Newstips Cherry Picks
at CES 2006 (January 4)

Here are our picks

These 76 products are the newest & coolest we could find & showcase at CES 2006.

We're leaving the contact info out this year. Instead, we're inviting journalists who want to get more info about or make review arrangements for any of these products to simply get in touch with us & let us close the loop.

For everybody else who keeps on scrolling, beware, your mouth may water.

ALGOLITH Mosquito HDMI ($2995, January) makes compressed digital HDTV & SDTV look better by cleaning up mosquitos and other digitization remnants

ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES Tulip E-GO ($3000, 1st half 2006) is a notebook PC in the shape of a handbag, with available interchangeable covers that can give it a new look tomorrow. Inside, AMD Turion 64 Mobile technology makes sure it's more than just a pretty face.

ALLEGRO MULTIMEDIA Piano Wizard ($199.95, debuted 11/05) is essentially a PC game (they laughed when I sat down at the computer) that you play by using a piano keyboard (included) as your firing button; playing the game (ages 3 & up) gets you playing the piano.
 

ALTEC LANSING TECHNOLOGIES XT2 Laptop Speaker System ($149.95, January) are small enough to slip into the bag with a notebook, but add a bigger, better sound than most notebooks can deliver on their own. They also have built-in mikes with feedback cancellation, which is cool for applications like VOIP or Podcasting.

AMERICAN POWER CONVERSION has a trio of goodies. Left, the Universal Mobile Battery ($49.99, March) plugs in between the charger & the mobile gear you're charging (music players, for example) to charge at the same time; once charged, it stays with that gear to give a big boost to its run-time. Center, the Universal Power Adapter ($99.99, January) takes power from the wall, a car or an airplane to power a notebook & up to 2 other mobile devices. Right, the PCMCIA Password Manager ($149.99, January) pops open to slide out a fingerprint reader; once you let it know your log-ins & passwords to your PC & favorite sites (shopping, e-mail, banking, etc.), a touch (and only your touch) fills them in automatically.

ASKMENOW offers the AskMeNow information finder service (free to 49 cents per call, depending on the question) that lets you phone or message any question, any time, and sends back the answer as an SMS text message. It works that way with any cell phone; special software for selected smart phones can make it even handier.

ATI TECHNOLOGIES All-In-Wonder X1800XL ($429, debuted 11/05) is the first combo TV & graphics card we know of for a PCI Express slot, meaning screaming graphics performance plus those added TV functions for only about $30 more.

ATIZ INNOVATION BookDrive ($40-50,000, March) isn't tech that comes straight home to consumers, but it is significant. It's a book scanner that can turn the pages automatically to scan all the way through a book without a babysitter. That means more books can survive in digital versions than more manual methods can justify.

AURAONE SYSTEMS AuraGrid Wireless Extension System ($89, debuted 11/05) is a way to let WiFi signals ride piggyback over existing TV cable wiring & relay through antennas that insert in-line with TV connections. Even a basement WiFi access point can reach out to give a whole-house footprint.

AUTHENTEC EntrePad 1510 is a component that lets manufacturers build in fingerprint readers that add only about $5 to their cost of goods. This new model is the tiniest we have ever seen, significant because it opens up important fingerprint-related convenience or security features even in tiny, pocket-size products.

AVEGA SYSTEMS Oyster (shown) delivers Hi-Fi over WiFi. These floor & bookshelf speaker systems ($300-500/pair, March) deliver uncompromising audiophile-quality sound without speaker wires by connecting wirelessly over 802.11g, meaning the speakers you always wanted without all those usual spousal complaints. Since each speaker is self-amplified, even more moderately priced receivers can deliver big sound; for that matter, so can a PC, if that's your preference.

The Bart 1 Products Enotrab ($9.99-$12.99, January) will tickle you when your Silent-Mode flip cell phone can't. With your flip phone set on silent & folded over the top black ring, the vibrations of an incoming call jiggle his tail, which gets his eyes & feeler flashing with bright, colorful LEDs. Cubicle workers will love having a way to not let their neighbors hear that the cell's ringing without wearing it or keeping it away from a charger.

Bolzano Villetri SRL Counter-Aperture speaker family (figure about $16,000 for 5 channels) takes some intriguing advantages of acoustical physics to essentially create a cylindrical sound source. Being Italian, they also made them look terrific.

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BROOKSTONE INC. has three cool items that make the cut. The iSqueez Foot and Calf Massager ($399) does remarkable things to make days of trade show walking just disappear; it's probably good for other things, but that alone is enough to please us. To its right, the DreamWave Sleep Therapy System ($175, spring) uses a soft voice and soothing sounds to lull you to sleep at night, then soft Tibetan chimes in the morning to wake you just as gently. Not shown, the Bedside Music System with Flash Drive ($350, spring) gives you more music choices (radio, MP3, CD or a jack for your personal player plus a place for it to rest), all in a sleek, low-profile stereo with a separated subwoofer.

CANARY WIRELESS is following its legendary Digital Hotspotter with an even tinier, even nimbler Hotspotter II ($TBA, 2Q05). Unlike the original, this one is rechargeable.

The Cherry Picks Best of Show product is this Celestron SkyScout ($399, March). It sounds too simple: point it to a bright light in the sky and it will label it for you and can even play some spoken facts about it. Behind the magic is a sophisticated GPS receiver, a gravitational sensor and an updatable database of 6000 celestial objects. It's a wow!

COMET VIDEO TECHNOLOGIES CometVision One ($149, April) plugs into a small TV camera on one side, a home PC on the other and lets parents keep an eye on their latchkey kids with real-time video, even if their home computer can only make a slow dial-up connection. Mom or Dad can watch from a browser in the office or through a smart phone, a PDA, and possibly a video cell phone.

COSOSYS Carry It Easy software ($24,95, debuted 12/05) adds mobility enhancements to any USB Flash drive, meaning easier ways to plug into another PC, browse without leaving traces, secure data while still letting a stranger see whose drive it is & more.

DIRECTED ELECTRONICS Mobile Media DMP740 Personal Media Player ($599, debuted 11/05) offers a 7" screen and a 40GB hard drive for viewing video & more. This one is special because, while it's portable, it can also dock in any of several of Directed's Mobile Monitor products. That's to-go times two.

DREAM'EO ELECTRONICS Solo ($999) portable media center with an add-on for GPS fits a lot in a handheld package. There's a 3.5" LCD & a 20GB hard drive for watching video, viewing digital pictures or listening to audio. The big plus comes when you cradle it into its on-dash GPS rig, turning it into the display end of a GPS system. It's media to go plus directions to get there.

DREAMGEAR LLC i.Sound PSP Drive-In Cinema Speaker System with Remote Control ($59.99) attaches to the back of a car's headrest and curves a pair of amplified speakers around a PSP mount. Those riders in the back can watch hands-free.

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EMAGIN CORP. keeps finding cool ways to use OLED (organic LED) technology. Their new X800 3D Visor ($799, 1Q05) PC peripheral is a virtual giant screen for watching movies, a way for gamers to experience immersive 3D & a cool tool for simulations in training systems. Not shown, their new EyeBud 800 head-worn monocular display ($TBD, 3Q06) for rich high-resolution color in absolute privacy.

EXCALIBUR ELECTRONICS Rx Master ($29.95, debuted 11/05) can warn you of side effects and drug interactions becuase it's loaded with info on the most-prescribed pharmaceuticals. Just in case, it has numbers for more than 50 medical hot lines.

FUJITSU COMPUTER PRODUCTS OF AMERICA new PalmSecure unit can't tell your future, but it can read your hand (without making contact) & compare the vein pattern to people it knows. Non-contact means no optics getting coated with skin oils and no nasty germ transfers. It's a little more likely to show up as part of a bigger product than as a desktop peripheral, but that could happen.

GEFEN adds a 4x1 HDMI Switcher ($349, debuted 12/05) that lets an HDTV with not enough HDMI inputs of its own still take advantage of the better video HDMI can deliver from multiple sources, like satellite plus cable plus ATSC tuner plus DVD player.

GIBSON GUITAR CORP rocks the music world with the new Gibson Digital Guitar ($4,000, January) that sends high resolution digital audio from each string plus a mike input out over Ethernet and without latency. An included breakout box converts it back to audio.

HAUPPAUGE COMPUTER WORKS new Wing software ($24.95, debuted 12/05) takes video captured by video recorder functions in WinTV card or USB products and makes it compatible with a PSP, video iPod and other portable video gear.

HOPSCOTCH TECHNOLOGY Jabble parental TV timing adapter ($79.95, April) lets parents and kids agree on how much TV time is enough, then keeps the TV turned off if the kids go over.

ICRON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION has a UWB Wireless USB Hub ($TBD, 1Q06) that lets USB reach farther than USB cables can go and into places they can't cross, using the new Ultra Wide Band wireless standard to keep the data flow at full speed.

IQUA LTD wraps its Iqua Snake Bluetooth Headrest ($299, February) around the car's headrest to put speakers at the driver's ears and a mike nearer the mouth.

ITOUCHLESS HOUSEWARES & PRODUCTS INC. new EZ Soap Dispenser ($69.95, February) sees your hand coming and pumps a squirt of liquid soap into it, so unlike a push-to-pump dispenser, nobody has to touch where somebody else's unwashed hands went before.

KODAK EasyShare V570 is a very slender, pocket-size 5Mp digital camera with dual lenses; one is a non-protruding 5X optical zoom lens, the other an ultra-wide lens; it also does MPEG4 video captures.

LEICA CAMERA USA manages to establish a retro look with a brand new and wonderfully features Leica D-LUX 2 digital camera ($795, debuted 11/05). It shoots in 4:3 (TV), 2:3 (slide) and 16:9 (HDTV) formats, boasts an 8.4Mp sensor & a 4X optical zoom, pops up a flash, gives lots of user control and looks this good.

LOGITECH Video Effects (free with selected Logitech Webcams, debuted 10/05) turn you into an animated character that mimics your expressions and movements when you communicate via Webcam.
 

MAXTOR CORPORATION offers safer external storage with the Maxtor OneTouch III Turbo Edition ($549.95-$899.95, debuted 12/05) by building in mirroring (two drives that read and write in tandem, so if one fails, the other keeps going and no data is lost.

MONSTER CABLE is raising the bar on the record business with its new Monster Music label ($24.98-29.98 per disc), recipient of a Newstips Bulletin "Squeal of Approval". These music discs use a higher standard for digitizing audio, so they offer, quite simply, the purest sound you can get on a disc.

NETGEAR brings wired-Ethernet speeds to Wireless Ethernet with its new RangeMax 240 Wireless Router ($199, debuted 12/05).

NEWTON PERIPHERALS new MoGo MouseBT folding mouse ($69.95, March) connects wirelessly over Bluetooth, folds to fit a PC card slot or a pocket, yet delivers high tracking resolution with advanced optics.

 

NEXTLINK.TO A/S is doing big things with surprisingly tiny Bluetooth headsets. Left, the Bluespoon AX2 ($89, debuted 11/05) has a flexible, springy frond that curls inside your ear shell to fit comfortably for hours. Right, the new Bluespoon 5G ($399, May) shown below an AX2 is the world's smallest and lightest Bluetooth headset. Not shown, the Bluespoon Spider ($129, March) makes the headset stereo.

OTTER PRODUCTS LLC has a hard case to make for notebook computers, the OtterBox Rugged Laptop Case ($TBD, 2Q06) will come in 3 sizes (medium shown here) and protects the PC from water, dust impact and much more.

PLANON SYSTEM SOLUTIONS INC. has 2 very cool new models in its innovative series of magic-wand-size page scanners. The DocuPen R700P on the right ($249, debuted 11/05) holds up to 200 scanned black & white pages. Above, the amazing DocuPen RC800 ($299, January) scans in B&W or color at up to 400dpi. Under the cap, a MicroSD socket lets users expand its memory to hold all the pages they can scan. It's like a scanner & a copier in a pocket.

POLK AUDIO has a new level of tabletop listening ahead with its new I-Sonic HD Radio ($599, March) combining an HD (high definition digital) radio, a DVD/CD player, AM, FM & you can even add XM Satellite Radio. Polk's speaker expertise also plays a hand in a big, rich sound. A wow!

POWERUP FITNESS INC. keeps exercisers from slacking off with the EnterTrainer ($99.99, debuted 11/05), a pulse monitor with a built-in universal remote control. Ease up your exercise and it turns down the volume on whatever you're watching or listening to, then turns it up again when you pick your pace back up.

RAYSAT INC. puts two-way satellite into moving cars with the new motorized tracking SpeedRay 3000 rooftop satellite antenna ($6996, 2Q05). You may be getting in-car satellite TV reception and using a satellite Internet connection to browse the Web, but at least with this antenna you won't look like a geek while you're doing it.

REALM SYSTEMS Mobile Personal Server ($399-599, 1Q06) is about the size of a cell phone but it's a functional secure file server with memory, storage, a processor and a fingerprint scanner, ready to establish a VPN from anywhere. Once an IT guy preps it, this can give road warriors some useful new flexibility.

RITEK USA (ADVANCED MEDIA INC.) has two fascinating new gadgets. Top right, as much as we're hearing about digital TV, the Ridata USB DVB-T Tuner T100 ($59, February) is the first simple solution we've seen for watching DTV on a notebook or desktop TV.

We like rechargeable batteries, but what do you do if there's no place to plug a charger in. The arch on the bottom right is the Ridata SP 1300 Solar Power Battery Charger ($40, March) that can recharge a pair of AA or AAA cells even when it's cloudy.

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SANDISK (left) plugs music into cell phones & more with a Gruvi Music NicroSD Card ($39.95, debuted 11/05), preloaded with the Rolling Stones "A Bigger Bang" album. Center, the Cruzer Freedom USB Flash Drive ($39.95, debuted Fall 2005) adds an eBook reader to a kid-cool USB drive; literary classics, dictionaries & more are available for downloading (some paid, some free), so it's great for students. Right, component-level iNAND Embedded Flash Modules put massive amounts of SD-like Flash storage (256MB-4GB) onto a fingernail-size chip.

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SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY keeps driving the limits. Top left, their newest USB2 Portable Hard Drive ($379.99, January) stretches its capacity to 160GB by using new perpendicular recording technology. Top right, the 8GB Compact Flash Hard Drive ($259.99, debuted 12/05) sets a new limit for fitting a lot in a CF slot. Left, the new 500GB eSATA Pushbutton Backup Drive offers a fatter pipe for faster data flow to & from a connected PC.

SKULLCANDY Proletariat NC LINK noise-canceling headphones ($149,95, debuted 12/05) are for listening to music without the noise of the outside world and then using the same headphones for talking on a cell phone.

SONARE TECHNOLOGIES foils modular office eavesdroppers with Babble ($395, debuted 7/05) babbling. When you're on the phone, it emits sounds in your own voice, but made unintelligible by scrambling the phonemes. Nosy neighbors can't make out what you're saying.

SPLITFISH GAMEWARE economically adds 3D to a Playstation with the eyeFX 3D Adapter ($50) that uses a speedy LCD shutter over each eye and a video interceptor to route left and right eye images where they belong, creating true stereoscopic 3D.

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SPOTWAVE WIRELESS is putting the equivalent of a cell tower into a package that would fit in a Cracker Jack box. Zen ($299, April) has an active antenna that mounts outside or in an attic and an indoor coverage station that acts like a little cell tower. Bottom line: as few as 2 bars where the antenna goes can mean 5 bars throughout the house, across all the cell carriers PCS sub-bands, so it works with every cell phone service. It's a jaw-dropper!

TDVISION SYSTEMS breaks several kinds of new ground by using twin LED-driven LCoS displays in a head-worn 3D visor with superb display quality and a surprisingly low price point. The TDVisor ($199, 4Q06) can deliver stereoscopic 3D or a virtual giant screen, either in complete privacy.

TIFFEN COMPANY smoothes the ride for a wide range of camcorders, from 0.5 to 5 pounds, with the (far left) amazing new Steadicam Merlin ($849, debuted 11/05). Near left, the SwitchKit tripod ($39.98, debuted 12/05) features a SwitchGrip handle that adds an extension in any direction while hiding a mini-tripod inside.

TOP GLOBAL USA INC. ties together multiple network services with some interesting routers. Near right, the MB6000 Phoebus ($399, debuted 12/05) links cellular 3G (on a PCMCIA card from the carrier) to WiFi. Far right, the MB7000 ($TBD, February) ties in Ethernet, WiFi, USB, 3G & more with firewall features.

TZERO TECHNOLOGIES INC. is building technology this year that can eliminate all those back-panel wires on next year's consumer AV products. Jackrabbit uses UWB (a new Ultra Wide Band wireless standard) to handle the audio and video signal transfers.

UNWIRED TECHNOLOGY LLC has a different look in fold-flat headphones ($49.95 mono, $69.95 stereo, debuted 07/05) designed to work wirelessly with mobile IR (infrared) audio sources.

VOXRED/CENTURION ASSOCIATES LLC gets dead cell phone batteries going again with the tiny Turbo Charge intelligent charger. One AA cell powers it and the same chip that cranks that up to the Voltage a cell wants to see also makes sure that it won't short. It's a clever alternative.

WALLETEX MICROELECTRONICS LTD. fits a Flash drive into a credit card's form factor with the Wallet Flash card ($29-$89, February).
 

WAXESS INC. Dual Mode Communications Terminal () is a twist on the 2-line desk phone with a second cordless handset. Here, one line is a standard wall jack, the other a cell connection through a SIM card you slip into the base. Use that line 2 for all those unlimited night and weekend calls.

WIRELESS GARDEN StashCard ($9.95, debuted 12/05) is a clever little drawer for vacant PCMCIA slots. Far right, also clever, a YADA Headset Hub ($29.95) lets two people listen in private to the same media player.