CES 2009

Along with pretty much every other monitor vendor, Westinghouse is moving to a 16:9, "Full HD" format for its monitors. This means that these new displays will be able to display 720p or 1080p HD content without stretching the image.

Other than "Full HD," not much is new about the new lineup.

Here are the specifications on the three new unreleased models.

(Credit: Westinghouse)

L2031NW (20-inch class LCD monitor)
Available: Second half 2009; Price: TBD

• 20-inch TFT LCD monitor, 20.0-inch diagonal viewable
• True HD 16:9 aspect ratio, 1,600x900-pixel resolution
• 0.277x0.277mm pixel pitch
• 1,000:1 contrast ratio
• 250 nits brightness
• Fast response time of 5ms
• 16.7 million true colors
• Wide viewing angle: 170 degree H, 160 degree V
• HDMI (HDCP), VGA, and stereo audio inputs
• Built-in stereo speakers: 1Wx2
• EPA Energy Star 4.1 Tier 2 compliant: Power consumption: less than 41 watts
• RoHS compliant

(Credit: Westinghouse)

L2427HW (24-inch class LCD monitor)
Available: March 2009; Price: TBD

• 24-inch class TFT LCD monitor, 23.6-inch diagonal viewable
• True Full HD 16:9 aspect ratio, 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution
• 0.2715x0.2715mm pixel pitch
• 1,000:1 contrast ratio
• 300 nits high brightness
• Fast response time of 2ms (gray to gray)
• 16.7 million true colors
• Wide viewing angle: 170 degree H, 160 degree V
• 2 HDMI inputs with HDCP in addition to VGA and stereo audio
• Built-in stereo speakers: 1.5W x 2
• EPA Energy Star 4.1 Tier 2 compliant: Power consumption: less than 59W
• RoHS compliant

(Credit: Westinghouse)

L2635HW (26-inch class LCD monitor)
Available: March 2009; Price: TBD

• 26-inch class TFT LCD monitor, 25.5-inch diagonal viewable
• 16:10 aspect ratio, 1,920x1,200-pixel resolution
• 0.287x0.287mm pixel pitch
• 1,000:1 contrast ratio
• 300 nits high brightness
• Fast response time of 2ms (gray to gray)
• 16.7 million true colors
• Wide viewing angle: 170 degree H, 160 degree V
• 1 HDMI (HDCP), 1 DVI-D(HDCP), 1 VGA
• Built-in stereo speakers: 1.5W x 2
• EPA Energy Star 4.1 Tier 2 compliant: Power consumption: <65W
• RoHS compliant

Hmmm, just what movie is this anyway?

(Credit: ViewSonic)

It wasn't all stereoscopic screens and crazy 3D glasses at ViewSonic's showing at CES. The company also introduced a new 24-inch monitor, the VX2433.

In keeping with what seems to be a trend with monitors at this year's CES, the new 24-inch display has a 16:9 aspect ratio and includes a "Full HD" 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution. However, connection options are limited to HDMI, so I hope that ViewSonic includes at least a DVI-to-HDMI cable.

The display has a 2ms pixel response time and an aspect ratio adjustment that, according to the company, ensures your images are never distorted regardless of signal source. The display also includes integrated SRS WOW HD speakers and an Ecomode that automatically reduces power consumption and can extend backlight life.

The ViewSonic VX2433 will be available soon for $279, according to the company.

Samsung has been doing the whole "Touch of Color" (ToC) thing for a few years now. Samsung injects a bit subtle color in monitor bezels, enhancing (depending on your tastes) the aesthetics of the monitor and brands it "Touch of Color."

I don't mind ToC, but I still prefer jet black. My own tastes not withstanding, Samsung is still pushing ToC and it had three monitors at CES 2009 to show it off: the P2070, P2270, and P2370.

Each of the three displays has a transparent bezel with gray shading that gives the edges a crystal-like appearance (as well as making them hard for a camera to photograph).

Each of the new monitors follows this year's trend of 16:9 aspect ratio, with the 22-inch 2270 and 23-inch 2370 capable of 1080p "Full HD" resolution. According to Samsung, they displays also have a 2ms (GTG) pixel response time and each sites on a swiveling stand.

According to Samsung, because of the crystal-like bezel the glare associated with ambient light is reduced. Unfortunately, there was no real way to test this at the CES, so I'll just have to wait until I can get these in the Lab to confirm it.

Each monitor uses a two-lamp low power solution to the backlight and, according to Samsung, uses half the normal wattage of other monitors. Samsung, however, did not make it clear which monitors it used for comparison.

Each monitor also features the transparent glass neck that the LED-based 2370L has. Also, the onscreen display controls have been integrated into the bezel.

Each of these displays will be available in March. Pricing has not been announced.

Cell phones and smartphones are just a small part of CES, but that doesn't stop the various manufacturers from making their presence felt. The largest companies like Nokia, Motorola, and Samsung build impressive, glitzy booths that are larger than most homes. Inside you'll find their latest models on display, from the basic and functional to the hot and high end. For a peek at all the cell phone action on the CES show floor, check out our slide show.

Cell phone booths at CES

The Acoustic Research ARIR600i Internet Radio has an iPod dock, too.

While Internet Radios have been popular in Europe for a while, 2008 was the first year the products really gained some traction in the U.S. market. Acoustic Research showed off two new Internet Radios, the ARIR200 and the ARIR600i, which offer some unique features like the ability to record Internet Radio streams to their internal memories and access to the Slacker service. Here are the details.

Key features of the Acoustic Research ARIR200:

• Access to 12,000 Internet Radio stations
• Ability to add your own stations using a URL
• Can record up to 10 hours of Internet Radio using the internal 512MB memory
• Access to the Slacker music service
• Prepaid access to the WeatherBug service
• Alarm clock functionality
• AM/FM tuner
• Available in mid-February, $129 MSRP

Key step-up features of the Acoustic Research ARIR600i:

• iPod dock
• Available in mid-May, $200 MSRP

That's an impressive set of features considering the prices of these radios, especially the $129 ARIR200. Most of the Internet Radios we review--even the more expensive ones--don't include an AM/FM tuner, and we haven't reviewed an one with Slacker, WeatherBug or recording features either. However, because ease of use is so important with these units--especially how they handle searching those 12,000 stations--we're anxious to get review sample of these radios in to see how they compare with the competition.

If you were wondering why our past two shows have been so squeaky clean, rest assured that our third day broadcasting live from the CNET stage at CES 2009 is definitely when we get back into the nasty groove. Today's show is filled with more goofy and perverted gadgets from the showroom floor, Watchmen movie news, idiots bandits, and another appearance from Ms. Heavenly Tech! Spicyyyyy

Be sure to catch us live again tomorrow from the CNET stage at 5 p.m. Pacific Time.

EPISODE 256

Blu-ray ran into plenty of consumer confusion regarding the differing Blu-ray profiles, but the good news is that almost all (excluding a few Philips players) of the new players we saw announced at CES 2009 are Profile 2.0 compatible. Memorex's new MVBD-2520 doesn't have any of the extra bells and whistles seen on LG's BD390 or Samsung's BD-P4600, but it does look to have the minimum specs to be a solid budget player. Here are the details.

Key features of the Memorex MVBD-2520:

• Profile 2.0 compatible
• Onboard Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD High Resolution decoding
• SD card slot and USB port
• Available in early summer, $200 list price

That's a decent set of features for a Blu-ray player coming out right now, but it's worth noting that Vizio's announced player, the VBR100, is coming in April for $200 as well, plus it includes DTS-HD Master Audio decoding and 7.1 analog outputs. It will take a hands-on review to figure out which $200 player is better, but Vizio is in the lead from the spec sheets.

LAS VEGAS--Iomega, which, with its Zip drive, once practically had the monopoly on portable storage, now has plenty of competition. But it's not sitting still.

At the Consumer Electronics Show here, Iomega showed off a network-attached hard drive that sells for $159 for a 500GB version, or $229 for a one terabyte version. Once attached to a home router, the network drive can be accessed by PCs, Macs, PlayStation 3s, and Xbox 360s. In addition to regular data, it can, of course, store media files that can be played by any of those devices.

Iomega's Bill Hansen talks about the drive with Larry Magid in this podcast.

See our complete news coverage from CES here

Either that is a huge hand or, (more likely) the projector is tiny.

(Credit: BenQ)

I'm not certain if this has truly never been accomplished before, but BenQ is claiming that its new GP1 is the world's first LED pocket projector with an integrated USB reader. According to BenQ, users will be able to run movies, slides, or whatever they want, simply by plugging a USB thumb drive in, with no need for a separate PC.

In addition, GP1 users will be able to connect digital cameras, PDAs, iPods, iPhones, smartphones, gaming consoles, and laptops for viewing projected from 10 inches up to an 80-inch diagonal size, and it will project sound through its integrated speaker.

If you're concerned about color accuracy (and really, who isn't?), BenQ seems to think it has you taken care of with a 120 percent NTSC color gamut. According to BenQ, this is 40 percent higher than non-LED projectors.

Connection options include D-Sub (VGA), Composite, and USB inputs, and PC audio output as well as a detachable iPod docking station.

The GP1 will be available in March 2009 with an MSRP of $599. Check out a couple more closeup shots.

Giant fonts are the way of the future.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CBS Interactive)

Hard to believe there are still enough novice computer users still out there that a company would develop a whole line of computers specifically geared to them. Hard for me to believe, I should say, because BenQ sees things differently.

At CES, BenQ unveiled its first ever PC, the nScreen. The nScreen is being tailored for novice computer users, specifically senior citizens and children. The company is offering three nScreen models in its first Blue Ocean series: 18.5-inch wide screen i91, 21.5-inch wide screen i221, and the 18.5-inch wide-format i92. All three will be in the sub-$600 range when they debut in either the second or third quarter of 2009, according to BenQ.

BenQ has included a custom user interface that it thinks will appeal to seniors, children, and novice users. The UI is available for Linux and Windows XP Home and offers ease of use features like larger than normal font sizes, and the elimination of a tiered folder system. Instead it offers large point and click icons for Internet, e-mail, games, movies, photo/video sharing, Skype, and office documents, to name a few.

If the fonts are too big for your eyes or you want to make them smaller you may be able to, as some models include a font adjustment prompt that appears upon startup. For those who may be hard of hearing, an integrated equalizer automatically optimizes sound, specifically hard-to-hear high frequencies, according to BenQ.

Some models of the Blue Ocean series models will feature a customized keyboard, which will include a bigger keys and separate number and symbol keys so there is no need to press "shift" for symbols like "#." The unit we saw did not have such a keyboard.

Other features include an integrated 1.3-megapixel Webcam and VoIP phone (Skype handset comes standard on 21.5-inch models, optional on the 18.5-inch model), a 16:9 aspect ratio for HD and full HD (depending on the model) movie watching.

Other specs: SRS TruSurround HD sound, AMD Yukon platform with AMD RS690E+SB600 chipset, 720p native resolution (on the i91) to 1080p (on the i221), with all models featuring 1GB of system memory, 802.11b/g, 100BaseT, six USB connectors, and 4-in-1 card reader.