Review of CES Tech Gadgets - A Quick Overview
Well, our team is back from CES, and while our coverage is creeping out little by little, here's a review of the show overall, from our time on the exhibit floors!
Keynotes are given by esteemed hardware, software, and industry leaders such as Microsoft's Chairman Bill Gates, and Intel's CEO and President Paul Otellini. Crowds spill over into bars, restaurants, and one can't imagine another city that would be such a gracious host to so many different folks.
Allakhazam's presence here was easily explained by the MMO's that were holding court to press and industry insiders, but there was more to the show than that. Indeed, as a gamer, and a geek who's easily enthralled by huge screens (TV and monitors), fast connections, new gadgets, and the gaming rigs that were shown, it was hard to contain my excitement when I found time to actually walk the floor just to look around and see what there was to see.
There are many things at CES that could easily be called prototypes, but there are also many that are close enough to the market to be as good as being sold. I do not claim to be a "techy". Nor do I pretend to be knowledgeable about many things that technology press must know. Here, I only try to bring my enthusiasm for the products I saw, and excitement for the future of cool things coming soon to a store near all of us.
The first thing that truly caught my eye was the wallet sized USB flash drive from Walletex. The card part of it is about three fourths the size of a credit card, and about as thick as two of them put together. The last fourth of the card is the double sided USB connection itself. The design is surprisingly robust, waterproof and uses unbreakable plastic and hard lamination.
The card can be ordered with capacities ranging between 64 megs and 2 gigs. It's backwards USB compatible. And the nicest feature for large corporations or anyone looking for incentive gifts is that it can be ordered with custom pictures, and designs, along with magnetic strips. This makes for a great corporate ID's and promotional material. I was really impressed, and I plan to order one for everyone in my family with our family reunion picture this year!!
Walletex also has an MP3 player that's wallet sized, and waterproof, making it a great workout player, and incredibly mobile! The MP3 card holds up to five and a half hours of music and charges through its USB connection, which is especially great as you're transferring music onto the card. It comes in the same sizes as the USB flash drive, and connects in the same way. It's a very user friendly and easy way to get your advertising or workout in!
The next thing that caught my eye was a gaming rig that would make even the most hardcore overclocking geek catch his or her breath. The Blackbird 002 from HP was shown in all of its glory; sleek, smooth, and truly breathtaking. The system debuted in September and had a fantastic Christmas season, though no one was willing to explain exactly what that meant. It's a completely customizable system that comes with 4 gigs of RAM, Gigabit Ethernet, Dual Blue-Ray/HD drive, SLI cards that can be either ATI or Nvidia and a fantastic array of inputs, card readers, and options for each user to decide upon. The rig starts at $2700 and tops out around $7500, depending on your customizations.
They were running Unreal Tourney 3 on the Blackbirds that were being shown at CES, and the game play was smooth, and had gamers everywhere drooling! In addition to inside customizations is the option to change the tower look, and feel. Hover faces can be painted separately then the case, and water cooling can be chosen as well. It can take up to thirty days between ordering and shipping these, though right now, HP is estimating a much faster turn-a-round (well staffed, or no one ordering?). Looking for a system that will make your buddies burn with envy? This is it!
Another awesome tech gadget I looked at was the Maxtor BlackArmor secure hard drive from Seagate. This drive includes hardware based encryption for the 160GB drive, and is powered by USB. When power is lost, the locks are automatically replaced. The partitioned drive allows access to only the password upon plug in. Available sometime in the second quarter of 2008 for $150, the Maxtor software included will help with multiple computer synchronization and backup scheduling. Obviously not for the average consumer, but an awesome entry to the market for those with the need for portable encryption. The one thing to keep in mind is that as of launch there will be no support for Linux machines, only Windows.
Gaming accessories were in amazing supply here, and Pega Accessories had a wonderful selection. Everything from plastic "Link" swords that your Nintendo Wii controller fits into, to Wii Fit silicon sleeves, to fishing rod kits, cooking kits and sports kits. It was amazing that so many exist for a console out only a year. Even their gun accessories included more than just one or two options. They had at least 6 different types of shooting hardware that fits with the remote!
The last bit of technology fun was the stand alone Star Wars wireless webcams available from Nikko. These webcams are in the form of Star Wars hero R2-D2 and are about 7 inches tall. The camera features remote control of movements and access via internet. AA batteries are used to power the movement.
Along with the webcam, Nikko is also offering Artoo DVD 480p projectors that are 20 inches high and include an FM transmitter, iPod dock, and memory card slot. Both products use a Millenium Falcon remote to control the three wheeled futuristic robot that squeaks, beeps, and whistles as it moves, just like R2. Both products use sensors on the legs to detect edges where it could fall to its doom and stops the droid while calling out an alarm.
Also featured in the booth was their USB Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) handset that features Skype capability. All three of these items won't ship until later this year, but keep an eye out, because these are a must for the discerning Star Wars fan!
I hope everyone has a fun, tech filled year!
The Consumer Electronics Show comes to Vegas once a year to look with fond recollection on the last 12 months of sales and ingenuity. The amount of sales in previous years incites the crowds into the excitement that each exhibitor brings to the show, as they look towards the new year. Each of the conference centers that hosts the event, along with the multitude of hotels and suites that serve as a conduit for the experience, becomes packed with people.Click "more" and check out the entire review of the incredible show that is CES, one week after the show began!
The Consumer Electronics Show comes to Vegas once a year to look with fond recollection on the last 12 months of sales and ingenuity. The amount of sales in previous years incites the crowds into the excitement that each exhibitor brings to the show, as they look towards the new year. Each of the conference centers that hosts the event, along with the multitude of hotels and suites that serve as a conduit for the experience, becomes packed with people.
Keynotes are given by esteemed hardware, software, and industry leaders such as Microsoft's Chairman Bill Gates, and Intel's CEO and President Paul Otellini. Crowds spill over into bars, restaurants, and one can't imagine another city that would be such a gracious host to so many different folks.
Allakhazam's presence here was easily explained by the MMO's that were holding court to press and industry insiders, but there was more to the show than that. Indeed, as a gamer, and a geek who's easily enthralled by huge screens (TV and monitors), fast connections, new gadgets, and the gaming rigs that were shown, it was hard to contain my excitement when I found time to actually walk the floor just to look around and see what there was to see.
There are many things at CES that could easily be called prototypes, but there are also many that are close enough to the market to be as good as being sold. I do not claim to be a "techy". Nor do I pretend to be knowledgeable about many things that technology press must know. Here, I only try to bring my enthusiasm for the products I saw, and excitement for the future of cool things coming soon to a store near all of us.
The first thing that truly caught my eye was the wallet sized USB flash drive from Walletex. The card part of it is about three fourths the size of a credit card, and about as thick as two of them put together. The last fourth of the card is the double sided USB connection itself. The design is surprisingly robust, waterproof and uses unbreakable plastic and hard lamination.
The card can be ordered with capacities ranging between 64 megs and 2 gigs. It's backwards USB compatible. And the nicest feature for large corporations or anyone looking for incentive gifts is that it can be ordered with custom pictures, and designs, along with magnetic strips. This makes for a great corporate ID's and promotional material. I was really impressed, and I plan to order one for everyone in my family with our family reunion picture this year!!
Walletex also has an MP3 player that's wallet sized, and waterproof, making it a great workout player, and incredibly mobile! The MP3 card holds up to five and a half hours of music and charges through its USB connection, which is especially great as you're transferring music onto the card. It comes in the same sizes as the USB flash drive, and connects in the same way. It's a very user friendly and easy way to get your advertising or workout in!
The next thing that caught my eye was a gaming rig that would make even the most hardcore overclocking geek catch his or her breath. The Blackbird 002 from HP was shown in all of its glory; sleek, smooth, and truly breathtaking. The system debuted in September and had a fantastic Christmas season, though no one was willing to explain exactly what that meant. It's a completely customizable system that comes with 4 gigs of RAM, Gigabit Ethernet, Dual Blue-Ray/HD drive, SLI cards that can be either ATI or Nvidia and a fantastic array of inputs, card readers, and options for each user to decide upon. The rig starts at $2700 and tops out around $7500, depending on your customizations.
They were running Unreal Tourney 3 on the Blackbirds that were being shown at CES, and the game play was smooth, and had gamers everywhere drooling! In addition to inside customizations is the option to change the tower look, and feel. Hover faces can be painted separately then the case, and water cooling can be chosen as well. It can take up to thirty days between ordering and shipping these, though right now, HP is estimating a much faster turn-a-round (well staffed, or no one ordering?). Looking for a system that will make your buddies burn with envy? This is it!
Another awesome tech gadget I looked at was the Maxtor BlackArmor secure hard drive from Seagate. This drive includes hardware based encryption for the 160GB drive, and is powered by USB. When power is lost, the locks are automatically replaced. The partitioned drive allows access to only the password upon plug in. Available sometime in the second quarter of 2008 for $150, the Maxtor software included will help with multiple computer synchronization and backup scheduling. Obviously not for the average consumer, but an awesome entry to the market for those with the need for portable encryption. The one thing to keep in mind is that as of launch there will be no support for Linux machines, only Windows.
Gaming accessories were in amazing supply here, and Pega Accessories had a wonderful selection. Everything from plastic "Link" swords that your Nintendo Wii controller fits into, to Wii Fit silicon sleeves, to fishing rod kits, cooking kits and sports kits. It was amazing that so many exist for a console out only a year. Even their gun accessories included more than just one or two options. They had at least 6 different types of shooting hardware that fits with the remote!
The last bit of technology fun was the stand alone Star Wars wireless webcams available from Nikko. These webcams are in the form of Star Wars hero R2-D2 and are about 7 inches tall. The camera features remote control of movements and access via internet. AA batteries are used to power the movement.
Along with the webcam, Nikko is also offering Artoo DVD 480p projectors that are 20 inches high and include an FM transmitter, iPod dock, and memory card slot. Both products use a Millenium Falcon remote to control the three wheeled futuristic robot that squeaks, beeps, and whistles as it moves, just like R2. Both products use sensors on the legs to detect edges where it could fall to its doom and stops the droid while calling out an alarm.
Also featured in the booth was their USB Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) handset that features Skype capability. All three of these items won't ship until later this year, but keep an eye out, because these are a must for the discerning Star Wars fan!
I hope everyone has a fun, tech filled year!
Tags: Editorial, GeneralNews