Consumer Electronics Show 2009

Sunday, February 01, 2009

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Everyone's wary about the ongoing global recession, but the annual CES 2009 isn't worried. Gary Shapiro, President & CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA); producers of the annual CES, had this to say, 'We've had difficult times before but technology does provide some solutions. Technologies can create new jobs, new businesses. So I'm very optimistic about 2009, despite what the US govt says.' After looking at the sheer number of new launches and showcases of technology on the show floor, I was inclined to believe him. These are just a few of the exciting new gadgets and technologies that debuted at CES 2009.

Palm Pre
This was one big announcement at CES 2009. A lot of people had written off Palm as a company, especially since the Treo lines are not generating much interest and competition in the smart phone space is fierce. But the Palm Pre might change all that, and hopefully revive the company in a way the iPod did for Apple. The Pre is basically a combination of new hardware and Palm's new operating system which they call WebOS. The phone itself is very slick, smaller and narrower than the iPhone, but sports multi-touch, a high-resolution display (higher pixel density than the iPhone), plus it has the latest TI OMAP 3430 processor (rumored at 550 to 800 MHz) and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The WebOS includes all sorts of niceties like gesture control and amazing multitasking abilities.

Dell XPS 13 & 16
Dell didn't have a booth at CES, but they announced the new XPS 13 and 16 notebooks (13-inch and 16-inch respectively) at an event at The Palms Hotel & Casino. Both the XPS 13 and 16 build on the tapered design of the ultra-popular XPS 1330 and 1530 and both feature the latest Centrino 2 platform, advanced NVIDIA or ATi graphics, backlit keyboards, eSata ports and HDMI out. What's more, both notebooks are already available to order on the India website with prices starting at Rs 59,900 for the 13 and Rs 67,900 for the 16.

Samsung MBP200 media player with projector
This palm-sized device will amaze you with a built in screen, media playback abilities, built in storage and a built in pico projector. They claim that in a completely dark room, a 40-inch screen from this tiny LED-based projector is possible. Seeing the crisp and clear video on a 20-inch screen in a bright room, I'm inclined to believe them. Apart from this, a host of other pico projectors from 3M, Optoma and Aiptek were seen at CES. Slightly larger (and brighter) projectors from Dell and BenQ were showcased too, each one about the size of a small lunch box.

Wireless charging
As promised, PowerMat delivered their wireless charging system for gadgets and portable electronics, all demoed in a strangely barricaded CES booth. While it was modular and did 'work', it was a little inelegant. To charge any device, it must first be attached to a not-so-subtle sleeve. The sleeve connects to the power socket on the device and is what transfers the charge from the charging pad. However, something called eCoupled from Fulton Technologies was better. It worked without any sleeves or casings – the catch was that each device had to have a small chip and coil installed inside, which means that they'll have to work with manufacturers to build compatibility. But their technology could even power a high-power juicer-grinder wirelessly as well as smaller devices like phones and mp3 players. Fulton clearly showed the way ahead, upstaging the larger and more glitzy PowerMat.

Motorola Aura
Motorola's US$2000 phone is certainly a stunner in the flesh. That ultra-smooth swivel action and gorgeous circular screen has to be experienced to be believed. It's made with the precision of a high-end watch complete with hundreds of small moving cogs and gears and a scratch-proof sapphire crystal glass on the display.

Sony Vaio P series
This is the latest from the Vaio stable which was actually unveiled by Sir Howard Stringer during his CES opening keynote. Sony is quick to point out that the P series is far from a 'netbook' but instead integrates a very usable keyboard and a high resolution 8-inch, 1600x768 pixel screen. There's no trackpad, but a trackpoint instead and it comes in four colors, features a 1.33 GHz Intel Atom processor, 2GB of RAM, Vista Premium and a 60GB SSD – all for about US$1000.

EcoButton
Since green was a major focus for many consumers and manufacturers alike in this time of recession, EcoButton came up with a simple way for individual users to save electricity. The EcoButton is a simple button (as an external attachment) that glows green, so that you always notice it. It connects via USB to a computer. The idea is that you just need to tap the button when you're leaving your desk and it puts your PC and monitor to sleep – tap it again and you're ready to go in a few seconds. The EcoButton just makes you remember that this small action can save you lots, especially when multiplied over hundreds of computers in an office environment.

The author was hosted by the Consumer Electronics Association at the CES 2009 in Las Vegas.

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