Tech Doldrums Coming in '08

There was more to electronics show than TVs

(NEWSER) - This year's Consumer Electronics Show had the predictable high-tech TVs and other conventional items—but the 3,100 exhibitors also showed off some rather bizarre devices. A few highlights:

• Solowheel. An electric unicycle with no seat and footboards that allow riders to stand and lean in the direction they want to go. The 26-pound, $1,800 machine goes 10mph on its battery-powered motor, and has a 15- to 20-mile range.

Light shines through dark background, new owners complain

(NEWSER) - The iPad 2 is still brand spankin' new to the market, but glitch reports are already coming in: Apple's latest darling may have a “bleeding” problem, Gizmodo reports. Check out the video in the gallery: Light shines oddly from the side of the machine, cutting through an image that’s supposed to be all black. It’s not yet known whether this is a general problem or just an issue in a few machines—but with blogs like Engadget also reporting the story, Apple may be in for a headache. More»

Slate columnist: Tech journalists won't say it, but the show's always a bore

(NEWSER) - Farhad Manjoo isn’t one of the tech journalists descending on Las Vegas this weekend. He decided to stay home and avoid “the overcrowded, overstuffed, chaotic, and profoundly pointless vaporware parade known as CES,” he writes in Slate . The Consumer Electronics Show “is an enormous waste of time,” and all tech journalists know it, he contends—but because it gives them so dang much to blog about, they all schlep out there anyway. More»

Consumer Electronics Show previews Project Natal, Hitachi TVs

(NEWSER) - Losing your remote control will soon be a thing of the past, thanks to new technology that embraces motion control, making it possible to channel surf with your hands. Hitachi televisions, for example, will allow you to change the channel by twisting your wrist, the New York Times reports. Microsoft’s Project Natal, to be released later this year, will compete with the Nintendo Wii—but without controllers, allowing you to use just your body to dodge balls and do skateboard tricks. More»

New offerings can be used as hammers, soaked, dropped

(NEWSER) - The iPhone might be pretty, but it’s probably best not to use it as a hammer. If you’re looking for a phone that can handle such treatment—and can be thrown, showered with, or plunged into beer—your best bet may be one of the rugged models from firms such as Nokia and Sonim. “Some people just want a device that is built to last,” Sonim’s CEO tells Wired. More»