Personal media players
Just call it the techie answer to the "brag books" people use to show off their grandkids; the portable media player (PMP) is equal parts DVD player, MP3 player, and photo album--all in a to-go package. Intel and Microsoft have come up with a design that uses the XScale processor found in PDAs and cell phones combined with a new software platform called Media2Go. One of the first, the ViewSonic PVP (Portable Video Player), will have a 3.5-inch 240x320 color display and a 10GB hard drive that's big enough to store up to seven hours of video. Pricing hasn't been set, but it is slated to ship next fall. Samsung, Sanyo, Sonicblue, and iRiver are all working on similar devices, according to Microsoft.

Philips DesXcape

More Smart Displays
A few months ago, ViewSonic was the only one showing products based on Microsoft's Smart Display technology. The company officially released its Airpanel V110 and Airpanel V150 this week, but it will soon have some competition. Philips, for the first time, is publicly showing its version of the Smart Display, called the DesXcape (pronounced "desk escape") 150DM. Like the Airpanel V150, the DesXcape has a 15-inch LCD touch screen and built-in 802.11b. The $1,499 device, which for now includes a wireless keyboard and docking station, will be available in February. Next up will be BenQ and Samsung, with HP also committed to developing Smart Display-related products, according to Microsoft.

Meanwhile, perhaps in response to some initial criticism of the technology's limitations and price, Microsoft said at the show that it was already working on a new version of Smart Display that would--among other things--fix some bugs and improve video transmission. Just in case that wasn't enough to insinuate Windows into every aspect of your life, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates showed off new wristwatches in his keynote that receive news, traffic and weather reports, and sports scores wirelessly using SPOT technology. Fossil, Suunto, and Citizen are winding up to sell these smart watches starting this fall.

TiVo inside
Last fall, a struggling TiVo embarked on a new strategy of licensing its technology to consumer electronics companies. The fruits of that decision are showing up in booths throughout this CES. Both Philips and Hughes announced $199 DirecTV satellite receivers with 35-hour TiVo digital video recorders and two tuners, so you can watch one show while recording another. The big advantage: the $5 monthly TiVo subscription is rolled into your DirecTV bill. Toshiba said that in the second half of 2003, it will introduce a combination DVD player/TiVo digital video recorder.

Buyer's alert Built on Microsoft Media2Go and Smart Display technologies, you can take media and your PC with you wirelessly. Plus, full-featured DVRs give TiVo new life. Product alerts: sign up to be notified when these products are available Airpanel V150 ViewSonic PVP Philips DesXcape Panasonic SV-PT1

TiVo also had a few surprises up its sleeve, specifically the first DVR that can record all high-definition formats (480i, 480p, 720p, and 1080i). DirecTV said it would work with TiVo to develop the first HDTV DVR with this technology. Separately, TiVo announced a $99 Home Media upgrade for its Series2 recorders that adds several features currently found on ReplayTV, including scheduling over the Internet the ability to play music and videos and view photos from devices connected to the network and the ability to share content between recorders.

SD everywhere
New Panasonic e-wear audio/video recorders are just the start of the new gadgets with SD (Secure Digital) slots at CES. The company also demonstrated a 1GB SD card--enough to hold up to 16 hours of MP3s, 9 hours of MPEG-4 video, and thousands of digital photos--with twice the data-transfer rate of current SD cards. Pricing hasn't been set for the 1GB card that are due this fall, but Panasonic has dropped prices on its current cards of sizes ranging from 32MB ($29.95) to 512MB ($399.95). For even bigger jobs, the Panasonic SV-PT1 has a 5GB hard drive and an SD slot for transferring files from gadgets such as digital cameras and PDAs without a PC. Pricing hasn't been set for the SV-PT1, due out in February.

Convergence is a term that falls somewhere just behind Bluetooth on the list of overhyped and underdelivered technologies, but this year's show leaves no doubt that the long-awaited merger of consumer electronics and computing and networking technologies is now well underway.

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John Morris is an executive editor for hardware coverage at CNET. Got a question for him? Let us know.