Welcome to part of my must have gadgets from CES posts. I’m a gadget nerd and there are always new toys that I think I need. Today, I’m going to be showing off another two gadgets that I really want. One of theme I might actually be buying in the next few months.
In the last post I told you all about the 110 inch Westinghouse 4K TV. Well, don’t worry this gadget is nowhere near as large, but it is a 4K display. At CES, Panasonic had been demonstrating a variety of display but then they showed off their newest tablet. The company announced a 20 inch tablet running Windows 8. This tablet has a display with a whopping 3840×2160 resolution.
Let me start off by saying wow, this should look awesome. You might be wondering, what’s under the hood of this massive tablet? Well lets rundown some of the system specs. The tablet boasts a 15:10 aspect ratio display that supports ten finger multitouch. But underneath there is an Intel Core i5 processor clocking in at 1.8GHz, and NVIDIA GeForce Graphics Card, 4 GB of RAM (although the system can max out at 16GB), and lastly a 128GB solid state hard drive. All in all, for a tablet those are some pretty powerful specs. Don’t forget that this tablet will be running Windows 8, not Windows RT. That means you have full blown Windows 8 running on the tablet.
One of the benefits Windows 8 tablets have over their Apple counterparts is the ability to connect a variety of devices. The Panasonic tablet features a microSDXC port and a USB 2.0 port. In my opinion a USB 3.0 connection probably would have been overkill. On top of that there is of course WiFI (a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0, and front facing 720p HD webcam for using video chat applications. On top of all of these features this Panasonic tablet allows you to use a digital pen to take notes, sketch drawings, or even edit pictures. With a 4K display there tons a screen space for sketching. For that reason I think this could be a very powerful tool for architects when drawing up blueprints.
Of course, there are some downsides to the tablet. Obviously with a 20 inch display this isn’t a tablet you are really going to use on your morning commute. The system weighs in at 5.3 lbs and measures 18.7 x 13.1 x 0.4 inches. You will definitely want to use two hands when carrying this bad boy around. One of the other major trade-offs is that this tablet has a battery life estimate of about 2 hours. That’s enough for moving the system around the house and to be honest I don’t really see a lot of people wanting to use this on batteries all the time anyway. So, are you interested in getting this tablet? Well, Panasonic hasn’t announced any prices for the 4K tablet but based on the TV prices I don’t see this being a cheap new toy. But, it would be a pretty badass toy!
If you’re a podcaster or an amateur musician this next gadget is going to be right up your alley. Blue Microphones makes incredible mics that are fairly affordable. I use the Blue Yeti for recording a weekly podcast and the voice quality is just incredible. Needless to say, I’m a big fan of Blue’s products so anytime I hear of a new one I get intrigued.
At CES Blue unveiled their newest USB microphone. This mic continues the theme 
of naming the mic after an animal. For example, I have a Yeti named that way because the mic is fairly hefty in size. This latest mic is called the Nessie and when you take a look at it you’ll see why. It does bear a certain resemblance to a fabled creature in Loch Ness.
Blue unveiled this new mic and it is pretty feature packed. This USB mic features a built in pop-filter and a built in shock mount. If you podcast that means that you won’t hear the popping sound associated with Ps nor will the vibration on your desk carry over to your recordings. There are 3 setting on this mic that are selected via a switch on the back. One for instruments, one for vocals, and one that turn off all on-board processing. The on-board processing handles EQ and level control. Basically if you aren’t familiar with audio editing the Nessie will automatically adjust to provide the best sound.
I love my Yeti microphone but the Nessie really tempts me. This is mostly because the Nessie can easily be connected to an iPad, or any iOS device, via the camera connection kit. This allows for easy recording on-the-go. It would make it much easier to record live conventions or outside my home studio. Its possible with the Yeti, but that requires a powered USB port which reduces the portability. If you’re just getting started podcasting and want a solid mic I think the Nessie would be a good deal at $99. The built in pop filter and shock mount will help to save money and most other USB mics on the market require you to buy those accessories.
If you want to hear the audio quality the Nessie can provide check out the audio samples on Blue’s web-site. They are very impressive. Nessie isn’t out yet, but is slated to come out in early 2013 so you have time to think about whether this is the mic for you.
