Articles: CES 2009 Tech Show – 075
Every year Tone sends its American correspondent, Marshal M. Rosenthal, to CES, the hottest tech show on the planet. Attendance was down a bit at this year’s Las Vegas, Nevada-based show, but the big guns were out with plenty of tech evolution to display. The most fun part of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is the presence of small, strange, odd and unique companies that somehow manage to cobble a booth together amid the huge costs and overwhelming red tape. So is it any wonder that I wear comfortable shoes, drink a lot of water and make sure my hotel room is so crappy it guarantees spending hours without end roaming show floors, ballrooms, hospitality suites and hotel rooms? Which brings us to….
SideStage (D-Link)
We can’t all be evil geniuses hiding out in rooms filled with dozens of flat-panel screens, so at least SideStage lets your computer join the daydream. This 7-inch, USB-powered LCD monitor lets you have a small window for special apps or other images that the main computer screen isn’t going to bother with. Sure it’s in colour and ‘green’ electric, but mostly it’s a great way to feel like a Bond villain.
T6 Airsound Compact Speaker 
System and iPod dock (Orbitsound)
These guys are all about making surround sound come out where none has gone before. But now they’ve added a cool retro look to playing your iPod and pumping up the stereo sound in compact fashion. Don’t try and find the sweet spot because the tech makes sure it’s there no matter where you’re placed. And yeah, it works with other players too.
iSP200 (iLuv)
Think mini sound bar for a laptop or even desk model (or really big news for your portable or iPod or iPhone). It’s got a stereo amp and magnetically shielded satellite loudspeakers and works through USB or a minijack input. It even has three USB ports to act like a hub.
Real View 360° 3D Desktop 3D Scanner (Real-View Corporation)
Most scanners are boring – having 3D capabilities isn’t. Since Real View is affordable you can enjoy every contour of the scan – bumps, lumps and all. That’s a full 360 degrees of 3D that can be rendered and viewed from any angle just by using a mouse. Once you see 3D, 2D becomes so 20th century.
Facebank (Gizmine.com)
Do you grimace every time you have to lay out that hard-earned money on some bill? Then save your change with a guy who agrees – not some porker but a face that ‘eats’ your money till you need it. Go over to Facebank and his mouth will start watering when you wave the coins before his motion-sensitive eyes. Then stick the metal in his mouth and watch him munch away.
Minoru 3D Webcam (Novo)
Since 3D is where it’s at, using a 3D webcam puts you on the cutting edge. Dual cameras zap your image to the Internet in 3D or 2D, the choice is yours. Yes, it works with instant messaging and all the other stuff already out there. And nah, it doesn’t look at all like some Disney character we’ve heard of…
Eyeball Web Camera (Blue Microphone)
It might look simple, but the professional audio built into this webcam will make it shine, and gaining HD video is simple. No drivers for Windows or Macs, just plug it in and use.
Domino Advanced Liquid Cooling for CPU (CoolIT Systems)
Hot games demand cool heads – and even cooler CPUs. So go liquid with this affordable cooling system that easily fits in a PC. And you get control so that it works just the way you want it to.
Pacemaker (Tonium)
Deejaying ain’t easy, but how can you fail when you’re holding 60GB of music ready to play (like 15,000 songs)? Auto beat matching, pitch bending/changing, looping, audio effects – that and other tech echoed on the LCD colour screen gives you a leg up on performing and makes it look easy to groove to the music.
1959 Anniversary Edition Gibson Les Paul Standard (Gibson)
You can’t put a price tag on great sound or how it gets made. But you can put a price on this limited reproduction of the classic Les Paul guitar. It won’t put you in the same league as the great musicians who have played this electric guitar, but then legends are hard enough to come by even when they’re not being offered for sale.
Uvending Touchscreen Coke Machine (Samsung)
Take out the networking, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi and it’s still a darn pretty soft drink dispenser – but that huge LCD touchscreen on the front makes it more like some giant iPhone. So swipe a choice, spin the picture and fill your mouth once you drop in the cash to eject your bottle. Just beware, ’cause it could start advertising some munchies to buy from the machine next door.
HDMI Locking Cable (PPC)
HDMI is supposed to be easy to use – and it is. But how many times has that blessed cable popped out because there’s no way to keep it in? So maybe having a locking HDMI makes sense – least PPC thinks so. Push it in and pull it out; it’s simple to use and the release tab does the job without needing an adapter or special tools.
Mobile Cube (Roland)
Sure it handles music, but this little stereo amplifier is geared for kicking out the jams – meaning playing any electronic instrument out and about. It has long battery life added to a good tonal response and audio effects like overdrive, delay and reverb.
Spyball Spy-Cam (Wowwee)
Finally a robot that can roll with the punches – or just about anywhere for that matter. This remote-controlled, Wi-Fi enabled little guy is rechargeable and equipped with wheels for zooming around. Video and pictures are captured when it ‘pops’ out of its shell, and home networking is a snap.
TEW-654TR Wireless N Travel Router Kit (TRENDnet)
Shows how far we’ve come that a router becomes a gadget – but having all this juice in a small size with a USB port for power should the AC be too much to carry is pretty neat. As is the speed you get once tapped into a network.
Showtime (Scosche Industries)
This is cool. Imagine a simple way to watch movies or view photos from your iPod – just plug in the showTIME connector, plug the RCAs into your TV and that’s it. And working with iPod Touches and nanos means it hooks up with 2G/3G iPhones just fine.
Pk101 Pico Projector (Optoma)
You want small and big at the same time? Okay, so sync your iPhone/iPod/cell with this little battery-powered guy and project a (relatively) big picture on any surface nearby. Sure, it’s not super-bright because light emitting diodes do the job (keep the light to a minimum when you can) but who ever would have thought something like this would come out?
SimCraft APEX SC830 Simulator (Simcraft)
You want a real racing experience? Then spend the bucks to get this simulator, strap in and grab that steering wheel. Tied in with iRacing’s proprietary laser mapping technology (the online subscription-based racing simulation service replicates the eccentricities of the world’s best road courses, short ovals and super-speedways), the result is a life-like experience with all the motion that makes carsickness great.
Slotradio (Sandisk)
Okay, so another music player – why should we care? Maybe because the card it comes with has more than 1000 songs from the Billboard charts ready to go in arranged genre-themed playlists? So you don’t have to download or sync or any of that stuff? Sure, there are other cards to buy if you want, but at least give the FM radio a chance.
SmartTalk Bluetooth Headset (Griffin Technology)
Bluetooth headsets aren’t new, but cramming in STEPsound intelligent speaker tech eliminates background and wind noise and boosts the quality of voices. That should make for better talking and listening. Battery life and ease of use haven’t been sacrificed either.
iWear The Wrap 920AV (Vuzix)
You’re not just looking cool with these lightweight sunglasses but watching video like it was a virtual 62-inch screen. Widescreen, of course, but whatever’s plugged in can also take advantage of augmented reality imaging. And being able to ‘see-thru’ the glasses at the same time means not walking into a parking meter or some jogger.
PenCam DVR (Swann)
In the paperless office, pens would be dead. But since that hasn’t happened yet, no one will question that pen in your pocket – even though it’s actually recording everything that it sees (okay, so maybe you should take it out of your pocket…). The battery-powered colour camera has its own 2GB of internal memory, a mike natch, plus USB attachment for transfers of the AVI files once done. And it even writes in case someone gets suspicious.
Psyko 5.1 (Psyko Audio Labs)
You don’t have to be psychotic to want surround sound headphones – but it can’t hurt to go Psyko since the headphones are designed to create immersive sound. They’re even comfortable enough to wear without losing the skin off your ears.
JVC
Gotta love the new-gen LCDs with those built-in iPod docks – they can integrate with PCs now as well. And what’s with that LT-42B300 building the Blu-ray player right into the HDTV? Not that there’s anything bad to say about the stand-alone XV-BP1 BD player or the TH-SB100 BD system that gives you a Blu-ray player home theatre in a box with sound bar audio and a wireless subwoofer. JVC’s prototype super-slim LCD screen furthers energy-efficient and smaller parts while using LEDs. And don’t you agree that it’s darned cool how they present 3D tech tied in with JVC HD projectors for making your eyeballs pop?
Panasonic
Continuing to make high-end featured Blu-ray players, new models like the DMP-BD80 now have built-in access for direct viewing of Netflix movies, and for just watching BD it’s hard to beat the portable DMP-B15 with its own 8.9-inch screen. And who wouldn’t chuckle at the DMP-BD70V combo Blu-ray player and VHS? Of course, the Viera Plasmas continue to roll out rich colours and deep blacks, and thin is definitely part of the equation now too.
Sony
The booth inspires gee-whiz, but it’s the different approach to watching TV where Sony’s got game, giving you Bravia LCD HDTVs with ‘widgets’ for real-time information (like weather and news) taken from an internet connection. That’s now added to the TV shows, movies and other content that the sets have already baked in. New XBR9 models feature LCD speeds of 240Hz, which is twice as fast as what was out there previously, guaranteeing smooth motion when watching. Meanwhile, the cold cathode fluorescent backlighting on KDL models take charge by delivering broader colour palettes for more natural, lifelike colours. And they’re eco-friendly too.
Samsung
Samsung really is continuing the drive towards high-def, big-screen viewing perfection. The booth proves it with every kind of HDTV you could ask for, and wireless HD transmission is there too. Plus they’re adding internet connectivity, with HDTV models using ‘TV widgets’ as well as pushing a whole breed of ultra-thin LED-backlit HDTVs and giving us greater speed (240Hz) with the Luxia 8000 series. Or just enjoy Blu-ray goodness with the HT-BD8200 home theatre’s BD player, sound bar, wireless subwoofer and SmartVolume tech for better listening. Me, I’m still trying to wrap my head around the company’s BD-P4600 wall mountable BD player and its wireless connection for streaming Netflix movies and Pandora music services.
Note: This feature includes products that were previewed at CES. It’s cutting-edge stuff, which means we may not see many of these items in New Zealand for some time.
Note: This feature includes products previews at CES. It’s cutting-edge stuff, which means we may not see many of these items in New Zealand for some time.
Posted by Tone on February 16th, 2008 in Articles
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