Consumer Electronics Show 2009

Everyone's wary about the ongoing global recession, but the annual CES 2009

isn't worried. Gary Shapiro, President & CEO of the Consumer Electronics

Association (CEA); producers of the annual CES, had this to say, 'We've had

difficult times before but technology does provide some solutions. Technologies

can create new jobs, new businesses. So I'm very optimistic about 2009, despite

what the US govt says.' After looking at the sheer number of new launches and

showcases of technology on the show floor, I was inclined to believe him. These

are just a few of the exciting new gadgets and technologies that debuted at CES

2009.

Palm Pre



This was one big announcement at CES 2009. A lot of people had written off

Palm as a company, especially since the Treo lines are not generating much

interest and competition in the smart phone space is fierce. But the Palm Pre

might change all that, and hopefully revive the company in a way the iPod did

for Apple. The Pre is basically a combination of new hardware and Palm's new

operating system which they call WebOS. The phone itself is very slick, smaller

and narrower than the iPhone, but sports multi-touch, a high-resolution display

(higher pixel density than the iPhone), plus it has the latest TI OMAP 3430

processor (rumored at 550 to 800 MHz) and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The WebOS

includes all sorts of niceties like gesture control and amazing multitasking

abilities.

Dell XPS 13 & 16



Dell didn't have a booth at CES, but they announced the new XPS 13 and 16

notebooks (13-inch and 16-inch respectively) at an event at The Palms Hotel &

Casino. Both the XPS 13 and 16 build on the tapered design of the ultra-popular

XPS 1330 and 1530 and both feature the latest Centrino 2 platform, advanced

NVIDIA or ATi graphics, backlit keyboards, eSata ports and HDMI out. What's

more, both notebooks are already available to order on the India website with

prices starting at Rs 59,900 for the 13 and Rs 67,900 for the 16.

Samsung MBP200 media player with projector



This palm-sized device will amaze you with a built in screen, media playback

abilities, built in storage and a built in pico projector. They claim that in a

completely dark room, a 40-inch screen from this tiny LED-based projector is

possible. Seeing the crisp and clear video on a 20-inch screen in a bright room,

I'm inclined to believe them. Apart from this, a host of other pico projectors

from 3M, Optoma and Aiptek were seen at CES. Slightly larger (and brighter)

projectors from Dell and BenQ were showcased too, each one about the size of a

small lunch box.

Wireless charging



As promised, PowerMat delivered their wireless charging system for gadgets

and portable electronics, all demoed in a strangely barricaded CES booth. While

it was modular and did 'work', it was a little inelegant. To charge any device,

it must first be attached to a not-so-subtle sleeve. The sleeve connects to the

power socket on the device and is what transfers the charge from the charging

pad. However, something called eCoupled from Fulton Technologies was better. It

worked without any sleeves or casings — the catch was that each device had to

have a small chip and coil installed inside, which means that they'll have to

work with manufacturers to build compatibility. But their technology could even

power a high-power juicer-grinder wirelessly as well as smaller devices like

phones and mp3 players. Fulton clearly showed the way ahead, upstaging the

larger and more glitzy PowerMat.

Motorola Aura



Motorola's US$2000 phone is certainly a stunner in the flesh. That

ultra-smooth swivel action and gorgeous circular screen has to be experienced to

be believed. It's made with the precision of a high-end watch complete with

hundreds of small moving cogs and gears and a scratch-proof sapphire crystal

glass on the display.

Sony Vaio P series



This is the latest from the Vaio stable which was actually unveiled by Sir

Howard Stringer during his CES opening keynote. Sony is quick to point out that

the P series is far from a 'netbook' but instead integrates a very usable

keyboard and a high resolution 8-inch, 1600x768 pixel screen. There's no

trackpad, but a trackpoint instead and it comes in four colors, features a 1.33

GHz Intel Atom processor, 2GB of RAM, Vista Premium and a 60GB SSD — all for

about US$1000.

EcoButton



Since green was a major focus for many consumers and manufacturers alike in

this time of recession, EcoButton came up with a simple way for individual users

to save electricity. The EcoButton is a simple button (as an external

attachment) that glows green, so that you always notice it. It connects via USB

to a computer. The idea is that you just need to tap the button when you're

leaving your desk and it puts your PC and monitor to sleep — tap it again and

you're ready to go in a few seconds. The EcoButton just makes you remember that

this small action can save you lots, especially when multiplied over hundreds of

computers in an office environment.

The author was hosted by the Consumer Electronics Association at the CES 2009

in Las Vegas.