CES 2007

How the pros pack for CES

The 40th annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is set to kick off on Sunday, which means a few things:

McCarran International Airport is going to busier than a beehive;
This is the only time of year the Las Vegas strip will have more technophiles than dancers;
CNET reporters will be scurrying to pack their bags this weekend to jet off to Vegas!

Although the CES floors will be a veritable sea of shiny new gizmos and gadgets, attendees of the "biggest consumer show of the year" will have to take along some of their own gear as well. Besides the more

Vizio busts out a 60-inch plasma for $2,999

Vizio is at it again. The price-busting flat-panel TV specialist has set its sights on the huge-screen category with a 60-inch But the Vizio VM60P's spec sheet dominates the competition in one important area. It has four HDMI inputs, more than any other HDTV we've seen, regardless of price. That excellent connectivity is complemented by its standard

One final highlight? Knowing Vizio, that sale price will likely be discounted by the time the VM60P arrives in stores.

New entry-level miniDV camcorders from Canon

Canon announced some upgrades to its ZR-line of miniDV camcorders. The Canon ZR800, 830, and 850 will replace the ZR500, 600, and 700 as the company's budget video cameras. While these new models offer only minor improvements over their predecessors, they're welcome offerings in the dwindling field of MiniDV camcorders.

With a price difference of just $80 between models, the three offer similar features. All are relatively low resolution, with 680,000-pixel sensors on the ZR800 and ZR830 and a 1-megapixel sensor on the ZR850. All three use the same 35X zoom lens, and feature electronic image stabilization more

Canon's new DVD camcorders

Canon has some new DVD camcorders on the way this year. The company just announced the DC50, DC210, DC220, and DC230: four models slated to replace Canon's current line.

It takes three models--the DC210, 220, and 230--to replace the DC100 alone. These inexpensive, compact camcorders include the same 35x lenses and 2.7-inch widescreen LCDs as Canon's ZR800, 830, and 850 MiniDV camcorders. Like the ZR series, the lower-end DC210 and DC220 use 680,000-pixel sensors. The DC230, however, uses a 1-megapixel CCD. The DC220 and DC230 also include Canon's QuickStart, a low-power standby feature.

The Canon more

CES preview: Most likely to be sued January 9? Broadclip

To be honest, I'm surprised the good folks at

According to a press release I got, Broadclip will, on January 8, announce a new product offering "unlimited music for portable devices." Oh, really? And just where do you plan to get this music, Broadclip? I wouldn't be so certain of the impending court battle if they hadn't already taken such a defiant tone about MediaCatcher. To wit, "Hello fellow iPod owner! If you're like us, you are looking for new stuff to play in your iPod, but you are sick and tired of paying $2 per

LG talks Blu-ray/HD DVD combo player

it would release a combination Blu-ray/HD DVD player in early 2007. The news comes with no other details, but I expect the company to divulge a bit more information, perhaps including a mocked-up image or even a physical box of some kind, at the company's press conference, scheduled for 8 a.m. PT this Sunday at CES. Until then we're in the dark as regarding questions such as "When exactly?" "How much?" and "Is this for real?"

LG has made a

Wii, Wii, Madame

Media sites are watching how we consumers spend our money this holiday season. And it looks like a double victory for the tech world.

First,

Second, HD flat screens and Nintendo's were both big sellers this season. This week tech gadgets will have to compete with even more heavly discounted I'm hearing some analysts on CNBC today saying brick and mortar discounters were not even making a profit on the flat screens they sold. But it has been a good season for the manufacturers.

And the gadget parade isn't over. Just a few more shoopping days until