CES 2006: Picks and Pans

The Skype's the Limit:It's fascinating to track all the ways that VoIP is pushing further into everyday use. One of those ways is through the host of USB phones showcased at CES that hook into Skype. British company VoIPVoice just announced a $60 Cyberphone-W phone, coming soon, with a better speaker and microphone than normal analog phones to preserve the wideband sound that Skype uses.

Where, Oh Where Have the Consumer Electronics Gone?:Sure, over at the Sands Expo, you could still find some of the offbeat electronic consumer gadgets that typically debuted at CES. But this year's show felt as if those products made way for something else . . .

The Year of Convergence:Comdex may be in (seemingly permanent) hiatus, which explains why this is the year traditional PC-oriented vendors flocked to Vegas. Whether you were looking at the gargantuan Microsoft or Intel booths, or the array of vendors in the South Hall of the convention center . . . or even checking out the displays at traditional CE companies, you couldn't help but note the overlap.

The Year of Skype:At last year's CES, iPod accessories were ubiquitous. This year, the breakout accessory category is Skype (and, by extension, VoIP). Skype-specific handsets, adapters, software, and other gadgetry were in abundance at the show.

Google Does Vegas:For several years, the world of personal technology has been blurry enough that CES might more accurately be called The Consumer Electronics and PC Show. This year, it was really The Consumer Electronics, PC, and Web Show--and the company with the most buzz on the show floor seemed to be Google, which announced a video store and a free software bundle called the Google Pack. (I skipped the Google keynote at which these were announced, alas--several people told me that Robin Williams' appearance there was a highlight of the whole week.)

HD Everywhere:From Blu-Ray and HD-DVD-related hardware to a bevy of HDTVs from manufacturers large and small to HD radio, there was plenty of evidence that 2006 may be the year a significant percentage of the world's entertainment goes high-definition.

Wider is Better:A gaggle of manufacturers showed off an array of new notebooks at the show--and it was hard to find a single model that didn't feature a wide screen.

Sneak Peek:Toshiba's gigantic booth had an intriguing section with demos of new technologies that may not reach the market for years, including notebooks running off of fuel-cell technology and a Tablet PC with a detachable, wireless screen. The latter product--vaguely reminiscent of Microsoft's failed Smart Displays, but more elegant--lets you leave the computer in place while you wander around your office or home with the pen-enabled screen.

Bragging Rights:Welcome to the ongoing battle of the big screens. Samsung's booth showed the world's first 102-inch plasma TV. LG Electronics called its 102-inch plasma screen, also on display at CES, the world's largest. A few more booths over, Panasonic claimed the same title with its 103-incher. The flat-panels are all gorgeous, and they all drew the crowds. But when you think of all the money and research that goes into these one-off products, you can't help wondering: Wouldn't these vendors get even bigger crowds if they'd put their resources into something we could really use, like price reductions on the plasmas that are for sale?

Faster, Faster, Faster--Yeah, Right:Seems like the latest games of specs up-manship in the display industry aren't about size or contrast ratio, but LCD response time. Sharp and Viewsonic were touting screens with 4-millisecond response times, and BenQ was even promoting its 2-ms LCDs. Give it a rest, guys--we all know there are many ways to measure response time to make your products look faster on paper. Read my colleague Laura Blackwell's report on this numbers game and let's get real about this spec.

Whither the Recorders?:After the dust settled from the swirl of Blu-ray announcements, a disturbing trend emerged: All of the products announced so far for the living room are players, not recorders--as the Blu-ray Disc Association originally posited .

But What Kind of Gas Mileage Does It Get?:I just hate, and I meanhate, the pimped-out cars you find in the Convention Center's North Hall. Bleh. But, the waterfall car truly takes the cake for bizarre obnoxiousness. Not only was the Toyota Celica loaded with the usual trunk-mounted subs and speakers, but it also had a waterfall cascading from the open trunk lid to a catch basin in the bumper. Give me a break, please!

Goofiest Product I Don't Want to Try:If you're exercising and watching TV, don't even think of slacking off. You do and the $100 EnterTrainer lowers your TV's volume and even shuts it off after a minute. But when a single annoyed nudge of the foot can point it away from the TV and completely shut this trainer up, will it be real incentive for inveterate couch potatoes? The video says it all...

The Crap Master:The Universal Laser Systems VersaLaser might be a pick for some trade shows, but not this one. This $7695 (and up!) behemoth stands some 3 feet high and laser-etches images that you scan onto wood, marble, cloth, paper, and virtually any other material, according to the company. The next time you go to Hawaii and see surfboards and hula girls embedded in tchochkes, you'll know how they got there.

Really Useless Product Award:Nite Ize's Illuminated Flying Disc takes the prize. Imagine a Frisbee with LEDs that costs $20. Now if it only came with a built-in MP3 player...

We're at the Wrong Show Award: Wind Spinners have nothing to do with electronics, but they're sure eye-catching. Who knows, maybe next year they'll have an MP3 version. Not sure what a Wind Spinner is? Watch a video of them in action.

NDAs 'til PMA:We saw quite a few new and upcoming digital cameras and printers at CES 2006, but unfortunately aren't able to let you know about all of them. Many products were shown under nondisclosure agreements until they're officially unveiled in late February at the Photo Marketing Association (PMA) tradeshow. Tune in then!