scene. Or even push the dock forwards and use a microphone app to record audio while filming. The only limit is whether someone has developed an app for it!

The Flash-Dock itself is very basic, it’s just a mount and clip, but nevertheless it’s one of those “that’s a clever idea” products that might just prove to be a hit. The French-based company behind the dock are working on distribution, but the expected retail price is $34.95* and they hope it will be available within a month. To find out more information you can visit www.flash-dock.com

*Update on Jan 25: Retail price now $29.99.

Toffee cases and sleeves

While not strictly a gadget-manufacturer, the Sydney-based ‘Toffee’ caught our attention thanks to a combination of their beautiful leather iPad cases and having the charismatic Dan llic helping on their stand. We’ve since discovered (thanks Wikipedia!) that Dan is in fact a comedian, writer and performer back in Australia – which might explain how he had the stamina to remain upbeat and friendly even at the end of another long CES day! We’ll be giving away a Toffee Macbook Air/Pro case in our post-CES competition, but in the meantime you can find out more at http://www.toffee.com.au

Rounding up a round-up

So, that wraps up another year of CES coverage. We hope that you’ve enjoyed our three part round-up and stay tuned for coverage of IFA 2012 and of course CES 2013!

[Source: What caught our eye at CES 2012 – Part 3]