LAS VEGAS -- As an Energizer bunny trudged around the room banging a drum and posing for photographs, charged-up vendors displayed a whole range of consumer electronics wares, from portable MP3 players to portable cell phone chargers, at the Digital Experience event held here at the Consumer Electronics Show.
Digital Experience gave vendors a chance to showcase their latest wares.
Impressive Audio
A big crowd gathered around the Rio Audio booth, where the company displayed the tiny Rio Nitrus 4GB MP3 player. Previously available as a 1.5GB model, Rio claims that the pocket-size Nitrus can store 132 hours of WMA (Windows Media Audio) and MP3 music files. It weighs less than two ounces, has a 16-hour rechargeable lithium ion battery and allows for transfer of files through a USB 2.0 port. It will start shipping in the Unites States this month for $249.
Get Moving
Boom Bags announced Office on Wheels, luggage with integrated speakers, "designed for road warriors, by road warriors," according to the company. The regular-size two bags in the set are designed to carry a laptop and projector, allowing users to listen to music or make presentations while on the road. The bags contain amplifiers with touch-control panels and two 3-inch speakers to play back sound at 4 watts. A 4-inch subwoofer amplifies sound at 8 watts. The bags also have headphone output jacks, and microphone input to use the baggage for presentation. The bags will become available later this year. The company declined to provide a price.
High-Tech Kitchen
Salton displayed home appliances that digitize cooking. The Beyond Home Hub is a $499 kitchen hub that can synchronize with other Beyond appliances in the kitchen to set cooking times. For example, it can wirelessly provide the $49 Beyond Coffee Maker, also displayed at the show, updates on when to brew coffee, or instruct the $179 Beyond Bread Maker on when to start making bread.
It synchronizes just about everything: It pulls weather forecast updates from Accuweather and synchronizes with the U.S. atomic clock via the Internet. It can also provide alarms for events and has a battery that lets it continue operating for eight years in the event of a power failure. Based on Microsoft's CE.Net operating system, it connects to the Internet through a telephone line. The Beyond Coffee Maker will become available later this month, while the Home Hub is already available on Salton's Web site.
Portable Power
If you run out of power while using a cell phone, plugging in Compact Power Systems' portable Cellboost could provide an additional hour of talk time. The dual battery/recharger weighs just under an ounce and can also provide 60 hours of standby time, according to the company. It is compatible with cell phones from Motorola, Nokia, Samsung Electronics, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, LG Electronics, and Siemens.
Priced at $10, it is available cheaper from retailers, according to an executive at the Compact Power Systems booth at Digital Experience. It is available at cell phone stores and mini-marts across the United States, he said.
Keep Quiet
UmeVoice displayed TheBoom, a noise-cancellation headset that eliminates background noises while speaking on a cell phone. The company claims that the two-microphone housing of the gel headset cancels out background noise that hits the front and back ports. It can eliminate high-decibel sounds like a Blackhawk helicopter flying, or the roar that emanates from the New York Stock Exchange trading floor, the company claims. It costs $150 and recently became available in the United States.
Note Taking
Wacom Technology displayed two versions of A.T. Cross executive pens for pen-enabled Tablet PCs. The pens look like traditional A.T. Cross pens, except that they can be used to take notes on Tablet PCs supported by Wacom. One model comes with a cap, and the other without. Both pens are cordless, require no batteries, have optical electronic erasers, and provide 256 levels of pressure for writing depth. The pens support most models of Tablet PCs. They will become available in February. At $50, these digital pens target corporate executives.
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