Logitech unveils wireless solar keyboard K750, does away with batteries for good

When Logitech first introduced wireless peripherals, we'd be lucky if our alkaline cells lasted a week, but these days the firm's low-power mice can go months on a charge. Now, the company's taken the next logical step, and made a solar keyboard.

With an ultra-slim 1/3-inch profile and a full slate of laptop-style chiclet keys, the Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K750 isn't your average rack of buttons to begin with, but the ambient light solar panels installed on the top of either side should mean you'll never need to plug it in to recharge.

The company states its low-power integrated circuits can theoretically run for three months even if you leave it in a dark desk drawer. It uses the same 2.4GHz Nano Unifying receiver as several other Logitech wireless products, meaning you'll only need a single one of your netbook or set-top-boxes' USB ports.

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Logitech's new acquisition to enhance video technology communication

Logitech International announced the acquisition of the assets of Paradial AS, a Norway-based leading provider of firewall and NAT (network address translation) traversal solutions for video communication.

Paradial’s technology addresses one of the most significant barriers to the widespread adoption of Internet-based video communication: challenges encountered when calling across protected networks. Traversing any firewall while maintaining a high level of security, the Paradial technology enables seamless video calling between people inside the walls of an enterprise and those inside other enterprises, in remote offices or telecommuting. While Logitech is already offering Paradial technology to LifeSize customers through an OEM agreement, the acquisition allows the company to closely integrate firewall and NAT traversal across its video communication product portfolio, enabling reliable, high-quality end-to-end HD video calling over highly protected networks.

With the acquisition of Paradial, Logitech is taking another step toward delivering seamless HD video communication to anyone and anywhere.

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Google Said to Work on TV With Intel, Sony, Logitech

Google is working to bring Web software to televisions through a partnership with Intel, Sony, and Logitech , according to a recent BusinessWeek article.

Moving beyond the Internet search engine business, Google is now challenging companies like Yahoo, TiVo, Rovi, and Microsoft in delivering the Internet to TVs.

Parks Associates VP of Research, Kurt Scherf is quoted in the article, “it’s a sign of the legitimacy of Internet connectivity moving well beyond the PC and mobile spaces, which Google has tackled already. It completes the third leg of the stool.”

More than one-quarter of TVs purchased by U.S. consumers in January already are capable of linking to the Web through a Wi- Fi or Ethernet connection, according to another research company.

Web-enabled TVs currently on the market allow users to watch YouTube videos, view online photo albums, play games and stream movies from Netflix Inc.

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RedEye (Universal Remote System for iPhone & iPod touch): Now Most Popular Remote Control Fan Page on Facebook

ThinkFlood, maker of the RedEye personal remote control for iPhone and iPod touch, announced that two months after launching its Facebook fan page, RedEye is already the most popular remote control page on Facebook.

With over 2,000 fans and counting, RedEye's popularity towers over all other remote control-related Facebook fan pages including Bobby, Unify4Life, Control4, Crestron, Logitech Harmony One, Marantz, OneForAll Xsight, Philips Pronto, and Universal Remote Control.

RedEye fans receive product updates like this recent video demo of RedEye accelerometer gestures http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=506PyY-iK1I, and the latest remote control and home automation news from the MoreControl Blog (http://morecontrol.com/).

For more information, click here.

CONNECTIONS™ SUMMIT Announces Speakers for Research and Strategy Sessions at CES

Parks Associates research shows broadband penetration in U.S. is changing landscape of consumer electronics, new services, and content delivery--

International research firm Parks Associates today announced the speakers and preliminary agenda for the CONNECTIONS™ Summit at CES, to be held January 8-9, 2009, in Las Vegas. This information-packed, networking-rich event, hosted during the first two days of 2009 International CES, includes multiple panel discussions moderated by Parks Associates’ leading analysts.

The CONNECTIONS™ Summit will feature Parks Associates’ latest consumer and industry research, with expert analysis on future business strategies and revenue opportunities. Session topics include converging media, digital entertainment, customer support, social networking, GPS, gaming, consumer electronics purchase patterns, and digital photo frames.

SPEAKERS:

Fazal Ali, Senior Director, Product Management, Qualcomm CDMA Technologies
Glenn Broderick, Executive Director, Gaming, AT&T
Scott Brown, Director, Marketing, Cisco
Richard Bullwinkle, Chief Evangelist, Macrovision
Chenyi Chiu, Strategic Program Manager, HD-PLC Alliance
Robert Eisses, President and CEO, Icron Technologies Corp.
David Foote, CTO, Hitachi USA
Ed Forman, EVP, Products and Services, ActiveVideo Networks
Noam Geri, Co-founder, Vice President, Marketing & Business Development, AMIMON
Jean-Marc Harion, Vice President, Business Development, North America, Orange – France Telecom NA
Ben Huang, Director of Product Management and Marketing, TV Business, Microsoft Corporation
H.P. Jin, President, CEO and Co-Founder, TeleNav
Stephen Joe, President/CEO, D-Link Systems, Inc.
Doug Jones, Chief Architect, Cable, BigBand Networks
Fred King, VP, Sales & Marketing, PlumChoice, Inc.
Aslam Khader, Chief Product Officer, Ensequence
Kazuhiro Kitagawa, Vice-Chairman, PUCC
Art Lancaster, CTO, Affinegy
Michelle Leyden Li, GM of Home Control, Zilog
Jeremy Lockhorn, Director of Emerging Media, Avenue A Razorfish
John Marshall, Chairman of WirelessHD, WirelessHD LLC
David McCall, VP, PC Strategic Business Unit, CSR
Patrick McDevitt, Vice President, Global Engineering, Tele Atlas
Andy Nix, Co-Founder & Director, ProVision Communications
Rajat Paharia, Founder & CEO, Bunchball
Susan Panico, Senior Director of PLAYSTATION Network, Sony Computer Entertainment America
John Reister, Chief IPTV Architect, BigBand Networks
Ron Richards, Director of Marketing & Product Management, Revision3
Marty Roberts, VP Marketing, thePlatform
Anthony Rodio, Chief Operating Officer, support.com
Eric Smith, Chief Technology Officer, Control4
Bill Stanley, Director, Operations Solutions, Telcordia
Mike Talley, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Customer Care, 2Wire
Steve Tranter, VP, Interactive and Broadband, NDS
Evan Tree, Chief Products Officer, Logitech
Mark Vena, Vice President, PC Business Unit, Synaptics, Inc.
Bruce Watkins, Founder, President/COO, Pulse~LINK, Inc.

CONNECTIONS™ Summit also features a networking mixer on Friday evening, January 9, at the Hilton Hotel, open to all Summit attendees, speakers, and analysts.

Event registration is available through the CES Partner Program at http://www.cesweb.org/.