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DERN @ CES 2008 Report #4: (Some of) The Products I Saw At CES 2008

By Daniel P. Dern on January 17, 2008 1:21 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

There were about 400 exhibitors (probably close to 300 uniques, since there some were at multiple events) at the multi-vendor press/analyst events I went to -- "CES Unveiled," Lunch@Piero's, Marty Winston's Cherry Picks, Pepcom Digital Experience, and ShowStopppers. (See my DERN @ CES Report #3, A Few Words (Well, Paragraphs) AboutThe Multi-Vendor Press/Analyst-Only Events".

I schmoozed with or otherwise looked, and took press materials from, at least a hundred of these several hundred exhibitors, including Diskeeper, D-Link, Lenovo, NetGear, Nikon, Olympus, Paragon Software, Sandisk, and Rebit, to rattle off a few from memory.

And there were over 2,700 exhibitors at CES 2008, with I-don't-know-how-many products. I saw probably a hundred, maybe two hundred of these -- many at the "Innovation Center" at the Sands/Venetian. (Fortunately, I'd already chatted with many of these folks, at the Pepcom, ShowStoppers, et c.

Here's brief notes on a sampling -- four dozen or so -- based mostly on the notes I typed into my trusty "pocket-sized" NEC MobilePro 780. (I've also got a one-foot stack of PR CDs, two dozen USB drives (totaling about 15GB) of press kits, and a modest two-inch stack of PR paper I brought back.) There were lots more interesting products, but I can't include them all (especially not in this forum, which I'm doing for free).

I'll do, and post to TechRevu.com, category-sorted summaries (including some stuff not noted in this report), and "Dern's Picks For CES2008." (And I'll go back and put links to them here.)

  • Yoggie's USB-stick Linux-based firewall and security apps -- not just software, but also a processor, rather than consume your computer's CPU resources. Less than $100, I'm curious to try one.

  • Sandisk is adding a auto-backup service to some of its Cruzer Titanium Plus flash drives, via BeInSync online backup using Amazon Web Services. The first six months of the service are free; $29.99 per year afterwards. Also, optional password protection and AES in-hardware encryption, and two years free BoomerangIt lost-and-found service. The 4GB flash drive should be available March 2008, MSRP $59.99.

  • NRG was showing a solar recharging dock -- technically, a solar panel, and a separate, also AC-powerable, dock -- to help keep mobile devices charged, and provide a way to recharge them during (daytime) power outages. (Too) expensive for most of us, IMHO; available March 2008.

  • Got data you want to protect from fire and other disasters, and aren't using an offsite data backup service? Or CD/DVDs and a few other things you want to (also) protect? Consider a fireproof drive or safe from Sentry Safe.

  • HTC Shift - Mobile 3G Cell Devices with Big-Enough Keyboard Another entry blurring the line between big Internet-enabled cell phones and small cellular-broadband enabled notebook computers, the HTC Shift includes Vista Business, a 7" display, 30GB (or bigger) hard drive, tri-band, quad-band, WiFI and Bluetooth, in a two-pound package.

  • Giving the finger(s) to handhelds and mobile devices: interface developer Synaptics Inc. is adding support for "pinch" and "momentum" finger gestures for touchscreens, in addition to its existing "ChiralMotion" scrolling gesture support.

  • Online PC service/support/training firm PlumChoice was at ShowStoppers, providing service via remote access. I don't (yet) know how much it costs, what exactly they do, etc., but I'm sure it beats being asked by family and friends to fix their computers.

  • Beceem has chipsets for mobile WiMAX, e.g. notebooks and handhelds with built-in WiMAX (or, for all I know, PCMCIA or other add-ons). Mobile WiMAX can be the metro alternative to cellco broadband, let's wish them luck!

  • Brother was showing its HL-2170W WiFi-enabled laser printer, MRSP $149. (Other printer vendors, like Lexmark, already offer WiFi-enabled printers -- see my eWeek news story, and add-on WiFi print servers are appx $40-$100.)

  • IoGear continues its foray into the pocket-sized mobile rechargeable power pack for cell phones and other handheld/mobile devices, with its GearJuice, MSRP $49.95 with six charging tips. Also shown: their smaller SlimCharger and Rescue Charger.

  • Wenger's best-known product line is Swiss Army Knives, but they also do other stuff, like their new Ibex computer backpack, MSRP $89. No wheels or handle, but very impressive padding against the back. (Victorinox makes a nice wheeled backpack, although I'm still quite happy with my Targus 15.4" Rolling Notebook Backpack.)

  • Samson Tech makes high-quality mobile stereo audio recording easy with its Zoom H2 Handy Recorder, MSRP $199, and H4 Handy Recorder (around $500, from the looks of it. AA-powered, very interesting!

  • Energizer's moving beyond just-batteries to also offer Energizer Light on Demand-- lights plus rechargeable batteries, and a docking/mount, so they can act like normal use/emergency in-place or cordless mini-lights or removable flashlights.

  • Want VoIP at home, in your small office, or on the road, but having trouble telling whether it's working? Vonage's new V-Portal router, with two RJ-11 (POTS) phone jacks, plugging into any broadband. It's got an LCD for install, calling, and troubleshooting info, and is small enough to be part of your portable tech kit.

  • Clean gunk and germs from device screens with Monster Screen Clean.

  • Fujitsu has added Wide-Area Networking to its already sweet 1.5-pound ultra-ultra-light Lifebook u810 Mini-Notebook PC, MSRP around $1,000 (not counting WAN service). On the list of "Things I want to try."

  • Amiga fans, interesting (good?) news - Amiga, Inc. has added more multimedia and gaming features to version 2 of its AmigaAnywhere "run anywhere" platform that lets apps be run on a bunch of platforms. It's an environment, not an "OS," incorporating all sorts of personal and other config data.

  • Also for mobile recording-oriented audiophiles and dictationists: Olympus' LS-10 Linear PCM Audio Recording Device, MSRP $399.99. 

  • Invisio was showing its consumer line of Bluetooth headsets -- small! I'm curious to see what they sound like (at both ends). The Invisio G5 includes a charging case that can recharge the headset five times before itself needing a recharge. The Invisio Q7 will use bone conduction technology.

  • Joby, the folks who brought us the GorillaPod flex-leg camera mini-tripod, was showing its Zivio Bluetooth headset, featuring a telescoping microphone boom intended for environments like high-noise public areas and moving automobiles which have traditionally tasked headsets to provide clear audio.

  • Ricoh announced half a dozen new single-pass laser color printer/multi-function devices (MFPs), from $399 to $849, intended for small offices and other lowish-end business users, with features including front-panel access and short-paper-path.

  • Via Technologies had several tables' worth of UMPCs and other products and prototypes at Lunch@Piero's, using their small-to-real-small motherboards, including MTube, the world's smallest x86-based computer.

  • In the sub-$500 sub-notebook range, Everex was at Lunch@Piero's with their CloudBook ultra-mobile PC -- 7.1" screen, same form factor and price zone ($400-ish) as the Asus EEE, but with 30GB hard drive instead of flash RAM, DVI output, camera, and media readers. It's running gOS Rocket, a Linux derivative. (I and others suggested they should also offer Windows, for Windows users willing to pay more to run in an environment they were more familiar with.)

  • Penton Overseas has ported their DVD-based foreign language learning programs to iPod versions.

  • Hughes Network Systems is up to 365,000 users of their satellite broadband service (for when you can't landline or metro wireless broadband), and has a number of new distributors.

  • New USB drives from Kingston include a 2GB Traveler that includes Migo software, and an 8GB HyperTraveller.

  • Internet-enable your pill bottles with GloCaps; they won't confirm that pills have been taken, but can do a light and sound alert on the bottle to remind the user it's time to take 'em.

  • Flir's new infrared video cameras are a good add-on for vehicles (BMW's mounting them below the headlights) to let you see obstacles you'd otherwise not detect in time, also for security applications.

  • ZPower's silver-zinc rechargeable batteries will be challenging LiON for use in notebook, cell phones and other portable electronics; the vendor claims they'll provide 40% more run time in the same factor as LiON cells.

  • In addition to cool mobile peripherals like their CardScan business card scanner, Newell Rubbermaid now offers postage-printing devices with features like no-monthly-fee, your graphics (e.g. pix) as stamps.

  • Paragon Software was showing Partition Manager 9.0, and Drive Backup 2008 Server Express; the higher-end version of Backup includes CDP and other additional features.

  • IBM is using virtual worlds ("intraverses") for a fascinating range of internal applications, including data center monitoring, bringing in retired (IBM) experts, working with multiple companies. Way cool!

  • Recognizing that some peripherals don't need to be on when the computer's off (and often don't have power switches), APC's adding "slaved" outlets that turn off when the device plugged into the "master" outlet is turned off or "goes to sleep, on devices including its MSRP $99 Back-UPS ES 750 (1 master + 3 "slaved" backup'ed outlets, plus 4 other power-backed and 2 surge-only outlets), and its Power-Saving Surge Arrest, MSRP $39, 1 master outlet, 3 "slaved," 3 additional.

  • Speaking of power monitoring and saving, PC International had both their MSRP $49 KillAWatt EZ single-out power monitor, their KillAWatt PS Power Strip (MSRP $99), which displays how much power is going through them. And they will be introducing a wireless monitoring unit that can send its information to a display (which will monitor up to 8 remote units).

  • Xantrex, now working with/through Duracell, has nifty mobile chargers and power devices, ranging from the smallest third-party power "brick" for notebooks, through their $99 PowerPack 300 lead-acid-based home/auto 12Ah 300-watt battery/inverter and air compressor combo suitable for, among other things, jump-starting a car.

    Duracell was also showing their 130V and 90W PowerPro Universal Power Adapters, which are the smallest power "bricks" I've seen to date -- available through retail around April.

  • Sandisk's new Sansa TakeTV PC to TV Video Player lets you, like the name implies, moved video from a computer and play it directly on your TV (using the connector cradle). Convenient. The $99 model holds 5 hours, the $149 holds 10 hours.

  • RiData's new Yego Y-shaped USB drive has two USB ports, so you gain, rather than lose, a USB port when plugging the drive in.

  • D-Link's new DLife.com service will autoconfigure your (DLink) equipment, making it easier to set up a home network, including peripherals.

  • Norazza had two interesting products: its Pocket RAID for portable RAIDed disk storage (sample pricing, $499 for 2x80GB), and its Hard Drive Destroyer, which punches holes in a hard drive's platters, rending them unreadable. At $8K, the disk destroyer's not for (most) end users, but maybe you'd pay a buck or two for walk-in access?

  • What do you get when you cross roller skates with a Segue? Answer: iShoes -- rechargeable battery-powered wheeled twelve-pound pair of shoe accessories. A charge takes you two to three miles, at up to 13.5 miles/hour. About $599.

  • Medis soon won't the only company with disposable fuel-cell-like pocket power for mobile devices. PowerAir's ThinkZinc portable power pack packs 40WaH -- about 40 AA cell's worth -- of power into an easily-pocketable shell -- $30 including cable and USB adapters, additional adapters $2.99 each. ZincAir refill packs are $20 each. Scheduled to start shipping October 2008.

  • CallPod's mobile accessories include their ChargePod -- think a six-outlet charger for mobile devices (pricey, but maybe worth it in space/weight savings) -- and their longer-range -- up to 300+ feet -- Dragon Bluetooth headsets.

  • Techsonics was showing a interesting bunch of rechargeable GoGo PowerPack mobile chargers, including its $49 PowerPack and $24.99 PowerBurst.

  • The $9.95 CamGrip, like the name suggests, is a hand-sized grip that screws into your camera or camcorder's tripod socket, to hold it more steadily -- particularly helpful with the smaller cameras available today.

  • The Data Locker external USB hard drive includes a touchscreen PIN pad, which adds password protection to the drive's boot sector -- i.e., removing the drive from the case won't bypass the password protection. $99 for barebones case, $129 with 80GB drive up through $299 with 250GB drive.

  • Want 802.11n speeds on your local WiFI -- without replacing your router? Or add WiFi to your wired router? Try TrendNet's $49 300Mbps Wireless Easy-N-Upgrader,

  • WIth Com One's $249 Phoenix Wi-Fi Radio, you don't need a computer to listen to Internet radio stations. (You'll need WiFI, of course -- and a computer to do any station set-up.)

  • Want to try out a mobile phone before buying? Try the TryPhone site, which has virtualized versions of a growing number of models, along with links to reviews, demos, how-to help (and, of course, buy-me's).

  • New optical drives from LiteOn includes their more-affordable-than-read'n'write BlueRay read-only-capable internal drive, for about $150, and an MSRP $289 external version. Also seen, a soon-available external slim DVD writer in the $99 range.

  • Want RAID-like external storage redundancy without the management hassle? Data Robotics $499 Drobo lets you mix-and-match any-capacity drives as an external USB device, and the $199 Drobo Share lets you put your Drobo on the network. (I'd want to know more, try this, and compare it to two-bay SOHO RAID NAS devices along with NetGear's pricier high-featured ReadyNAS line.)

And there were hundreds of others I saw, and thousands I didn't, but like I said, I couldn't possibly have gotten to see everything, and don't have time to report here on the ones I did see.

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