CES 2008

BlueAnt introduces the Q1

One of our favorite Bluetooth headsets for 2008 was the BlueAnt V1, the world's first voice-controlled Bluetooth headset. Well, BlueAnt is certainly not resting on its laurels. It just announced the BlueAnt Q1, a brand-new headset that combines the voice interface technology from the V1 with a stylish gunmetal design.

The new design promises to "virtually eliminate" wind and road noise, handling wind speeds up to 10 miles per hour. It also boasts dual microphone wind noise reduction, echo cancellation, and digital signal processing software for clearer voices. Other features include automatic pairing and reconnection to the phone, automatic more

CES 2008: Home audio wrap-up

to the music anymore.

That's not to say that there weren't some home-audio highlights at this year's show. As predicted, single-speaker audio is taking off: Boutique manufacturers such as Polk Audio and Definitive Technology are turning their considerable expertise to single-speaker, as are mainstream names like Philips and Samsung. It's not totally new, of course--plenty of options --but the clear desire for consumers to have a d?cor-friendly audio component to match their flat-screen TVs is undeniable.

One of the attractions of single-speaker units is the desire to cut down on the speakers, and the resulting more

CES 2008: Home video wrap-up

to be officially announced--there's no reason to rush out and buy one anytime soon.

But there's still a big question as to whether or not the future of home video will be one of discs--or, in fact, physical media of any kind. Online delivery of home video seemed to be everywhere: major companies such as Samsung are getting into the game, while upstarts such as XStreamHD are offering intriguing delivery options and increasingly improved video quality. That's on top of existing hardware solutions such as Vudu, stepping up to the plate.

Of course, the potential 800-pound gorilla more

CES 2008 HDTV wrap-up

The whirlwind of CES 2008 is finally over, and now that we've had a few seconds to gather our thoughts, let's reflect on some of the major HDTV trends we observed at the show.

Thin is in

Flat-panels are popular for a reason, and part of it is people love thin screens. While plenty of people are satisfied with standard 6-inch-deep screens, HDTV companies are betting there's a market for ultrathin sets measured in millimeters rather than inches. The most impressive thin TV tech we saw was Pioneer's "Project Kuro" prototype plasma, which measures only 9mm more

Computers and hardware CES 2008 wrap-up

CES 2008 may not have been a show for big wows, but there was plenty to talk about, at least on the computers and hardware front. For starters, Lenovo , predictably named IdeaCentre, for release in Europe, though we expect the line to reach our shores soon.)

HP caught our attention with the small-form-factor PC is any indication.

On the component front, Intel made a splash with the announcement of its first 45-nanometer notebook chips, known as Penryn; we shared our . Intel also gave us a look at announced new graphics chips, the latter offering a peek at its Hybrid SLI more

Emerging technologies CES 2008 wrap-up

In a year when by the products on display at CES, the emerging technologies category provided some much-needed excitement for the year to come.

Our Best of CES winner, the , generated buzz among both CNET editors and readers with its mix of open-source hardware and software, plus an innovative pricing scheme that encourages early adoption. Though we have no doubt the product will at first appeal to tinkerers and hobbyists, we're intrigued by the prospect of a future filled with modular gadgetry.

Other technologies to catch our attention seemed to come straight out of The Jetsons: the showed us more

Car Tech CES 2008 wrap-up

CNET took advantage of the car tech buzz by setting up its own

Elsewhere, Ford used the show to make an announcement on its

CES 2008: MP3 and PVP wrap-up

Every year, we CNET Editors approach CES with a mixture of excitement and some underlying, stress-induced dread. The show is always a lot of work--and spending five days in the dry Vegas climate when accustomed to San Francisco's damp (cigarette smoke-free) air almost guarantees coming back with a cold--but at least we have some shiny new gadgets to look forward to seeing. And yet CES 2008 just didn't quite deliver in the MP3 and PVP category...or several others,

Don't get me wrong: Senior Editor Donald Bell and I saw plenty of cool gear. However, most of

Cell phones and smartphones CES 2008 wrap-up

Another CES is in the bag, and we've successfully fled Las Vegas for San Francisco. Though fewer new cell phones debuted at the show than in the past couple years, we can say that the 2008 show was all about quality over quantity. Also, when compared with the last couple of years, we had some serious competition for the Best of CES award in the cell phones and smartphones category. But after it was said and done, the Motorola Rokr E8 took that prize. Its innovative morphing keyboard gave it the needed mojo to lap the Sony Ericsson W760more

Jook makes you a roving radio station

Gaming peripheral maker

Of course, no social music environment is complete without an online component. Users create a profile to be stored on their Jook-enabled device, and can decide to share this profile with other listeners or broadcasters. This allows them to connect later on the Web, where each person can create a page that contains as much or as little information as he or she wants to share. The site will also provide a forum for discussing music tastes and rating other Jook users' musical tastes.

One of the most compelling things about Jook is that it is inexpensive