The Tribune’s Eric Benderoff checks out the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, an annual feast for the senses. Practically anything you can plug in, turn on or activate is on display.
1 MONSTER TV
Can you tell the difference between a 102-inch plasma television and a 108-inch LCD model? Here’s your chance to try. But even the geeks will tell you these big screens are for people who like to sit in the front row of a movie theater. Billionaire Mark Cuban must be one: He recently shelled out $70,000 for a 103-inch Panasonic plasma, one of the two dozen or so that have shipped, the company said.
2 GPS
If you get lost, it’s your fault. Small global positioning system devices are all the rage at the show. One cool product is a car radio from Eclipse, available soon. The GPS unit detaches from the stereo so you can drop it in your pocket if you go for a walk or take a road trip in a rental car.
3 NON-STOP MUSIC
Music is everywhere at the show, from Microsoft’s Zune music player to Motorola’s new MotoRizr Z6 music phone. Then there’s Motorola’s cool MotoActive earphones. They use Bluetooth technology–meaning they are wireless–and they look sleek. Also, they’re supposed to be waterproof and sweat-resistant. So no excuse to avoid the gym now.
4 CONNECTIVITY
Are you “connected”? Everyone from Bill Gates to Motorola Chief Executive Edward Zander is in Vegas to spread the gospel on why we need to connect our phones to our computers and our computers to our TVs.
5 VROOM
For pure geek fun at the show, participants can drive an actual Formula One racing car to test out Intel’s new Core 2 chip for gaming-based PCs. The four cars only drive in front of a big-screen TV, though. Complained show attendee Richard Smith after he climbed out of one car: “It would be more fun if it had a force-feedback steering wheel to get a better feel for the road.” Only at CES.
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ebenderoff@tribune.com
