2010 CES

Etymotic announces iPod control mod, new earphone line

Walking into the North Hall at CES this year might make you wonder if someone had picked up MacWorld and deposited it into the Las Vegas desert. The space was packed end to end with various iPod accessories, complete with iLounge Pavilion. As you might imagine, headphones made up no small part of the audio offerings on display. Among the many companies on display was Etymotic, which was demonstrating its new mc-series headphones.

The sleek new earphones come in a variety of shimmery colors, including a forest green version not shown here. They also include Etymotic's excellent noise-isolating capabilities … Read more

Is Taser's phone-monitoring product overparenting?

Taser International, the company that makes Taser guns to help law enforcement subdue unruly suspects, now has a product aimed at children. At CES, the company announced the Protector Family Safety Program--a series of products designed to help parents monitor and control what their kids are doing with their phones.

Lets parents listen in Protector goes further than most parental control products in that it doesn't just provide a summary of activity--such as the incoming and outgoing numbers of people the kids call or text--but allows parents to listen to actual calls and read text messages.

Depending on … Read more

Product lets parents monitor, control child's cell phone (podcast)

Taser International has developed software that allows parents to monitor and control what their children can do with their cell phones. The service, called Protector Family Safety Platform, lets parents monitor their child's incoming and outgoing phone calls, texts and media. Parents can block calls or messages, listen in, and even record calls.

Taser International Vice President Steve Tuttle tells Larry Magid how the system works.

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Ion product line bridges old and new

You've gotta love Ion. Year after year, no company better embodies the CES spirit of throwing offbeat products at the wall and seeing what sticks. Some of the products catch on and some don't, but it's always fun to flip through its new releases and see what might be the Skymall superstar of the new year.

For 2010, Ion is continuing its tradition of USB turntables, iPod speakers, and analog media converters (including a USB Walkman-style cassette deck), but also breaking ground on several new product categories.

The most notable new addition is the iType, a full-size … Read more

Perhaps it's time for optical drives again: The Gateway 11.6-inch EC14D

One of the more notable moments at CES this year for me wasn't a flashy new notebook announcement or a weird concept device demonstration. It was a quiet reveal at the Acer/Gateway suite of the upcoming Gateway EC14D, an 11.6-inch dual-core ULV mininotebook that has a DVD drive. It's a big deal, for several reasons.

Many readers have written in regarding laptop purchases they'd like to make, and it seems that the capability to play DVDs still ranks high on many lists. A laptop is often an entertainment purchase, and DVDs are still more widespread … Read more

RCA creating Wi-Fi-powered gadget charger

Here's an energy source most of us haven't considered tapping: Wi-Fi wireless signals.

At CES 2010, RCA was showing a prototype of a handheld energy-harvesting battery designed to convert energy transmitted in a Wi-Fi signal into DC power, according to a report in OhGizmo.

The device, called the Airnergy, uses an antenna and circuitry to harvest the energy and an internal battery to store the electrical charge. A company representative told OhGizmo that they were able to charge a BlackBerry from 30 percent to full charge in about 90 minutes using the ambient Wi-Fi signal at CES, although … Read more

TVs from the third dimension, a wrap-up

LAS VEGAS--Anybody who kept track of the news and highlights from CES this year knows that, as predicted, one trend dominated everything else: 3D. And since you'll need a new TV--and glasses!--to view the new 3D movies, games and TV programs, it follows that the main TV-related announcements all centered on 3D-compatibility.

But before I get into the nitty-gritty of actual announcements, it's worth taking a step back for some perspective on 3D. Here are a few general things to remember as you sift through 3D coverage from the show.

The first 3D TVs should ship in "spring" of this year--likely later rather than earlier--at which time we'll publish reviews. Until then we can't say how they'll actually perform in the real world. The models shown at CES were not final versions, and their picture quality in show demos is subject to change. The 3D TVs announced at the show are the most expensive in their respective manufacturers' product lines, although we don't expect them to cost much more than current high-end models. Aside from Vizio, nobody announced pricing on any 3D TVs. The new 3D TVs use technology that's similar to what's seen in IMAX 3D and other commercial 3D theaters, and it's superior to the technology typified by the cardboard glasses with color filter lenses. As far as we know, there's no way to upgrade ANY current HDTV to be compatible with the new 3D display technologies. Update: Mitsubishi announced an adapter box that would enable their current and older 3D-capable, DLP-based rear-projection models to work with 3D. You can watch normal TV and HDTV on a 3D TV with no problem. For a true 3D experience, you'll need new 3D content, whether it's a 3D TV channel, a 3D Blu-ray Disc, or a 3D video game. No such content is widely available now, and small amounts will trickle out throughout 2010. (The first 3D TV channels will likely be on DirecTV in June). Not everyone can enjoy the 3D experience, and many people cannot see 3D at all or suffer headaches or other ill effects from it. We recommend anyone who's considering a 3D TV to first watch a few 3D movies in the theater to see how it works for them. Then remember that TVs are a lot smaller. All of the CES announcements are subject to change, and most will certainly be modified as the year progresses. Check out CNET's 3D TV FAQ for more details.

Now that that's taken care of, let's check out the major TV announcements.

… Read more

Solar chargers no longer ugly ducklings

LAS VEGAS--Over the last few years, I've spent a lot of time piecing together a mini solar station to charge my gadgets. Having just returned from CES, it's clear that the latest options for small-scale solar are likely appeal to more than just eco-geeks like me.

My home solar-charging gear is decidedly clunky. I bought a 10-watt solar panel that charges a 12-volt back-up battery which has a regular AC outlet on it. It's versatile since I can use the wall plugs that come with various devices but my toys weren't cheap--close to $300 all told. … Read more

Wrap-up: Monitor industry rests on its laurels

LAS VEGAS--Coming into CES 2010 I wasn't expecting much. Most vendors I'd made plans to meet with didn't have anything really new and exciting planned. At last year's CES, we saw the emergence of 16:9 monitors as well as the first real rumblings of LED backlights and 3D technology.

At this year's show, most vendors seemed to be leaning heavily in the LED direction, with some vendors, such as AOC, outfitting the majority of their lineup with LED backlights. Monitors with LED backlights didn't really start taking off until late last year, even … Read more