CES: Cool, excellent and scintillating
From iPhone-controlled helicopters to 4-ounce laser projectors to an all-electric sports car with a price that's double what I paid for my first house, the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show has landed. This is the most fun week of the year for me, as I get to play with the gizmos and talk to their creators on the show floor and a series of press-only events.
Here are some highlights:
— Parrot A.R. Drone
Parrot Inc.
(www.parrot.com)
This flying minihelicopter works indoors or out and is controlled through a Wi-Fi connection. Players use an iPhone application action/shooting game to maneuver the flying machine in either single- or double-player mode. The chopper and game will be released sometime this year. Pricing isn’t set.
The Parrot won an Innovator's Award in the Wireless Handset Accessories category.
— Microvision ShowWX Laser Pico Projector
Microvision Inc.
(www.microvision.com)
This tiny projector, weighing only 4 ounces and about the size of an iPhone, shoots an image up to 200 inches wide. The projector connects to any other device with a video out port, including iPhones, iPods and other media players. The unit is scheduled for release in March, with a price around $500.
The projector won an Innovator's Award in the Portable Multimedia Accessories category.
— Tesla Roadster
Tesla Motors
(www.teslamotors.com)
Not surprisingly, I wasn't offered a test-drive of this sleek, all-electric sports car that’s priced at $128,500. The company, which makes its cars in Southern California, will soon deliver its 1,000th roadster, and is planning to start producing a more affordable Model S car, set to debut at the end of 2011. The car is twice as clean as hybrid models, as it has zero emissions. It has a range of about 300 miles between charges and goes from zero to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds.
Zoom, zoom, zoom!
