Day 2 at CES 2003

This is day 2 of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and what we’re noticing is that almost every manufacturer at CES is touting some variation of wireless device.

Chip giant Intel's new XScale 400 MHz processor is enabling a number of consumer electronics manufactures to create new categories of wireless products. These processors consume less power than a light bulb in a common flashlight yet are more powerful than many home PCs. Here are some new products featuring Intel’s new XScale processor:

ViewSonic airpanel Smart Display
The ViewSonic airpanel Smart Display is a 10-inch, $999 variation of last year's Tablet PC that runs Microsoft Window's XP software to access data and documents around the home. You can keep the airpanel V110 in the living room, den or kid’s room, and surf the web as if you were sitting in front of a home PC from anywhere in your home via an 802.11b wireless connection. With a fast 3 second boot up, you can quickly access e-mail or check the weather with a touch of the screen. Everything can be done without your mouse and keyboard. Navigate and enter data using only a stylus with the touch-sensitive screen. The airpanel v110 runs on a long-life lithium-ion battery. www.viewsonic.com

Personal Video Player
The other interesting device running the new chip is called a Personal Video Player (PVP), a pocket-sized device that stores up to 70 hours of video. ReplayTV and Intel have teamed up on this new product that combines the performance and low power consumption of Intel XScale technology-based processors with SONICblue's ReplayTV platform.

SONICblue's PVP will have a large capacity hard drive and support multiple audio and video formats, including ReplayTV files, so recorded television content can be transferred directly from ReplayTV set-top boxes to the PVP. It will also connect to a PC for transfer and play of MP3 and other multimedia content from your PC. www.sonicblue.com

Plantronics M1500 Bluetooth Headset
Bluetooth is another hot wireless category. Plantronics tiny (under an ounce) headset fits on your ear and allows you to send/receive calls sans phone. The Bluetooth adapter fits on almost any cell phone. The M1500 features an adjustable noise canceling microphone for clearer voice dialing, and the headset provides up to 2.5 hours of talk time per charge. Plus, the Plantronics M1500 Bluetooth Headset is the only headset that can be used while charging. $199. www.plantronics.com

Kodak Easy Share Software
If you got a digital camera for the holidays and still can't figure out those confusing instruction books and computer commands, Kodak has a novel introduction at CES - free software -that's right, Kodak is offering free downloads of its Easy Share Software (version 2.0) for anyone that owns a digital camera. Besides the price, what's different about this software is that owners of any camera can download it at Kodak.com and it will lead you step-by-step through the digital camera experience -not just emailing or editing, but printing and even ordering professional prints online that can be delivered to you doorstep.

HP Digital Media Center 5000 Series
The HP Digital Media Center 5000 is a set top box that holds all your digital music and pictures and plays them back over your TV set. Wireless 802.11b or Ethernet ready, the media receiver connects to your home stereo for music, plays slideshows on your TV, allows you to communicate over the network with PC -- even prints to your home printer. www.hp.com