From a very big flat-screen TV to wireless Internet appliances, the Consumer Electronics Show touts this year's upcoming products.
By DAVE GUSSOW
Published January 12, 2004
LAS VEGAS - In the world of electronics, good things come in big - and small - packages.
LG Electronics grabbed attention at last week's Consumer Electronics Show with an eye-popping 76-inch high-definition plasma display, even though the megatelevision won't be available until the fourth quarter and its likely hefty price tag wasn't announced.
At the other end of the spectrum, Cellboost is about the size of a cigarette lighter, costs about $10 and works as a disposable battery pack when a cell phone's battery dies (www.cellboost.com) It's emergency charge lasts about an hour.
The annual electronics trade show is a cruel tradition in a way. Only weeks after people experienced the holiday joy of new gadgets and gizmos, and even before the credit card bills are paid, the electronics industry rolls out its lineup for the coming year.
That never stops consumers from buying. The Consumer Electronics Association, which sponsors the show, predicts record sales this year of $101-billion, up about 5 percent over last year.
And there will be no shortage of gadgets to intrigue buyers, from the family room to the kitchen to the garage. Here's some that caught our eye in the vast display areas of the Las Vegas Convention Center and in hotel meeting rooms. In many instances, the price of the new gadget and when it will go on the market were not announced:
High-definition recorders: The first devices that allow recording of high-definition TV will be coming out this year. Philips will offer a digital video recorder that works with the TiVo service in the first quarter, and LG also announced one. To get around entertainment industry objections, these boxes will restrict consumers through a new technology called "broadcast flag," which will limit or prevent recorded shows from being shared.
DVD recorders: This category heated up last year, and manufacturers will be rolling out even more models. Panasonic alone plans four new models, as well as an interesting hybrid of a DVD recorder/VCR that the company says will allow one-touch dubbing between discs and tapes. In addition, several companies will offer home theater in a box systems that include DVD recorders.
Wi-Fi pad: Internet appliances for surfing the Internet and handling e-mail flopped in the 1990s because they were too expensive and too limited. But wireless home networking seems to have revived the concept. The Pepper Pad (www.pepper.com) has an 8-inch color screen and emphasizes sharing digital photos, music and messages via instant messaging or e-mail.
Digital jukebox: This is not your father's jukebox. The sleek, stylish Wurlitzer Digital Jukebox (www.gibson.com) stores up to 1,000 CDs on a hard drive and offers 100 channels on its own music service. It is expected out this summer at a suggested price of $1,899. A tabletop model runs $999 and stores about 500 CDs.
Longer-range radios: Family walkie-talkies generally have had a limited range - a couple of miles. Uniden is stretching the limits, offering a model that it says will have a range up to eight miles.
Home automation: Who knew a garage door opener could do so much? CasaWorks showed one that will turn on the lights and TV in your house and turn off the alarm system as you drive up. Speaking of the garage, the Jeep Garage Park Stoplight hangs on the wall. With its built-in sensor, a green light signals if the car bumper is a safe distance, a yellow light when you get within 2 to 3 feet, and red when it's 16 inches away. If you hit the wall, well, replacing the stoplight costs only $30 (available in spring).
Kitchen tech: Salton's iCEBOX brought the Internet, TV, DVD and radio into the kitchen in one box. Now it's moving on to other appliances: Set the cooking time and power on the Beyond Microwave simply by swiping the bar code from the food package. The same can be done with the Beyond Bread Maker.
Comforts of home: Forget the old vibrating chair. The Inada Chair ($3,900 and $4,900) uses infrared technology to scan your body, then determines the settings for a full body massage.
Microsoft's take: Microsoft chairman Bill Gates is the traditional opening keynote speaker at the trade show, and he usually uses the platform to give a glimpse of things to come. In particular, he showed paperback-book-sized portable media players with a 4-inch color screen for music, photos and even recorded TV shows.
- Information from Times wires was used in this report. Dave Gussow can be reached at gussow@sptimes.com or 727 771-4328.
