CES 2007

If you buy one of Coby's new MP3 video players when they become available this spring, you'll also get a coupon good for 50 songs from eMusic.

The flagships of Coby's new models are the 20GB MP-C951 ($249) and the 30GB MP-C961 ($279 to $289), both stylish players with red-backlit, touch-sensitive buttons arrayed on a handsome black plastic case below a bright, 2-inch LCD. Both units can handle a variety of A/V formats--MP3, WMA, OGG, WAV, and Xvid--and include an FM radio with recording capabilities and a voice recorder.

Also eligible for an eMusic coupon are … Read more

Instead of having to choose between a portable DVD player and an iPod, now you can tote both using one of two Philips portable DVD players. Both the DCP750 ($149), equipped with a 7-inch screen, and the 8.5-inch DCP850 ($199) have a well that accommodates a remote control that, when ejected, can now handle an iPod.

In addition to playing from an iPod, you can bring media in via the players' SD card slots. Both decks can translate a variety of MPEG-4 video formats including DivX, and most CD and DVD rewritable formats including SVCD. The players' most distinctive … Read more

In what seems to be the Swiss Army knife of portables, the S-XGen ultramobile personal computer (UMPC) from Seamless Internet includes an Intel PXA270 Xscale 520MHz processor running Windows CE 5.0 operating system, Microsoft Office Mobile, 256MB of RAM, a 20GB hard drive, Wi-Fi (802.11b), Bluetooth and tri-band GSM/EDGE/CDMA EV-DO network access, Ethernet and USB ports, a 4-inch TFT LCD touch screen, a 280 pixel Web video camera, and a fold-out QWERTY keyboard, all of which collapse into a package measuring 6.5x3.8x1.25 inches and weighing 14 ounces.

Eight hours of battery life accommodates … Read more

Harman Kardon unleashed its nifty Drive+Play 2 for gadget-loving drivers everywhere. With an impressively simple setup (you can hook it up in a couple minutes sans tools), you can have a single interface for everything from your iPod or Zune to your phone or satellite radio. The 3.5-inch color display is easily mountable on your dash with screws or adhesive, and a 2.4GHz wireless control knob lets you navigate the very iPod-like skinnable menu system for "distraction-free browsing."

The system is powered by a cigarette-lighter module that doubles as an FM transmitter, line output, and … Read more

Depending on where you get your video content, it can be a real pain to get movies and TV shows onto your iPod or PSP. Enter Streaming Networks' iRecord PRM-100 ($199.99), which lets you record video in real time directly to any USB mass storage device at a rate of around 3 hours of recording time per gigabyte in H.264/AVC format (with AAC audio tracks). Now you can record your gaming sessions and prove to your friends what a great Halo 2 player you are. You can even record music in MP3 format, though real-time music encoding … Read more

Challenging the Keyspan TuneView is iJet's black two-way RF iPod remote (available in March for $129.95), which lets you view your tracks and control your player from up to 500 feet away. (This was measured in an open space, always a popular RF-range caveat; since there are walls in the real world, your results may vary.)

The iJet is a fraction of TuneView's size, just a bit smaller than a Nano. Both your iPod and the remote charge in a dock, which transmits the contents and EQ settings menus to the remote for viewing and choosing in … Read more

One size fits all with the latest memory-free MP3/video player from HandHeld Entertainment, the Zvue Model 260. Instead of making several models of different capacities, Zvue lets you decide how much memory you need. The entry level configuration of the Model 260 ($99.99) will include a starter 512MB SD card instead, but the slot will accept a card as large as 4GB when it becomes available mid-year.

Physically, the silver-and-black player bears more than a passing resemblance to an iPod. It measures 4.16 x 2.4 x 0.5-inches, a hair long and thicker than a video … Read more

The MP3 player takes on a whole new dimension--literally--with the Walletex Wallet MP3 player. It measures a measly 2mm/0.091 inch thin--thinner than a pair of credit cards and slim and tough enough to store in a credit card wallet slot.

On one side of the player are the usual transport keys that require a forceful push, which means the thing won't accidentally start playing when it's in your wallet and you're sitting on it.

Sticking out from one end is a unique all-purpose sliver USB jack that's the same thickness as the rest of … Read more

Many people spend the entire week at CES trolling the three main halls occupied by such companies as Samsung, LG and Sony. They all have huge booths--Samsung took the cake with 2,500 square feet--and tons of products to fill them.

But the international hall in the Hilton is far more interesting. It's populated by hundreds of small companies grouped by nationality. Most are from Asia, but there are also sections for Denmark and Australia.

First, there is the sheer variety of names: Best Rainbow Technology (appliances), Billionton Systems (LCD panels), Nice Fountain Industrial (cables), Millionway International Industrial (GPS … Read more