Thursday, Jan. 08, 2009

Getting a glimpse of latest tech toys

Wristwatch phone with video at Vegas show

The tech industry's two big winter gatherings opened this week amid signs of a deepening recession, resulting in much lower-key affairs with fewer attendees and less glitz.

The International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is without its annual stalwart, Microsoft's Bill Gates, who has stepped down from day-to-day leadership in the company. And the big Macworld event in San Francisco is without Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs, who Monday disclosed a hormonal imbalance that he said accounts for his alarming gauntness.

Despite their absences there was plenty of technology news with Microsoft announcing Wednesday in Las Vegas that it has struck deals to give its Internet search engine preferred treatment on most new Dell consumer computers and some Verizon Wireless cell phones.

A move aimed at archrival Google, the agreements come as Microsoft continues to lose ground in the search business after its failed merger talks with No. 2 Internet search provider Yahoo.

Research company comScore Inc. reported that Google handled almost 64 percent of all Internet searches conducted in November, compared with Yahoo's 20 percent and Microsoft's 8 percent. The company also revealed plans to expand its best-selling "Halo" video game franchise. In March, Microsoft will release "Halo Wars," a strategy game for its Xbox 360 gaming console. Later, it plans to release another title called "Halo3 ODST."

Consumers aren't expected to abandon video games or other tech toys even in the face of a sinking global economy.

According to the Consumer Electronics Association and research partner GfK Group, consumers worldwide will spend $724 billion on mobile phones, TVs, laptops and other consumer electronics gadgets this year, up 4.3 percent from 2008.

That's far below the 13.7 percent sales growth the industry posted in 2008, but still impressive under current conditions.

Here's a sampling of some of the devices unveiled at the electronics show:

• It looks as if Dick Tracy may finally get his wristwatch cell phone, the one that does video calls. LG Electronics Inc. plans to introduce a wrist phone later this year, giving reality a chance of catching up with the comic-strip hero who used a two-way "Wrist TV."

Several manufacturers make wristwatch phones, but the LG model would likely be the first that can do video calls. It has a built-in camera and full cellular broadband capabilities. No price was disclosed.

As demonstrated by LG's chief technology officer, Woo Hyun Paik, the phone is slightly more than half an inch thick and has a touch-screen interface with three buttons. It offers two hours of talk time on a single charge, Paik said.

• A new model of headphone can play MP3s itself, without connecting to a separate device. Adrenaline Technologies LLC is releasing SlotPhones, a pair of wraparound Bluetooth headphones that work as a stand-alone MP3 player if you insert a song-filled microSD memory card into a tiny slot on the side. The product also serves as a stereo Bluetooth headset that can receive calls and music from your cell phone. It should sell for about $130.

• More options for watching TV in the car are on the way. Audiovox Corp. said it will make an in-car receiver for Qualcomm Inc.'s subscription-based mobile TV broadcasts, previously available only on AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless cell phones. The receiver will be available in eight to 10 months for less than $500, Audiovox senior vice president Tom Malone said. It will work with all in-car entertainment screens, including seat-back, dashboard and ceiling-mounted, he said. A subscription fee will be required to use the system.

• Toyota plans to roll out new safety and driver-assist programs on certain Toyota and Lexus models beginning late this summer. That marks the first major competition for Detroit-based General Motors' OnStar service since it started up 12 years ago.

The Japan-based automaker said both the Toyota and Lexus versions will offer safety systems, but the Lexus version includes driver convenience features such as directions to nearby destinations and a voice command program that can be used to control everything from the vehicle's satellite radio to its climate control system.