CES 2007

New Year’s Eve is one thing, but if you’re techie that’s just the start of the festivities. For gadgetheads, the real way to start the year is with CES. It’s the technology show for America, attracting vendors, retailers and curious fans from all over the world. CES is where almost all the latest electronics are unveiled to the public - everyone from the biggest companies to the smallest startups go there to get exposure. This year over 2,700 companies will be on hand to introduce new products that will (hopefully) make your life a little easier.

Bill Gates has been opening the show with a speech for the past few years, and Microsoft is expected to have some interesting products on the CES floor. We should learn their long-term plans for the Zune and get a real demonstration of Windows Vista. It’s known that the Xbox 360 team will be there, but there’s no word on what new products or features are being unveiled for it. The rumor online is that Microsoft will intro their SlingBox-like Media Center Extender device there, too. (The press release HERE explains it in depth.) It would be perfect timing, since Apple is also having their MacWorld conference that week — it’s rumored that they’ll be unleashing their “iTV” media-streaming box.

This year’s CES should also be an HDTV showcase. With the inevitable switch to HDTV happening this year, it’s the right time to show the world new models. All the major players will be there — personally, we’re looking forward to seeing the Sony Bravia models. We’re also looking forward to seeing the new HD-DVD and Blu-Ray players; the products they display here will tell us who’s got an early advantage in this brewing format war.

Here’s a rundown of all the other cool stuff we’re anxious to see:

Sony’s gigantic HDTV. Last year’s was 102 inches.
The new robots on display. Consumer robotics had a decent year in ‘06, with Roomba and the RoboSapien. 2007 will likely be when they start to really push consumer robots into the marketplace.
The Bluetooth contest. Answer 20 questions correctly & you’ll win the cool new Bluetooth stuff they’ll be showing — some of it is on their Website.
“eCoupled Intelligent Wireless Power”. These people claim they can transfer large amounts of energy wirelessly. We’ve heard that Tesla already did this (Google “Tesla Death Ray”), but we’re still curious.
AutoNet has a WiFi router you can install in your car. They’ve already cut a deal with Avis to install them in their rental cars, but the commercial version is being shown at CES.