Robots are everywhere. Especially at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show last week. But here's the good news -- you'll be able to buy many of the robots you'll see talking, posing, and rolling around in the above exclusive Switched video. Check it out.

In the beginning, Bluetooth headsets were a bit off-putting. You stuck one in your ear, called a friend on your mobile phone, and watched as people on the street looked on as you had a conversation -- seemingly with yourself. But things have changed drastically since then. These small, wireless gadgets are now ubiquitous, gracing the earlobes of everyone from the guy on the next treadmill to your grandma in her car. So what are the coolest, most innovative we saw at CES that'll find their way to store shelves this year? Take a look at our five favorites:

BlueAnt Wireless V1: Forget playing with buttons, checking on blinking lights or messing with your cell phone when you want to make a call. The BlueAnt V1 is the first completely voice controlled Bluetooth headset and it's superneat. With just one button to activate it -- all you do is talk and it will talk right back. Want to call the operator? Just speak and your wish is its command. Speed dial has never been so easy, either. Using advanced Voice Recognition and Voice Synthesis technology, the V1 also has dual microphones and proprietary Voice Isolation Technology, which allows the headset to hear you clearly and provides amazing noise reduction, echo cancellation and even protection from wind. Small and lightweight, the V1 gets up to six hours of talk time or 200 hours of standby with one battery charge. And all this for just $119. (Image by way of MobileWhack.com)

The market for HDTVs is flooded with competing technologies and not to mention perplexing acronyms and abbreviations -- DLP, LCD, OLED, Plasma, SED. Now you can add Laser TV to your list of display technologies to know. Mitsubishi unveiled a 65-inch laser television at an event during this week's CES -- and people at this week's CES show were buzzing about the incredible color and contrast.

Mitsubishi isn't revealing details about exactly how it works, but we do know it is based on a rear projection system, meaning that this is never going to be as thin as those sexy OLEDs on display. And who knows what the future holds for big and bulky projection TVs, whose stars are falling almost as quickly as those of HD-DVD. But the laser TV does have a leg up in the image quality department. Apparently, colors were so intense and contrast so dramatic that Greg Adler at PC World described it as "artificial" looking.

Pricing isn't available, but Mitsubishi plans to have the displays on the market by fall of 2008.

From Engadget

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Most of us never think twice about our car stereos. They come preinstalled in your automobile, and you take it for granted. But there is a whole subculture of people whose greatest pleasure in life is crafting absurd mobile entertainment centers that put many peoples' home theaters to shame.

TVs galore, more sub-woofers than your bowels could possibly stand, and chains of amplifiers that drive volume up to building crumbling levels -- these are some of the specs we encountered while walking the mobile tech areas at CES.

We may well have suffered permanent hearing damage to bring you this massive photo collection of the most intense displays of car audio and video power at CES. A few of them even made this guy's stereo look tame by comparison. Take a look!

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If you've turned on the Discovery Channel at all in the last year you might have noticed that survival is quite the draw. The popularity of shows like 'Survivor Man' and 'Man Vs. Wild' is not only drawing viewers to Discover, though, it's also helping draw attention to an entire cottage industry of gear designed to help you avoid the very situations (read: deadly ones) we love to watch Bear Grylls stick himself in.

Well, the gadget industry has always catered to those in dicey and potentially lethal situations, but we've noticed a certain proliferation in survival gizmos this year at CES. Check out some of our favorites in the following pages.

Convenience is the name of the game if you plan on using one of Lexar's new wireless SD (Secure Digitalo) memory cards in your digital camera later this year. The new SD card, announced at the Consumer Electronics Show this week, is Wi-Fi capable, using a technology developed by a company called Eye-Fi to wirelessly transfer images from the card to your computer, a photo-sharing Web site or a retail kiosk. Eye-Fi released its own card late last year, but Lexar is the first company we've seen that's using the Eye-Fi technology in one of its own cards.

While some digital still cameras are starting to have wireless capabilities themselves -- Panasonic, for example, announced a Wi-Fi capable camera earlier this week -- most consumers own digicams that don't have this very convenient feature. This wireless SD card essentially turns any compatible camera into a wireless device.

After taking pictures, you go to within range of an open wireless, or Wi-Fi, hotspot, and your photos are automatically uploaded to your computer or to photo sharing Web sites such as Kodak Gallery, Wal-Mart Digital Photo Center, Shutterfly, Snapfish, Picasa, flickr and Facebook. Your computer doesn't even need to be turned on for the process to work.

No word on pricing or availability yet. We've been playing around with the Eye-Fi for a couple of weeks. When we've managed to get it to work, we love it, but as with all things Wi-Fi, it can be temperamental. Still, it beats having to carry a memory card adapter or USB cord around all day.

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Wondering whether to go with Blu-ray or HD-DVD? The decision is pretty clear, if the lightning fast drama and events over the past few days at CES are any indication.

First, last Friday, Warner Bros. announced it was switching its exclusive deal for next-gen disc availability of its movies (everything from 'The Matrix' to 'Lord of the RIngs') from HD-DVD to Blu-ray. This was enough to get the pundits, speculators, and naysayers foaming at the mouth with pronouncements that Blu-ray could well have won the war of next-gen, HD-quality disc formats.

Then, on Sunday, the HD-DVD group cancelled its CES press conference and event. Rather than spinning the Warner Bros. news with a smiling, confident face, the HD-DVD camp basically surrendered the public relations war, which leads us to believe that either it was totally caught off guard and suddenly had no press announcement at the 11th hour. It certainly was a tough position to be in, but at least Toshiba's VP of DVD marketing, Jody Sally kept a strong front by saying "HD-DVD is not dead," at a press conference on Sunday. (Toshiba was one of the major investors behind the HD-DVD format.) Not a bad strategy considering that company just released some hot new Qosmio laptops with the world's first rewriteable HD-DVD drive, among other features.

Still, the rumors have kept on flying, from naysayings by 'Transformers' director Michael Bay to word that Target may soon start selling only Blu-ray discs.

Now the Financial Times is saying that Paramount may be bowing out of its commitments to HD-DVD, which makes it the last major studio to move over to the other side. Until this latest news broke, early pronouncements of HD-DVD's demise may have seemed a bit premature, but now all those early naysayers seem to have been right on the money.

Yesterday, we took images of the adjoining booths on the show floor. As you can see, the Blu-ray booth was flooded with visitors, while the HD-DVD booth was relatively sleepy (giving its workers time to work on their resumes, no doubt).

So, what does this mean for you? Well, if you recently bought (or received) one of those $199 HD-DVD players that were for sale everywhere, don't worry -- you have, in effect, a fine DVD player that will upscale regular DVDs to quasi-HDTV quality.

If you're in the market for one of these players to show off the HD capabilities of your new TV, then it's safe to say that Blu-ray is the way to go. Plenty of new Blu-ray players (and drives and PCs) are on display at the show, and it's even rumored that Apple will announce Blu-ray drives at next week's MacWorld Expo.

And for existing owners of Blu-ray players, there's even more good news: This year some of those much touted online elements, such as Blu-ray Live, which let you download information on a movie from the Web or even play games with others over the Internet, will finally make their way onto Blu-ray discs later this year (or so says the Blu-ray disc camp).

So it seems like the battle of next-gen discs has been won by Blu-ray, but the war between the different HD-content distribution camps is far from over. In fact, it didn't look like Bill Gates, whose Microsoft was also a big supporter of HD-DVD, was phased in the least bit the other night at his last CES keynote. In fact, Gates focused on digital distribution (over the Internet) of SD and HD content from even more content partners (Showtime, ABC). In other words, he's probably thanking his lucky stars that Microsoft hedged its bets and offered HD-DVD as a separate drive for the Xbox 360 rather than built-in.

Regardless, over the last few days, HD-DVD's star has fallen about as quickly as a certain Democrat's presidential campaign, making us want to call HD-DVD the Hillary Clinton of optical disc formats (or is Hillary Clinton the HD-DVD of presidential candidates?).

Let's just hope that nobody from the HD-DVD camp jumps out of a window, because what happened to that team over the past few days was extremely harsh and sudden, the stuff of a prime-time soap, if prime-time soaps actually bothered themselves with dorky topics like movie disc formats.

For that annoying, crackly interference noise many iPhone users hear when docking into standard iPod speaker dock system, Altec Lansing has figured out a solution: The new "Works with iPhone" T612 speaker system builds upon the audio prowess of the M602 powered audio system for iPods, while adding GSM (Global System for Mobile communications, or cellular network that AT&T runs on) shielding to its speakers. We'll have to see just how well this works when we get some hands on, but the system is said to eliminate buzzing and cracking speakers when calls or text messages come in to your snazzy iPhone.

But this iPhone speaker dock is even smarter: When a phone calls come in, the T612 pauses your music during your phone conversation and then automatically begins playing where you left off when you re-dock the iPhone.

The T612 will be out this February for the reasonable price of $199.95 from Apple retailers and AltecLansing.com.

The 2008 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) officially opens today, though we and thousands of other journalists have been here since late last week, checking out early previews of the latest gizmos and interviewing folks such as Gary Shapiro, who heads up this massive annual gathering of all things gadget (see above). Check out our brief video interview with Gary, and come back for more, as Switched will be posting new videos from the show floor throughout each day this week (and next).

Find more Switched CES 2008 coverage here.

Pioneer is going the way of Jules Verne as it journeys to the center of the earth to develop speaker technology. While yesterdays press conference at CES already had us chomping at the bit over future plasma flat screen technology, we've got to give props to Pioneer's R & D people for using volcanic rock as the material for a key component of its speakers.

Constructing the new speakers utilizes basalt technology in a process that involves polarizing the rock (to identify the correct volcanic minerals to use) and melting it at 2500 degrees. The resulting fibers are drawn and woven into fabric for a cone, which is the circular piece that houses the speakers and transmits sound. "Whoa," Keanu Reeves would say if he knew about the procedure.

There are distinct advantages to using basalt rock, as it makes the volcanic speaker material both light and stiff (easy to carry, but not susceptible to bass-induced rattle). The demand for speakers that are not too heavy but stand up to the music booming is understandable and now attainable. Our only advice besides suggesting you look into these speakers is this: Just because Pioneer went and got all 'Joe Versus the Volcano' doesn't mean you should...



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Often it's customer service that wins consumers' hearts and dollar decisions -- and Sharp yesterday announced a program that (though it hints a bit of Big Brother) could change the way people operate and maintain their TVs.

The program is called Aquos Net, and it's essentially content and customer support provided with two of Sharp's new Aquos LCD TVs, which were also announced yesterday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The SE94 and D74 series Aquos LCD-TVs come with Ethernet ports, which allow for direct connection to the Internet. Web-based content from Weatherbug, NASDAQ, uclick, and Aquos Gallery (basically pretty pictures) can be shown in split- or full-screen, and other content providers will be added soon.

The real prize of this online connection, though, is direct access to Aquos Advantage Advisors, who can remotely diagnose problems with a TV.

To connect to Aquos Advantage Live, a customer uses the Aquos Net Portal Web site to generate a unique identifier for the television. Using this identifier, an Aquos Advantage Advisor then has access to advanced settings and diagnostics. The adviser can support complex setup issues such as remotely checking to see if a Blu-ray Disc player is properly connected.

But not everyone has their Internet connection in the same room as their TV. For these folks, Sharp is marketing a Powerline Communications, or PLC, Adapter (which, if you care, is compatible with the HomePlug Powerline Alliance standard). This product almost deserves its own write up. PLC adapters allow you to establish your Internet connection -- and, for that matter, many other types of content – over the existing electrical lines in the home. This means no Ethernet wire has to be run from one room to another. There's something very appealing about no new wires. Sharp isn't the first company to introduce PLC adapters (look to Panasonic's competing HD-PLC adapters), but it is the first we've noticed that has put these adaptors to such good and practical use.

Sharp PLC adapters will available as single port (HN-VA100U for $149.99) and 4-port adapters (HN-VA400U for $179.99). The company will also sell a starter pack that bundles a single port and 4-port adapter into one package (HN-VA401SU $279.99). The adapters can connect not only to TVs, but also to set-top boxes, gaming consoles, PCs, and routers. The connection is also inherently more secure than a wireless connection. All three PLC adaptors will be available in March.

The SE94 series includes three models: The 65-inch LC-65SE94U, available this month for an MSRP of $10,999.99; the 52-inch LC-52SE94U, available this month for an MSRP of $4,199.99; and the 46-inch LC-46SE94U, available in February for an MSRP of $3,199.99. The D74 series consists of one model, the LC-52D74U which is coming in April for an MSRP of $3,599.99.

Don't worry, we'll get in to more detail on these new high definition LCD panels for you in another post.

For now, just savor the advanced capability promised by Aquos Net. We'd be tempted to purposely mess up our TV's settings just so we could see the remote diagnosis in action.

From Sharp Electronics.

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Philips overhauled its consumer electronics division on January 1, combining several of its departments into the new Consumer Lifestyle branch. Along with the new name came a new focus and a new design aesthetic. Accordint to Philips, the tradition sharp angles, buttons galore, and blinking lights of traditional "masculine" consumer electronic design have been replaced with softer looks and rounded edges in hopes of appealing to the quickest growing segment of electronics consumers -- women.

As part of the effort to rope in these new consumers, Philips unveiled its Design Collection of home electronics, including a one-piece home theater system that packs an upscaling DVD player and 5.1 surround sound into a single strip.

But the new (to American shores) Aurea is the epitome of Philips' new design philosophy. The rounded white bezel extends the colors on screen onto the wall behind it, blurring the line between the television and its environment (or so Philips says -- we'll need to take a closer look and get back to you).

Gallery: The New Look of Philips

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Sure, it might look like a portable electronic translator or text-messaging device, but Logitech's Di Novo Mini, shown yesterday at the CES Unveiled preview in Las Vegas, is a much simpler affair. Designed as a miniature portable keyboard to type text into Web browsers, text message boxes, and video game chat bubbles, the Di Novo Mini connects wirelessly to Bluetooth-enabled computers, smart phones, and even gaming consoles like the PlayStation 3. The D-Pad lets you maneuver around the Tivo-like interface of Windows Media Center, too.

Why would you want this small keyboard when plenty of perfectly user-friendly big wireless keyboards exist instead? Well, for one thing, this one's small enough to take with you, and it's sexy looking with a transparent cover to keep dust out to boot. Only problem is, the thing uses Bluetooth, and we all know how erratic Bluetooth keyboards can be (very!).

Still, given its cool, distinctive design and diminutive size, the Logitech diNovo Mini Keyboard is getting saved in our neat-o files.

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Sometimes we see a simple innovation to an everyday product and think, "Why didn't we think of this?" Kreative Power's Powramid power strip is one of those products.

Kreative simply took your standard power strip and made it circular. *Yawn*, we know -- but wait: This basic change in design, complete with 45-degree angles for the outlets, means that wall-warts (power transformers on the plug) and strangely-shaped chargers are no longer an issue. Oh - and you know how you sometimes accidentally step on your power supply's switch, shutting down all your gadgets? The Powramid has a (again, simple) switch cover that keeps you from such accidents. Need one now? Wait a month -- they'll be available in February.



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Not like we couldn't see it coming, but news is that a big theme at this year's CES will be "green technology." The environment, being green, and global warming have been on everyone's minds this year. The Prius, 'An Inconvenient Truth,' OLEDs, and tons of research into alternative power sources and fuels were all the rage in 2007, and '08 doesn't look to be any different.

A number of new technologies are expected to make their debut, or at least US debut, at CES next week. Among them is a new Silver-Zinc battery technology that will increase battery capacity by up to 30 percent, and will also yield more recoverable metal when recycled than the currently common Lithium-Ion batteries.

Fujitsu will show off a laptop with a plastic case made partially from corn byproducts. The case will not be biodegradable, because it still contains petroleum based plastics, but when the case is recycled the petroleum based plastic mixed in with the corn will separate and the corn plastic will be biodegradable.

Even cell phone chargers are getting a green makeover. As much as two thirds of the power drawn by a phone charger is wasted because AC adapters continue to draw energy even after the phone is fully charged. A company called GreenPlug will show off a universal hub that it hopes to convince electronics companies to support. The hub works by "talking" to devices to determine how much power they really need. Another perk is that the universal hub could eliminate the need for carrying a separate adapter for every phone, iPod etc. However one very un-green side effect is that the hub, even if supported, just means more non-biodegradable plastic going into circulation.

From CNN

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