CES 2006: our top ten gadgets
So the delegates have gone home, the halls are emptying and yes, Gates (and Elvis) have left the building. The gadget fest that was CES 2006 is now history. Yet before we bury it for good here’s our list of the ten best gadgets to emerge at the show (in no particular order).
All hail the next generation of DVD players, it delivers superb quality high def pictures, ultra realistic surround sound and has a neat line on interactive facilities. It is likely to be pretty cheap too when it launches in the UK later in the year. It might find these make life a little difficult though.
Motorola O ROKR music shades
We liked the first collaboration between Motorola and Oakley in the Razrwire Bluetooth shades which let the user to make and receive mobile phone calls via an adapter housed on the glasses. The O ROKR takes the concept to the next level adding wireless stereo playback of music to the original design. They should be out in the UK fairly soon for around £200.
Belkin Cable Free USB Hub
Vaguely useful gadget shocker, the wireless USB hub is a four port gadget that uses Ultra-Wideband technology to connect with a standard UISB socket.
The coolest looking AV system of the show, the HTS9800W features wall mounted surround sound speakers, an array of home cinema decoders and a very stylish control unit. Due later in the year for around £400.
Actiontec CallCenter
Very smart little gadget that forms a bridge between your phone line and your PC and thereby enabling you to make and receive Skype VoIP calls no matter where you are and which phone you are using.
Sony location free TV for the PSP
Sony’s most exciting CES announcement is that its innovative location free TV service, which enables PSP owners to stream whatever is on their home TV wirelessly to their device over Wi-Fi, is coming to the UK. To get started users need to buy a $350 gadget and install software on their PSP.
Barking-mad collection of LCD TVs with odd wood finishes, built in thermometers and much more that are sure to cause a real splash when they debut in the UK later this year.
Epos Digital pen and USB flash drive bundle.
A product that could finally take the digital pen mainstream, users write on any sheet of paper and the little USB gadget stores the data on its flash memory. The user then hooks the device up to a PC and lets XP’s scrawl to text transfer software do the rest. Due in the third quarter for a competitive £50.
A serious rival to the iPod video, the MES60VK has a cracking 2.4inch QVGA screen, a 60 Gigabyte hard drive and play back of just out every format going.
The Entertrainer
From the land where the Fatburger and the TV rule comes the Entertrainer, a device that lets you power your TV with exercise. If its built in heart rate monitor senses you are slacking the sound on the TV disappears. Genius.
