From the PC World team member who spent the week on Show Patrol in Las Vegas , here is our report on the great , the good , the bad , and the horrible . We catch sensational servers , touchy eastward - dragonflies , combo HD instrumentalist ( at last ! ) , uneven wrist cameras , tech for your car , tech for your teeth , and more at the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show .
Digital amusement
How low can projectors go?ViewSonic demonstrated a DLP projector , target at gamers , that it said would sell for $ 399 after rebate.—HARRY McCRACKEN
No - wires HDMI : One of the biggest disappointments that HDTV buyers experience is that they just ca n’t get around all the ugly wires they ask to connect devices to their venire . But Philips ’s newWireless HDMIproduct should end that problem later this class . What ’s really nice is that it will work with any TV that uses HDMI connexion ( and all modern ones have that ) instead of doing some kind of proprietary frill . Hat bakshish to Philips on this one.—RAMON G. McLEOD
Blue burner get on : Blu - ray Disc burners now have to keep pace with Lite - On ’s raw drive , the 2X Blu - ray Disc Triple Writer LH-2B1S , which is the cheapest yet at just $ 650 . And , finally , Toshiba has harbinger a screen background - ready HD DVD - R writer.—MELISSA J. PERENSON
These will tick off Steve Jobs : Perhaps Apple is too distracted by Cisco ’s suit to direct its sound attention toward the Lord of thePodspeakers . These oddball home speakers would be right at menage inBarbarella’sliving room . They ’re made by the Spanish troupe Scandyna and sell for $ 700 a pair.—ALAN STAFFORD
Yes dear , I ’ll turn it down : Yamaha has fall up with a matrimony saver . The My Beam feature on its latestDigital Sound Projector(YSP-1100 , $ 1,700 ) let the soul contain the outside focus all the sound from the goggle box on them , so as not to disturb others in the room . The sound projector , a one - box speaker system that produces bully surround auditory sensation , already had high spousal - favorable reception rating for its silklike design and uncluttered look , but this new feature practically makes it a valid nuptials anniversary talent . Well , that may be expire a little too far.—RGM
refreshfully fast and exonerated : We see a demo of 120 - Hz refresh rates on LCD high-definition television from Samsung at last twelvemonth ’s CES , and were elbow room impressed by the great melioration in clarity over stock 60 - Hz refresh rates . But frustratingly , no 120 - Hz television set come out in 2006 . This year Philips , Sharp , and Samsung will all have this doubled charge per unit in much of their lines . It ’s not quite as dramatic an improvement as moving from standard definition to hi - def TV , but it is a very noticeable upgrade in photograph quality.—RGM
Weird , in a well mode
you’re able to never be too clean : Peel the liners off the top and bottom of aPeel & Clean Padand sandwich it between your notebook ’s keypad and show . instantaneously , soil , whisker , and yesterday ’s lunch is toast , so to speak . A camp of four pads cost $ 13.—STEVE bass part
awake - up call with a jolt : disturbed that you wo n’t come alive up in time to make a 7 a.m. meeting ? The $ 30Sonic Shakeris an alarm clock with a seam vibrator . If that does n’t do it , the 90 - dB alert will.—SB
saltation feverishness : An entertainingly quirky piece of entertainment at the Intel booth let conventioneer dance on a stage and then have their motion turned into a TV with multiple copy of themselves boogying at one time , in emulation of the company ’s “ Multiply ” ad campaign . An Intel employee tell me that M.C. Hammer was advert CES , but declined to partake in this show unless he could perform to his own music.—HM
For serious urban cowpoke ( and cowgirl ) only : On top of the hoarded wealth trove of cutting - edge electronic gadgets CES always delivers , the obscure niche of the convention center are always good for a few laughs . Here ’s my favorite chortle from CES 2007 : theGiddyup Core gymnastic apparatus . Now , having never drive a bucking bronc , I ca n’t testify to its ability to deliver a six - inner circle venter , but I can tell you this : I ’d rather be overhear dead of a thumb spasm with a game control in my hand than be visit riding this miniature mechanical bull . Its “ usage ” is charge as “ no impact”—as long as the neighbor do n’t spy you through the window . The price is carry to be around $ 600 ( Stetson not included).—ERIC BUTTERFIELD
widget on the go
Surf ’s up — and so ’s this photographic camera : Take the waterproofDigital Ego 3 Sports Wrist Cameraalong while you surf , kayak , or dive in up to 100 feet of water . Flip it up , take your shot ( or telecasting ) , and click it back onto your wrist . I tried to agitate it off my mitt , and could n’t . This 4 - megapixel puppy weigh a picayune over 4 oz. , and shoots pictures and 40 - skeleton - per - indorsement videos with sound . Take at tone at myvideoof it.—SB
Superlightweight power to go : Mobility Electronics ’ slimmed - downiGo laptop power adapterlooks incredibly beguiling if you desire to persuade one twist for appoint your notebook and other portable peripherals while on the go — whether on land , in a elevator car , or in the air.—MJP
kibosh out the world : Shure ’s newfangled SE2120 earbuds did an admirable job of block out the chaos of CES — and delivered kinky , punchy sound . The duo come with froth arm in various sizes and runs $ 150.—EB
side - detecting camera : The $ 300 Fujifilm FinePix F40fd makes the most of font - sleuthing technology . In addition to using it to optimize exposure and focal point , the 8.3 - megapixel F40fd can automatically crop portraits , as well as mechanically order as many photographic print as there are faces in the frame.—EB
What we did n’t sleep with
Format war — oscitance : The ongoing rough-and-tumble between Blu - ray and HD DVD for next - generation - videodisc top honors has receive previous . Really , really old — even with the proclamation of a duple - data format player ( from LG ) , and a unmarried disc that stores both Blu - ray and HD DVD film , one on each side ( Warner’sTotal HD).—MJP
Down on the DRM retarding force : Video everywhere , on any machine , at any time . Except not . Or at least not yet . The technology for much of it subsist , and we see bits and pieces of it in products like the Slingbox or TiVo to Go , and in the upcoming Windows Home Server and Verizon Wireless ’s V Cast Mobile TV . The biggest stumbling block to a connect , converged multimedia system time to come is mismated and ungainly digital right hand direction strategy . Some abominably smart people have been working on this for years ; would it be so gruelling to now and again concord on an unobtrusive standard or two?—ANUSH YEGYAZARIAN
Dopiest light show : TheFarm Fresh Lightcast Lightshow(about $ 40 ) is a portable ignitor show that connects to a music source — say , an iPod , an MP3 player , or , if you ’re a masochist , your son ’s guitar . With 33 LEDs of various color , you’re able to , and I ’m quote here , “ create the ultimate synchronized sluttish show experience . ” Thanks , but I ’ll pass.—SB
bring nothing to the table : I do n’t mean to be jaded , but how many variations of uninventive me - too iPod speaker system docks without any real conception does the “ iPod ecosystem ” really need ? And don&38217;t you walk away just yet , digital photo frame : You ’re get going to strike into this trap , too , so I ’m putting you on notice.—DANNY ALLEN
Creepy award : Hands down , this croak toWowWee’sanimatronic Elvis bout . Something about the female chest , which babble out , speaks , and ringlet his rim in The King ’s patented leer , just weirded us out . Elvis has leave the building ; let ’s stop try out to make for him back . you could see the ( imitation ) Martin Luther King for yourself inthis video.—RGM and EDWARD N. ALBRO
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