CES 2010 Gadget Preview

Visit PC World’s CES 2010 news center for our complete coverage of the Consumer Electronics Show.

It’s hard to believe, but CES is just around the proverbial corner–again. Yet PC and gadget makers aren’t waiting for January; many of them gathered at this week’s CES Unveiled event in New York to offer a sneak peek at some of the cool new products they’ll be displaying in Las Vegas just after the New Year dawns.

A lot of these gadgets won’t be ready for sale until next year. A few of them, such as the high-end audio speakers, weren’t actually demo’d in New York. But you might come across some of the products already out there on retail store shelves, including NetGear’s Stora remotely accessible storage unit and SilverPAC’s Evolution 5500 universal remote control, for example. Here’s a very small sampling of what you’ll see on the show floor at CES 2010.

If you’re going to invest in a new digital camera, why not get one with a built-in projector, so you can share your photos with friends and family? The Nikon COOLPIX S1000pj camera projects images and videos on to a wall (or just about any other flat surface) to sizes as large as 40 inches. The camera/projector is available now at online and retail camera stores for about $430.

Who says you need high-bandwidth (and high-priced) 3G or 4G wireless service to make video calls? The new Saygus V Phone, now being tested with Verizon Wireless, is designed to work on traditional 2.5G connections. The Android-based phone is a QWERTY slider with a 5-megapixel camera. The Saygus V is expected to be available in 2010, at estimated pricing of $199 to $299, plus a two-year contract with a wireless carrier.

Watch free over-the-air digital TV and DVD movies on a single device, without the hassle of hooking up outside boxes. You can get it all with Philips Electronics’ Portable TV with DVD Playback, available now for $149.

SilverPAC’s Evolution 5500 universal remote control lets you watch TV on the couch while also accessing content from your PC. The Evolution 5500 handheld unit uses Windows Sideshow, a Microsoft technology employing mini-programs known as “gadgets” to show content on secondary displays. From the handheld secondary display, you can see whether your Vista or Windows 7 PC is on or off, read e-mail and Twitter tweets running on the PC, and remotely turn on Media Center, for example. SilverPAC’s universal remote is available immediately in retail stores for $999, and SilverPAC plans to release a special version early next year for home entertainment system installers — priced at $1,499 — which will enable customization of the gadgets over the Internet.

If you’re an iPod touch user craving turn-by-turn navigation features, here’s an easy way to add that capability. Dual Electronics’ GPS Navigation and Battery Cradle for iPod touch features a built-in GPS receiver, rechargeable battery, amplified speaker, and car kit. The bundle is expected to be available in late November or early December for $179.

Ooma’s Telo Handset is a new device that helps you take better advantage of the company’s free US calling service. Ooma’s previously available Telo base system, a desktop device priced at $249.99, works with just about any handset to provide free calling. But by adding Ooma’s new dedicated Telo Handset, you can now use new enhanced fee-based features from Ooma such as three-way conferencing, multi-ring, and call screening that aren’t supported by ordinary handsets. Slated for availability on Nov. 16 through retailers such as Best Buy, the Telo Handset is priced at $49.99.

MoSoNex Connect is an emerging social network services platform aimed at letting mobile phone users broadcast live video and pictures over DirectTV to both TVs and other mobile phones. Connectivity software is currently in beta testing for iPhones and Symbian/Nokia phones, with software for Blackberry and Windows Mobile, phones and the Facebook social network due to be added later.

For a truly expansive viewing or gaming experience, AMD’s blazingly fast ATI Radeon HD 5870 high-end graphics card offers simultaneous support of up to three displays. The card incorporates technologies that include ATI Stream, for large-scale parallel processing, and ATI CrossFireX, for scaleability with multi-GPU support. The HD 5870 has been available since September at pricing in the $400 to $450 range.

Want to catch your favorite TV show while you’re at the beach, sitting in a restaurant, or standing in line at a movie theater? Audiovox’s FLO TV Personal TV puts TV in the palm of your hand, wherever you go, through the use of Qualcomm’s MediaFLO service. About as big as a typical handheld GPS navigator, the mini TV comes with a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen display. You can also stand it upright on its built-in swivel stand. The Personal TV is slated to be sold this holiday season at pricing of $249.99, plus an $8.99 monthly rate which includes a pre-paid services subscription.

Canned DVDs can get old and stale. But now Audiovox, makers of FLO TV Personal TV, are about to introduce an in-vehicle entertainment system that’ll deliver live TV through Qualcomm’s MediaFLO to the backseat of your car. Through a deal announced in late October, the TV system is about to be installed in Chrysler cars.

High-end loudspeakers made of gorgeous natural glass will fit into any living room décor. Although not a new concept, glass speakers have generally suffered in acoustical quality by leaving out the ugly sound wadding typically used inside audio speakers. But the creators of Crystal Cable’s new Arabesque speakers are being widely applauded by audio experts for figuring out clever ways to re-tool the glass to provide great sound while still omitting the wadding. Crystal’s Arabesque speakers are available now at pricing of $65,000 per pair.

Sirius XM Radio’s XM SkyDock, a docking station accessory for iPhone and iPod touch devices, delivers live satellite radio anywhere to users of these Apple devices. While you’re tuned in you can tag songs to purchase from iTunes. Available now to anyone with an XM Radio subscription, the SkyDock device can be purchased for $120.

Bring a new and even greener consciousness to your bike expeditions. The new eneloop hybrid bike from Sanyo incorporates a “loop recharging” power regeneration system touted as environmentally friendly. Through loop recharging, you can transform the bike’s motor into a generator capable of recharging the battery whenever you depress the rear brake lever. The bike is scheduled for availability some time in November, at list pricing of $2,299.

Once, you had to handle regular phone calls and PC-based VOIP calls on separate devices. But with Plantronics’ Savi Office, you can perform the two types of calls on a single head set or even combine the two types of calls to create a conference call. The headset connects to both desk phones and VOIP-based PC “soft phones,” and allows you to easily switch between calls on the two phones. Savi Office is available now for street pricing of about $300.

For anyone seeking a customized gaming experience, Dell’s Alienware TactX Keyboard comes with options that include dedicated macro keys, the AlienFX lighting system, and unlimited support for user profiles which can be linked to the user’s favorite games for quickly getting back in the game. Dell’s been shipping the gaming keyboard since September for $99.

Directed Electronics has found a new use for your iPhone. With Viper SmartStart, you can put your Apple phone to work for remotely locking, unlocking, or starting your car. The Viper has been available at Best Buy since late October, at pricing of $499

NetGear’s Stora lets you store large volumes of music, videos and photos in a single, handy NAS device. You can then access your personal media from anywhere over your phone and other wireless and wired devices running either over the Internet or a home network or corporate local area network (LAN). Priced at $229 with a three-year warranty, Stora comes with one hot-swappable 1TB drive, but it also has room for another 1 TB drive.

For those who own ultra-thin LED (light emitting diode) plasma TVs – and even owners of just slightly thicker LCD (liquid crystal display) TVs – Definitive Technology’s Mythos XTR-50 ultra-thin on-wall speakers are the perfect complement, measuring merely 1-1/2-inches deep. The speakers are due to ship to dealers in January at retail pricing of $399 to $499.

Get the best of both the DVD and online video worlds with the Panasonic DMP-B15 portable Blu-ray player. In addition to playing back flicks on Blu-ray disks, you can also access Internet services that include BD Live, VIERA Cast and Amazon VOD. The DMP-B15 is already available at pricing of about $840.

For the high-end audiophile in the family, Genesis Advanced Technologies’ Genesis 7.1f loudspeakers are touted as delivering full-range musical performance in an elegant small-footprint enclosure. The luxury floor-standing are available now at pricing of $8,000 per pair.