The Visteon/3M demonstration vehicle, a BMW X5 fitted with numerous modifications for instrumentation, interior materials, switch gear, and lighting, was unveiled in the Visteon tent at 2008 CES. One of the more interesting features of this car is its virtual instrument cluster, using LCD displays for the speedo and tach, and a 3D center display showing route guidance. 3M provided materials to create a 3D effect, which makes graphical arrows indicating upcoming turns seem to float over the map background. The 3D effect only shows up when you are looking straight on at the display, such as in the … Read more

When you have the highest-rated MP3 player on CNET, I suppose it's OK to rest on your laurels a bit. iRiver's latest Clix, the Clix+, isn't much different from its immediate predecessor. It offers the same great D-Click controls, the same gorgeous AMOLED screen, and the same extensive feature list. But the company made changes where it counts: The player is slightly slimmer and comes with a lower price tag attached. The 4GB will go for $149, while the 8GB is set to sell for $199. This is much more competitive than with the previous version. iRiver … Read more

Anyone who's purchased an HDTV is aware that manufacturers are always trying to persuade buyers to purchase the higher-end models. The most popular step-up feature over the past few years has been 1080p resolution--despite the fact that it's not much better than 720p--but now that 1080p has become passe, 120Hz refresh rate is one of the newest buzz terms. Not to be left out of the feature wars, Vizio has announced a new line of 1080p LCDs featuring 120Hz technology, called the "Black Tie" series, which includes the 42-inch SV42LF and the 47-inch SV47LF.

On … Read more

Gadgets and green typically don't go together, but Nokia is aiming to change that with its new Nokia 3110 Evolve. The handset is made from 50 percent renewable bio-materials, and its charger uses 95 percent less power than required by Energy Star standards. While photos of landfills overflowing with discard mobiles always makes us cringe, we have to admit that we were a little skeptical of a recycled cell phone. But after we got the chance to hold it, the 3110 did have a nice feel in the hand. Sure, the candy bar design is pretty plain but it'… Read more

Today in Las Vegas, Burmester Audiosysteme, Germany's legendary manufacturer of ultra high-performance electronics and speakers, is exhibiting its 069 Reference Line CD Player. This amazing machine draws oohs and aahs even before it makes a sound, it's that gorgeous.

The 069 CD Player is a cutting-edge digital playback system, created for well heeled connoisseurs of music and German industrial design. Its audiophile credentials come in the form of its proprietary belt drive motor system that spins the CDs (instead of the off-the-shelf direct-drive mechanisms other manufacturers use).

The 069 CD Player's spiked feet may be set directly … Read more

Car stereo maker Eclipse, the U.S. brand of Fujitsu Ten, displayed its CD7200 mkII at CES 2008, a single CD receiver unit designed for high quality audio. The copper-plated chassis of this car stereo keeps external electrical signals from causing noise in the unit's wiring, and it uses gold-plated connectors for optimal signal transmission. The CD player uses 24-bit digital-to-audio converters, where the majority of car CD players on the market only use 16-bit.

The CD7200 mkII doesn't have an onboard amp, as it is designed as a control unit for an external amp and speaker setup. … Read more

While rear-projection seems to be losing steam, Mitsubishi is doing its best to breathe new life into non-flat HDTVs with its introduction of the world's first model with a picture powered by a laser-based light engine. Unfortunately, the product's smoke-and-hyperbole-filled introduction at the Palms hotel's Rain nightclub, while long on lighting effects, was short on details. Pricing and available screen sizes were not announced -- only that the product will hit the market this year.

Watch the Mitsubishi Laser TV video on CNET TV.

… Read more

If the Wii Zapper strikes you as too 'gunlike,' then you're probably not going to like these Wii accessories. Brooklyn-based CTA Digital showed off an entire arsenal of gun-themed Wiimote peripherals.

From the pistol-like Magnum Gun to the submachinegun-like Buzz Gun, CTA showed off no less than six Zapper-like Wii gun attachments. The Shot Gun for Wii stood out among them, a hulking, heavy pump-action shotgun accessory. The Shot Gun was a mock-up, and hopefully the final version of the gun will be lighter than the bulky model CTA displayed.

While they look fun, CTA's Wii accessories were … Read more

At the Consumer Electronics Show, Hitachi is demo'ing a product called Starboard that is a multi-touch interface at a very large scale. You can use it to control a regular PC, and they've also got some custom apps for it. One of those is shown in the video.

What's interesting is that this is a projected interface, so it's untethered from the need to have a touch-sensitive LCD. This allows it to scale very large relatively inexpensively. They were also showing a wall-size version.

The projector in both cases was a very short throw Hitachi model … Read more