CES 2010 Rewind: A Look Back at the Gadgets

Attendance was up 6 percent at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show reaching a total of 120,000 tired pairs of feet, according to the event’s organizer Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). Among the weary CES masses were 5000 reporters and bloggers, says CEA, who scoured the show floor and Las Vegas hotels in search of the latest news, gear, and trends. Among those reporters attending the show were intrepid staff of the IDG News Service. Here is a slideshow that includes mostly IDGNS images from CES 2010. PC World staff contributed to the image captions.

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The Peregrine gaming glove lets gamers trigger commands by touching their fingers with their thumb. The glove has “Activator Pads” on the thumb tip, the middle of the thumb, and the palm; when these make contact with one of the five touchpoints on each finger, a user-programmable “keystroke” is sent to the game. The hardware uses standard HID keyboard drivers for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. The configuration software used to assign keys and calibrate the glove is currently available for Windows with a Mac version on the way.

The GPS-capable Cyber-shot HX5V has a 10X-optical-zoom lens (25mm to 250mm) and a 3-inch LCD screen, and it offers the company’s low-light-optimized Exmor-R CMOS sensor, G Lens, and Bionz image processor. It also shoots 1980-by-1080 resolution HD video in AVCHD format, captured at 17 megabits per second and 60 interlaced fields per second (60i). On top of that, the 10-megapixel Cyber-shot HX5V is one of two new Sony cameras with a revamped Intelligent Sweep Panorama mode, which the company says improves on the one-touch Sweep Panorama feature introduced in last year’s models. The feature now detects moving subjects in the shot and adjusts capture speed automatically, ideally resulting in a smoother panoramic image.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer delivers his keynote address at 2010 CES. Ballmer reflected on Microsoft’s accomplishments over the past year and shared his optimism for technology in the future. He also briefly demonstrated a multitouch, Windows 7-based tablet from Hewlett-Packard, along with tablets from Archos and Pegatron.

HP claims its Mini 5102 netbook will be the “world’s first touch-enabled netbook.” The 10.1-inch netbook has new Intel Atom processors and an optional Broadcom Crystal HD video decoder chip to smooth out those full-screen Hulu and YouTube videos. At $399, It’s a little pricey as netbooks go, but the touchscreen and aluminum body are certainly novel features some are willing to pay for. The Mini 2102 is HP’s lower-cost, more general consumer-oriented netbook. It lacks the aluminum body or touchscreen option of the 5102, but still has the new Atom processors, integrated webcam, and 93 percent size keyboard.

The fashionable DSC-TX7 measures smaller than an inch deep and offers touchscreen controls via its 3.5-inch LCD screen. The 10-megapixel TX7 lacks the optical zoom range, revamped optical stabilization, or geotagging features of the HX5V, but it does have many of the same in-camera features. Its 4X-optical-zoom lens reaches from 25mm to 100mm, and the camera provides the same AVCHD video capture, Intelligent Sweep Panorama mode, and HDR capabilities as its sibling does. It also offers optical image stabilization, but not the superpowered version found in the HX5V. The Cyber-shot DSC-TX7 will be available in blue, red, and silver this February for around $400.

The new AR Drone helicopter combines an iPhone and virtual games to make a product that drew much attention at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The helicopter, or what France-based Parrot calls a quadricopter, has four fans that allow it to fly in all directions. Under development for four years, the most impressive aspect of the AR Drone is that it streams real-time video from its two cameras back to the iPhone or iPod Touch that controls it. Tilting the iPhone to use its accelerometer controls the helicopter’s flight.

Dell has redesigned its popular Inspiron 14, 15, and 17 laptop models, which now feature thinner profiles, more robust entertainment features, and longer battery life, all based on Intel’s new Core i3 and i5 mobile processors.

The Alienware M17x, the most powerful 17-inch gaming laptop in the universe, now offers Intel Core i7 processors, rounding out a full refresh of Dell consumer laptop portfolio with support for the new Intel Core mobile processors. The M17x is the flagship of gaming laptops in Dell’s Alienware line, starting at $1799.

Dell showcased a tablet concept with a 5-inch display, positioning it as a companion device that delivers a full web experience around accessing, maintaining, syncing, and sharing digital content. The unnamed slate runs Google’s Android operating system and has a built-in camera and removable battery, but details are otherwise slim.

Release of Intel’s Arrandale CPUs for laptops, along with its desktop Clarkdale CPUs, mark the first time the chip-making giant has paired a graphics processing unit alongside the CPU on consumer platforms. That means laptops will run cooler and consume less power, and the motherboards will be smaller, too.

The Lego Universe development team as well as Lego fans helping to create the new game were at the brick giant’s CES booth. The Massive Multiplayer Online game has players cooperating to beat-up bad guys and earn bricks, which can be used to build vehicles or create free-form objects with the existing Lego Digital Designer.

Playseat’s new Evolution SV-W Formula 1 type racing seat features a subwoofer underneath the seat and headrest speakers, as well as a gearshift holder and screen-mounting kit. It is shipping mid-year for about $499.

For gamers who don’t just pretend to play guitar, but can get a few riffs in as well, You Rock Guitar showed off an axe that has the controls needed for games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band, but is also a real electric guitar with MIDI interface — and it can also be plugged into an old fashioned amp in your garage.

Jason Johnson, Ford user interface design engineer on the myFord Touch project, offers a peek at the wired car. The interface, which will debut in the 2011 Ford Edge, manages entertainment, navigation, climate, and streaming of mobile phone apps with an 8-inch touch screen. It can also connect to the Internet by parking at a Wi-Fi hotspot or plugging in a 3G modem.

Mia Hamm, former Olympian and renowned soccer player, demonstrates a Core Performance exercise machine powered by the Intel Core microarchitecture at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The machine tracked Hamm’s heart rate as she exercised, supposedly analogous to how Intel’s Turbo Boost technology tracks users’ PC usage and kicks into high gear when necessary.

Lady Gaga with Polaroid at CES 2010. The British pop star was brought on as a creative director and is expected to launch a line of unspecified products later this year.

Key to Tegra’s capabilities are eight independent processors, including the world’s first dual core CPU for mobile applications. Featured in an Audi at CES 2010, Tegra will power entertainment and navigation in all 2012 Audi vehicles. The 2011 Audi A8 will come first, as the first car to run Google Earth.

Lenovo introduces a new two-in-one laptop, the IdeaPad U1 hybrid notebook, featuring a groundbreaking detachable screen. The IdeaPad U1’s unique design is engineered to provide consumers with two PCs in one device – each with its own processor and operating system – that work together and independently as either a clamshell laptop or a multitouch slate tablet.

The new HTC HD2 Windows phone will be available this spring from T-Mobile. It features a 4.3-inch capacitive touch screen, a 5-megapixel camera, and HTC’s Sense interface.

Robbie Bach, president of Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft, showed off ‘Project Natal,’ a new gaming platform (originally announced at the E3 gaming conference last spring) that will launch a new generation of game play by creating a natural gesture-based experience for users. Microsoft announced that ‘Project Natal’ will be available for holiday season 2010.

At the top of the HDTV heap is the Bravia XBR-LX900 series. Available in sizes from 40-, 46-, 52-, and a whopping 60 inches, this model has the monolithic design, uses edge LED backlighting, has Motionflow PRO 240Hz smooth motion technology, an intelligent prsesence sensor,, and integrated Wi-Fi. This series is the only of Sony’s three 3D models to include two pair of active shutter glasses (by RealD) and to integrate the emitter for the glasses.

Shoulder to shoulder for Sensio 3D TV was unveiled at CES. The company creates 3D technologies to be used by major TV makers, and announced agreements with ViewSonic and Vizio.

A variety of Lenovo Notebooks were shown at CES 2010. The company’s line-up includes new business laptops and a smartbook.

HP’s Consumer Notebook Slate was featured in Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s CES 2010 keynote. Details on this new product remain unknown.

Psyko Audio Labs gave a sneak peek at its not-yet-available headphones for Xbox 360. Psyko’s PC headphones were released last year, but they’re currently sold out through March 2010.

The Intel booth at CES 2010 drew a consistent crowd. The company’s showings ranged from tablet devices to powerful new laptops and desktops.

LG’s cell phone and DVD player shown at CES are compatible with the U.S. mobile DTV standard, which lets users watch free over-the-air broadcasts on the go. Both products should be available this year.

Skype software for voice and video calling was added to Panasonic’s line of 2010 Viera cast-enabled HDTVs. The service will also come to Web-connected LG televisions.

Light Touch is a user interface designer for retail environments, which the company positions for browsing and electronic point of sale. The touchscreen projection display was one of several offbeat tech products at CES 2010.

The Lenovo Skylight smartbook blends smartphone and netbook functions for a totally new device. Running on a 1GHz ARM Snapdragon processor, the Skylight gets ten hours of battery life and weighs less than two pounds, according to Lenovo. It is scheduled to ship in April priced at $499.

Lenovo’s IdeaPad S10-3t is a multitouch capacitive netbook tablet. Priced at $499, the 10-inch computer runs for four hours on a four-cell battery.

Freescale’s smartbook tablet design with optional keyboard accessory. The reference design has 512 MB of RAM, up to 64 GB of internal storage, and a 1 GHz processor — and an enticing $200 price point.

The LightSpeaker by Klipsch screws into most light sockets like a light bulb and receives music wirelessly from a base station. It costs $599 and is available now, but unfortunately it only works when the lights are on.

Spring Design’s Alex dual-display multimedia eReader allows full Web browsing while reading and is the only dual-screen Google Android-based eReader to fully integrate both. Spring Design is partnering with Borders for a branded e-book store, and the product will sell for $359.

Sony calls the Dash “a personal Internet viewer” and it is, in fact, more of a personal media player than an actual tablet, as it doesn’t run an OS. You can watch videos on upright on the Dash, like a TV, or lie it flat and use it a tabletop Web browser or e-reader. It also offers access to video and audio content from Sony’s Bravia platform. It will be available for $200 in April.

Pioneer’s MVH-8200BT is a digital media receiver with a 3-inch screen and connectivity to iPods and iPhones via USB.

Pioneer’s AVIC-X920BT in-dash Navigation System has a 6.1-inch WVGA display, GPS navigation, and proprietary MusicSphere technology that organizes users’ libraries by mood.

Sony’s top-of-the-line series (outside of its 3D models) will be the Bravia KDL-NX800. These LED-backlit TVs start at $2800 for the 46-inch model (a 52-inch model will cost $3400, and the 60-inch model, $4600). All feature the monolithic design, Motionflow 240Hz, and integrated Wi-Fi.

Toshiba unveiled its Satellite M505 with a new 2010 Intel Core processor, priced starting at $700.

Turtle Beach let booth visitors play with its wired headsets and kept its new premium Xbox 360 wireless headset, the X41, in a glass case — but staffers took it out to give us a closer look. The X41 sells for $199.

If you enjoyed this slideshow you’ll also enjoy:

The Most Noteworthy Notebooks of CES

2010: Year of the E-reader

Tablets Steal the Show at CES