With digital content becoming more prevalent, some of us want to directly link our computers to our TVs quickly and easily. But we don't all have a dedicated HTPC to make life simple. Enter Netgear's Push2TV wireless display adapter.

Netgear's solution involves the use of a box which picks up a signal from your laptop and feeds your desktop to the TV via HDMI, eliminating the need for your lappy to be tethered to your entertainment center. The only downside is that it requires an Intel-based computer with Wireless Display technology built in.

Push2TV will be available this month, bundled with select laptops at Best Buy, or sold separately for $100. Dongle plz? [Netgear]

Dave Zatz got an early peek at Monsoon's new video placeshifter, the Volcano, and was pleasantly surprised by its feature set, which combines the functionality of a Slingbox with that of a Slingcatcher. Oh, reeaaaallly?

The Volcano can stream media from any TV or video source at 720p to PCs and cellphones, including the Android, WinMo, Blackberry and iPhone platforms. It can also playback local media via USB using the UPnP and DLNA standards, web video via YouTube and Cinema Now, plus it can off load shows from your settop box for later viewing/streaming.

But where it starts to get cool is how if you have more than one Volcano in your house, they can all stream to eachother, thanks to 802.11n and UPNP, which is nice if some rooms have a TV, but no cable connection. Zatz says the tech is still a bit unpolished, but calls it promising nonetheless. The Volcano is scheduled for a March release, and you can either get a model with 4 gigs of flash storage for $200, or one with a 250 gig HDD for $300. Also, for more images, be sure to check out [Zatz Not Funny]

Vizio's conceptual (but candidate for release) headphones have an LCD on both earpiece that can display a visualizer, album art, or picture of your cat, because the people around you really need to be subjected to that.

The headphones will be Bluetooth-enabled, so no cords muck up your affront to style. We don't know anything like pricing or availability, since they're still in the concept stage, but they're totally functional and may well see release. [Vizio]

With a 7" screen and a book-like form factor, the Album2 is well suited for sharing your digital files in a non-digital setting. It was satisfying to hold, simple to navigate and kept the emphasis on content.

Instead of audio, video, and images, the Album2 sorts your media in terms of the actions "Watch," "Look," and "Listen." But it doesn't seem like it's dumbing things down as much as it is simplifying them: the Album2 achieves a delicate balance between being a technically competent media viewer and a device that lets people enjoy their digital content without worrying about the device displaying it.

You can throw pictures, video, or audio in all the common formats onto the Album2's 4GB HD via USB or SD, or access content from Facebook, YouTube, Flickr and other big name sites via WiFi. The three simple buttons on the right side of the viewer were the only controls, and it's hard for me to imagine anyone who couldn't figure out the UI right away.

A leather cover attaches magnetically to the back of the Album2 and folds over as a stand, letting you rest the viewer on table like a digital photo frame. Whether standing on its own or being passed between friends, it's nice to see a gadget that is focused on fostering physical interaction based on the digital media we collect.

The Album2 will be available in Q2 2010 with a pricetag of $199. [Album Life]

Since Vizio is making their new 3D TVs internet-ready, they've made it easier to do things like type in web addresses and searches with this pretty awesome new remote. It's the next best thing from a touchscreen remote.

We know it's tough keeping up with all the CES craziness. To help you cope, we updated our recap of the coolest stuff we've seen at CES: [Gizmodo's Best of CES]

No major companies are quite ready to bring a proper Android tablet to market, but they're edging closer. When they do, they could do worse than turn out something like this 7-inch, Tegra 2 design from Compal.

Under the hood is Nvidia's newest Tegra, which guarantees snappy interface, video and graphics performance in theory. In practice, at least on this early device which can't leverage the new graphics acceleration in Android 2.1, menu transitions are still a little slow, browser scrolling isn't instant, and the responsiveness of the touch keyboard poor enough to make typing a genuine pain in the ass. But wait wait wait—that's a software optimization issue, which can almost definitely be fixed. What about the concept?

The Archos 5 Android tablet, had its issues, from lack of 3G support to inability to play Flash content, both of which have been remedied here—this Compal has a SIM tray as well as Flash 10.1 support. A shipped product would be faster than the Archos, and the extra two inches of screen are just enough to make this feel like a tablet, not an oversized smartphone. And to be honest, I could get into this.

It's a sofa tablet, a toilet tablet, a Skype tablet, whatever—there's a market for this, at the right price. The only serious issue now is that typing on the onscreen keyboard is almost impossible on a 7-inch screen, unless your thumbs are freakishly long. I have no idea how Google—or Apple, for that matter—could solve this problem. But someone might! And that would be great.

This 21x9, 2:35:1, 58-inch Vizio Cinema Display looks really, really, really wide in person. But don't worry, when you bring it home, it'll just have black bars on each side 95% of the time. More info here.

We were pretty intrigued by the Yogen manual charger concept we saw earlier. While the production unit we saw today is markedly different—it doesn't disappoint. Instead of charging gadgets with a pedal, users now pull a chord.

Charging devices while pulling the string takes just as long as charging them via wall outlet so it won't replace plugging in, but in a pinch the compact device could be a life saver. There is super-low resistance in the chord so continuously pulling the string to charge isn't much of a chore (just tedious). The device is available now directly from Yogen for $39.99.

In case you having sleepless nights fretting about content partners for Spring Design's Alex e-reader, they've linked up with Borders, and will feature the Kobo eBook store on their dual-screened device. That's something Barnes and Noble likely won't be accused of copying.

Spring Design and Borders Announce eBook Agreement
Borders to be eBook Seller for Alex eReader

FREMONT, Calif - January 7, 2010 - Spring Design and Borders Group, Inc. (NYSE: BGP) today announced an agreement in principle to feature the upcoming Borders eBook store powered by Kobo on the new dual display Alex™ eReader later this year. The agreement in principle follows a recent announcement that Borders will launch a new eBook store on Borders.com as well as Borders-branded mobile eBook applications, powered by Kobo. The new Borders-branded eBook store will offer more than two million titles.

"The combination of Borders' leadership in the book industry and Spring Design's innovation and experience in consumer electronics will create a world class service for eBook readers," said Dr. Priscilla Lu, chief executive officer of Spring Design. "This partnership delivers one of the critical foundations of our business growth going forward," Lu added.

"Our agreement with Spring Design represents another step in our digital strategy, which continues to focus on offering book lovers-including our more than 35 million Borders Rewards loyalty program members-high quality content on the device of their choosing," said Borders Group Chief Executive Officer Ron Marshall. "We look forward to bringing a world class eBook experience to Alex users."

The Alex eReader will initially be available February 22, 2010 for $359 in the online store at http://www.springdesign.com.

Here's a sad reminder that USB cables belong plugged into peripherals, not children. Toddler Trinity Anderson was playing with a USB cable plugged into a laptop and put it in her mouth, which shocked her and knocked her out.

Trinity remains at Children's Hospital with third-degree burns on her tongue, palate and lips. She is on sedatives and paralyzing drugs to prevent her from moving and disturbing her breathing tube, Jeffrey Anderson said. She needs the tube because her tongue is so swollen it blocks her airway.

Anderson said he feels helpless as he watches his granddaughter in her hospital bed.

"I want to make it better and there's nothing I can do," he said.

Anderson said doctors plan to allow Trinity to regain consciousness in the next day or two to assess how much neurological damage occurred. The little girl wasn't breathing for several minutes, and her heart nearly stopped beating.

Anderson said doctors expect Trinity to recover from her burns, though she may have lasting cosmetic damage. Right now, the family's main concern is that the happy, laughing little girl does not suffer serious brain damage, and they hope she is young enough that she can recover any lost capabilities.

This was clearly a freak accident, but it's a good reminder that while these cables and gadgets we use are now commonplace, everyday items, they still carry a current and should be treated with care. Here's hoping Trinity makes a full recovery. [Colorado Daily]

The first thing they teach you at mascot college? Don't mope. The second? Try to remember to wear more than 10% of your costume. Cheer up, buddy! It could be so much worse.

Vizio's new batch of soundbars come in varying degrees of 2.0, 2.1 and 5.1 arrangements, with all of them supporting Dolby Digital surround sound. Also appealing is the army of wireless headphones, iPod docks and speakers offered up.

The VHT512 is Vizio's flagship 5.1 soundbar with fully wireless connections, including a 2.4 GHz wireless sub and two rear speakers that plug into the bassmaker. four 3" mids provide the primary sound for the sound bar, while each rear speaker has a 2" driver. There's also a wireless iPod dock that can be placed anywhere within a 60-foot radius of the speaker and still cleanly transmit audio. The VHT512 will be available in May for $400.

The VSB200 and -210ws Soundbars provide 2.0 and 2.1 sound with virtual Dolby surround and in the case of the 210ws, a wireless subwoofer. Like the 512, this bar is also powered by four 3" mid speakers. Both the VSB200 and VSB210ws will be available in January for $200 and $350, respectively.

Lastly there's the VHT200 and -212 soundbars, which are similar to the VSB line, except theyre only 32" wide (as opposed to 40") to accommodate smaller televisions. But not sacrificing much in the way of specs, these have the same speaker guts as its larger counterpart, and the VHT212 has a slightly smaller, wireless sub. The VHT200 and VHT212 will be available in April for $150 and $250, respectively.

And lastly, there are the wireless headphones, which also come with the wireless iPod dock, allowing you to have sound piped into your ears anywhere in the house, without the hassle of wires. It has a five hour battery and charged via USB. Only problem? They're $300. [Vizio]

Yes we've posted a million CES related stories and yes it's probably not stopping anytime soon. So we have to ask, are you sick of CES posts?

Are you sick of CES posts?(trends)

Yea, me too...

Today we salute you...biologists that gave a fly a full Brazilian with a laser so that you can study mating habits.

You see the male fly has these spines on its junk and we just don't know what the hell they are used for. My guess is that they have something to do with maintaining a velcro-like grip on the female during the sexual act, but hey...I'm no expert. You need trained professionals on a mystery of this magnitude. Professionals with a special (and probably very expensive) laser that is so precise, it is capable of cutting off a third of each millimeter-long spine. You can't just go off making wild assumptions about something this important.

The result? They have something to do with maintaining a velcro-like grip on the female during the sexual act. Going full Brazilian reduced the chances of mating down to 20%. Okay, I know what you are thinking. Thank God we fund this kind of research. [Scienceblogs via Treehugger via Neatorama]

I just tried 3D HD and really enjoyed it. I don't even mind how goofy the glasses make me look, but that's mostly because I wouldn't be looking at myself. Really, I'd look sillier than I can imagine. See?

And what do you do when you have friends over to watch a game or movie? Spend hundreds of dollars in spares, or have the friends you like least stare at the doubled up images, crosseyed, for hours? It's little things like this that sap my enthusiasm for 3D but I'm into it. There's no stopping the future.

This guy was positioned near the press room and drew quite the crowd. And why not? Digital name tags are a sensible and inevitable part of the future, as I see it. Or not. OK, probably not.

Vizio just dropped three mobile LED displays on the world, capable of pulling down ATSC broadcasts and delivering an 800x480 picture in 7, 9 and 10-inch form factors, while only an inch thick in the other direction.

The 10" VMB100 and 9" VMB090 Mobile Razors are capable of pulling down not just ATSC and NTSC broadcasts, but also the new mobile ATSC-MH broadcasts as well. They come complete with an HDMI 1.4 input, composite inputs, headphone jack and a USB port for uses such as MP3 playback.

The 7" VMB070 model loses the USB and HDMI ports, along with the ATSC-MH capability, but its only 0.75 inches thick. All models feature only touch-sensitive controls, and can run for three hours on a single charge. The 7", 9" and 10" will be available "later this year" for $150, $200 and $230, respectively. [Vizio]

These new Eclipse keyboards and mice from Mad Catz are pretty standard fare, except for one key feature—touch sensitivity. The keyboard has a 3-in-1 touchpanel keypad, and the mouse is able to understand finger gestures.

The Eclipse Wireless Litetouch keyboard comes in wired and wireless variants, and is distinctive because of it's 3-in-1 LCD touchpad that lets you switch layouts and use it as a number pad, media controller, or a customizable app/website launcher. The keyboards also have backlit keys, along with mouse buttons and a scrollball for all-in-one PC navigation.

Looking like a futuristic race car, the Eclipse Wireless Touchmouse replaces the standard scroll wheel with an optical "touchscroll module" that allows you to scroll in any direction, and can be programmed to act on certain gestures. It also has bluetooth, and lasts six months on a single AA battery.

Available this January, the keyboards will run you $130 and $100 for the wireless and the wired models, respectively. The mouse will cost $60. [PR Inside]

Intel already announced their new Core i7, i5, and i3 processors earlier today, but CEO Paul Otellini may still have a surprise or two in store for his keynote. We're here updating live, just in case.

Paul's walking us through a little bit of Intel history, and how rapidly and consistently processor technology has evolved. Every two years, Intel schedules a breakthrough. Today, they're shipping the first 32nm microprocessors (announced this morning), which are 5,000 times faster than Intel's first ever processor.

Today, he's going to talk about how personal computing is evolving. But first! Some forced humor in the form of what's bound to be a series of videos depicting two people in the future because of suits Otellini gave them and oh why bother. Good to see Park and Recreation's Aziz Ansari, though!

We're using the production of Shrek movies as a benchmark of how far we've come. Shrek Forever After is going to take nine times the hours to produce as the original Shrek. In fairness, most of that was trying to get Eddie Murphy out of his trailer, amIright?

We've reached the obligatory 3D portion of the keynote. We've got the standard Avatar clip, part of a U2 concert with Bono's hand reacing uncomfortably close to your face, and a few sports shots. Looks good!

Because explaining things always makes them more fun, someone named David is giving us a 3D tutorial. We're looking at a 3D home video shot of a bunch of kids dancing around,and using a program called First Light 3D to add titles to it, change the contrast, and so on. These things require processing power! Which comes courtesy of Intel, duh.

One last 3D treat: a trailer for an upcoming DreamWorks release called How To Train Your Dragon.

It's not just about content, says Paul. We also need a way to share that content, not just through broadband but within the home. USB 3.0 is coming, and Intel's also working on another technology called Light Peak that lets you download an entire Blu-ray movie in under 30 seconds. Otellini says it'll come in early 2010, but it's more likely to be about a year from now.

Intel has a new Wireless Display technology that's launching with four partners. The WiDi will available soon at Best Buy. With a $100 adapter, you can link your TV to your laptop.

Now talking about TurboBoost, which we knew about. The flagship Core i5 has already been clocked at over 7GHz, which is crazy fast.

Craig (NOT Barrett) from Intel is going to show us a "Futuristic Digital Crib." Intel is so down with the jive lingo! If the phrase "this is where the magic happens" isn't said, I'm leaving disappointed. UPDATE: Craig did say "bros." I am content.

He's showing off a TV interface called Orange running on a French ISP called Orange that shows what's on a dozen channels all at once. Seems unweildy. But you can also sort by genre to narrow your choices down. It also keeps content in the cloud, so if you miss a game or show you wanted to watch, it'll go "back in time" and snatch it up for you. It's not unique, but it's what On Demand is eventually going to evolve into.

Now showing off WiDi, with a Netflix movie loaded onto a laptop playing simultaneously the TV it's connected to.

This is nice: a device that lets you know the energy usage of ever gadget in your house, and even shows recommendations on how to reduce consumption through usage patterns or more efficient products.

After a quick break for another inexplicable time traveler sketch, on to mobile. Talking about Atom now, and how it enabled netbooks (which... thanks, I guess?). New, more efficient model. This is the N450, which we've known about for a while and which isn't that much of an improvement.

The AppUp Center is an App store for netbooks that works on Windows and Linux. Someone named Paul (NOT Otellini) is going to walk us through it; it's basically a place to get apps for your netbooks. Pretty self-explanatory. You can see the beta now at http://www.intelappup.com.

Looking forward, they want the AppUp Center to move beyond just netbooks and into all Intel devices.

Smartphones now. Moorestown is the next generation of processor that we can expect in smartphones. It will enable applications like multipoint video conferencing. We're now looking at an LG multitouch smartphone that will be coming out on the second half of this year, running on Moblin. It's playing a 720p movie trailer for Avatar (again!), and you can keep the movie playing while also having your calendar open. Pretty great.

Open Peak is Moorestown on a handset phone. You can undock the LCD display to be a separate touchscreen tablet loaded with apps.

A smart retail display is being demonstrated now that identifies your height and weight and makes recommendations to you accordingly. The touchcreen gives you store and product navigation options, and will even send a coupon to your phone. Paul Otellini looks uncomfortable at the prospect of buying a skinny tie, even in a demo. Me too, Paul.

More Shrek tie-ins: the Magic Mirror has been brought on stage. Of course, it's now interacting with the time traveling comic relief. The upshot: they weren't traveling to the future after all, guys. Intel Labs IS the future. I don't know what just happened, but I do know that it was awkward.

And we're out! Thanks for playing along everybody.