Every year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the organizers put together a preview event called CES Unveiled. Taking place a couple of days before the actual trade show opens its doors, CES Unveiled lifts the curtain on what we can expect in the days to come. We’ve already had a peak at what MSI has done at the show, but since CES is the Consumer Electronics Show, it wasn’t all that surprising to find quite the range of products on display from gadgets to computers to electronics and toys. Listed below are some of the highlights from the evening’s festivities.
iGo Green Power Puts Stake Through Dracula’s Chest
We all have a responsibility to the environment and that’s why it’s so important that you should do your part and go green. It’s all about the little things that you can do, like recycling that empty soup can instead of throwing it in the trash.
Echoing this commitment to greener living is iGo with its new iGo Green Technology. Shown above is the iGo Laptop Charger with iGo Green Technology. Designed to replace the power supply that came with your notebook, the iGo Laptop Charger includes an automatic shut-off feature when it recognizes that your Asus Eee PC, for example, is turned off and doesn’t require any power from the wall. This is designed to “virtually eliminate vampire power.”
As you may already know, many electronics still draw power from the wall while turned off or in standby mode. This is true of everything from your desktop computer to your HDTV, your Xbox 360 to your microwave. By completely shutting off its power draw, the iGo Laptop Charger can reduce standby power by as much as 80%.
But what about everything else in your home? The iGo Laptop Charger may be great for your laptop, but a more comprehensive solution would be the iGo Surge Protector with iGo Green Technology. It works much like any other surge-protecting power bar, but the critical difference is that four of its eight outlets can completely shut off when the connected devices don’t need the power. The remaining four outlets are designed for products that do need power all the time, like a clock radio.
Care to Radio-Control a Robot?
At CES Unveiled, the UK was featuring a number of innovative products from the land of Her Majesty the Queen and MI6. One of the more interesting products, especially for those that are into robotics, is a product by KABLAMM. The MECHRC product they were showing off gives you the ability to customize a rather cool looking robot with seventeen independently controllable servos, driven by a fully featured robot control software suite. Once setup, your robot can be controlled via a gamepad-style remote handset and taken into battle.
The robots also feature built in audio for outputting “creative slogans” during battle and a suite of expansion options which include larger batteries, electronic expansion modules for future features, and even mechanical expansion to augment your robotic warrior. This company also consults with HASBRO on projects related to Star Wars and our favourite robots in disguise, the Transformers Franchise.
Novatel Produces Wi-Fi in a Credit Card
We want to have the Internet everywhere we go, even if we don’t find ourselves in the presence of a Starbucks or a public library. You may already be familiar with some of Novatel’s products, even if you don’t recognize the name directly. With certain 3G operators in Canada and the United States, you can nab a USB adapter from Novatel that lets you use a 3G wireless data connection on your laptop, but that’s only with a single laptop.
What Novatel has done to address this very situation is create a credit card-sized device that can effectively translate your 3G data connection (EVDO or HSDPA) into a Wi-Fi hotspot. On the GSM/HSDPA side of things, you insert your SIM card and it’s good to go. On the CDMA/EVDO side of things, Novatel would need to create something carrier-specific.
You can imagine the potential applications. On a family road trip, the Novatel card can provide Wi-Fi to little Jimmy so that he can game online with his PSP, Suzie can hop online with her DS Lite, dad can catch up on his emails on his laptop, and mom can make a quick VoIP call over Skype. Oh wait… who’s driving?
Powermat Cuts the Cord on Charging… Sort of
Don’t you hate it when you have to deal with all of these messy cables? You want to charge your cell phone, your iPod, your Sony PSP, and a whole whack of other things, but all of those charging cables can be a real pain.
Powermat aims to make things a little more convenient. Instead of fumbling with several charging cables, you have a single mat… that provides power. This plugs into the wall like any other charger, but you don’t need to physically connect anything to your portable electronics. Instead, you simply place your BlackBerry or Nintendo DS onto the mat and it will automatically conduct that electricity into the battery.
Well, that’s not completely true. Each target device of your choosing must first be equipped with the proper adapter module. For some products, like a BlackBerry Bold or an iPhone 3G, this can come in the form of a specially-designed case. For the Nintendo DS Lite, however, it makes use of a hockey-puck like module that is then connected to the charge port on the DS. For iPods, there is a small dock.
These modules, regardless of form, are then placed on the Powermat itself for charging purposes. The mat and the modules are outfitted with magnets, so the modules automatically “snap” into proper position. A single green LED indicator light shows that the connection is working.
I’ve seen some similar solutions from other companies in the past, but as I recall, they didn’t require an adapter system like Powermat. At the same time, my suspicion is that the devices being charged using those other solutions may need to be modified to work with their systems. With the Powermat, you just have to buy the case or module.
Novint Adds New Dimension to PC Gaming
Although the mouse is the weapon of choice for most FPS shooter fans, Novint has decided that there’s nothing better than the handle of a pistol and a little recoil to make things interesting. The Novint Falcon has been shipping for a while now and seems to be catching on, offering a much more realistic gaming experience by allowing users to feel the game.
The only things that we found a little annoying were the fact that the recoil would throw off our aim and zombies would try to grab our gun. The only other thing that we found a little annoying was that it could get tiring holding up that gun during long zombie blasting session. I really needed somewhere to rest my elbow, but it only added to the realism of holding a real gun. I was in for a serious gaming session, but my neighbor seemed to be enjoying himself a lot more than I was. However, I was smiling on the inside.
I Could Probably Use One of These
After a long day of roaming around on the Las Vegas Strip, your feet can quite tired, especially if you’re carrying around a bag or two. Believe me, I would know. This is also true of you’ve had a particularly stressful day at work or you’re trying to recover from a crazy nature hike. That’s when you need a massive massage chair, like these ones from Inada.
I don’t think I’d be able to play Rock Band 2 while sitting in this chair, but I’ll certainly be a lot more relaxed. Just look at the faces on these people. It’s not just massaging their back, since it’s got those leg massaging parts too. It’s almost like it’s straight out of Star Trek.
The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, as I’ve mentioned, brings a huge variety of technology that fits anywhere within the realm of consumer electronics. You’ll find everything from rechargeable batteries to massive HDTVs, but you can also come across massage chairs too.
I wonder if they’d be willing to send me a review sample. I could use one of these chairs.
We’ll be heading to Digital Experience tonight, another gadget and gizmo smorgasboard. Stay tuned for more CES 2009 Coverage this week as we work on rolling it out. More pictures are on the next page.
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CES 2009 Unveiled Photo Gallery
