Best of CES 2006

It's a thousand-to-one shot to make our list, but these gadgets did it. Our Best of CES doesn't try to comprehensively span the breadth of product categories at the show, but is perhaps something we think is more representative of CES 2006 as a whole. A CES Zeitgeist, if you will. So don't send us a huffy email for ignoring the edible memory stick industry -- this is the short list of things we're still talking about now that CES is over:

1. Toshiba Gigabeat S Series

The one gadget that grabbed everyone at Engadget's attention right at the beginning of the show was Toshiba's new Gigabeat S Series Portable Media Center. Portable video players are a dime-a-dozen these days, but the new Gigabeat looks like it'll have the skills to take on the iPod: a sleek, thin, light brushed aluminum casing, a crisp, bright QVGA display, and -- and here's the really important part -- it offers full integration with Vongo, that new online video download subscription service from Starz that'll let you download as many movies as you want from their catalog and watch them on your portable device.

2. Sony BDP-S1 vs Toshiba HD-XA1

Planning to buy a DVD player? Don't. But be prepared to wait it out. HD DVD players are already available but won't soon see the sweeter side of 30 GB. Blu-ray will rock 50 gigs (or more) out of the box, but that box will be a few more months in coming, and may set your bankbook back even further. The BDP-S1 and the HD-XA1 are the flagship next-gen optical devices from the figurehead next-gen optical companies, and while they may not necessarily be any better than the other first generation Blu-ray or HD DVD drives, they're certainly representative of the very large, ominous battle about to be fought.

3. Dell 3007WFP 30-inch LCD monitor

Dell's overdue entry into the oversize lane is three hundred bucks cheaper than Apple's 30-incher for the same my-god-its-full-of-stars 2560 x 1600 resolution. Michael Dell stressed that this isn't a living room television (they already sell those). It's a supersize PC monitor for IT admins, graphic designers, and multitasking gadget bloggers who surf, post, email, IM, watch Galactica and submit CES expense reports all at the very same time. Instead of upgrading your clock speed, try spreading out with more screen space.  As those moronic Jaguar ads say, gorgeous pays for itself.

4. Panasonic 103-inch 1080p PDP

Bigger is always better in the fast-expanding universe of flat panels. Matsushita proved it by shutting down the buzz on Samsung's and LG's 102-inch plasma screen with a display whose slightly bigger pixels make its face 0.9 percent lager. 1920 x 1080 progressive-scan resolution and a 3,000:1 contrast ratio mean you won't be able to see more of Call of Duty 2 than you do on a 23-inch screen, but you'll be able to see it from much, much further away.

5. Pioneer Inno & Samsung Helix

Satellite radio devices finally got it right, finally touched all the crucial features this year: what either XM or Sirius really needed was to be truly portable, have a feel similar to any regular MP3 player (and play pre-loaded user selected content), while having live satellite reception. And XM got there first --- while their new twins, the Pioneer Inno and the Samsung Helix, are a mite bit unwieldy compared to their straight MP3-audio playing cousins, the second generation of XM portable devices finally shed the wired external antennae in favor of a stubby aerial for live audio reception, as well as pre-recorded time-shifting of sat radio content, MP3 and WMA playback, an FM transmitter, and even the ability to dynamically "bookmark" songs and get them online from XM Napster once you sync up back at home.

6. Robosapien RS2 Media

Soon our robot army will be complete. Wowwee's latest model starts with the version two Robosapien and tacks on an LCD screen for watching videos or viewing images from Robo's headcam, an SD slot for capturing that data and storing scripts and media files, and a USB 1.0 port for connecting to an MP3 player. Speakers in the hands and a subwoofer in it's shiny metal, well, you know, deliver nice sound, and the preview function in the editing software is so fun that you might forget to play with the RS2 itself.


7. Intel Viiv

This is Intel's first attempt to market a platform rather than a PC part, and they haven't quite figured out how to explain to us what it is. But we do know it's a bundle of hardware, software, standards and Intel add-on specs that enable PCs and possibly non-PCs (there was no Microsoft exec at the launch, which made CES oldsters crazy with pundit fever) to download, show, serve and share multiple feeds of super-fat video by doing a lot of it right on the chip. Intel's marketing pixie dust still smarts our eyes, but Viiv underscored for us that this year's CES was more about platforms, standards, and formats than specific devices.

Best Keynote: Google

Don't call it an "unkeynote." Google still trotted out the requisite joke product announcement, unconvincing celebrity endorser (Kenny Smith), and scripted partner CEO statement required for every CES presentation. But the surprise comedy team of Larry Page (who seems to have Attention Surplus Syndrome) and Robin Williams dwarfed the show's previous superstar cameos. We hope Larry and Robin play the Venetian next year. Another break from tradition: All their demos worked.

Best Booth: Sharp

Nah, Sharp didn't have the biggest booth at CES, or even one of the signature products of the show, but what they did bring to the floor was a beautiful, eerily serene oasis in the midst of all the chaos. Not that they didn't have some amazing stuff on-hand, most notably their new Dual-View display and a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio LCD, but what Sharp proved at CES was that less was more. They let the products speak for themselves in a modern, minimalist booth that stood apart from the crass showmanship found elsewhere.

[Joshua K @ Jan 9th 2006 6:27PM]

Some nice looking gadgets! I can't wait to get that 103 inch TV mounted on my wall... do I have one that accommodates a TV of that size?!



I'm excited to see that Dell topped their 2405fpw. Hopefully the prices will come down on that.

[Samuel McConnell @ Jan 9th 2006 6:34PM]

This is Intel's first attempt to market a platform



Is it? What was Centrino?

[Darren Tilley @ Jan 9th 2006 6:52PM]

Does anyone know where I can download a full video of the Google keynote. I'd be interested in the other companies too. I already have Microsoft's off their site.

[sk @ Jan 9th 2006 7:03PM]

What? Intel Viive is best of CES? It's nothing else than a marketing gimmick and a sticker that sits on a computer case. Everything that this "platform" offers is already available in todays media center PC's.

Check out this story:

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=28834

[khamel @ Jan 9th 2006 8:20PM]

what, no love for the new tivo? thats one of the few things that i found interesting from the reporting. i know theres alot of tivo haters but an hdtv with cablecard has to be one of the best things for consumers (not only nerds). sure, there is a subscription fee but come on, its worth it.

[Russ @ Jan 9th 2006 8:21PM]

"Michael Dell stressed that this isn't a living room television" - I'm curious to know why not?

[jono @ Jan 9th 2006 8:33PM]

"This is Intel's first attempt to market a platform rather than a PC part, "



That simply is not true. Intel already did this with "centrino" which was just basically a specification for parts already on the market. VIIV is exactly the same thing: Use this product of ours, this product and this one and we will let you put a "centrino" or a "viiv" sticker on the side of your computer.



Engadget: this isn't a case of opinion, that statement is factually incorrect.

[Galley @ Jan 9th 2006 8:37PM]

Viiv will bomb because no one will know what in the heck it is.

[Jamie @ Jan 9th 2006 9:08PM]

I'm still waiting for the video of Robin Williams to be posted somewhere......anywhere!

[Eric @ Jan 9th 2006 9:11PM]

Does anyone know if the Gigabeat S will support USB Mass Storage and USB charging? I was set on getting an iPod, but the higher video battery life (assuming the 30GB version can go 4 hours+) and FM tuner support of the Gigabeat S could change my mind.



Thanks for all the great CES coverage, btw.

[actually... @ Jan 9th 2006 9:38PM]

Centrino was a chipset, but Viiv isn't just about chips, it's also a standard for protecting content so it can be moved around the home. That's why it is truly a "platform" where Centrino was not.

[Paul Wakeford @ Jan 9th 2006 10:07PM]

> a display whose slightly bigger pixels make its face 0.9 percent lager



Mmm, beeeeer!







Paul

[Richard @ Jan 9th 2006 11:06PM]

#3: The article you've linked to shows that the author has no idea what Viiv is about.



Yes, it's a PC, and you can go out and buy all that gear and build one. However, Viiv also includes software above and beyond XP MCE, as well as content and content distribution.



Do some research. I was skeptical on the whole thing, but after having actually used some of the devices I've changed my mind. It's a pretty cool set of technologies that really does improve the experience of a media PC.

[Shmoe @ Jan 10th 2006 12:14AM]

Viiv is all smoke and mirrors. It's a marketing gimmick that piggybacks on Microsoft's Media Center OS. No wonder an MS rep wasn't present at the unveiling.

Intel is making a mistake by dropping names like Pentium that people know and have come to trust during the last 10 years.



Where's this year's Cat Schwartz CES video??

[Simon Waddington @ Jan 10th 2006 5:12AM]

I still think their announcements were a Googleflop (ha ha, I made a joke). The only moderately intersting aspect is that clearly they will ultimately they will offer a free download serivce paid for by targeted (by person, content and locality) advertising. When that happens its bye-bye for Apple and friends - lets face it, the majority of people are too cheap to pay for their downloads if they can be had for free. The only thing Google has yet to figure out - how to force you to watch the commercials.



And yes, just where is the FULL video of their keynote? Its not even on Google video - how ironic is that???



http://longdarktechtime.com/2006/01/ces-google-yawn-or-was-it-googleflop.html
I still think their announcements were a Googleflop (ha ha, I made a joke). The only moderately intersting aspect is that clearly they will ultimately they will offer a free download serivce paid for by targeted (by person, content and locality) advertising. When that happens its bye-bye for Apple and friends - lets face it, the majority of people are too cheap to pay for their downloads if they can be had for free. The only thing Google has yet to figure out - how to force you to watch the commercials.



And yes, just where is the FULL video of their keynote? Its not even on Google video - how ironic is that???



http://longdarktechtime.com/2006/01/ces-google-yawn-or-was-it-googleflop.html

[Joshua H. @ Jan 10th 2006 8:29AM]

you guys did such an amazing job that i am no longer jealous that you actually get paid to do what you do ... it is obviously very GREULING work.



i take it back .. you lucky bastards!

[Rachel @ Jan 10th 2006 9:49AM]

I thought the best booth was Creative. They had a lot of cool stuff to look at, giveaways for the frothing show-goers, and that pro gamer Fata1ity. That guy was kicking some serious gamer ass!

[m-p{3} @ Jan 10th 2006 10:00AM]

And what about the G10 from iRiver ?

[L'Emmerdeur @ Jan 11th 2006 10:29AM]

Dell stressed it isn't a living room TV because they gimped the monitor with exactly one (1) connector, a dual-link DVI. All their previous large-screen PC monitors had multiple connectors that allowed for 2 PCs and two other sources (like a cable box). I have the 2001FP, and I have 2 PCs (1 DVI, 1 VGA) and a DVR cable box (via S-Video) attached to it.



Obviously, they gimped the 30" model so they wouldn't cannibalize their TV sales. They definitely lost one sale here.

[Barry Yale @ Jan 11th 2006 5:54PM]

Basically, this collection of top notch invention is really mind boggling. Another thing that amazes me is the comfort and enjoyment that these technological advancements bring. As expected, these peripherals will boost the capacity and the reliability of these machines. Perhaps only time can tell what the future will be with these innovations. Until that day comes, it is only proper to utilize these things for the benefit of all.

[Nick Normal @ Jan 12th 2006 10:38AM]

would like to read more about the "platforms, standards, and formats than specific devices" you mention in the VIIV comment. i guess i hear about standards and formats (especially blu-ray vs hddvd) but what are the others, and how do they compare and contrast? what do they mean for the consumer-end specifically?

[grinder @ Jan 12th 2006 7:59PM]

The google talk from CES can be found at Truveo.com

[grinder @ Jan 12th 2006 8:01PM]

here it is:



http://www.truveo.com/search.php?q=ces&web+video

[Victor @ Jan 12th 2006 8:48PM]

Try this on for size instead:



http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-594779305713074829&q=ces+keynote

[grinder @ Jan 13th 2006 5:38AM]

The blocky pixelated view from GOOG leaves an awful lot to desire, quality wise. They definitely need to upgrade to FLASH8 and run it through ON2's FLIX!