CES 2007 Extras

   This company makes copies of...CDs...The white machine on the left can bur...*ahem*..make copies of data discs. Ironically this booth was about as far away from the Microsoft booth as possible. You could make a serious amount of copies using one of these. Too bad that they weren't very motivated to send a review sample.

In a word: Temptation

Maximum PC

   I spent a little extra time at the Maximum PC booth because they had games! They also some some "Killer" toys in the literal sense. The Killer Network Interface Card has some new features over the previous model with Flexible Network Architecture, Killer's NPU which frees up the processor and improved faster game data delivery. The less load on your processor means more free resources for it to do other things, like rendering frames.

PhysX, Games, Toys, and Killer

Water Cooled 8800 GTX System

Maximum PC's game machines all ran very high detailed games thanks to the top of the line components commonly seen in their editorials. It was nice to sit and discuss the projected market direction concerning games and hardware. We could sit around and talk for hours, but I'd rather play with some machines.

AOpen

   This is another big OEM company that has some interesting concepts. The first picture is of a mini-ITX System small enough you almost can't see it. It's one of their concepts that could possibly replace the large bulky tech stations seen at hospitals. The system can be completely wireless and is capable of sending vital data from the bedside of a patient to a central hub of sorts where the data can be monitored. These are extremely energy efficient and cost effective systems that deserves serious consideration.

System mounted on lowest section

Below, we have a micro system that is scalable in terms of it's peripherals and connectivity. It resembles a full ITX chassis of sorts, but can be broken down in levels depending on how much extra hardware you need connected such as hard drives or ROM drives. This almost borders the realm of a console and computer due to its size and Intel processors.

Dual VGA Embedded System

System Taken Apart

Wireless Suggestions

   We are all familiar with wireless connectivity especially in terms of internet and external drive storage access. The two companies at the event that had something new that sparked my curiosity were Netgear and ZyXEL. Both companies offer wireless solutions for your home or office network in both the internet and storage areas.

Netgear had a working demo of their 'wireless access' that can be set up throughout your home utilizing the Intel VIIV as your home entertainment system. And with Netgear's wireless external storage enclosures you can store or access movies, music, data, TV shows, and video games online. So, not only does it act as a home theater system, it also becomes your home entertainment system.

Cell Phone, MP3, Internet	Wireless External Storage
Wireless VIIV Entertainment	The Intel VIIV

ZyXEL is familiar in other parts of the country for having wireless network modems setup throughout cable and internet providers such as Bright House networks. The engineers at Bright House aren't the typical run of the mill engineers in my experiences and are very serious about the quality of equipment that they use.

MIMO-N Wireless Router

Wireless External Storage

They've chosen ZyXEL for reasons such this new wireless router, wireless card, and USB Signal booster that boosts the signal up 6dB. For those who aren't familiar with signal boosters, it basically means that the PC that the USB booster is plugged in to acts as a relay keeping the signal strong throughout your home or office. The 6dB just means that it can also allow more PCs to reach the network easier.

The Wireless Family

Wireless Broadband Router

USB Signal Booster

Conclusion

   Alas, the tour is over. There were a few other booths I would like to have visited, but this year it was a one man show and there just wasn't enough time in the day. Our deepest apologies to anyone we didn't get to visit. We hope that this at least helps you figure out where you might spend your hard earned dollars and educate you a little as to what is going on in the world of information technology. We hope to be able to hit more of these specialized events for the experience and to keep the end users in the know. And if they happen to be in places like Las Vegas, it doesn't hurt to get a little fun in the sun in as well.