Hey folks, Valkor here with Day one of CES 2009. The day actually started on a down because it was a slower morning than usual. Seriously the joint is usually jumping at 9 am, however I was able to get my press badge holder and jump right in with no obstructions. I think it’s mostly due to 1) how the economy is holding up and 2) the days chosen to hold the event; I’m not really feelin the weekend for CES. I think the weekdays are better because after 4 days of walkin and talkin, you just want the weekend to get your mojo back. But it’s still CES and it’s still a blast. Last year we had separate features for TechGear, Robots and individual meetings. This year I’m adding headphones to the mix and you’ll be able to read about them separate from the daily report. Also I cut my trip one day short because I was able to accomplish all I needed to do in three days time. Told ya it wasn’t that crazy this year. So without further ado My CES report.
Every year is always a treat to stop by Dolby’s booth and it’s cool that I was able to make them my first stop of the day. For mobile tech users, Dolby is looking you out with “Dolby Mobile”. This basically applies Dolby tech to mobile phone and portable media players giving the users rich surround sound wherever they go. I think its great can’t wait to see how this plays out. Right now the tech isn’t too impressive because with music it’s all dependent to what type of headphones you use and with movies that all depends on the encoding. But I’m curious to see the full effect of having certified Dolby tech in my media player. Next up is Dolby Volume. Not really new tech as SRS has something similar (I believe they call it “true Volume”). But this basically keeps the volume of whatever your watching (especially on television) at a consistent level, keeping things not too loud or too soft… just right. They also showed off some video tech they were working as well and we’ll get more info on that as it flows in. But overall, not a bad line-up.
I’ve had the chance to play with some smaller speakers from Altec; the Soundbar wasn’t anything special but the Orbit iM237 kicked ass. But Altec blew me away with a wall of FX3022 speakers. These babies come equipped with a subwoofer underneath each speaker, bouncing sound off a hardtop and outwards for exception quality sound. This was done with Razer Mako’s 2.1 speakers, but these are definitely not Razer’s… not in the least. Ok 12 daisy chained together sound great, but how does a pair sound stand alone? Not bad actually. Not as rich or amazing as 12 together and as I was told by the rep you can string them together at home for that same amazing sound. I don’t think the Cave is up for it. Maybe when the new Cave is set up? Also on hand were Altec’s FX2020 speakers, which looked great and sounded just as good. Lastly you have the MX6021, which were great sounding high end speakers. Look for more in the future as we push to go full on with these speakers.
I shouldn’t make mention of a mobile phone company, because they were the only company I actually met with. However Motorola did show off an impressive piece of tech that will change how we communicate with one another. It’s called “CrystalTalk Plus” and what it does is, it applies two microphones and some noise cancelling technology making so that if you’re in a crowded or if the person you’re speaking to is in a noisy place, the tech makes it so that you’re both heard crystal clear. I had the chance to demo the tech and I was most impressed with just how good it really works. Great job! Also on hand was the Motorola Renew, which is a mobile phone, made almost completely from recycled water bottles. It’s a simple phone with nothing special about it, no cameras or any of other fancy extra; just a basic phone for basic needs. But it does open up lots of possibilities to make future phones this way.
Move over Wii, motion sensing gaming is coming home… to the PC anyway. I-too is a motion controller that comes in wired and wireless flavors. I checked out the wired version with a game called “Skating Penguin” where you control the board to guide your character to collect iced penguins. It took a few tried but I was able to get the hang of it. The Val-man will do his best to get a full on review of this wonderful new device.
Not sure of the company who makes it. From the box, it says Eita, but I forgot to jot down the name of who makes it. However The IMV260 is one hot item, fits easily on the eyes, and gives you a great big screen effect. Comes preinstalled with 4 gigs but is expandable of up to 32 gigs using a tf card. It does music, movies (no Divx/ Xvid) and pics, plus e-books and FX music. For a China product it looks and feels pretty sturdy and the vids look great too. We’ll try to get more details and possible full on review once I’m able to lockdown the company that makes this product.
Valkor Cheers: “They’ve got the spirit! Yea! And you can feel it! Uh-huh!” Ahem, Casio, who are always a favorite here at TOV was showin off their new HD, High-Speed Exilim Cams. These new cams (respectively EX-FS10, EX-FC100, EX-Z400, EX-Z270, EX-S12) will have a burst shooting and high speed shutter so you can take fast action clips and pics with little to no blur. You also get Best Shot (What Casio cam comes without em) so you can always take the best pics, in any situation, without being a pro. Look for some Casio action from the Val-Cave soon.
Final stop for day one is Innex, who were showcasing classic Nintendo gaming through a dual cart system, the RetroDuo, that will allow you to play your old NES and SNES carts through one console. On top of that Innex had on hand a portable system as well (again carts are necessary). Sorry emulator crowd, these babies are for the true enthusiasts who still have their old carts. But if you’re able to get a hold of some, this is definitely the way to go.