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Details of new technology showcased at the massive CES technology show being held in Las Vegas this week are pouring onto the web. Here's a collection of the latest gadgets from the show that caught my attention.
Taser to the music
This one is just plain inane - a taser gun, which Americans carry around to protect themselves, with a music player built into it. Just don't mistake the shuffle feature for shock.
WiMax gadgets
Hardware makers pushing WiMax wireless broadband technology were out in force at CES, in particular PC maker Asus, which is building WiMax chips into 15 per cent of its laptop range including a second-generation Eee PC.
I like the idea of that - a WiMax player could put together a compelling offer by partnering with Asus to bundle the budget, lightweight laptop with a WiMax connection plan.
Belkin wireless HDMI
Wireless HDMI devices let you send high definition feeds to your TV screen without having to plug in HDMI cables are getting a lot of attention this year. This wireless HDMI hub from Belkin lets you connect up to six high-definition devices to your TV without the need to plug a cable into your TV. Ideal for people who have a hi-definition player, HD pay TV set-top box and Playstation 3 or Xbox Elite and want to connect them all at once with minimum hassle.
Panasonic's 150-incher
I remember visiting Panasonic's factory in Osaka last year and being told by the engineers there how every month the production line is reconfigured to build 105 inch plasma screens which are destined for the palaces of rich Arabs and Vegas casinos. It seems the production line has been stretched even further to accommodate the 150 inch plasma screen company has produced. That's a seriously big piece of glass involved.
OLED's outlook mixed
Sony and Samsung have several falt-screen TVs at CES featuring the OLED (organic light-emitting diode) technology the companies hope will prove a viable successor to LCD. I'd be interested to see some of the OLED TVs alongside high-contrast LCD screens of equivalent size. As this article points out, OLED is expected to have a place in the market, but not at a price point that will give it mass market appeal until at least 2015.
Blu-ray player sub US$300
Funai unveiled a cheap Blu-ray player at CES, well, relatively cheap. While HD-DVD players have been selling for as little as US$100, Blu-ray players have always been a bit pricier, a situation the Blu-ray supporters will have to correct as HD-DVD loses support. The Funai NB500 will have 1080p output via HDMI 1.3, Profile 1.1 support and 5.1 Dolby Digital.
Skype on the PSP
Sony will make the Skype free internet calling software available on the PSP this year. You simply download the free software, enter your Skype username and password and the familiar interface appears on the PSP's screen. I love the idea of this as I use the PSP on my home wireless hotspot a lot and out and about at public hotspots to network back to the PS3 at home and stream music.
But there are a couple of catches - the service only works on the newer slim-line PSP and you need to buy an external microphone to use the PSP as a phone.
Sony will also make low-resolution versions of Blu-ray movies bought by PS3 owners downloadable to the PSP. You'll need a big enough Memory Stick to store the movies, but again I like the idea of this, and hopefully it will apply to a wide range of Bluray titles.
Bone-conductive headset
Constant mobile users may appreciate the technology behind the Invisio Q7 headset, which according to CNet uses bone conduction technology to give a better feed through the headset's speaker.
As Nextlink explains on its website: "When speaking, the speech sound will generate vibrations in the in person's mouth and jawbone. Via the jawbone, the vibrations are transmitted to the ear canal where the INVISIO headset picks it up by the patented Bone Conduction Microphone. Because the speech signal is not passed through the air from mouth to the headset, as in a other headsets, ambient noise is effectively eliminated and therefore not audible for the person spoken to over the radio or phone."
Robots galore
CES's usual robot showcase Robots galore
is in full swing and dominated by industry leader iRobot, which makes the Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner and Hong Kong robot maker Woowee which would appear to be roaming into iRobot's territoiry with the Rovio (US$299), a pint-sized robot that motors around your home taking video and photos and sending them over a wireless network to a web browser.
