CES - MP3 and portable video players

Iriver's latest iPod Nano competitor comes in the form of the E50, a smaller and much sleeker relative of the E100. It may not be the most exciting thing to come out of CES this year, but it is a feature-packed MP3 player that will fit comfortably in your pocket--and that has to count for something. Plus, the design is a huge improvement over its bigger sibling, and that was one of our chief complaints about the E100. Rather than have a plastic body, the E50 is wrapped in a slick, brushed-metal exterior. The controls are integrated into the … Read more

I don't often get excited about Bluetooth headsets, but Altec Lansing's BackBeat series is definitely worth a look. CNET's David Carnoy already reported the details of these Bluetooth beauties earlier in the week, but I thought I'd add some of my first-hand impressions, as well as a few photos. Hit up the Altec Lansing BackBeat slide show for all the details.

If you can't get on board with the extra-long earpieces of Monster's Beats by Dr. Dre Tour earphones, perhaps the new Turbine In-Ear Speakers are more your style. The earpieces on these aren't the tiniest I've come across, but they're compact enough to fit into my small ears comfortably. And in true Monster fashion, the Turbine earphones have a nice, sleek look going for them. Each earbud is encased in a "black chrome" all-metal housing, which gives the set a sturdy feel and fashionable look. I also dig on the thin, color-coded ring … Read more

A report that Apple is planning a visit to CES next year had eyes rolling Friday morning from Las Vegas to Cupertino.

Cult of Mac reports, citing a source with "friends at Apple," says that Apple is planning to "go large" at CES 2010, now that Macworld is out of the way. The source called it a "done deal," noting that since Apple is really more of a consumer electronics company these days, the Consumer Electronics Show makes more sense.

Too bad nothing else in this report makes sense. Apple has never liked to … Read more

Audio-Technica's CES booth was littered with new headphone models for 2009. One reason for the glut is the addition of a whole new line of headphones made just for women, which, unlike the cheap, pink monstrosities we sometimes see from manufacturers, actually pull off some style--and without skimping on fidelity. There are also some gorgeous gender-neutral cans on offer. Hit the photo gallery for more details.

Vinyl may be a dead music format, but that's not stopping Ion from doing a brisk business with turntable sales. It may sound crazy, but Ion's found a nice, little niche with its affordable turntables made specifically for converting your dusty record crates into iPod-ready MP3 files.

Ion also does well with its unique iPod accessories. For 2009, it is planning a mini version of the Block Rocker iPod amp called the TailGater, as well as a wireless iPod speaker system, a portable iPod audio recorder, and some wireless digital DJ gear. Browse our slide show for more … Read more

With all the iPod imitators and wannabes out there, it's always a breath of fresh air when a company makes something that is actually different enough to garner a double take. In this case, the company is Iriver, and the product is the new P7 PVP. The interface on this device is so unique that I actually couldn't figure out how to use it at first--a rare occurrence for someone who's been in the game for more than five years. That's not to say the P7 is overly complex; in fact, it's quite intuitive once … Read more

Wowwee's 2009 lineup of iPod-friendly mobile projectors are hot--almost hot enough to make us forgive the company for unleashing Femisapien onto the world. Branded under the Cinemin moniker, WowWee's pico projectors come in three flavors: Swivel ($299), Stick ($349), and Station ($399).

Tom Merritt and I got some hands-on time with WowWee's Cinemin projectors at the CES 2009 Digital Experience showcase. Tom's First Look video can be seen on the right. For a closer look, I've included a slide show below.

To see more of the products WowWee is announcing at CES 2009, take a … Read more

Memorex may not be the most exciting brand on the block, but it's got a surprising amount of affordable, solid-looking products showcased at CES 2009. The following photo gallery rounds-up its line of audio and video accessories for the iPod, as well as some hands-on shots of its touch screen MP3 player, the TouchMP.