CES 2008

(Credit: Nyko)

CES 2008 wasn't a very big show for gamers. Sure, there were plenty of controllers and accessories on display, but actual game developers were conspicuously absent. It's not surprising; CES is always oriented more towards general consumer electronics, and game-heavy companies usually wait until spring or summer shows like E3 to make their big announcements.

We were surprised by a major announcement from Namco at CES, though. According to the game company, its upcoming Soul Calibur 4 will feature Darth Vader and Yoda as playable bonus characters. Soul Calibur 2 saw Zelda's Link, Tekken's Heihachi, and Todd MacFarlane's Spawn as playable characters, but they aren't as big as Vader. Let's see the lightsabers fly.

Nyko unveiled its Wireless Nunchuck for the Wii, one of the first actual third-party controllers (and not simply a clip-on accessory) for the Nintendo Wii. When it ships in early February, it'll cut the cord between the Wiimote and the Nunchuk for about $30.

Gateway and Dell showed off some new gaming desktops, with Gateway's offering packing a quad-core AMD Phenom processor into a system that starts at $1,100. Alienware wowed spectators with a massive 22:9 curved wide-screen display. Unfortunately, the company hasn't announced any release date or pricing (though you can expect the price tag to be around "a lot."). Finally, Saitek showed off its new Cyborg Keyboard, a gaming keyboard that lets you customize the lighting of different banks of keys. You can have the WASD keys glow red, the number pad glow green, and so on. It's not exactly a revolutionary change in game control, but it certainly looks cool.

After the holiday season, gaming has hit a bit of a lull. Besides a few big titles coming out next month, don't expect much major news until spring or summer, when E3, PAX, and other shows bring out the developers.

JVC's new GR-D870 mini-DV camcorder includes a dual record mode for simulataneous capture of standard-def video and 640x480-pixel still images.

(Credit: JVC)

With all the tapeless camcorder options coming out this year, we're not surprised that JVC has limited its Mini-DV selection to two models, with very little difference between the two. Both the GR-D870 and GR-D850 include 1/6-inch 680,000-pixel CCD sensors, 35X optical KonicaMinola zoom lenses, and 2.7-inch widescreen LCDs with auto backlight control to help keep your LCD visible when moving from moderate to bright lighting conditions. JVC says that the batteries included in the cameras give you two hours of operation and remaining power, expressed in minutes, can be seen at the press of a button even when the camcorders are turned off. That makes it even easier to check the battery the night before you go out to shoot an event.

For about twenty dollars more than the GR-D850, the GR-D870 also gives you still image recording, though its limited to a maximum size of 640x480 pixels (hardly enough for making a print), dual recording so you can capture one of those tiny stills to the camcorder's SD card slot while continuing to record video, and a new Live Slow mode. JVC says that this last mode lets you capture slow-motion, down to one quarter normal speed, which can be played back with real-time sound. They haven't said what happens to the difference in time between the slower video and regular-speed sound, but you can be sure that we'll let you know when we get a review sample. JVC says that the GR-D870 will sell for about $250, while the GR-D850 will cost about $230 when they hit stores later this month (Janunary 2008).

First, special thanks to CNET Networks for the opportunity the company granted me to sound off from CES. I thought I'd end this series with what I'll be thinking about on the flight from Las Vegas to Austin, Texas:

• Even as we rapidly introduce new technologies, existing innovations are maturing and increasing in quality and affordability.

• Wireless connectivity is de facto for electronics, and connectivity devices are driving personalized and affordable new options.

• We live in an increasingly visual world and HD is renewing the potential and interest in technology.

• Appealing holistic technology solutions are merging information and entertainment content and devices.

• Green technology is a requirement not a trend.

• Average consumers are seeking simple, integrated technology solutions that don't require an engineering degree to set up.

The chaos and craziness is drawing to an end. We, the humble (and just a little weary) show-goers, are returning to the "real world." In the next year, we'll see how consumers embrace the new technologies unveiled over the past four days and separate hype from reality. See you next year.

Phil Hester is senior vice president and chief technology officer at Advanded Micro Devices, responsible for setting the architectural and product strategies and plans for AMD's microprocessor business.

The options continue to grow for distributing digital content, including HD, over networks within and beyond the home. A major help in this area will be the trend toward "wireless everything" that stands out at this 2008 show.

Most of the major TV manufacturers have announced HDMI (high definition multimedia interface) wireless capabilities and plans to stream Internet content to the TV, via wired or wireless connectivity. Additionally, LG (with Netflix) and Microsoft (with ABC, Disney and MGM) announced plans for downloading movie and television content to the TV from the Internet via set-top boxes and media extenders.

I was particularly excited to see Sling Media's Slingbox PRO HD, which was announced here at CES, has HD inputs and outputs that allow users to stream content to PCs, mobile phones and BlackBerrys worldwide. Priced around $400, that one goes on my wish list immediately.

As I moved from home/office solutions to automotive technologies, I was surprised to see that beyond Microsoft Sync there are not many in-car wireless networking solutions available for mainstream users. This seems like a market that is poised to grow as consumers look to integrate functions like Internet, navigation, music, movies, TV and e-mail--everything we're used to in the home--into simple to use, affordable options for the car.

Phil Hester is senior vice president and chief technology officer at AMD, responsible for setting the architectural and product strategies and plans for AMD's microprocessor business.

What happens in Vegas...

Many of us have been decrying the overall lack of gaming gear here at CES, but while there might not be much video game hardware on display at the Las Vegas Convention Center, several video game publishers are in town showing off their latest wares, including LucasArts, Eidos, Microsoft, and Namco.

The latter is perhaps the most interesting, since the title being shown off is the latest iteration of the fighting game Soul Calibur, which first hit living rooms via Sega's Dreamcast console back in 1999. The series features an eclectic cast of medieval Japanese characters battling over a magical sword, and the new entry, Soul Calibur IV, will be available later in 2008 on the Xbox 360 and PS3.

We got a chance to spend a little hands-on time with the game, which will look and feel familiar to fans of the series. The most noteworthy part is the addition of two well-known characters to the mix--Star Wars stalwarts Darth Vader (in the PS3 version) and Yoda (in the Xbox 360 version).

While Darth himself and a handful of Stormtroopers were in attendance, and we got to see some prerendered footage of them in action, neither Star Wars character was included in our hands-on demo of the game, so we'll have to wait to indulge in some Samurai-vs-Sith action.

This is only a quick post because I just walked past the Aiptek booth and saw their tiny but feature-packed 1080p video camera that will be available in the U.S. later this year--at a very attractive price point. Its memory allows for approximately two hours of 1080p HD video using a 4GB memory card. This one promises to be a "must have" gadget for next year.

Phil Hester is senior vice president and chief technology officer (CTO) at AMD, responsible for setting the architectural and product strategies and plans for AMD's microprocessor business.

Green is big here at CES 2008, and I'm not just talking about the kiwi-colored gadgets and lime-green LED gizmos. For years, the tech industry pushed performance with little consideration for environmental and economic consequences. No more; the awakening on this issue as expressed in power-efficient device designs and the accompanying product messages at the show are unavoidable.

This decade the industry accelerated its focus on decreasing the energy consumption even of high-performance consumer devices and PCs. As more and more always-on technology integrates into our homes and offices, we've made a targeted effort to make superior efficiency as much a priority as a superior consumer experience. Many companies are aggressively citing the energy consumption of devices, and there's considerable dialog about meeting new generations of Energy Star-type standards.

* Energy saving HD LED and OLED TVs from Samsung and Sony promise reduced energy use and heat emission.

* Panasonic also demoed prototype plasma display panels (PDPs) that stand to cut energy consumption in half without sacrificing brightness.

* Total energy consumption is also becoming a more important factor in consumer buying habits and we're seeing more Energy Star stickers here on the CES show floor.

* Many companies also promoted solar energy solutions for powering handheld devices and eco-friendly packaging for CE gadgets and accessories.

* GM made its debut at CES with the Cadillac Provoq concept car that is projected to go 300 miles on a tank of hydrogen and a fuel cell. Not too shabby.

As an industry, we're headed in the right direction but still have work to do to reduce the energy burden of technology. Will energy efficiency become as dominant a discussion at a future CES, just as "Full HD" is this year? I hope so.

Phil Hester is senior vice president and chief technology officer at AMD, responsible for setting the architectural and product strategies and plans for AMD's microprocessor business.

Motorola's Rokr E8

(Credit: Bonnie Cha/CNET Networks)

Since the Motorola Rokr E8 nabbed CNET's Best of CES award in the cell phones and smartphones category, it's appopriate to give you an idea of how the phone feels beyond just a list of specs. At 4.52 inches by 2.09 inches by 0.42 inch, it has an average size for a cell phone, and it's actually a bit heavier than I expected at 3.5 ounces. I didn't mind the weight, however, as it gave the E8 a solid and sturdy feel in the hand.

Motorola Rokr E8

(Credit: Bonnie Cha/CNET Networks)

The Rokr's showpiece is, of course, its new keypad. I admit I didn't know quite what to expect, as new cell phone interfaces can be hard to do right. But it was quite easy to use from what I could tell. The vibrating keypad was nifty, and the numeric keys also have tiny bumps to help you find your way. The scrolling toggle doesn't go in a full circle (perhaps Apple has patent on that) so you could move your finger in a full loop. If you tried to trace your digit on the missing portion of the circle at the toggle's bottom, the cursor on the screen would stop and then resume again when you got to the other side. The keypad morphing also worked well. When I pressed the dedicated music button, the backlighting illuminated only the music buttons, just as the E8 is supposed to do. Same goes for the camera; once we selected that feature, only the camera buttons were backlit. Though the transition between the individual functions took a few seconds but that wasn't an issue for me. The new menu interface was simple and attractive, and I liked the position of the 3.5mm headset jack on the top of the phone.

I was able to test the music quality and liked what I heard. It's still too early to tell, however, whether the Rokr E8 will surpass standalone MP3 players as Moto has promised. I didn't get the chance to test the photo or call quality, but I suspect the E8 could just have a bright future ahead of it. The lack of 3G bothers me, but otherwise it deserves its Best of CES award.

Correction 5:35 p.m. PST: This blog gave an incorrect last name for the head of EMI Music's digital business. He is Barney Wragg.

Because I had to leave Las Vegas on Wednesday, I was only able to catch the first two sessions of the one-day Digital Music Live conference, a conference about technology and the music industry co-sponsored by Billboard and the Consumer Electronics Association (who's behind CES). Nonetheless, the morning speakers had some interesting thoughts.

(Credit: CEA/Billboard)

First up was Gregg Latterman, president of Aware Records, whose company manages multimillion-selling artists The Fray (which had already been signed to Epic by the time Latterman began managing them) and John Mayer.

Despite the rejection of traditional promotion and distribution by everybody from the youngest MySpace bands to the most-established rockers, Latterman argued that the old ways--terrestrial radio and major label marketing and distribution--are still necessary for artists to sell more than a million records. He acknowledged that it's harder to create million-sellers from scratch--a few years ago, he claimed, a label could put $1 million into promotion and radio and almost guarantee a million album sales--but he noted that many critically acclaimed independent acts just aren't selling in big numbers, citing Bright Eyes (whose last album sold 189,000 copies, according to Latterman) as an example.

He also pointed out something I noted when Radiohead first revealed its tip-jar pre-release download plan for In Rainbows: without EMI, the band might never have built the huge global audience that allowed it to perform this experiment and sign distribution-only deals for the actual full CD.

My favorite insight, however, came in a discussion of how digital downloads are becoming a larger proportion of sales:"it's not fun to buy a record anymore." He didn't expand, but I imagine he was thinking of big-box stores and $18 retail prices.

The next session was a five-person panel on the current state of the industry. EMI Music's head of digital business, Barney Wragg, claimed that moving to DRM-free downloads revitalized the label's sales of digital full albums, as opposed to singles, contradicting the industry's fear that users would cherry-pick fewer tracks in the iTunes age, leading to less revenue per sale. (He didn't reveal exact numbers, but hinted they were significant enough to change top executives' thinking on the subject.)

He also acknowledged that many executives at the majors have had their heads in the sand regarding digital downloads and combating file trading, but pleaded for some tolerance, noting that a lot of artists and publishers refuse to participate in newer forms of distribution for fear it'll hurt their own bottom lines. I'd be crying crocodile tears if I pretended to be too sympathetic, but it was a good reminder that the majors aren't monolithic corporations, but actually must represent lots of parties with conflicting interests and levels of comfort with digital distribution.

There were a few other interesting points in the panel discussion, although 45 minutes seemed hurried.

Ian Rogers, VP of Video and Media Applications for Yahoo, praised the impending end of DRM, claiming that Yahoo Music had been unable to sign many deals--such as one with home automation company Control 4--because of the expense of supporting DRM-protected audio files.

Matthew DeFilippis of publishing rights clearinghouse ASCAP talked about how the organization was never interested in DRM, but cares much more about tracking usage--watermarking could be a useful technology here--and mentioned a system ASCAP is using to monitor songs playing in public places.

Finally, well-known music lawyer Fred Goldring summed up the problem nicely: empowered consumers with an unlimited supply of music directly contradicts the old industry basis of enforced scarcity. The trick is figuring out how to monetize what consumers are already doing. Unfortunately, there are no jaw-droppingly obvious or brilliant solutions at hand, although he and Nettwerk Music Group CEO Terry McBride seemed to lean toward some sort of blanket license applied on ISP fees.

As I get ready to leave CES and Las Vegas, I wanted to give a shout-out to the device that truly powers the convention: the smartphone. Doesn't really matter whether it's Treo or Blackberry, everyone was calling, texting and emailing all day long. At such a techie summit you could talk in any public space with impunity. I would have been lost from my CNET compatriots without it. [Side note, my iPhone had "no service" within the convention center but my Blackberry was fine, both on AT&T.]

So at the end of they day, as they take down the huge plasma TVs, and turn off the flashing lights, I keep thinking that sometimes its the basics that get you through the day:

(photo credit: Amy Tiemann)

The Case Logic Pocket with an attached carabiner. It's like a little sleeping bag that fits most phones or small devices. This would have helped me find my Blackberry or iPhone without rooting around my bag the whole time.

And second, the Turbocharge Tc2 portable cell phone charger, so that you're never caught short without a charge. One AA battery and you're good to go. At CES they announced new models including one for iPhone and another with a built-in rechargeable battery.