consumer electronics show

The 404 Podcast 491: Where we're all cast in new roles for 2010

We're back! Jeff and Wilson are joined in the studio today with "Kenri," and Justin chimes in from San Francisco via phone. It's back to our usual shenanigans again, and we recount our holiday break. Plus, we have an apology to make to James Cameron.

Jeff tells us about his near-death experience on the ski slopes. Listen to how a patch of ice almost did away with our favorite CNET emcee. Wilson recounts his Christmas vacation to visit his dear ole Ma. Finally, Justin tells us about how he's currently sunbathing in California, while we all freeze to death here in NYC.

With the exception of "Kenri," we all caught James Cameron's "Avatar," and boy was it mind-blowing! The film is just incredible to watch, and we're pleasantly surprised to see it bring in more than $1 billion at the box office worldwide. Wilson is not sure though that the movie is any good in 2D. The clips and trailers still look silly, so we're still recommending people catch it in IMAX 3D or Real3D. (Editors' note: please catch "Up in the Air." Two words: Vera Farmiga.)

Tomorrow is the first day of CNET's annual International CES coverage. There won't be a show tomorrow because we'll be en route to Las Vegas. We'll be hosting a live show Wednesday at 5 p.m., Thursday at 4 p.m., and Friday at 4 p.m. PST. We have some surprises up our sleeves, but honestly, we're just trying not to kill ourselves while partying it up in Vegas. If you're there, come by the CNET booth in the North Hall at the Convention Center.

EPISODE 491 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Best of CES 2009: Where are they now?

At the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas (January 5-9), CNET editors will be choosing the Best of Show finalists and winners that will set the trends for the new year. But that begs the question: How well did we do last year?

It's a perfect excuse to look back at the picks from the most recent show, January 2009. We've gone to the archives and highlighted the winners in 10 categories--including our overall Best of Show. See which picks were right on the money, which were soon eclipsed by newer and better products later in the … Read more

Einstein Audio: 'Genius' vacuum tube amp maker

We're not talking about Albert Einstein, the legendary theoretical physicist; we're talking about Einstein Audio Components, a Germany-based high-end audio manufacturer.

Its advanced audio equipment designs use vacuum tubes. Its latest stereo preamplifier, The Tube MKII, uses a total of (gulp) 19 tubes. That's a lot of tubes! Most tube preamps only use four, five, or six tubes. However, here's the cool part about the new Einstein preamp: only 10 of the 19 tubes operate at any given time. Eight are used all the time, and two are selected for whichever audio source happens to be … Read more

Podcast: Dreaming about a converged gadget future

Everybody and their mother-in-law knows that the world of computers and consumer electronics is converging--often in ways that we still cannot imagine. But figuring out exactly how the pieces will fall into place is the hard part. At the recently-concluded Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, there were several announcements which have triggered speculation about the timetable for this hungered-for golden age of convergence. Webware's editor-in-chief, Rafe Needleman, who was at the show, stops by for a chat about this latest tech trend.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Today's stories:

CES and the recession: What was the impact?… Read more

Palm's Pre arrives on smartphone scene

A correction was made to this story. Read below for details.

One of the biggest surprises of CES was Palm's Pre smartphone that some are calling an iPhone killer. While I don't expect this or anything else to kill the iPhone, it does appear that Palm could again become a major player in the smart phone market.

As a product reviewer I will reserve final judgment until I can carry one around and put it through its paces, but based on the few minutes I got to use the phone at the Consumer Electronics Show, I am very … Read more

CNET News Daily Podcast: Deconstructing Ballmer

Microsoft's CEO went to the Consumer Electronics Show to hype his company's upcoming replacement to the Vista operating system. But Steve Ballmer had more on his mind than Windows 7 and he shared some very frank opinions with CNET News' Ina Fried. Ina stops by for a visit to our studios to offer her assessment.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Today's stories:

Apple at CES? Unlikely

Dell officially unveils Adamo, Mini 10

Obama's stimulus plan: The energy debate

AMD aims supercomputer at mobile gaming, movies

Goldman Sachs: IT-spending growth to halt

Gimmicky gadgets at CES

Based on some of the things I've seen so far at the Consumer Electronics Show, 2009 might be remembered as the year of the gimmick. If gimmick is too strong a word, perhaps we can settle for "incredible technology in search of a practical purpose."

Take Casio's new EX-FS10 compact camera. The camera itself is marvelous, but the use case seems a little weird. Like a couple of larger SLR cameras Casio introduced at last year's show, this smaller consumer camera is capable of taking still pictures at up to 30 frames per second.

Now, … Read more

CES plan: Damn the calories, pass the egg rolls

The first event at the Consumer Electronics Show, called CES Unveiled, actually takes place a couple of days before the show officially opens. The press reception, which is sponsored by CES' host organization, the Consumer Electronics Association, is an opportunity for a small group of exhibitors to preview what they plan to show at CES.

As usual, products range from somewhat wacky to actually practical. One of the more unusual products was a 3D Webcam from Manchester, U.K.-based Promotion & Display Technology.

The Minoru 3D Webcam has two lenses, which makes it look a little like a cute … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 885: CES 2009 preview

How about a little preCES prediction? We talk about the things we expect to see at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Listen now: Download today's podcast