The CES show gets bigger each year and the 2008 International CES was no exception. At the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Sands/Venetian and the Hilton hotel. www.CESweb.org
Consumer Electronic Show 2008 - Part 1 - Computers
Consumer Electronic Show 2008 - Part 2 - Utility Software
Consumer Electronic Show 2008 - Part 3 - Accessories - Backpacks and Laptop bags Printers LCD Monitors TV Cards
Consumer Electronic Show 2008 - Part 4 - Digital Cameras - Digital Cameras and Camcorders, Storage for them, and Digital Image Frames
Consumer Electronic Show 2008 - Part 5 - Projectors
Consumer Electronic Show 2008 - Part 6 - Storage - Solid State Drives
Consumer Electronic Show 2008 - Part 7 - Security Products
By Terry Currier
Amiga www.amiga.com
Amiga (remember them) launched the availability of AmigaAnywhere™ version 2,
the first phase of the Amiga OS. The new platform offers more features and
flexibility to safely move content from a physical to a digital environment and
instantly run all types of content on a variety of devices, including mobile
phones, cameras, audio and video players, STBs, laptops, PCs and servers. Features
will include a device-independent, single, ubiquitous Virtual Environment (VEN)
that functions across different operating system and the Internet. Under the
new platform, consumers are able to have the same user experience to engage in
activities such as listening to music, surfing the net, buying video, editing
photos, or working on work contracts. It dynamically scales the
applications/services to the accessory device.
ASUS www.asus.com
Revealed the new Travelstar 5K500 (500 GB 2.5 Inch hard
drive) from Hitachi has been integrated into the ASUS M50 and M70 series multimedia notebook PCs.
R50A Ultra Mobile PC with full PC, and GPS functionality. It
is the World’s first UMPC with built-in GPS and webcam. Users can capture,
communicate, or create anywhere with 3G / 3.5G connectivity. Features:
Lamborghini VX2Sn Notebook designed with Lamborghini,
enclosed in a piano-paint chassis, accented by genuine leather. Features 
G2Sg Notebook, built from the ground up as the ultimate gaming system.
Features: 
M50 Notebook
Dell www.dell.com
Dell had on the floor what they called the Dell Lounge, to showcase their
latest products and sneak peeks of future developments. Among them was a
concept laptop with a 16-inch display. The concept laptop had a picture-perfect
full HD 16:9 aspect ratio and a preview of a mainstream XPS™ gaming desktop
that will offer performance approaching purpose-built gaming systems. New
products making a public appearance included the Inspiron™ 1525 notebook, a
30-inch UltraSharp™ display and the 
distinctive Crystal flat panel display,
which was demonstrated at last year’s CES as a concept product.
Dell’s digital home demo showcases convergence of the TV and PC. The solution
features an XPS 420 desktop configured with Windows Vista® Ultimate and the ATI
TV Wonder™ Digital Cable Tuner, enabling users to watch, pause, replay and
record premium HD content from digital cable channels. The XPS 420 is paired
with a Linksys Media Center Extender (DMA2100), which transfers live or
recorded HD video content, digital photos and music across a wired or 802.11n
wireless network to any TV in the home.
For those who feel the need for speed, Alienware showcased the new Area-51 m15x
notebook, complete with the latest graphics technology from NVIDIA, as well as
demoing an ALX desktop with next-generation architecture from Intel. The XPS
M1730 World of Warcraft Edition notebook was also on display.
Everex www.everex.com
Unveiled
the CloudBook Ultra-Mobile PC a 7" UMPC model to feature popular Open
Source software from gOS. It measures 9" in length and 2 pounds in weight,
and comes with a 1.2GHz VIA C7-M ULV mobile processor. The laptop averages 5
hours of battery life on a 4-cell, lithium-ion battery. Features 30GB of
internal storage, digital video output (DVI-I), 4-in-1 card reader and 1.3MP
webcam. Audio is High Definition Audio Codec with built-in speakers, and has
built-in WLAN: 802.11b/g. 10/100 Ethernet, I/O: (1) DVI-I port, (2) USB 2.0
ports, (1) RJ45 Ethernet port, (1) Headphone/Line Out jack, (1) Microphone/
Line In jack, (1) 4-in-1 Media Card Reader (Secure Digital, Multi-Media Card,
Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO). Available January 25th, the CE1200V will be
available at Walmart.com for $399.
Gateway www.gateway.com
Gateway today unveiled two new FX Series desktops designed
for extreme gaming and other high-performance, graphic-intensive multimedia
applications. Featuring AMD quad-core power and NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800GT
graphics. The NVIDIA card features 112 stream processors and ultra-fast frame
rates to play the hottest DirectX®10 games with 512MB video memory in a single
card. Combined with 3GB of memory, the FX7020 comes with a 400 watt power
supply. Rounding it out is a combo standard definition (NTSC)/high definition
(ATSC) TV Tuner with a Media Center remote control, so
customers can watch and record live television. Rich 8-channel, 7.1
high-definition audio delivers a premium sound experience for viewing the
latest games, online entertainment and DVD movies. With a price point of just
$1,099, it costs well below a comparable $2,000 system. 
The Gateway FX540 Series brings several new leading
technologies to the FX line, including:
As an SLI-Ready PC it can be upgraded with a second graphics card. Last but not least, the Gateway FX540 Series includes a 700 watt power supply, ensuring it can support any additional high-performance hardware or future expansion requirements. Prices range from $999.99 to $3,799.99 depending on model and configuration.
gOS 2.0 www.thinkgos.com
Good OS, the open source startup that introduced gOS, a
Linux operating system with Google and web applications, on a $199 Wal-Mart PC
last November, announced the gOS Rocket. Rocket is packed with Google Gears,
new online offline synchronization technology from Google that enables offline
use of web apps; gBooth, a browser-based web cam application with special
effects, integration with Facebook and other web services; shortcuts to launch
Google Reader, Talk, and Finance on the desktop; an online storage drive
powered by Box.net; and Virtual Desktops, an intuitive feature to easily group
and move applications across multiple desktop spaces. Get gOS Rocket Developer
Kit with VIA motherboard and CPU at ClubIT.com. Everex CloudBook, gPC, gPC
mini, gBook available at Wal-Mart.com.
HP www.hp.com 
The HP Pavilion Slimline s3330f PC gives the user
full functionality in a PC that’s one-third the size of a conventional tower
PC. With the Dual Format Blu-Ray and HD-DVD player plus a TV tuner, consumers
can record their favorite TV shows and play the latest high-definition movies.
In addition, the NVIDIA GeForce 8500 card with HDMI port allows consumers to
connect this PC to their high-definition TVs or play the latest directX10 games
in an affordable PC under $1,000.
With the HP Pavilion Elite m9100 series PC you get the 64-bit edition of
Windows Vista® Home Premium and 4 GB of memory and Intel® Quad Core™ processor.
The HP Easy Backup button can be set to automatically back up files, and two
built-in drive bays enable up to 1 TB of optional additional storage.
The new HP Pavilion a6330f PC is perfect for photo enthusiasts. It comes with a
500 GB hard drive, and HP Photosmart Essential so users can organize, edit,
share and 
protect their digital images. The HP Pocket Media Drive bay lets consumers
add optional additional storage, and the front-panel 15-in-1 memory card reader
simplifies transferring photos and files to and from a digital camera and other
devices.
The HP Pavilion tx2000 optimizes handwriting capture and offers
touch-screen capability with a 12.1-inch diagonal touch-screen display that
rotates 180 degrees and folds flat as well as a built-in digitizer. Comes with
HP QuickPlay software, offering a variety of entertainment options. Using the
HP Webcam, integrated microphone and IM (instant messaging) solution of their
choice, consumers can engage in live video chat with friends and family across
the world.
The HP Pavilion HDX series Entertainment Notebook PC offers 512 MB NVIDIA
GeForce 8800M GTS video graphics and the latest Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme and
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor technology, giving it desktop-caliber performance.
Now with Blu-ray and HD DVD support, the HDX series plays high-definition DVD
or Blu-ray movies on the world’s first 20.1-inch diagonal WUXGA XHD Ultra
Brightview display. HDX Integrated Audio provides a audio experience with four
discrete Altec Lansing speakers and the integrated HP Triple Bass Reflex
Subwoofer.
Intel www.intel.com
Intel Corporation unveiled 16 products including the
company's first 45 nanometer (nm) processors for Intel® Centrino® Processor
Technology based laptops. All of these new chips include the company's new
transistor formula and 45nm manufacturing process that boost a PC's speed,
reduces power requirements, saves on battery life, helps the environment and
comes in smaller packages for more fashionable and compact computer designs.
With the introduction of the new processors, Intel will be offering a total of 32
desktop, laptop and server processors based on these industry-leading
innovations.
All are now lead-free and, starting this year, halogen-free, making the
processors more eco-friendly. Intel has
also added new video and graphics capabilities with Intel HD Boost that
includes Intel Streaming SIMD Extensions 4 (SSE4) for speeding up workloads
including video encoding for high-definition and photo manipulation.
Intel plans to ship in the first half of this year its first-generation
low-power platform chipset that will help deliver a range of ultra mobile and
mobile Internet devices from a growing
ecosystem of customers.
Intel announced three quad core and four dual core 45nm-based processors for
mainstream desktop PCs arriving later this month and throughout the first
quarter of the year.
Lenovo www.lenovo.com
Announced a trio of IdeaPad notebook PCs – the IdeaPad Y510, Y710 and U110.
Powered by Intel® Centrino® processor technology, offering such technologies as
facial recognition, Dolby Home Theatre surround sound, touch-sensitive control
surfaces and dedicated gaming controls. According to IDC, the worldwide
consumer PC market is expected to grow by an average of nearly 10 percent
annually through 2011. The combination of the VeriFace software and an embedded
camera can recognize a user's face for log-in and help eliminate the need to
remember passwords.
The 17-inch widescreen IdeaPad Y710 is designed with a smooth, blue, metallic
finish, equipped with halo lighting accenting the top cover. Select models
include a second, hot-swap hard drive to easily store and transfer data as well
as Game Zone functionality. Game Zone includes enlarged directional buttons for
enhanced game play, four user-customizable buttons and a secondary display
showing system information such as CPU speed. It also includes a performance
control switch with Turbo mode for maximum power, including CPU overclocking,
and Quiet mode for energy savings. Comes with ATI graphics, WLAN connectivity,
five speakers including a subwoofer as well as an optional Blu-ray DVD reader
IdeaPad Y510 is a 15.4-inch widescreen with a black, textured, linen-like top
cover. Equipped with integrated graphics, WLAN connectivity, five speakers
including a subwoofer, an integrated camera, battery life indicator and a
DVD-RW optical drive.
The IdeaPad U110, an ultraportable 11-inch widescreen notebook PC, weighs only
2.3 pounds and is 0.7 inches deep. The textured design is embedded in its red
aluminum alloy top cover. Lenovo also equipped select configurations with its
Active Protection System, an air bag-like device that parks the hard drive to
help protect data during a fall.
Recommended pricing for the IdeaPad Y510 and Y710 starts at $799 and $1,199,
respectively. The IdeaPad U110 notebook will be available in April.
Life|ware www.life-ware.com
Launched their new entry level LMS-100 and LMS-150
Life|media™ Servers. Manages all of your digital media – pictures, videos, TV
shows, movies, music and more in up to five zones in your home. The LMS-100 is
priced at $2500 and features the following:
With dual internal CableCARD-enabled tuners, consumers can simultaneously access multiple forms of broadcast content, including 2 live high definition digital cable feeds. The LMS-150 is $3500 and features 1 TB of storage using RAID 0.
Samsung www.samsung.com
Samsung Electronics America, unveiled the Q1 Ultra Premium
UMPC, the newest ultra mobile personal computer. It is aimed at the commercial
market, as well as to those individuals that travel frequently and thereby
looking for the smallest PC-compatible form factor. Fueled by a 1.33GHz ULV
Intel Core Solo U1500 Pentium CPU running at a clock speed of 1.33 GHz, along
with 1 GB of high-speed DDR2 system memory, and weighs less than 2 pounds.
Powered by a 57.7 watt hour Lithium Ion polymer 6-cell battery that will
provide up to 7.5 hours of battery life. Additionally, this new model features
the split-QWERTY keypad – Version 1.5 – which provides larger, improved keycaps
making text entry easy.
Complete with an 80 GB 1.8” ultra-small hard disk drive, fingerprint reader for
advanced system security and an SD/MMC 2-in-1 memory slot for easy memory
expansion and data transfer. Includes integrated 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth
2.0 + EDR, providing users with wireless communications regardless of their
location.
All models feature a 300 pixel webcam, along with a high-performance dual-array
microphone, enabling face-to-face video chatting/video conferencing.
Additionally, a high-resolution 1.3 mega pixel camera supports video recording
and still pictures, allowing users to simply snap and send videos/photographs
with a single device. Also they are equipped with a seven-inch wide WSVGA LED
backlit LCD with touch screen that boasts a native, high-resolution of 1024 x
600. Integrated is the AVS Now instant-on feature, allowing users to enjoy a
host of multimedia applications, including video, movies, music and still
photos, without booting up Windows.
Sony www.sony.com
Eof these come with XBRITE-HiColor™ for making the screens
look great, 4GB of RAM, and Blu-ray Disc technology.
VAIO AR790U Premium notebook features a 17 inch with a full HD 1080 widescreen
display. Powered by the new Intel Core2 Processor T9300. Comes with an external
CableCARD™ compliant TV tuner for viewing or recording HDTV programming.
Features, 400GB hard drive, 512MB on a dedicated graphics card,
VAIO LT29U Premium HD PC/TV comes with a terabyte of storage so it can record
up to 100 hours of HDTV programming. It is equipped with the Intel Core2
Processor T9300. The LCD is a 22-inch, and comes with an external CableCARD™
compliant TV tuner for viewing or recording HDTV programming.
VAIO FZ485U Premium Notebook has a 15.4-inch widescreen and is HDMI equipped to
output to HDTV in full HD 1080. It has the Intel Core2 Processor T98100, and
256MB dedicated graphics card.
S-xgen www.s-xgen.com
I loved this last year, from Seamless Internet.
Manufacture Suggest Retail Price $1,395.0
Toshiba www.toshiba.com
The Qosmio integrates the new “SpursEngine,” a co-processor
derived from the high-performance Cell Broadband Engine™ 1,2 (Cell/B.E.)
processor and Toshiba’s advanced image processing technology, and bring awesome
levels of processing power to consumer electronics. With it they did demonstrations
such as:
Toshiba also announced it lowered the starting price on its HD
DVD-R/RW notebook line to $899, starting with the Satellite A205 notebook.
Also, with the addition of an
HD DVD rewritable drive Qosmio users are
empowered with the ability to burn, erase and re-burn content to HD DVD-RW
discs. The Toshiba HD DVD notebook portfolio consists of four models featuring
high-definition widescreen displays with resolutions up to 1080p and screen sizes
ranging from 15.4- to 17-inches. The portfolio includes the Satellite® A205,
Satellite P205, Satellite X205 and Qosmio® G45 models. The Satellite® A215
notebook line will incorporate AMD’s leading-edge AMD Turion™ 64 X2 Dual-Core
Mobile Technology processor.
While today’s DVD format has a maximum playback resolution of 480p, HD DVDs
leap forward with an image resolution that is up to six times sharper. The
result is a visual experience with brighter colors, enhanced details and
greater overall image sharpness. Select notebooks include an HDMI port and can
be connected to an HDTV to deliver a pure high-definition image that will equal
the resolution capability of the HDTV, up to 1080p. The Qosmio®, Satellite®
X205 and select models of the Satellite U305 notebook series will incorporate
Intel’s new line of performance Core 2 Duo mobile processors – (codename
Penryn) designed to deliver greater computing prowess to power the most
demanding applications.
The Portégé M700 is the company’s first Tablet PC to incorporate a touch screen
LED backlit display. It supports both fingertip input capabilities and
traditional pen-based input. It incorporates an LED backlit display with
anti-glare coating, which allows the new Tablet PC to be viewed in a wide range
of environments both indoors and outdoors. It uses Intel® Centrino Pro
processor technology, including Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processors, Intel® 965
Express chipset, Intel® Wireless Wi-Fi Link 4965AGN supporting draft 802.11n3,
and Intel® Active Management Technology (AMT 2.6). Intel’s AMT 2.6 delivers the
ability to remotely deploy systems and supply proactive security and
maintenance measures. This provides the network manager better control of
mobile computing assets to minimize user downtime and provide greater
efficiency at the office of when traveling.
With support for an internal optical drive, second hard drive or weight saver,
the Ultra SlimBay helps eliminate the bulk and inconvenience of carrying
additional external components. The 1.3 megapixel Webcam provides mobile
professionals the flexibility to communicate face-to-face when out of the
office or traveling. The 3D accelerometer helps guard the HDD against awkward
accidental drops, including a spinning, falling Tablet PC, by rapidly removing
the HDD head from between the HDD platters. Toshiba also put a spill resistant
keyboard to help protect against accidental spills of liquids.
All new Toshiba notebooks are RoHS-compatible2, effectively reducing the environmental
impact by restricting the use of lead, mercury and certain other hazardous
substances. They also offer a computer trade-in and recycling program. All
Toshiba computers qualify for free recycling, while non-Toshiba computers and
other consumer electronic products can be recycled for a small fee. For more
information visit: www.reuse.toshiba.com.
The reviewer commented the wireless connection is sometimes better than many notebooks with built-in antennas.
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