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Consumer Electronics Show, January 5-8, 2006: CNET editors cover the best of CES
Products from CES
- Best of CES Awards
See the products our editors deem best of show. - Backstage Crew
Nine CNET users report from the floor. - CES Buzz Blog
Molly Wood gives you the scoop on CES.
Best in Show
iPod killer? With a brighter screen, better battery life, and more features, the Creative Zen Vision:M certainly has the goods to give the iPod a run for its money. In addition to a voice recorder and an FM tuner, the $330, 30GB Zen Vision:M supports a wide range of video formats, works with a growing number of online stores, and is compatible with subscription services. Cementing it as our Best in Show pick is its winning design; any product that cares to take on the stylish iPod must be able to turn heads. Though it's thicker than the iPod, the Vision:M boasts a sturdy, comfortable feel, a rainbow of color choices, and glossy good looks.
People's Voice
The people have spoken! More than 5,000 of you voted in our online poll, and your clear choice was the Pioneer Inno. Formerly known as the AirWare, the Inno is a standalone player/recorder for XM Satellite Radio; it can record up to 50 hours of programming. Even better, you can use the Inno as an MP3 player. Perhaps you're all huge Snoop Dogg fans, but we suspect that you like having options: lots of audio channels, accessible anywhere.
Best of CES winners in each category
Cameras and camcorders
Sanyo Xacti HD1
Sanyo melds several of the hottest trends in video today in its Xacti HD1 camcorder: HD video, flash-media recording, and an OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display, all for a relatively reasonable price: $800. And unlike many of its similarly designed competitors, the HD1 sports a 10X zoom lens.
Car technology
Pioneer AVIC-Z1
The AVIC-Z1 shows off the full potential of a car stereo head unit by combining multimedia playback with the most sophisticated navigation and full-blown Bluetooth cell phone integration.
Cell phones and PDAs
Samsung ZX20
The Samsung ZX20 supports the 3.5G HSDPA networks emerging in the United States. Offering data speeds in the 1.8Mbps range, the ZX20 world phone also has Bluetooth, a megapixel camera, and an MP3 player.
Computers
Intel Centrino Duo Mobile Technology
Intel Centrino Duo Mobile Technology, which places two mobile processing cores on one chip, has the potential to deliver significantly better performance for laptops, especially with multitasking, and extended battery life.
Emerging tech
ZenSys Z-Wave
In 2006, we may finally see the emergence of a healthy market for consumer home control products. No longer will only millionaires and ultrageeks be able to dim their lights from a remote control. New standards will enable a new class of product available to the mass market. Of the competing technologies, Z-Wave has the lead in product adoption.
Gaming
Nvidia GeForce Quad SLI
If there's a speed setting beyond ludicrous, Nvidia may have found it with GeForce Quad SLI, its new 3D technology that puts four graphics chips in a desktop PC. Price and release date details remain elusive, but the promise of full-detail PC gaming at up to 2,560x1,600 resolution is worth the wait.
Home audio
Denon AVR-2807
The key component in any home theater system is the A/V receiver that ties it all together, and Denon's forthcoming AVR-2807 (due in March) looks well-positioned to deliver the best bang for your home theater buck in 2006. It has a winning combination of features at a very affordable $1,100 price: HDMI switching and 480p conversion of analog video, autocalibration, and XM compatibility.
Home video
Pioneer BDP-HD1 Blu-ray player
Several Blu-ray players were announced at the show, but Pioneer's stood above the rest in terms of concrete specs, features, and price. The BDP-HD1 ($1,800, May) costs almost four times as much as the $499 Toshiba HD-DVD player, but between the two formats, we pick Blu-ray to have the most staying power.
MP3 and portable audio
Creative Zen Vision:M
The $330, 30GB Creative Labs Zen Vision:M represents the shining ray of hope for Windows Media devices. It has a stylish and intuitive design anchored by a stunning 2.5-inch screen; compatibility with a laundry list of audio, video, and photo formats (including subscription services); extras such as an FM tuner and voice recorder; and excellent A/V performance.
Networking
The D-Link SecureSpot All-in-One Internet Security Appliance
Despite the multiple security threats to SOHO networks, many people fail to protect them. One culprit is the difficulty of doing so. The affordable D-Link SecureSpot appliance makes the task easy. It's a snap to configure and change via a browser-based control panel that lets you monitor individual clients as well as the entire network.
Peripherals
Belkin CableFree USB hub
Belkin's CableFree USB hub, the first device we've seen with Freescale's Cable-Free USB technology, lets you put your printer where you want. Plug the small dongle on your PC, and it communicates wirelessly with USB devices that you have connected to the four-port hub across the room. The hub's faster than Bluetooth, cheaper than Wi-Fi, and cuts down on cable clutter.
TVs
Samsung HL-S5679W HDTV
The HL-S5679W is the first DLP-based rear-projection TV to eliminate the color wheel/lamp image engine used in current DLP models. Its single 1080p DLP chip is illuminated instead by a trio of three LED lamps, which result in better color fidelity and no "rainbow effects."
Best of CES 2006 Awards
See all CES videos
Nine lucky CNET users won a backstage pass to CES, and they'll give you their perspectives on the show.
What happens in Vegas won't stay in Vegas. Molly Wood has the daily buzz on the show scene.
Molly Wood
Section Editor
Section Editor
What's the coolest thing at CES 2006?See CES products by category
Best of CES Awards
Thousands of products debut at CES, but only 14 will get our editors' seal of approval.
Thousands of products debut at CES, but only 14 will get our editors' seal of approval.
Backstage Crew
Nine lucky CNET users won a backstage pass to CES, and they'll give you their perspectives on the show.
Nine lucky CNET users won a backstage pass to CES, and they'll give you their perspectives on the show.
CES Buzz Blog
What happens in Vegas won't stay in Vegas. Molly Wood has the daily buzz on the show scene.
What happens in Vegas won't stay in Vegas. Molly Wood has the daily buzz on the show scene.
CES discussions
You make the call: What's the standout product or technology at CES this year?
You make the call: What's the standout product or technology at CES this year?
