CES 2008 Picks and Pans

Look, Ma! No Hands!

Scosche's plug-into-your-car-lighter Bluetooth product is a clever approach to a problem a lot of folks are going to have very soon: In many states, it's becoming illegal to hold your cell phone for calls. I just hate wearing Bluetooth headsets forhands-free driving--they make me feel tethered to the darn phone. With this product, calls play through your car speakers, and a built-in microphone will pick up your responses. Very neat. --Ramon G. McLeod

I went to a demo of Microsoft's Sync as a skeptic, and came away a believer. I want my next car to play Dark Side of the Moon when I tell it to--and read the smiley faces on my e-mail (even if it does sound pretty weird in a computer-generated voice). --Yardena Arar

At this point most people are used to being told what to do by their in-car GPS navigation systems. But withGarmin's Nuvi 880 GPS,   you get to do the talking. Built-in voice recognition lets you, umm, navigate the Nuvi 880's screen selections without lifting your fingers from the wheel. Simply say "find nearest Starbucks," and it will direct you to the quickest caffeine fix. Due out in the second quarter, the Nuvi 880 will retail for $1000--more than most GPS systems. But at least it will give you something to talk about. --Dan Tynan

Samsung's 2263DX monitor is a slick-looking 22-inch LCD with a second 7-inch display attached to an articulating arm on the back of the monitor, which you can place above or to either side of the big screen. Why? Dunno. Maybe so you can use the big screen to get your computing done, and the little screen for...writing really short e-mail? Watching YouTube? Pretending you own a UMPC? It's a goofy idea, and if it catches on, I'll eat my video card. --Dan Tynan

Even when I walk outside my house, I can't get a good cell phone signal, and that's been the case with different providers. So I'm interested in the $170ZBoost zPersonal, which supposedly makes the problem go away by repeating and boosting the signal. The gizmo is about the size of a cable modem. You'll need to put it near a window and plug it into a power source. If you stay within 4 feet of the device, your cell phone's signal will get a kick in the pants. --Steve Bass

First there wereMonster's portable power strips. This year, Targus introduced a portable, four-outlet surge protector. Finally, a way to handle the problem of having only one power outlet in your hotel room. --Melissa J. Perenson

SamsungUbiSync isn't a product, but a technology that lets you attach up to six screens to a single PC and control them all with a single keyboard and mouse. Impressive? Yes. Practical? Only if you're planning to become a Bond supervillain. But who isn't? --Dan Tynan

Forget aboutwaterproof digital cameras. The Underwater Digital Camera Mask lets you snorkel at up to 30 meters and grab 5-megapixel images at the same time. The mask, powered by two AAA batteries, has a lens right above the tempered-glass eyepieces (they double as a viewfinder embedded with crosshairs). --Steve Bass

Acershowed me the next generation of its mammoth, semitransportable notebook. This one is particularly focused on entertainment and features a 5.1 speaker system built right into the case. I didn't hear 'em, so I don't know if they transcend the tinny quality of most laptop sound systems--but that's still a lotta speakers. --Harry McCracken

iPod listening has always been a decidedly nonsocial thing. Razor's newJook connects to your iPod or Zuneand broadcasts your   iPod jams to other Jook users nearby, or vice versa. Jook might make the   iPod era a little more sociable. --Mark Sullivan

When it has a name like The ButtKicker, you know a sound system came to play. LFE's vibrating subwoofer installs under your couch or easy chair and turns it into a bass-fueled rumble seat. The company had some comfy chairs set up with ButtKickers installed under them, and I got to watch a few minutes of Transformers while feeling like I was sitting on the San Andreas Fault. Just be forewarned: You may feel an urge to sprint to the nearest restroom after a particularly big rumble, and the ButtKicker probably won't lend much excitement to romantic comedies. --Tim Moynihan