Monster In-Wall PowerCenter Collects Loose Ends

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: CES, CES 2007, Home Entertainment, Smart Home, Misc. Tech,

This Monster In-Wall PowerCenter, featured at the CES, definitely comes under the category of, “Why didn’t someone think of that before?” Use it for your flatscreen, projector, or home screen entertainment system. At dimensions of 7.5 x 6.75 x 11.5-inches, this handy gadget features three custom faceplates, one for feeding coax (three 2.0 GHz jacks with Monster SurgeGuard protection,) and one for coax (three 2.0 GHz jacks with SurgeGuard,) plus any other cable types,  2 AC outlets (also surge-protected), and can handle 15 amp circuits. The PowerCenter includes a wall box, a PL200 IEC power cord, a 24k grounding plate, and an oversized face plate.

Read More | Monster via CES 2007 Awards

CES Gives Award to Vex System Robotics

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: CES, CES 2007, Misc. Tech, Science, Toys,

Ignition has been awarded a CES Best of Innovations with its erector set-like Vex Robotics Kit. Developed in cooperation with First (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) and the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute, the starter kit comes with everything you need to design and build a radio-controlled robot that can lift, throw or just move around in its botty way.

Industrial designer Doug Galleti says that the Vex system can “provide ease of construction at an affordable price point – capturing a larger audience of tech geeks.”

Contact Vex Robotics if you have $299.99 to acquire your very own kit and don’t want to share with your kids.

Read More | Vex Robotics via CES 2007 Awards

Celestron Unveils VistaPix Imaging Spotter

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Cameras, CES, CES 2007, Misc. Tech, Science,

Celestron has brought what it describes as a “new generation in imaging optics” to the CES 2007. Its VistaPix IS70 Imaging Spotter and camera has a 70mm spotting scope and 14x magnification. At a weight of 3.5 lbs., it utilizes 2 AA batteries (not included,) and features a 2-inch LCD screen, a 6x zoom, a focus meter, and video capability. The VistaPix comes with a rotatable tripod adapter, a video cable for viewing images on your NTSC or PAL TV, an aluminum case, a shutter cable, 3 lens caps, and a 2-year warranty at a whopping MSRP of $479.00.

Read More | Celestron via CES 2007 Awards

Audiovox Mini-Tuner Makes Satellite Portable

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: CES, CES 2007, Misc. Tech, Portable Audio / Video, Transportation, Wireless / WiFi,

Audiovox is another honoree at this year’s CES with its XM Mini-Tuner CNP2000. Claiming to be the only portable cartridge tuner in the satellite radio world, it can be moved back and forth from your home theatre system, office, DVD player, car, or even clock radio. Insert the tuner into a dock station or directly into a portable “mini-tuner” product. Contact Audiovox for price and availability if you want to Howard ex-Sternalize your life.

Read More | Audiovox via CES 2007 Awards

Intelligent Leaf Wins Eco-Design Award

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: CES, CES 2007, Design, Smart Home, Misc. Tech,

This strangely compelling lamp has won the CES 2007 Best Eco-Design award. With a lifespan of over 60,000 hours at full-power, the Leaf cuts energy by 40% and consumes less than 9W of power when compared to a 13W fluorescent bulb. Its lower blade rotates and pivots forward and back while its upper blade pivots and folds. Control both intensity and color with two LED driver circuits which remember your last settings.

Designed by Yves Behar and Herman Miller but not making a personal appearance at the CES, the Leaf is available in red, white, nickel, or black for $525.00 and polished aluminum for $545.00.

Read More | Henry Miller via CES 2007 Awards

Smartshopper Provides Shortcut to Grocery List

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: CES, CES 2007, Smart Home, Misc. Tech,

Debuting and being honored at the CES 2007 is the Smartshopper, a gadget that replaces all those Post-it notes in your kitchen. Record, delete, or add extra items as you need them, and they are kept in alphabetical order and categorized. When you are ready to go shopping, you simply press the print button and out comes a grocery list. 

Utilizing 4 AA batteries, the Smartshopper comes with 2 thermal paper rolls and contains 2000 items. You can also record errands which will be displayed at the top of your listing. It features voice recognition technology, an easy-to-read LCD screen, can be wall-mounted or attached to your refrigerator with its magnet, or simply rest it on its rubber heels. You can pre-order one now at Smartshopper’s website. This is all very well and good, but we want one that will do the grocery shopping for us and deliver it.

Read More | SmartShopper via CES 2007 Awards

SDI Fighting Android Takes on CES 2007

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: CES, CES 2007, Misc. Tech, Science, Toys,

Too bad Rocky didn’t have the FA1 Fighting Android for training. SDT (Self Defense Technologies) has created an electro-mechanical fighting droid and boasts that it is the first “true” apparatus that can be used for practicing your boxing, kickboxing, or martial arts skills. The 2007 CES Award Honoree features a human-like shape, size, and appearance as his head moves side-to-side, front-to-back, or rotates. His torso does likewise while his legs stay stationary. Watch out though, as the FA1 hits back and has some sexy-looking legs, in a droid kind of way. Contact SDT for price and availability.

Read More | SDT via CES 2007 Awards

CES 2007: Eikon USB Fingerprint Reader Wins CES 2007 D & E Award

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Accessories, CES, CES 2007, Misc. Tech, PC / Laptop,

The Eikon USB fingerprint reader (TCRE) has earned itself a Best of Innovations Design and Engineering award at this year’s CES, but parent company Upek will not be attending the festivities. The easy-install reader allows you to log into Windows with one finger swipe, establish a password for storing login information, lock and unlock your system, switch between accounts, and protect your PC’s hard drive files. Built with a sleek design, it even allows OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) to brand the reader personally. Check with Upek for price and availability.

Read More | Upek via CES 2007 Awards

Bioloid Kits For Robotics Newbies

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: CES, CES 2007, Design, Misc. Tech, Science, Toys,

One of the companies attending the 2007 CES is Robotis, Korean makers of the Dynamixel Series high-performance actuator controlled by digital packet communication. For the rest of us there are Bioloids, which were designed for education of the principles of robotics. The kits contain a main controller, a servo-module dynamixel, a sensor module, SMPS, NiMH rechargeable batteries, a software CD, and a manual, just in case you have a part leftover.

The kits are available in dinosaur, bipedal humanoid, hexapod spider, quadruped puppy, and autonomous exploration. The company boasts that the kits are easy to assemble with a Phillips screwdriver and can be changed as your whim permits without the threads wearing out. Click on one of the Comprehensive Kits’ images and find out just what these eerie Bioloids can do.

Read More | Robotis via CES 2007 Robotis

CES 2007: HDTV Convergence STB Awarded Home Network CES Honors

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: CES, CES 2007, Home Entertainment, Internet, Misc. Tech, Movies, Music, Video Games, Wireless / WiFi,

Ubicod has been awarded a CES 2007 Best of Innovation in Home Network honoree with its HDTV STB (set-top box.) Get the Internet anywhere in your home, remotely record your home entertainment center, utilize its live TV playback function, or plug it into your PC or laptop. You can also transfer multimedia files to other A/V devices and create a UTV photo slide show. Just don’t ask it to play the violin. The STB supports ATSC (U.S., Canada, Korea, Taiwan) and DVB-T/s (Europe,) and utilizes MPEG-4 encoding.

Check out the UMH700H’s demo and contact Ubicod for price and availability.

Read More | Ubicod via CES 2007 Awards