Sanyo's Xacti is Xciting
If you want to take high-def video, there's no need to tote a huge camera around on your shoulder. Now you can put an HD camera in your pocket.
GPS Wristwear: Tracking Your Every Healthy Move
After a day of being awed in the endless halls of CES by the oh-so-many ways we’ll be spending hours of passive fun watching larger-than-life TV screens and listening to truer-than-life sound systems, I was stopped in my tracks by something different: GPS technology to monitor our more active pursuits.
Jabra's JX10: Easy on the Eyes and Ears
Until now, I've been put off by wireless headsets due to their lack of style or bulky design. Most of the ones I’ve seen on the street are too big to blend in with the wearers’ personal style. But at this CES one company was showing off a compact Bluetooth headset that actually caught my eye, mainly because it didn’t take away from the model’s looks –- the Jabra JX10.
Unwired for Sound
Got lots of music lingering on your PC after downloading it for your iPod? I found some cool options at CES to help you move songs stuck in the PC wirelessly throughout the home for everyone to enjoy.
Four on the Floor, Two in the Dash
If you've ever tried to upgrade your car audio or video with aftermarket gear, you may have come across the auto manufacturers' dirty little secret: A lot of cars, especially higher-end models that come with a lot of extras, will basically fall apart if you try to remove the original head unit.
Your Camera Totally Rocks
I admit to being fairly excited by the Sony Ericsson Walkman phone unveiled on Wednesday night here at CES. But now plenty of other manufacturers are getting in on the act of merging MP3 players and cameras. Samsung is showing off a shiny update to its YP-T8 multimedia gadget.
HD DVD vs. Blu-Ray: There Can Be Only One!
One of the big questions going into CES was whether Blu-Ray or HD DVD would grab an advantage and take the dominant spot in the market. Sadly, the jury is still out.
What Michael Brought From Texas
Dell wasn't on the show floor in any significant way, but we got to go behind the curtain to see and touch the goodies that Michael Dell unveiled last night at his keynote.
Canon's Elph Does Wi-Fi
Over in Canon's booth, the company was busy showing off its monster, pro-kit HD camcorder, the XL H1. While stunning with incredible video (the price is stunning, too, at $9,000), a little blue light flashing nearby caught my attention. It was a small box attached to a printer, which was connected via Wi-Fi to another nearby camera, the new PowerShot SD 430.
Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On
Wednesday night at the Sony press conference, one presenter joked that we're all too caffeinated to shoot good photos. That may be true, but with cameras so small these days, there's just no hardware to grab and stabilize your shots. Well, thank our lucky megapixels for technology, because many manufacturers are rolling out anti-shake technology in their cameras.
Sony's Ho-Hum Car Offerings
After a spin through Sony's booth to check out the latest it has for car-tech lovers, I found a couple of interesting intros this year in its Xplod in-car line.
Intel Jellyfish Devours CES Attendees
As you can see from the picture, Intel intends to fuel its next-generation processors with the digested remains of hapless CES attendees who wander into its jellyfish-like tentacles. After a little more investigating, I found out that that there is actually more to the story: The company is rolling out new dual-core processor technology.
Leviathan LCDs
Huge plasmas are, well, huge, but LCDs are the new hotness. And this year, Samsung blew everyone out of the water with a whopping 82-inch LCD that looks like buttah. Crowded by a mob of people (and not helped by a Boomer Esiason appearance about four feet away from it), I had to hold the camera over my head to get even this off-kilter shot.
TV, TV on the Wall...
Who's the biggest of them all? In the space of 15 minutes, I managed to spy at least three gi-normous plasma TVs that all claimed to be the world's biggest, and all 102 inches diagonally. (Well, Samsung is now only claiming to be the world's first.) But I turned the corner and walked into Panasonic's booth, only to see that it had now unveiled a 103-inch plasma so fresh that a workman had just finished putting up this sign seconds before I snapped the photo.
B.O.B. Says: Time’s up!
How many times has a half-hour PlayStation session turned into a three-hour Madden marathon in your house? I don't want to tell you how often my 10-year-old son's "just-a-minute" plea has turned into 60 after I've told him to shut down his game. Hopscotch Technology is banking on its new device, B.O.B., to lend a hand in homes across the country.
Creative Keys to a Musical House
Is there a budding musician in the family? You could soon have one with Creative's latest Prodikeys PC-Midi, an electronic keyboard that kids with and without musical knowledge would find fun. This U.S.-made version will hit the market this year with a new USB connection that hooks up to PCs and laptops, too.
Cavalcade of Stars at the TentHouse
I'm not going to toot Yahoo!'s collective horn by telling you about all of the cool products and announcements at the Yahoo! TentHouse (though there are some very cool announcements, including this morning's intro of Yahoo! Go).
The Cell Phone That Tattled
Do you know where your children are? Hopefully, you do. But Wherify's Wherifone GPS Locator Phone for kids is for those times when you’re not so sure.
The Tiny but Tough t709
Of the many phones that Samsung launched this year, the coolest is the sweet little t709.
High Gas Prices? Just Zap 'Em
Forget hybrids -- they're so 2005. After seeing the ZAP car at this year's CES, electric cars may be the newest hot ride of the future.
Can Franklin Spell F-U-N?
My eight-year-old was pretty pleased when her school district decided spelling tests are no longer necessary for elementary school kids. I wasn’t.
American Idol, Here I Come!
Just because you know all the words to "Super Freak" doesn't mean you can sing it. Finally, there's help for your tone deaf self, thanks to Carry-A-Tune's Singing Coach, which turns your computer into a voice instructor.
Sky High Tech
As geek hobbies go, it doesn't get much nerdier than being into astronomy, and lord knows most living room telescopes are pointed at hotel room windows instead of the heavens above.
Fuel Cells: Turning Vaporware into Vapor-Wares
Believe it or not, fuel cells are here. No, seriously. I touched one. I watched it charge a Blackberry, a RAZR, and an iPod.
Run for Your Life
A lot of people have tried to combine exercise machines with video game systems, and who can blame them? There's nothing more aggravating than pedaling a bike to make a little red blip go around a circle or climbing stairs to absolutely nowhere.
Crowded House
You'd think that attending CES would allow today's journalist an incredible opportunity to file dispatches anytime, anywhere, anyhow.
The Little Hard Drive That Could
I love tiny tech. For me the tinier the device the better. And the thing that makes tiny tech possible isn't just design, it's tiny storage. Up until now the tiniest storage has been flash media cards, like the ones built into the ultra-popular and portable Apple iPod Shuffle and Nano.
Sony Says: Read This
No, Sony's new gizmo doesn't let you play MP3s. It doesn't make phone calls. You can't view your favorite TV shows on the black-and-white screen. So what's it good for, you ask? Reading books. That's right, e-books are back!
Raise Your Hand If You're Shure
Shure has built a name for itself as a purveyor of amazingly high-quality headphones which are nonetheless remarkably portable.
Shoot While You Send
Continuing the trend of Wi-Fi-enabled cameras, Nikon is showcasing its line of Coolpix P1 and P2 cameras (8 megapixels and 5 megapixels, respectively) at CES this week. While the two are not new to market, it was interesting to see them in action after getting a demo from Kodak on the capabilities of the EasyShare-one, from which you can email photos or upload them to your EasyShare gallery.
What's Nüvi in the World of GPS?
While I was on vacation in Japan this past year, I was blown away by the widespread use of in-car GPS systems; and after seeing those multi-featured toys in action, I immediately wanted one of my own. So I'm pleased as punch to hear the big buzz around CES that 2006 will finally be the year that GPS busts out into the mainstream in the U.S. One of the absolute coolest units I've seen so far is Garmin's adorable Nüvi 350.
An iMac for the Gaming Elite
When I think of an all-in-one computer, what immediately comes to mind is MIND-BLOWING GAMING MACHINE!!! How about you? Defying everything we've come to expect about the all-in-one PC category (pioneered by the Apple iMac and littered with the corpses of dead competitors from virtually every PC company on the planet), the latest entry into the category comes from -- of all people -- Alienware, best known for its high-end, high-priced gaming computers.
Loose Lips Sink Chips
Last night Fujitsu showed off a brand new machine -- a three-pound, $1,999 laptop with a 10.6-inch screen, called the LifeBook P7120.
Hands-On With the Treo 700w
We've covered the new Treo elsewhere, but I figure with a product this major you can't say too much about it. I had the opportunity to use the Treo 700w last night -- to check the score on the UT-USC game, natch -- plus play with its various features. It has an amazing screen and a perfect form-factor, just like every other Treo. But Palm switching to Windows boggles the mind.
Asimo Plays Vegas, Impersonates Elvis
Robots take one step closer to humankind. Honda's celebrated robot ASIMO arrives on U.S. shores at CES this week, prepared to exhibit capabilities never before seen in the States. Hourly demonstrations at the Honda booth include balancing on a floor that tilts and moves, climbing stairs, and walking up and down a slope.
Sony Ericsson's Walkman is Calling
Sony lifted the lid off of a new Sony Ericsson phone last night. Wait -- what's that you say? It's a Walkman MP3 player? It's a digital camera? The Sony Ericsson W810 is all three, and it grabbed my attention, what with it's slick on-screen interface and black-and-orange case.
Open the Window
Update: Okay, my bad. In the original version of this post, I went overboard when I said Palm had "abandoned" Palm OS. Thanks to all who eviscerated me in the comments section. Here's a separate post with a hands-on comment.
It Got Game
It's great to have a compact, high-resolution camera at the ready to snap all the best moments of your life. But what do you do in the hours of boredom that separate the memorable events? Fujifilm has the answer: play games!
Why-Fi Cameras?
Wi-Fi is great, as long as your wireless connection is actually functional and connects to the Web. That’s why I’m perplexed by most of the current crop of Wi-Fi-enabled cameras we’re seeing, which do nothing more than give users the ability to upload photos to their computers sans wires. That’s neat, but we photo nuts want more.
Two Lenses Better Than One?
Kodak is geared up for a slew of new camera releases at CES, but the company has already tipped it's hand to a few newbies coming down the pike.
Apple's Big Announcement?
Made you look! No, Apple will not have a big announcement at CES. In gearing up for its own Macworld conference this month in San Francisco, Apple will likely not have a presence in Vegas, unless it sends the odd executive to mill around a booth of a partner, such as Motorola. But even in its absence, Apple's influence will be felt.
Connectivity on Wheels
For a family that has eschewed DVDs for “Harry Potter” audio books on long car rides, the RaySat SpeedRay 3000 could change our entertainment plans on the next road trip. RaySat offers the first vehicle-based, low-sitting rooftop satellite antenna that provides two-way, high-speed Internet access and live satellite TV reception as the miles roll by.
Smarten Up Your Car With These Stereos
Up until recently, if you wanted to add "smart car" technology like Bluetooth wireless or MP3 playback to your car, you needed to either buy a very expensive teched-out car, or get it custom installed piece by piece.
Calling All Phones
Shape up or ship out! That's what I say. While 2005 brought a bunch of great innovations in phones, for all of these catchy new features, often these new-fangled cells just didn't seem to work too well.
In Search of a Sweet Sound and a Sweet Box
Yes, I have a long-dead Onkyo receiver sitting sadly atop a long-ignored JVC cassette tape player in our stereo cabinet. So, clearly, I'm very interested in checking out the latest in home audio systems at CES.
Nethrone: King of the Workstations?
As we spend endless hours working or gaming online, the search for the most ergonomic computing setup is seriously on.
CES TVs: Attack of the Super Tubes
One of CES's most thrilling sideshows is handicapping who will be showing off the largest flat-panel TV. In 2003, exhibitors displayed a 52-inch LCD and 63-inch plasma TV. By 2004, it jumped to a 57-inch LCD and an 80-inch plasma. Last year the big guns came out: 65 inches of LCD and a whopping 102-inch plasma, courtesy of Samsung (which hired a full-time security guard in charge of making sure no one touched the monitor).
No more mopping? Scooba-dooba-doo!
The chance to take one more thing off the cleaning to-do list is awfully alluring, and iRobot – the creator of the popular Roomba vacuuming robot – is attacking that list with its latest toy, the Scooba Floor Washing Robot.
Car-ready PSP
If you just got a Sony PSP over the holidays, you probably want to take it everywhere you go. Lucky for you, accessory maker dreamGEAR will be showing off its i.Sound PSP Drive-in Cinema at CES, an audio unit for your PSP that attaches to your car seat's headrest for instant movie gratification while on the move.
Sparring Partner of the Future
Of all the new, innovative products at CES 2006, I'm keeping the closest eye on robotics.
Meet the Bloggers
Yahoo! News has assembled a pro lineup to blog from the CES show floor.
Focused On Cameras
Just when you finally figured out how to print your holiday photos, digital and video camera makers are gearing up to throw another round of upgrades at we confused point-and-shooters and amateur videographers.
- Apple's Big Announcement? (87 comments)
- Open the Window (79 comments)
- Asimo Plays Vegas, Impersonates Elvis (56 comments)
- What's Nüvi in the World of GPS? (42 comments)
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